Teepu Siddique MD, the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Foundation Professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine, is an internationally recognized clinician-researcher in neuromuscular medicine. A gold medalist in botany from Islamia College, Lahore, Pakistan and a graduate of Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan, Dr. Siddique completed a flexible internship in Perth-Amboy, NJ, followed by a residency in Neurology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey. He was a fellow in electrophysiology at Cornell and a Fogarty International Scholar at the National Institute for Neurologic Diseases and Stroke. He has held faculty appointments as physician-investigator at University of Southern California, Duke University and, since 1991, here at Northwestern University, where he was appointed the first Abbott Laboratories Susan and Duane Burnham Research Professor. Currently he directs the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine. His research interest include disorders of the motor system and frontal lobe dementias. He led the team that identified the first causative gene in Lou Gehrig disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS) and developed the first genetic model of neurodegenerative disease, which is still the most widely used model for study of ALS. He continues to lead an active research team that has identified additional genes that cause inherited ALS, hereditary spastic paraplegia, mitochondrial myopathy and inherited neuropathy. His current research focuses on the role of environmentally responsive genes in motor neuron degeneration and the use of induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patient skin cells to develop rational therapy for ALS and related disorders. His research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for his entire 24 year career. He was the first recipient of the Sheila Essey Award awarded by the American Academy of Neurology, given for his seminal work in ALS genetics. Additional honors have included the Hope Through Caring Award from the Les Turner ALS Foundation, the Forbes Norris Award given by the International Alliance for Motor Neuron Disease, as well as numerous community awards. He is the author of more than 200 peer reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial board of several specialty journals and NIH grant reviewing panels.

Robert Sufit MD, Director of the Lois Insolia ALS Center and the Neurological Testing Center, is Professor of Neurology at the Feinberg School of Medicine. He came to Northwestern in 1991 from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he was Assistant Professor of Neurology and Co-Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic and Director of their Muscle Histopathology Laboratory He also served as Chief, Rehabilitation Medicine Service at Middleton VA Hospital in Madison. He received his BA and MA in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and his MD from the University of Virginia. Dr. Sufit has extensive experience in clinical trials and patient care.

Senda Ajroud-Driss MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, earned her medical degree from The Medical School of Tunis, Tunisia. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in neurogenetics with Dr. Teepu Siddique here at Northwestern, her Neurology Residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Neuromuscular Fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Neurology and Neuromuscular Medicine. Dr. Ajroud-Driss is co-director of the Neuromuscular Fellowship and Director of the Peripheral Neuropathy Comprehensive Care Clinic.

Jeffrey Allen MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, came to Northwestern in 2008. Dr. Allen earned his MS in Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern and graduated from Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit. He completed a Neuromuscular Fellowship at Brigham & Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School in Boston. He sees patients in all of the Division’s clinics, as well as does EMG/NCVs and muscle biopsies.

Jennifer Armstrong RN BSN, Senior Nurse Coordinator, earned AA and BS degrees in nursing from Indiana University. Prior to joining the Lois Insolia Center she worked at Indiana University Medical Center in gynecology oncology.

Gene Bernardoni RPh CO BOCO, orthotist, is the owner and president of Ballert Orthopedic. He is both a registered pharmacist and an ABC-certified orthotist. He received his professional training from the University of Illinois Department of Pharmacy and Northwestern University’s Orthotics and Prosthetics Program. He has been professionally associated with MDA for the past 15 years, treating patients virtually all neuromuscular disorders.

Julian Breslow PhD LCSW, social worker, joined the Peripheral Neuropathy Comprehensive Care Clinic at its inception in August of 2008. He is a graduate of the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Julian has had thirty years of social work experience with special needs children and their families, and with adults with alcoholism, physical disabilities, or relationship problems. Julian assists patients, and those close to them, in identifying and coping with the practical, social, and emotional consequences of the patient's neurological condition.

Pat Casey MS OTR/L CCRC, is an Occupational Therapist who has worked with ALS patients in the Chicago area since 1974. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1968, moved to Chicago and received her Master in Science in O.T. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1985. She began making home visits to area ALS patients in 1975 and followed their clinical care in Chicago MDA clinics which included those at Weiss Hospital, University of Illinois, Rush Medical Center, University of Chicago, Evanston and Northwestern. Pat joined the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic staff in 1986, and worked with Dr. Robert Sufit as Clinical Research Coordinator on ALS research studies at Northwestern since 1992. She has published articles and chapters on ALS patient care and has given presentations and posters on ALS care at national and international meetings.

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Michele Duszynski Day, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and has been a member of the MDA clinical team since 2002. Working with patients and their families in the MDA clinic, Michele assists in applying for social security disability insurance, locating community resources as well as providing education, encouragement and support. She has a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago and trained in the neurological and trauma ICU at Cook County Hospital, and outpatient psychiatry at Evanston Northwestern Hospital. Additionally, Michele is an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago's Graduate School of Social Work and has private psychotherapy practices in Chicago and Northfield, IL.

Megan Burns is a Health Care Services Coordinator with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Megan joined the Northwestern team in March of 2008, but has been with MDA since November 2006. She is a graduate of The University of Iowa with a degree in Health Promotion. At clinic, Megan helps to coordinate the medical and multi-disciplinary staff while also meeting with each patient to discuss available MDA services. She assists in determining each patient needs and then delivering solutions and resources. Outside of clinic, Megan is responsible for the directing the MDA Summer Camp, hosting public health education seminars and facilitating local support groups for MDA patients.

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Michael Hall RN MSE, clinical nurse coordinator, joined Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation in 2004. He is a registered athletic trainer who previously worked at Exelon Corporation as an occupational health nurse. He was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 1996. Mike is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, the College of DuPage and George Williams College.

Scott Heller MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology, earned his medical degree from the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine at the University of Illinois and completed his neurology residency at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. He spent two years at the Jerry Lewis Neuromuscular Research Center at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He returned to Northwestern when the Lois Insolia ALS Center opened in 1986. He is a board-certified in Neurology.

Margaret McGovern MS OTR/L, occupational therapist, earned her BA from the University of Illinois in and MS from Rush University. She has worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, primarily on the neuroscience units, since 1990.

Evelyn Medina RMA, medical assistant, earned her AA in Medical Assisting from Fox College. She joined the Division clinics in 2008. She is currently pursuing her BS in Biology at Roosevelt University.

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Vicki M. Tysseling PhD, specializes in treating patients with neurological disease and injury. She has instructed nationally respected continuing education courses at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and courses in the Physical Therapy program at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Midwestern University. Currently, Vicki is a postdoctoral fellow in the Physiology Department of Northwestern University and an outpatient physical therapist for the Peripheral Neuropathy Clinic.

Sharon Veis MA CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist, graduated from Northwestern and has been a speech language pathologist since 1983. Sharon has been with the Lois Insolia ALS Center since 1993. An expert on speech and swallowing function, Sharon recommends appropriate augmentative communication tools, such as voice banking, computer technologies and speech generating devices. She provides referrals for loaner assistive communication devices from the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

John Vranicar, B.S., R.T.S., wheel chair seating specialist, received his undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University, Applied Science. He has previously worked in the manufacturing field of product development of specialty wheelchairs.

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Joyelle Winland RD LDN, dietician, earned her BS from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and completed her dietetic internship at Loyola University Chicago. She previously worked as an outpatient dietitian at the Mercy Center for Health and Wellness in Ohio.

Lisa Wolfe MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Division and Critical Care Medicine, is board certified in Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. She is Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Dr. Wolfe has particular interest in noninvasive ventilation. She joined the Lois Insolia ALS Center in 2003. She earned her MD from Ohio State University and completed her Residency in internal medicine and Fellowships in critical care, pulmonary medicine and sleep medicine at Northwestern University.

Nancy L. Kuntz, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Medical Director of the Mazza Foundation Neuromuscular Program at Children’s Memorial Hospital. Dr. Kuntz graduated from Boston University School of Medicine, trained in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital, trained in child neurology and neuromuscular disorders at Mayo Clinic Rochester and joined our faculty in December, 2009. She is interested in developing and providing comprehensive care for children and young adults with neuromuscular disorders and in initiating this as a site for clinical treatment trials for spinal muscular atrophy and various forms of muscular dystrophy.

Claire Owen, LPN, has been Director of Patient Services at the Les Turner ALS Foundation for more than 20 years. She serves as liaison between the Foundation and the staff of the Les Turner/Lois Insolia ALS Center. Her role at the Center is to acquaint families with the services provided by the Foundation and connect them with available programs and resources. Programs provided by the Foundation, in addition to the Center, include in-home visits by ALS nurse consultants and a social worker; transportation to and from Center visits; support group meetings; grant programs, based on financial need, to assist with costs related to ALS, including respite care, purchase of durable medical equipment, home modifications, etc., and lending banks of durable medical equipment and augmentative communication equipment.

Elizabeth McTaggart RN MSN, clinical nurse coordinator of the Peripheral Neuropathy Comprehensive Care Clinic, joined the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine in 2009. Prior to that she was on the faculty of Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, BC, where her interests were acute care, pain management and nursing care of families. She holds her BSN and MSN from the University of British Columbia. Elizabeth regularly contributes to the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy’s publications and volunteers for education events that promote peripheral neuropathy awareness.