January 2018

Dear Clinicians,

Today the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine (FMM), MitoAction, the Mitochondrial Medicine Society (MMS) and the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) collectively announce an important new initiative to create a Mitochondrial Care Network (Network)  

Mitochondrial Organizations Cooperate to Launch Pilot Phase of the Mitochondrial Care Network

The goals for the Mitochondrial Care Network, the first of its kind, are to formally unify clinicians who provide medical care to individuals with mitochondrial disease; to define, design and implement best practices in mitochondrial medicine; and to optimize management and care for patients with mitochondrial disease.

Any clinician in the United States who provides care to patients with mitochondrial disease can apply to join the pilot phase of the Network. Factors for consideration in the Network will include, but are not limited to, current and prior patient volume, multidisciplinary approach and hospital/center support. The MCN Governance Board, made up of the undersigned below, is responsible for final decisions on MMC eligibility for the initial pilot phase as well as eventual expansion of the MCN.  We will select a diverse group of MMCs for the pilot phase in order to determine the full scope, clinical priorities, implementation of standards of care and long term desired outcomes of the MCN. The Request for Application can be found at:   https://goo.gl/qXaiP4

Deadline for submission is February 28, 2017.

The MCN aims to continually improve the standard of care for mitochondrial disease in the United States and will be an organized group of individual Mitochondrial Medicine Centers (MMCs) that:

·       offer proper evaluation and diagnosis for primary mitochondrial disease;

·       provide comprehensive medical care to individuals with primary mitochondrial disease;

·       foster patient and providers education; and

·       engage in active participation in clinical research and mitochondrial disease registries.

This exciting initiative offers clinical and scientific challenges, opportunities and rewards.  Additionally, participants will play a pivotal role in identifying underserved patients and providing highly needed services for them, as well as contributing to an expanding knowledge base that promises better care for the future. 

Please share this news with your colleagues, and pardon any duplicate messages you may receive as we wanted to make sure our intentions were broadly distributed.  For questions, please contact info@mitonetwork.org.  We look forward to receiving your application.

Best Regards,

·       FMM-Laura Stanley, Executive Director

·       MitoAction—Kira Mann, Chief Executive Officer

·       MMS—Amy Goldstein, M.D., Amel Karaa, M.D. Sumit Parikh, M.D.

·       UMDF-Phil Yeske, Ph.D., Science and Alliance Officer