Meet Our ALS Experts

Nazem Atassi, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

James D. Berry, MD, MPH
Winthrop Family Scholar in ALS Sciences
Averill Healey Endowed Chair in ALS
Director, MGH Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI)
Chief, Division of ALS and Motor Neuron Diseases

Kate T. Brizzi, MD
Physician, Neuropalliative Care 
Instructor in Neurology

Sheena Chew, MD
Instructor in Neurology

Merit Ester Cudkowicz, MD
Chief, Neurology Department
Director, Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS
Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

Doreen Ho, MD
ALS Clinic Director
Assistant Professor, Neurology

Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD
Co-Director, MGH Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI)
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Haatem M. Reda, MD
Site Director, Neurology Clerkship
Associate Director, Advanced General and Autoimmune Neurology Fellowship

Colleen Brady, NP

Qiaomei Liang, MSN, CNP

Darlene Sawicki, MSN, NP-BC
David Richards Endowed Nursing Chair in ALS

Jen Scalia, NP
Associate Director, ALS Clinic

Erin Donovan, MS, OTR/L

Julie MacLean, OTR/L

Jessica Ranford, OTR/L

Elizabeth Christiansen, MS, CCC-SLP

Melanie Krause, SLP

Stacey Sullivan, MS, CCC, SLP

Jin Yun (Helen) Chen
Genetic Counselor

Jin Yun (Helen) Chen is a certified genetic counselor working in the Department of Neurology and the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is specialized in providing genetic counseling services to patients and families with neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and movement disorders. She participates in provider outreach and education related to genetic counseling and testing for genetic neurological conditions. She involves in the newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and serves on the Medical Advisory Council for the CURE SMA Foundation. Prior to Mass General, she worked as a laboratory genetic counselor in the Division of Genomic Diagnostic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she gained expertise in variants analysis and report interpretation for both sequence variants and copy number alterations, as well as utilized clinical expertise to perform clinical correlation for report interpretation and generation. She received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from Brandeis University and bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Diane Lucente
Genetic Counseling Manager
Daniella Lipper PACT Program

Diane Lucente, MS, LCGC, has over 20 years of experience, initially as a research technician investigating genetic causes of neurological diseases before transitioning to become a genetic counselor. In her current role for the past 15 years at the MGH Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Neurology, she offers clinical care to individuals and families dealing with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions. This includes conducting diagnostic testing for patients with symptoms and presymptomatic testing for those at a 50% risk of inheriting a genetic condition.

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Diane is actively engaged in research, focusing on understanding the natural history and underlying causes of various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.

 Kristen Kingsley, RN

Nicole Martinez, NP

Kate T. Brizzi, MD
Physician, Neuropalliative Care 
Instructor in Neurology