Emma Ciafaloni MD, FAAN

Dr. Ciafaloni is a Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Neuromuscular Diseases in adults and children. She is Co-Director of the MDA Neuromuscular Clinic and Program Director of the ACGME Accredited Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship Program. She graduated from Medical School at the Universita' Statale di Milano, in Milano, Italy in 1989. She trained at Columbia University in mitochondrial diseases, then at Duke University where she completed her Neurology Residency and Neuromuscular/EMG Fellowships. She has been on the Neurology Faculty at URMC since 2002.

Her current commitments include improving the diagnosis and treatment of adult and pediatric patients with neuromuscular diseases, especially Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, ALS, limb-girdle muscular dystrophies, myotonic dystrophy, FSHD, and spinal muscular atrophy. She has national and international expertise in conducting clinical trials in adult and pediatric neuromuscular diseases including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Myasthenia Gravis, periodic paralyses, non-dystrophic myotonias, myotonic dystrophy, and FSHD.

She has a clinical research interest in the best treatment of patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the course and outcome of pregnancy in women with muscular dystrophies, and sleep disorders in neuromuscular diseases.

She has been involved in clinical care, research, education, and advocacy related to neuromuscular diseases for the past 15 years. Her background as Principal Investigator for several national and international multi-center trials includes Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis, Cell Cept in myasthenia gravis, Dichlorphenamide (DCP) in periodic paralyses, Mexiletine in myotonia congenital, and Ataluren (PTC124) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She is Chair of the Clinical Research Committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance Tracking and Research Network (MDSTARnet), a CDC funded project on Becker/Duchenne muscular dystrophy( 2004-present).