Kate’s daughter Morgan was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome at only 6 months old. Although they received an early diagnosis, Morgan was medically fragile for the first 2 years of life; suffering frequent seizures and related medical complications. Her family turned to organizations like the Dravet Syndrome Foundation for guidance and support. The outreach and leadership […]
Kate Hintz – President Read More »
As the Family Network Liaison, Erin oversees volunteers in both the Parent Ambassador and Social Media Ambassador programs. Erin and her husband Leo live outside of Seattle, WA, and are parents to Eloise and Leonel. Erin began fundraising for DSF soon after her Leonel’s Dravet syndrome diagnosis in 2016. She has been a volunteer Parent Ambassador
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Misty resides in South Carolina, with her husband Ben and their two children, Braxton and Allie. In 2009 her son, Braxton, was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome at just 15 months old. With very little information given to them by their neurologist, they immediately went online in search of other parents to help educate and guide
Misty Ried – Campaign Director Read More »
Veronica joined DSF in 2020. She has an MS in Biology from East Tennessee State University and a PhD in Cell, Stem Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado. She spent 10 years in laboratory settings researching how small changes in genetic and molecular regulation contribute to complex neurological diseases. In 2007, Veronica
Veronica Hood, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer Read More »
Mary Anne was a founding member of the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) in 2009 and has served as the CEO since 2012. Before shifting her focus towards advocacy, she owned and managed several businesses in the private sector for over 25 years, with an emphasis on project management. Her professional background, combined with her personal
Mary Anne Meskis – Chief Executive Officer Read More »
Sarah Weckhuysen, MD, PhD – University of Antwerp in Belgium Sarah Weckhuysen, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, with expertise in clinical epileptology and genetic research. A neurologist by training, she has worked at several renowned epilepsy centers, including the Epilepsy Center Kempenhaeghe (Netherlands), Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière (Paris, France), and
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Miriam Meisler, PhD – University of Michigan Medical Center Dr. Meisler is the Myron Levine Distinguished University Professor, Professor of Human Genetics and Professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. She earned her PhD at The Ohio State University in Physiological Chemistry and carried out postdoctoral training funded by a NSF Postdoctoral
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Heather C. Mefford, MD, PhD – St. Jude’s Research Hospital Dr. Mefford is a physician scientist with training in pediatrics and human genetics. She works for the Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and has a research laboratory devoted to the discovery of novel genetic and genomic causes of pediatric
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Jennifer Kearney, PhD – Northwestern University Jennifer Kearney, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology, focuses her research on studying the genetic modifiers that influence the clinical severity of epilepsy. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from The University of Michigan in 1997. She remained at The University of Michigan for postdoctoral training in Genetics and joined the faculty
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