The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre offers a general clinical service, muscle biopsy service and research service, and has achieved National Commissioning Group status. Research at the Centre focuses on the genetic factors contributing to congenital muscular dystrophies, muscle stem cells and experimental therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
There are a range of teams who deal with a variety of issues surrounding neuromuscular disorders, these teams include physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, dietetic and medical assessments.
How to access the service
In order to attend the neuromuscular centre you will need to be referred by your current doctor. This may be your local paediatrician or occasionally, your GP may be able to refer you. Your current doctor will need to write a referral letter, giving brief details of your child’s condition and send it to the relevant doctor here at GOSH.
The centre’s doctors will read the referral letter and decide whether they think treatment at GOSH is appropriate. If so, they will write to send you a date for an outpatient appointment in the first instance.
The centre can be contacted out of hours by phoning the main hospitals switch board and asking for the on call neurology consultant.
The team
Professor Francesco Muntoni
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Professor Franceso Muntoni, the Director of the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, is a Paediatric Neurologist with an interest in clinical, pathological and molecular aspects of neuromuscular disorders. Professor Muntoni completed his training in Child Neurology and Psychiatry and has since worked in Italy and London.
Dr Rosaline Quinlivan
Consultant Neurologist
Ros Quinlivan is the clinical lead for the nationally commissioned service for ‘McArdle disease and related disorders’ and she leads for Transition.
Ros Quinlivan was appointed as a consultant to Great Ormond Street Hospital in November 2010. She was previously director of the Wolfson Centre for Neuromuscular Disease in Oswestry, and led the muscle service at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
She has a joint appointment with the Centre for Neuromuscular Disease and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square.
Dr Mariacristina Scoto
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Pinki Munot
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Adnan Manzur
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Anna Sarkozy
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Arpana Silwal
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Other key people in the team include:
- Emma Carter, Neuromuscular Nurse Specialist
- Natalie Mccormick, Neuromuscular Nurse Specialist
- Sian Craig, Neuromuscular Nurse Specialist
- Victoria Walsh, Social Worker
- Kate Waters, Family Therapist
- Marion Main, MA MCSP Senior Physiotherapist
- Lianne Abbott, Senior Physiotherapist
- Nicola Burnett, Senior Physiotherapist
- Nicola Burnett, Senior Physiotherapist
- Jose Longatto, Physiotherapist
- Juliet Taplin, Speech and Language Therapist
- Rhiannon Halfpenny, Speech and Language Therapist
Clinics
Adult
Clinics are held at Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
- Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
- Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
- Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Congenital myopathies
- Inherited neuropathies
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- Congenital myasthenic syndromes
- Myasthenia gravis