Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dr. Merit Cudkowicz is the Director of the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, Chief of Neurology at Mass General, Director and the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cudkowicz’s research and clinical activities are dedicated to the study and treatment of people with ALS. She is one of the founders and past Co-Chairs of the Northeast ALS Consortium NEALS, a group of over 134 clinical sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East dedicated to performing collaborative clinical trials and research in ALS. She has brought innovations to accelerate the development of treatments for people with ALS, including senior role in first antisense oligonucleotide treatment for a neurological disorder SOD1 ALS, adaptive trial designs, central IRB - all with the goal to bring the best treatments rapidly. She is Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordination Center for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Neurology Network of Excellence in Clinical Trials NeuroNEXT. She has launched the first platform trial initiative in ALS, the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, a program that will greatly accelerate therapy development in ALS.
Dr. Cudkowicz has received many awards, including the 2019 Ray Adams American Neurological Association Award. A dedicated educator, she mentors many young neurologists in clinical investigation of ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Cudkowicz completed her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at MIT and obtained a medical degree in the Health Science and Technology program of Harvard Medical School. She served her internship at Beth Israel Hospital in New York and her neurology residency and fellowship at MGH.
Dr. Paganoni is a physician scientist and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. She practices at the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Her research focuses on clinical trials and therapy development for ALS. She has served as PI of several ALS clinical trials and has been using novel trial designs, novel endpoints and digital technology tools to innovate the way investigational products are tested in ALS. She is the co-PI of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, the first platform trial for ALS in the world. She recently reported the positive results of the CENTAUR trial and is the co-Chair of the global PHOENIX trial. She is also working with people with PLS and HSP. She co-chairs the PLS Task Force and the PLS registry of the Northeast ALS Consortium NEALS. She is working with other Harvard researchers on developing new assistive technology devices that can improve function and quality of life for people with ALS and other forms of Motor Neuron Disease. Dr. Paganoni published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. She is an editorial board member for Muscle and Nerve and the American Journal of PM&R. Her research has been funded by the NIH, foundations, and industry. She received several awards for her work including the Martin Prize for Excellence in Clinical Research Award 2021. Dr. Paganoni holds 3 Board Certifications - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neuromuscular Medicine, and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. She is a member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists AAP, American Academy of Neurology AAN, and American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine AANEM.
Dr. Merit Cudkowicz is the Director of the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, Chief of Neurology at Mass General, Director and the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cudkowicz’s research and clinical activities are dedicated to the study and treatment of people with ALS. She is one of the founders and past Co-Chairs of the Northeast ALS Consortium NEALS, a group of over 134 clinical sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East dedicated to performing collaborative clinical trials and research in ALS. She has brought innovations to accelerate the development of treatments for people with ALS, including senior role in first antisense oligonucleotide treatment for a neurological disorder SOD1 ALS, adaptive trial designs, central IRB - all with the goal to bring the best treatments rapidly. She is Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordination Center for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Neurology Network of Excellence in Clinical Trials NeuroNEXT. She has launched the first platform trial initiative in ALS, the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, a program that will greatly accelerate therapy development in ALS.
Dr. Cudkowicz has received many awards, including the 2019 Ray Adams American Neurological Association Award. A dedicated educator, she mentors many young neurologists in clinical investigation of ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Cudkowicz completed her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at MIT and obtained a medical degree in the Health Science and Technology program of Harvard Medical School. She served her internship at Beth Israel Hospital in New York and her neurology residency and fellowship at MGH.
Dr. Paganoni is a physician scientist and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. She practices at the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Her research focuses on clinical trials and therapy development for ALS. She has served as PI of several ALS clinical trials and has been using novel trial designs, novel endpoints and digital technology tools to innovate the way investigational products are tested in ALS. She is the co-PI of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, the first platform trial for ALS in the world. She recently reported the positive results of the CENTAUR trial and is the co-Chair of the global PHOENIX trial. She is also working with people with PLS and HSP. She co-chairs the PLS Task Force and the PLS registry of the Northeast ALS Consortium NEALS. She is working with other Harvard researchers on developing new assistive technology devices that can improve function and quality of life for people with ALS and other forms of Motor Neuron Disease. Dr. Paganoni published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. She is an editorial board member for Muscle and Nerve and the American Journal of PM&R. Her research has been funded by the NIH, foundations, and industry. She received several awards for her work including the Martin Prize for Excellence in Clinical Research Award 2021. Dr. Paganoni holds 3 Board Certifications - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neuromuscular Medicine, and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. She is a member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists AAP, American Academy of Neurology AAN, and American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine AANEM.
