The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Board of Trustees has named Kristen Clifford the organization's next President and Chief Executive Officer.
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) Board of Trustees has named Kristen Clifford the organization's next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 13, 2025.
Kristen comes to UMDF with decades of non-profit leadership experience, including most recently as Chief Program Officer at the Alzheimer's Association where she oversaw strategic community programming that focused on increasing quality and equitable access to care for patients. Prior to this, Kristen served as Vice President of Healthcare Access for the National MS Society.
"The Board and I set out to identify someone who had the qualifications to take the UMDF to the next level. Amongst the wide range of phenomenal candidates we met, Kristen stood out immediately. We believe her vast experience in healthcare and non-profit advocacy will prove invaluable in dealing with the complex issues that impact our mitochondrial disease patients, such as ensuring a swift diagnosis, accessing quality medical care, and navigating approval hurdles for new treatments. We are excited and hopeful for the growth that Kristen promises to bring to our organization and the community as a whole," said Dr. Alicia Palladino, UMDF Board of Trustees Chair.
Said Kristen: "When it comes to charting a course toward treatments and cures, it's clear this community is on the precipice of incredible things. It's an honor to step into this role at such a pivotal moment. In UMDF, this community has built something extraordinary, and I look forward to working alongside the many dedicated volunteers, supporters, and staff members to carry the mission forward."
Kristen resides with her husband and three daughters in Austin, Texas.
About Mitochondrial Disease
In the simplest form, mitochondrial disease refers to the inability of the cell's mitochondria to convert food and oxygen into life-sustaining energy, which inevitably leads to cell injury and death. As this dysfunction occurs throughout the body, organ systems begin to fail, often impacting a patient's ability to walk, talk, eat, and breathe. Mitochondrial disease is estimated to impact 1 in 5,000 people, which translates into an estimated 1.5 million people living with some form of mitochondrial disease worldwide. Many forms of mitochondrial disease are devastatingly progressive, unfortunately leading to many affected children not surviving beyond their teenage years. When onset occurs during adulthood, physical changes can occur in a short amount of time. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments or cures.
About UMDF
For nearly 30 years, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation has brought together a global network of patients, researchers, clinicians, institutions, and industry partners dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease. Together with the mito community, UMDF utilizes a four-pronged strategy of supporting and connecting affected families, helping train and educate the medical community, working with policymakers for mito-friendly legislation, and helping find research dollars to unlock the science needed for treatments and eventual cures.
In the last year alone…
- Nearly 4,000 patients and caregivers attended UMDF support meetings.
- More than 800 clinicians listened in on UMDF's Bench-to-Bedside seminars.
- UMDF advocates had 1,000 touchpoints with their congressional offices.
- UMDF provided almost 600 patients with no-cost genetic testing.
- More than $1 million was invested in mitochondrial disease research efforts.
Learn more at www.umdf.org.
Media Contact
Andy Dearth, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, 1 4129799833, [email protected], United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
SOURCE United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
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