The 20 Best Hypotonia Doctors near Baltimore, MD

Tamar Harel is a Neurologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Harel is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Hypotonia, Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, Congenital Contractures, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

Dr. Barañano earned her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also completed residencies in pediatrics and neurology, along with a fellowship in neurogenetics at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Barañano is an Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology. She specializes in the diagnosis and management of rare neurogenetic disorders. She has a particular interest in the genetic control and function of the cerebellum and expertise in childhood-onset and inherited ataxias. She is a member of the multidisciplinary Fetal Management group and is available for prenatal consultations. Dr. Barañano's research includes collaborative efforts with the Johns Hopkins Department of Genetic Medicine and the Division of Neurogenetics at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Baranano is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Hypotonia, Ohdo Syndrome, Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson Variant, Focal or Multifocal Malformations in Neuronal Migration, and Hereditary Ataxia.

Neurologist Payam Mohassel specializes in myopathies, muscular dystrophies, and other hereditary neuromuscular disorders and is the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center. Dr. Mohassel obtained his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he remained for a medical internship, residency training in neurology, and clinical fellowship training in neuromuscular medicine. He then joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Neurogenetics branch as a clinical research fellow. Dr. Mohassel’s research focuses on translational studies on neuromuscular disorders, and it spans gene discovery efforts, mechanistic studies to identify therapeutic targets, and early phase interventional clinical trials. Dr. Mohassel is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease), Primary Lateral Sclerosis, Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy Type 1 (HSN1), and Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type 2.

Dr. Julie Hoover-Fong is a Professor of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Greenberg Center for Skeletal Dysplasias at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hoover-Fong holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition from The Ohio State University, where she also completed her medical degree. She received her Ph.D. in the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Hoover-Fong completed a pediatric internship and residency at Washington University in St. Louis and a fellowship in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She joined the Johns Hopkins University faculty in 2002 and progressed to Professor of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics in 2019. She practices and oversees the clinical operations, research and educational ventures for the patients, families and healthcare providers served by the Greenberg Center. Her clinical team develops and improves diagnostic and treatment guidelines for comprehensive care of patients with all types of bone conditions including dwarfism, orofacial clefting, craniosynostosis and more. Dr. Hoover-Fong also mentors and teaches medical students, residents and genetic medicine trainees. As an active clinical researcher, Dr. Hoover-Fong is the Principal Investigator of multiple global clinical trials for achondroplasia, the first multi-center, investigator-initiated natural history study for achondroplasia, and multiple clinical studies for patients with orofacial clefting, hypophosphatasia and other conditions. She is also a co-investigator on the ELSI and Phenotype Review Committees for the Mendel Project, a whole exome sequencing venture to identify the genetic cause of Mendelian conditions. From an institutional service perspective, Dr. Hoover-Fong serves on the Johns Hopkins Associate Professor Promotions Committee and the Advisory Committee for the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation. She serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Little People of America, is a member of the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins University and is a charter member of the International Skeletal Dysplasia Management Consortium, publishing best practice guidelines for patients with skeletal dysplasias. Dr. Hoover is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Achondroplasia, Rhizomelic Syndrome, Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Strudwick Type, Adenoidectomy, and Myringotomy.

Dr. Ada Hamosh is the Dr. Frank V. Sutland Professor of Pediatric Genetics in the Departments of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics. Since 2002, she has served as clinical director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, now Department of Genetic Medicine and scientific director of the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man® (OMIM), a catalog of more than 16,800 human genes and genetic disorders created by Dr. Victor A. McKusick. Her research centers the molecular basis of Mendelian disorders, the integration of genetics into clinical practice and the diagnosis and management of inborn errors of metabolism. Dr. Hamosh earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wesleyan University, a medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and a master’s of public health from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. She later completed a fellowship in medical and biochemical genetics from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, before joining the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1992. Dr. Hamosh began her genetics career focusing on cystic fibrosis, serving as coordinator of the International Cystic Fibrosis Genotype-Phenotype Consortium. She served as chair of the Maryland State Advisory Council for Hereditary & Congenital Disorders from 2001-2009, during which time she also served on the executive committee of the Genetic Counseling Training Program, run by Johns Hopkins University and the National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Hamosh has authored more than 128 publications on a variety of topics. In addition, she is a member of 16 professional associations and advisory committees including the American Society of Human Genetics, the Steering Committee of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, and the executive board of the Human Genome Organization, of which she will be President from 2023-2025. Dr. Hamosh was recognized in Baltimore magazine as one of the region’s top doctors in 2013, and 2016-2020. Dr. Hamosh is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Methylmalonic Acidemia, Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency, Phenylketonuria (PKU), and Deep Brain Stimulation.

Dr. Nara Lygia De Macena Sobreira is an assistant professor at the McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her area of expertise is rare Mendelian phenotypes, analysis of next-generation sequencing, and functional testing of candidate causative variants. She earned her M.D. at the University of Pernambuco in Brazil. She finished her Ph.D. in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins followed by a one-year postdoc also at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During her Ph.D., she worked with Dr. David Valle using next-generation sequencing to elucidate the molecular basis of rare Mendelian phenotypes and in 2010 she discovered PTPN11 as the gene responsible for metachondromatosis by using whole-genome sequencing. She completed residencies in clinical genetics at both Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo and Johns Hopkins. Her main clinical and research focus is on identifying the genetic bases of rare phenotypes, mainly, phenotypes associated with cartilage tumors and vascular anomalies (including Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome), and on understanding the physiopathology of these phenotypes to identify pharmacological strategies to treat them. She has worked extensively on developing strategies to better analyze the variants identified by next-generation sequencing and on novel strategies for data sharing. She participated on the development of PhenoDB, a phenotypic and genomic database, and created PhenoDB Variant Analysis Tool used worldwide. She is also one of the creators of GeneMatcher, VariantMatcher, and one of the co-founders of the Matchmaker Exchange, all intended to share next-generation sequencing data. She has also worked extensively on functional studies that evaluate the possible pathogenic effects of the candidate causative variants. Recent News Articles and Media Coverage Living the Hopkins Mission Honorees, Johns Hopkins Medicine Successes in Characterizing Genes through GeneMatcher with Nara L. M. Sobreira, MD, PhD, Ambry Genetics (April 30, 2018) Enfermedades raras: el desafio es encontrar otros pacientes que tienen el mismo mal, Lun (26 de septiembre de 2019) 2021 Science Writers' Boot Camp, Johns Hopkins Medicine (June 7, 2021) Making the Perfect Match, Johns Hopkins Medicine (February 1, 2020). Dr. De Macena Sobreira is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Strudwick Type, Greenberg Dysplasia, Blepharophimosis, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

Dr. Hilary Vernon is a Professor of Genetic Medicine and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also an attending physician at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Hilary Vernon has expertise in treating inborn errors of metabolism and mitochondrial disorders. She is the director of the Mitochondrial Care Center at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Barth Syndrome Interdisciplinary Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her research interests include understanding intermediary metabolism in Barth syndrome and in disorders of branch chain amino acid metabolism. Dr. Vernon also co-directs the Department of Genetic Medicine Clinical Trials Unit, and is the principal investigator on multiple clinical trials for rare diseases. Dr. Vernon received her medical degree and doctorate from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She completed residencies in genetics and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University, and a fellowship in clinical laboratory biochemical genetics at The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Vernon was recognized with the 2010 Francis F. Schwentker Award for Excellence in Research at Johns Hopkins University and the 2011 James B. Sidbury Jr. Fellowship in Biochemical Genetics at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Vernon is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Methylmalonic Acidemia, Propionic Acidemia, Infantile Neutropenia, Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia, and Gastrostomy.

Dr. Elrick specializes in the care of children with neuromuscular disorders, and EMG studies in children and adults. He has special interests in genetic neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders and Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Dr. Elrick earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan Medical School, studying inherited neurodegenerative disorders of childhood. He completed residency training in Pediatrics and Child Neurology, followed by a fellowship in Neuromuscular Medicine and Johns Hopkins before joining the faculty in 2019. Dr. Elrick's laboratory research interest is in understanding mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, especially those affecting motor neurons. He studies disorders caused by genetic mutations in the nuclear pore complex, the main pathway for transport of material in and out of the nucleus of the cell, including Triple A Syndrome. He also participates in clinical research on Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), aimed at understanding susceptibility to AFM in children, and defining clinical and EMG characteristics of illness and recovery in AFM. Dr. Elrick is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Cramp-Fasciculation Syndrome, Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), Dysferlinopathy, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Dr. Tom Crawford has been a member of the Department of Neurology since 1987. He is co-director of the MDA clinic for Neuromuscular Disorders and Neurologist for the Ataxia Telangiectasia Clinical Center at Johns Hopkins. His practice involves general child neurology with a principal interest in caring for children with neuromuscular, neuromotor, and ataxic disorders. Primary research interests involve the basic science and clinical characterization of two important neurologic disorders that affect children: Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Ataxia Telangiectasia. He is also actively involved in the Biology of neurofilaments by characterization of transgenic animal models. He is on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Boards of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and the Medical Advisory Committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He is the Neurologist for the Ataxia Telangiectasia Clinical Center at Johns Hopkins, which has evaluated almost half of the known patients with this disorder in the United States. Additional specific clinical interests include evaluation and treatment of children with brachial plexus palsies. Dr. Crawford received his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed a pediatric internship and residency at the Pediatric Pavilion of the Los Angeles County / University of Southern California Medical Center, followed by a pediatric chief residency. He completed his training in Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology at the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital. He then traveled east to the laboratory of Dr John Griffin at Johns Hopkins for a fellowship in Neuromuscular Disorders. Prior to medical training and Neurology residency, he majored in Psychology and Religion at Yale College. Dr. Crawford has published extensively and presented nationally and internationally. He has an active role in teaching medical students and residents in neurology. In addition, Dr. Crawford has special interest and experience in EMG studies of children and adults. Dr. Crawford is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Primary Lateral Sclerosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Ataxia-Telangiectasia, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2.

Hind Alsharhan is a Medical Genetics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Alsharhan is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are ALG3-CDG, Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency, Coenzyme Q Cytochrome C Reductase Deficiency, and Phenylketonuria (PKU).

Sonja Rasmussen, MD, MS is Professor in the Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She joined Johns Hopkins after 4 years at the University of Florida (UF) College of Medicine and College of Public Health and Health Professions where she served as a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology and as the Director of UF’s Precision Health Program. Before joining University of Florida in 2018, she served for 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, where she held several scientific leadership roles. She served in leadership roles during several CDC responses to public health emergencies, including 2009 H1N1 influenza, H7N9 influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Zika virus. Dr. Rasmussen is an author on >300 peer-reviewed publications and is the lead editor of The CDC Field Epidemiology Manual, released by Oxford University Press in 2019. Her research interests focus on understanding the effects of infections and medications during pregnancy, genetic and environmental risk factors for birth defects, and morbidity and mortality associated with genetic conditions. Dr. Rasmussen is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Achalasia Microcephaly Syndrome, Microcephaly, Cortical Dysplasia, Gastroschisis, and Knee Replacement.

Dr. Sun is an expert in both pediatric neurology and cerebrovascular neurology, with a special interest in pediatric and young adult stroke. She focuses on both acute care of stroke as well as longitudinal management of an array of neurologic conditions that affect children and young adults. Dr. Sun’s research focuses broadly on pediatric and young adult stroke, with emphasis on discovering the causes, treatments, and prevention of stroke in the young. More specifically, Dr. Sun is investigating novel monitoring and stroke prevention techniques in children with moyamoya disease, which is a rare disease that places affected children and young adults at high risk of stroke. The goal of Dr. Sun's research is to improve outcomes and quality of life of individuals affected by stroke and moyamoya disease. In addition to her clinical and research interests, Dr. Sun is the associate program director of the Child Neurology residency program at Johns Hopkins. After completing medical school at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Sun completed her pediatrics and neurology residency training at Johns Hopkins, and subsequently she completed a fellowship in Vascular Neurology/Stroke. Dr. Sun is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Moyamoya Disease, Stroke, Stiff Person Syndrome, Thrombectomy, and Cerebral Artery Bypass Surgery.

Dr. Jessica Nance, treats pediatric patients with neuromuscular disorders, muscular dystrophies, congenital and metabolic myopathies, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, peripheral neuropathy, spinal muscular atrophy, pediatric brachial plexus and hypotonia. She has cultivated expertise in the diagnosis and management of inherited neuromuscular diseases through her experience at he National Institutes of Health with Dr. Carsten Bonnemann and in the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic with Dr. Tom Crawford. After completing a fellowship in neuromuscular disorders at Johns Hopkins, she is now a part of the Johns Hopkins Division of Pediatric Neurology where she will continue working in the Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic with Dr. Crawford. She received her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed residency training in Pediatrics and Child Neurology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Nance is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Dysferlinopathy, Cytoplasmic Body Myopathy, and Cramp-Fasciculation Syndrome.

Carl E. Stafstrom is a pediatric neurologist, caring for children with epilepsy. Dr. Stafstrom received his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, with residencies at the University of Washington Medical Center and Tufts New England Medical Center, as well as fellowships at Harvard for neurology research and Boston Children’s Hospital in clinical neurophysiology, electroencephalography, and epilepsy. Dr. Stafstrom previously served as Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and Chief of Pediatric Neurology at American Family Children’s Hospital at UW Madison. Dr. Stafstrom is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Epilepsy, Seizures, West Syndrome, Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, and Endovascular Embolization.

Nancy Braverman is a Medical Genetics specialist and a Pediatrics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Braverman is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Zellweger Syndrome, Chondrodysplasia Punctata Syndrome, X-Linked Chondrodysplasia Punctata 2, and Acromesomelic Dysplasia.

Ronald Cohn is a Pediatrics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Cohn is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Hypotonia, Muscle Atrophy, Infantile Neutropenia, and Micrognathia.

Dr. Comi graduated from SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and received her training in pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo and her child neurology training at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Her clinical specialization is in the treatment of the neurological aspects of Sturge-Weber syndrome and other disorders related to capillary malformation. Dr. Comi's clinical research interests focus on improving the early diagnosis and treatment of brain involvement in Sturge-Weber syndrome in order to prevent ischemic brain injury in affected infants and young children, and on studies to understand what causes Sturge-Weber syndrome. Her laboratory research work deals with the pathogenesis of Sturge-Weber syndrome, recently shown to be caused by a somatic mutation, and on developing new drug targets, screening assays, models and therapeutic strategies for Sturge-Weber syndrome. Her lab group also works on developing better neuroprotective and neuroregenerative responses to brain injury resulting from impaired blood flow to the brain. Dr. Comi is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Sturge-Weber Syndrome, Parkes Weber Syndrome, Stork Bite, Epilepsy in Children, and Endovascular Embolization.

After completing her bachelors of science degree in biochemistry from the City College of New York (CUNY), Dr. Smith-Hicks entered the Medical Scientist Training Program at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she obtained her M.D., Ph.D. in 2000. She trained in Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her Neurology and Pediatric Neurology training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2005. Dr. Smith-Hicks trained as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Paul Worley. She joined the faculty at Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2010 where she now sees patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Rett Syndrome, while conducting basic science research exploring disorders of learning and memory. Dr. Smith is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Rett Syndrome, Ruvalcaba Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

Shannon Dean is a Neurologist and a Pediatric Neurologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Dean is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. Her top areas of expertise are Tourette Syndrome, Stereotypic Movement Disorder, Transient Tic Disorder, and Conversion Disorder.

Dr. George Capone is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Capone is committed to research that explores the neurobiologic basis of cognitive impairment and co-morbid neurobehavioral and psychiatric disorders associated with Down syndrome. He is also a research scientist and director of the Down Syndrome Clinic and Research Center (DSCRC) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as an attending physician on the institute’s comprehensive rehabilitation unit. Dr. Capone attended college at Wesleyan University and worked as a research assistant at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston before obtaining his medical degree from the University of Connecticut in 1983. After a residency and fellowship in pediatrics at the Children''s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Dr. Capone came to Baltimore in 1988 to pursue a fellowship in neurobiology research at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Capone is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypotonia. His top areas of expertise are Autism Spectrum Disorder, Trisomy 12 Mosaicism, Mosaicism, and Celiac Disease.