The 20 Best Wildervanck Syndrome Doctors in Maryland, US

Dr. Harry “Hal” Dietz is a professor of pediatrics, an associate professor of medicine and an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the Victor A. McKusick Professor of Genetics and also serves as the director of the William S. Smilow Center for Marfan Syndrome Research. Recognized as the world’s leading authority on Marfan syndrome, Dr. Dietz conducted genomic mapping and research on therapeutic agents for deficiencies in the genetic protein fibrillin, which is linked to Marfan syndrome. His research contributions have made diagnosis of the condition patient-specific and accurate. He has received more than 50 national and international awards and honors, including the Antoine Marfan Award from the National Marfan Foundation and the Art of Listening Award from the American Heart Association. Dr. Dietz is an ad hoc reviewer for 19 different organizations, including the American Journal of Cardiology, the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Over more than two decades, Dr. Dietz has mentored 75 predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers. He has authored 282 original publications in peer-reviewed journals, 25 textbook chapters, and 239 abstracts, and has also delivered more than 440 lectures on Marfan syndrome and related genetic disorders. Dr. Dietz completed his B.S. at Duke University and received his M.D. from the SUNY Upstate School of Medicine. He completed a pediatric residency and a cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University before joining the faculty in 1992. Dr. Dietz is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Snyder-Robinson Syndrome, Abruzzo-Erickson Syndrome, Costello Syndrome, and WAGR Syndrome.

Dr. Jaqueline Weissman is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Department of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins Hospital and Institute of Genomic Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is also director of the Center for Tuberous Sclerosis and Related Disorder at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She focuses on genetic and epigenetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders - particularly intellectual disability - and how specific genetic and epigenetic changes lead to specific neuroanatomic, neurophysiologic and cognitive phenotypes. She is also interested in developing specific cognitive profiles in genetic syndromes as potential outcome measures for trials and to help localize deficits. Currently most of her research is centered around Kabuki Syndrome. Dr. Weissman received her B.A. with. Dr. Harris is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Odontotrichomelic Syndrome, Kabuki Syndrome, 3MC Syndrome, and Coffin-Lowry Syndrome.

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 Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Rett Syndrome, Ruvalcaba Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

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 an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. 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.

Mihee Bay is a Pediatrics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Bay is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Autism Spectrum Disorder, Delayed Growth, Wildervanck Syndrome, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

Dr. Ranjit Abraham Varghese is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a specialist in pediatric orthopaedics. He focuses on the treatment of cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders, andpediatric hip and foot disorders. Dr. Varghese earned his medical degree from Kasturba Medical College of Manipal University in Mangalore India, where he also did his residency. He later earned a master’s degree in health science and clinical epidemiology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He completed fellowships in pediatric orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia and the University of Minnesota. He also completed a combined orthopedics oncology fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital. He serves as medical director of the Ortho-Cerebral Palsy Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. His research interests include cerebral palsy, hip disorders and outcome evaluations. Dr. Varghese is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Spastic Diplegia Infantile Type, Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis, Wildervanck Syndrome, and Koolen De Vries Syndrome.

Dr. Jennifer Pardo Habashi is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on cardiology. Dr. Habashi provides genetic cardiology services at the Center for Inherited Heart Disease at the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute. She is currently evaluating the effectiveness of medications for the treatment of Marfan syndrome. Dr. Habashi received her undergraduate degree from Brown University. She earned her M.D. from the University of Maryland Medical School. She completed residencies at Montefiore Medical Center and Johns Hopkins. She performed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Johns Hopkins. Her work has been recognized with several awards, including a grant from the National Marfan Foundation for her research to help reduce the risks associated with pregnancy for women with Marfan syndrome. Dr. Pardo is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Congenital Contractural Arachnodactyly, Marfan Syndrome, Arachnodactyly, and Vici Syndrome.

Pediatric neurologist Eric Chin, a clinician-scientist with expertise in cerebral palsy and related neurodevelopmental disabilities, directs research at the Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy at Kennedy Krieger Institute. After earning his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Dr. Chin completed residency training in pediatrics at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana and at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. He completed neurodevelopmental disabilities training at Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as a T32 research fellowship and a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NeuroNEXT-supported clinical trials fellowship. Dr. Chin researches brain- and behavior-based pain mechanisms and treatment targets in children and adults with cerebral palsy. Seeking to define the consequences of brain injury patterns across functional domains, he leads ongoing studies combining participant and caregiver input; evaluations of sensation, movement and cognition; and MRI-based assessments of brain structure and function. Ultimately, he hopes to develop evidence-based individualized pain treatment plans that can improve quality of life of individuals with cerebral palsy. Dr. Chin is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Aphantasia, Orofaciodigital Syndrome 6, Cerebellar Agenesis, and Hydranencephaly.

Dr. Laura Sterni is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include pediatric pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders. She is director of the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Sleep Center. Dr. Sterni has edited a book on chronic home ventilation in children - Caring for Ventilator Dependent Child: A Clinical Guide. (Sterni. LM and Carroll JL (Eds). Humana Press/Springer Science and Business Media, New York, 2016.) Dr. Sterni received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She also completed her residency in pediatrics and her fellowship in pediatric pulmonary medicine at Johns Hopkins. De. Sterni was recognized by Baltimore magazine as a Top Doctor in pediatric pulmonology in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. She was also recognized in 2016 and 2017 as a Top Doc for the treatment of pediatric sleep disorders. Dr. Sterni is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Micrognathia, Wildervanck Syndrome, Koolen De Vries Syndrome, Microcephaly Deafness Syndrome, and Adenoidectomy.

Dr. Gerald Raymond is a clinical geneticist and neurologist at Johns Hopkins where he is also a professor of genetic medicine and neurology. He obtained his MD at the University of Connecticut and was trained in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Neurology at the Mass. General Hospital. He received additional training in developmental neuropathology at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium and clinical genetics at the Harvard Program. Dr. Raymond’s research has been at the overlap of genetics and neurology with specific focus on peroxisomal disorders including adrenoleukodystrophy. He has been actively involved in newborn screening for ALD and in developing clinical follow-up programs. He has extensive experience in clinical management of neurogenetic issues including peroxisomal and lysosomal disorders. He presently serves as the Director of the Lysosomal Storage Disease program in the department of Genetic Medicine. Dr. Raymond is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), Leukodystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease, and Alexander Disease.

Dr. Probasco is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Neurology. He is the Vice Chair for Quality, Safety, and Service for the department. He also serves as the Director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Advanced Clinical Neurology as well as the Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Inpatient General Neurology Service. He co-directs the Johns Hopkins Encephalitis Center and the Johns Hopkins Center for Refractory Status Epilepticus and Neuroinflammation. He cares for general neurology inpatients and outpatients, specializing in autoimmune and paraneoplastic syndromes as well as neurological immune-related adverse events following immunotherapies for cancer. After completing his undergraduate studies in biochemistry at the University of New Mexico, Dr. Probasco attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a second undergraduate degree in psychology, philosophy and physiology. He went on to earn his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and a residency in neurology at Johns Hopkins, where he was the faculty liaison/executive chief resident. He went on to complete an instructorship in inpatient general neurology at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Probasco’s research interests include increasing care value through improving outcomes, incorporation of patient experience of disease and treatment, the efficiency of care delivery, and diagnostic test utilization in general and specifically in relation to autoimmune and paraneoplastic neurological syndromes, including encephalitis. Finally, he is interested in the management of neurological immune-related adverse events following immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Probasco has been recognized at the departmental, institutional, and national levels for teaching and clinical excellence, including the American Academy of Neurology’s A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award and the Frank L. Coulson, Jr. Award from the Johns Hopkins Medicine Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence. He is a past graduate of the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Resident Scholars (AIRS) program in Patient Safety and Quality. As a faculty member, he was inducted into the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence in 2019. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Journal Watch Neurology. Videos The impact of COVID-19 on the Department of Neurology‚Äôs clinical care and medical education programs. Dr. Probasco is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Encephalitis, Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, Status Epilepticus, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and Gastrostomy.

Dr. Couser obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his Medical Doctorate from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (VCU SOM). Dr. Couser’s ophthalmology residency was completed at Howard University where he served as co-chief resident in the last year of his residency. He received fellowship training in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at Emory University. Dr. Couser received a master’s degree in biotechnology from the Johns Hopkins University and completed a residency in clinical genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is one of only a few individuals currently board-certified by both the American Board of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics. CV https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/wilmer/documents/cvs/couser-cv Research Summary My primary research focus involves the identification and management of genetic eye diseases including rare inherited disorders affecting the eyes. Research and scholarly activities have been an integral component of my career path. I have been the principal investigator on 10 clinical trial/IRB studies and a co-investigator on others, participated with several committees or advisory panels related to research activities. I have been credited with over 120 book chapter, journal article and abstract publications. In addition, I served as the primary author/sole editor for a textbook titled Ophthalmic Genetic Diseases: A Quick Reference Guide to the Eye and External Ocular Adnexa Abnormalities, 1st Edition, published by Elsevier in 2018, which is one of only a few textbooks published in this subject area. I also served as a grant review panelist for the National Eye Institute Career Development Awards. Selected Publications *Couser NL, Masood MM, Strande NT, Foreman AKM, Crooks K, Weck KE, Lu M, Wilhelmsen KC, Roche M, Evans JP, Berg JS, Powell CM. 2015. The phenotype of multiple congenital anomalies- hypotonia-seizures syndrome 1: Report and review. Am J Med Genet Part A 9999A:1–6 *Couser NL, Lambert SR. Botulinum toxin: A treatment of consecutive esotropia in children. Strabismus 2012; 20(4):158-161 Couser NL, Lenhart PD, Hutchinson AK. Augmented Hummelsheim procedure to treat complete abducens nerve palsy. J AAPOS 2012;16(4):331-5 *Natario L. Couser, Maheer M. Masood, Arthur S. Aylsworth, and Roger E. Stevenson. Ocular manifestations in the X-linked intellectual disability syndromes. Ophthalmic Genet. 2017, Jan 23:1-12 *Couser NL, Brooks BP, Drack AV, Shankar SP. The evolving role of genetics in ophthalmology. Ophthalmic Genet. 2021 Jan 12:1-4. doi: 10.1080/13816810.2020.1868011. Dr. Couser is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Epicanthal Folds, Strabismus, Brown Syndrome, and Hypotonia.

Heather Brown is a Palliative Medicine provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Brown is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are CHARGE Syndrome, Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy, Koolen De Vries Syndrome, and Microcephaly Deafness Syndrome.

Dr. Shruti Paranjape attended the University of Pennsylvania and received her M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her pediatrics residency and pediatric pulmonology fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She has served as the Assistant Director of the CF Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Her awards include the James Sutherland Award for Outstanding Research by a Young Investigator. Dr. Paranjape is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Cystic Fibrosis, Secondary Immunodeficiency (SID), Newborn Jaundice, and Jaundice.

I am a pediatric neurologist with expertise in epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG). My clinical and research interests include genetics of epilepsy, medical management of patients with intractable epilepsy and presurgical evaluation of patients who are candidates for epilepsy surgery. Dr. Gupta is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), Seizures, and Memory Loss.

Sarah Korth, M.D. is an instructor at the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She serves as an attending physician at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Korth’s interests include neuroplasticity of the developing brain, maximizing mobility, spasticity management, neurogenic bowel and bladder management, and a whole-person approach to management of children and adults with congenital conditions, including cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Dr. Korth’s rehabilitation-focused care aims to help people with congenital and acquired disabilities reach their maximum function. Dr. Korth also has an ongoing interest in methods of decreasing health disparities in developing countries. While in medical school, Dr. Korth initiated and developed a sustainable-changes health program called The Paraiso Project in rural Dominican Republic that she actively continues to direct. Dr. Korth is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Myelomeningocele, Hydrocele, Cerebral Palsy, and Neurogenic Bowel.

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 Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cramp-Fasciculation Syndrome, Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), Dysferlinopathy, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

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 Wildervanck Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Sturge-Weber Syndrome, Parkes Weber Syndrome, Stork Bite, Epilepsy in Children, and Endovascular Embolization.

Pediatric and neonatal neurologist Joseph Scafidi is a clinician-scientist with expertise in pre-term neonatal brain injury, hypoxic ischemia and neurodevelopmental disorders. He directs the Michael V. Johnston Center for Developmental Neuroscience at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Scafidi earned a degree in osteopathic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed residency training in pediatrics at Rutgers University Medical School as well as in child neurology at Children’s National Hospital, where he also undertook fellowship training in neonatal neurology. Additionally, Dr. Scafidi was a postdoctoral research fellow in developmental neurobiology at Children’s National Research Institute. His research interests focus on understanding metabolic adaptations after perinatal brain injury in the acute and long-term recovery phases, specifically how different cell populations in different brain regions use energy after injury and how these adaptations or maladaptations affect the recovery process. As a practicing pediatric and neonatal neurologist, Dr. Scafidi is ideally positioned to facilitate bench-to-bedside therapies through his laboratory and to improve knowledge of disease by developing and testing bedside-to-bench, research-driven hypotheses. Dr. Scafidi is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cerebral Hypoxia, Seizures, Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, Premature Infant, and Endovascular Embolization.

Ramon Sanchez is a Pediatric Radiologist in Silver Spring, Maryland. Dr. Sanchez is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Wildervanck Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Hirschsprung Disease, Scoliosis, Spondylocarpotarsal Synostosis Syndrome, and Caudal Regression Syndrome.