Hello KIF1A.ORG community,
Perhaps against all odds, 2020 has been a year of growth for the KIF1A community.
We joined the CZI Rare As One Project. We hired a Science Communication Director, Dr. Dominique Lessard. Two biotechs—Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Ovid Therapeutics—announced therapeutic development programs for KIF1A Associated Neurological Disorder. The KIF1A.ORG Research Network continues to grow, with researchers from 19 institutions across three continents joining last month’s Research Roundtable meeting. In the last two months alone, five different studies on KAND have been shared to preprint servers or published in scientific journals. And each week we continue to welcome newly diagnosed KIF1A families into our community.
As our community grows, so do our needs and opportunities. We’re expanding the team at KIF1A.ORG to help continue driving this momentum. Thanks to financial support from the CZI Rare As One grant, we’ve created two new part-time positions at KIF1A.ORG:
- Science Communication Associate
- Administrative Manager
Visit our Jobs page to learn more about these positions and how to apply. The KIF1A.ORG Leadership Team will begin reviewing applications October 6, 2020, and we aim to fill these positions by the end of October.
One more exciting announcement. Since joining KIF1A.ORG on April 1, Dr. Dominique Lessard has been a key driver of the momentum we’ve made in our scientific and therapeutic development efforts. To better reflect her role and leadership in the organization, the KIF1A.ORG Leadership Team has decided to change Dr. Lessard’s title to Chief Science Officer. Thank you, Dr. Lessard, for your continued dedication to our mission!
What about you? We’re looking for people with a relentless passion for KIF1A.ORG’s mission to join our team. If you’re interested in one of these new positions, learn more and submit your application on our Jobs page.
Relentlessly,
Kathryn Atchley
President, KIF1A.ORG
kathryn@kif1a.org