Image on blue background with Dylan's headshot and text that says "Welcome to the team, Dr. Verden!"

Dear KIF1A.ORG Community,

Please help me extend a warm welcome to Dr. Dylan Verden, KIF1A.ORG’s new Research Engagement Director! Dr. Verden will be a driving force of KIF1A.ORG’s efforts to engage our diverse community of stakeholders—spanning from patients and caregivers to clinicians and scientists—who are working relentlessly to accelerate the path to treatments for KIF1A Associated Neurological Disorder.

Dr. Verden recently earned his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His experience in researching topics such as cell biology and neurodegeneration combined with his science communication and network management skills make him uniquely suited for this new role at KIF1A.ORG.

One of Dr. Verden’s primary responsibilities is to help KIF1A.ORG continue to engage and grow the KIF1A Research Network, a collaborative group of scientists, clinicians and therapeutic developers who have joined our efforts to discover better care and new treatments for KAND. Under the leadership of Dr. Dominique Lessard, our Chief Science Officer, the KIF1A Research Network grew from 33 members in December 2020 to over 120 members just one year later. With Dr. Verden on the team, KIF1A.ORG will ensure this active network continues to thrive and accelerate our mission.

As our Research Network grows, so does the pipeline of research and development projects powered to discover treatments for KAND. In addition to closely engaging with the scientific and medical community, Dr. Verden will be a resource and advocate for the KAND family community. While getting to know Dr. Verden, we immediately recognized his passion for supporting and empowering patients and caregivers. To our family community: Dr. Verden is here to not only keep you informed on the progress of our scientific endeavors, but to listen and learn from you. Afterall, you are our north star on our path to creating a brighter future for all those affected by KAND.

We thank the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for awarding KIF1A.ORG a Rare As One grant and individual donors who designated their support to create this vital position on our team. Dr. Verden, welcome to the KIF1A.ORG family!

Relentlessly,

Kathryn Atchley
President, KIF1A.ORG
kathryn@kif1a.org

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