ATLANTA (April 17, 2023) Edritz Javelosa (Hav-a-low-sa), PhD, who has been at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) since 2019 and Research Portfolio Director since 2021, has joined the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) as Chief Scientific Officer.
Reporting to Cleary Simpson, CEO of CMTRF, Dr. Javelosa will be responsible for all scientific aspects of the organization’s mission. Working with CMTRF’s Scientific Advisory Board, she will oversee funded research as well as scientific programming for the Global CMT Research Convention. Further, she will provide direction and research priorities for CMTRF’s investment program and lead scientific communications.
“Edritz is a proven self-starter with an impressive network of contacts among research organizations important to CMTRF,” says Ms. Simpson. “Working closely with our Scientific Advisory Board, she will help make certain that every dollar CMTRF spends on research gets us closer to a cure.”
At the MDA as Research Portfolio Director, Dr. Javelosa led strategic alliances with external foundations to co-fund projects, managed 22 diseases under her portfolio, 34 active grants in 2023, and 19 active post-doctoral development grants. Dr. Javelosa also worked with MDA’s conference team to provide scientific guidance on topics and speakers. During her tenure at MDA, she also engaged in scientific conversations with biotech companies working on neuromuscular diseases and led and managed the summer undergraduate research experience pilot program. Dr. Javelosa earlier served as the Observational Research Director at the MDA and before that, was a Regional Director.
She has twice been a member of the CMTRF’s Science Program Committee for its Annual Global CMT Research Foundation Conference. Dr. Javelosa holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University and a BSc in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Arizona.
She starts May 1 replacing Keith Fargo, PhD., who left the organization.
“I am looking forward to working with the CMTRF team, an amazing group of professionals who are motivated and focused on prioritizing research that will lead to therapies, treatments, and a cure for CMT, says Dr. Javelosa, “I am very excited to have this opportunity to serve as the Chief Scientific Officer to work with the leaders in the field and provide leadership and strategic vision for all of the scientific aspects of CMTRF.”
CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is a patient-led, non-profit focused on delivering treatments and cures for CMT. The foundation identifies significant obstacles or deficiencies impeding progress towards a cure and seeks out collaborators to address these issues. It’s their mission to raise funds to invest in promising science with high potential of leading to treatments and cures. Founded by two patients who are driven to expedite drug delivery to people who live with CMT, the 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization is supported by personal and corporate financial gifts.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth encompasses a group of inherited, chronic peripheral neuropathies that result in nerve degradation. CMT patients suffer from progressive muscle atrophy of legs and arms, causing walking, running, and balance problems as well as abnormal functioning of hands and feet. CMT affects one in 2,500 people (about the same prevalence as cystic fibrosis), including 150,000 Americans and nearly 3 million people worldwide. At the moment, there is no treatment or cure for CMT.
