HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE SOCIETY OF AMERICA AWARDS MORE THAN $1.8 MILLION TO EXPAND HDSA CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE NETWORK TO SIXTY-NINE SITES
New York, NY (April 2, 2025) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is expanding its HDSA Centers of Excellence network of comprehensive care clinics with 69 grants totaling $1,810,400. HDSA recognized 60 HDSA Centers of Excellence and nine Partner Sites, ensuring expert HD in 37 states across the nation and Washington, DC.
HDSA Centers of Excellence are multi-disciplinary care teams with expertise in Huntington’s disease that share an exemplary commitment to providing family-focused care and enabling clinical research for this complex, rare, neurodegenerative disease. The expansion from 68 HDSA Centers of Excellence grants in 2024 to 69 grants in 2025 comes from the addition of the Central Florida Center for Huntington’s Disease, the University of Tennessee Erlanger Neurology, and the Cole Center for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. In addition, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was named as a Partner Site to the HDSA Center of Excellence at University of California, Los Angeles. Launched in 1998, the HDSA Centers of Excellence network has grown from just 20 sites as recently as 2015.
“The HDSA Centers of Excellence network is made up of clinics across the United States that provide people living with HD access to multidisciplinary health care teams familiar with the disease, “said Dr. Erin Furr-Stimming, Chair of HDSA’s Center Programs and Education Advisory Committee. “We are pleased that the ongoing growth of the network allows more people to receive this expert care, and we are excited to guide the evolution of the program in the near future. The care provided at HDSA Centers of Excellence is vitally important, ensuring people with or at risk for HD receive exceptional, compassionate care and support.”
The HDSA Centers of Excellence provide an elite team approach to Huntington’s disease care, support and research. Patients benefit from expert neurologists, psychiatrists, therapists, genetic counselors, social workers and other professionals who have extensive experience working with families affected by HD and who work collaboratively to help families plan the best HD care program throughout the course of the disease. Applications to become an HDSA Center of Excellence are open to all clinics in the United States who have demonstrated experience caring for HD affected families and share HDSA’s commitment to high-quality, comprehensive care and access to clinical research.
Dr. Arik Johnson, HDSA Chief Mission Officer, adds, “we recognize that people who live with HD know that a site designated as an HDSA Center of Excellence is a place where they can find experts in all aspects of HD care and support. While each site has different strengths, they all have the core criteria to be recognized as part of this network. We truly appreciate the incredible amount of work that the HDSA Centers of Excellence teams do in order to provide the best care for everyone living with HD.”
####
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes HD. Today, there are approximately 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease. The symptoms of HD are described as having, ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously.
####
THE 2025 HDSA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE GRANTEES (In alphabetical order)
BOLD = Newly designated HDSA Center of Excellence or partner site for 2025
Albany Medical College (NY)
Barrow Neurological Institute (AZ)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA)
- Partner Site: University of Massachusetts, Chan School of Medicine (MA)
Central Florida Center for Huntington’s Disease (FL)
Cleveland Clinic (OH)
The Cole Center for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville (TN)
Columbia University Neurological Institute (NY)
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (NH)
Duke University (NC)
Emory University (GA)
Hennepin Health Care (MN)
Henry Ford Hospital (MI)
Indiana University (IN)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Massachusetts General Hospital (MA)
Medical University of South Carolina (SC)
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (DC)
Northwestern University (IL)
Ochsner Health System (LA)
Ohio State University (OH)
Oregon Health & Science University (OR)
Rocky Mountain Movement Disorders Clinic (CO)
Rowan University School of Medicine & Rutgers University RWJ Medical School (NJ)
Rush University Medical Center (IL)
Sanford Health (ND)
Stanford University (CA)
Stony Brook University Hospital (NY)
University of Alabama, Birmingham (AB)
- Partner site: University of South Alabama (AB)
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (AR)
University at Buffalo (NY)
University of California, Davis Medical Center (CA)
- Partner site: Kaiser Permanente Sacramento (CA)
University of California, Irvine (CA)
University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
- Partner site: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CA)
University of California, San Diego (CA)
University of California, San Francisco (CA)
University of Cincinnati (OH)
University of Colorado (CO)
University of Connecticut Health Center (CT)
University of Florida (FL)
University of Iowa (IA)
University of Kansas Medical Center (KS)
University of Louisville (KY)
University of Miami (FL)
University of Mississippi Medical Center (MS)
University of Nebraska Medical Center (NE)
University of Pennsylvania (PA)
- Partner site: St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem (PA)
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA)
University of Rochester (NY)
University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Prisma Health (SC)
University of South Florida (FL)
University of Tennessee, Erlanger Neurology, Chattanooga (TN)
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School (TX)
- Partner site: Covenant Medical Group Neurology, Lubbock (TX)
- Partner site: Texas Movement Disorders Specialist, PLLC, Georgetown (TX)
- Partner site: University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (TX)
University of Utah (UT)
University of Vermont, Frederick Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders (VT)
University of Virginia (VA)
University of Washington (WA)
- Partner site: Selkirk Neurology, Spokane (WA)
University of Wisconsin (WI)
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (TN)
Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
Washington University School of Medicine (MO)
Click here to visit the HDSA Centers of Excellence page for more information
###
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by HD. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today, hope for tomorrow for people with HD and their families. Support for the 2024 HDSA Centers of Excellence was made possible in part by the generosity of the Griffin Foundation.
To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.HDSA.org or call (800) 345-HDSA.
MEDIA CONTACT
Mynelly Perez
Director of Marketing & Communications
212-242-1968, ext. 214
mperez@hdsa.org
