Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust Fuels Myasthenia Gravis Research
Donor Pulse
Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust is funding research to improve care for underserved patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), a chronic, debilitating disease that requires comprehensive and consistent care throughout a patient’s lifetime. The research is led by Shaida Khan, D.O., Medical Director of Neurology at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurology at UTSW, who has clinical and research interests in MG and leads three MG clinical trials at UTSW.
At Parkland, Dallas’ public health system and primary clinic for the underserved, MG patients experience different outcomes for a variety of reasons, including lower socioeconomic status, language barriers, drug costs, and health literacy. Additionally, at-risk MG patients do not have consistent access to neuromuscular specialists. The Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust’s gift enables Dr. Khan to develop and maintain a dedicated MG clinic at Parkland, led by a board-certified neuromuscular specialist who will implement standardized measures of care for patients.
By evaluating how this model improves patient outcomes, Dr. Khan hopes to increase clinical trial enrollment rates of underserved patients and create a model for other institutions.
