University of Minnesota Designated as Rare Disease Center of Excellence

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has announced that the University of Minnesota is among the initial cohort of institutions designated as Rare Disease Centers of Excellence.

The College of Pharmacy and the Center for Orphan Drug Research were prominently featured in the University’s application, which highlighted contributions in education at the undergraduate, professional, and graduate student levels; collegiate research; and community engagement activities such as Rare Disease Day.

The NORD designation also serves as the springboard for the University to work on the development of a rare disease center. The center will serve internally to bring together and better coordinate many patient care, education, and research activities. It will also outwardly serve as a landing page to facilitate patients, families, not-for-profit organizations, industry and government officials, and others connecting with us.

The development of a UMN Rare Disease Center of Excellence is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary planning committee, which is chaired by Dr. Susan Berry of the University of Minnesota Medical School and includes Dr. James Cloyd, a professor in the College of Pharmacy.