Today on NORDpod, Andrew MacDowell stands in for Matthew Zachary, and he welcomes Dr. Kathleen Donohue, Director of the Division of Rare Diseases and Medical Genetics, at the FDA’s Office of New Drugs. Over 350 million people worldwide have a rare disease, yet only 10% of rare diseases have an FDA-approved treatment. Dr. Donohue oversees the national hub designed to move the needle on that statistic, providing a shared pool of resources to spark new discoveries and speed up the creation of new therapies for rare diseases. Listen for the subtle sounds of the wild thunderstorm that rolls in during their taping as they talk through the critical role patient advocacy groups play in bringing rare disease patients into making these discoveries happen. Learn about the RDCA-DAP: the all-important central repository of shared data about rare diseases, with a very alphabet-soupy name. They also cover the powerful need for advocacy groups to ensure the data they collect from patients is gathered in a way that makes it possible for them to submit it to RDCA- DAP. NORDpod is the official podcast of the National Organization for Rare Disorders. For more information, email nordpod@rarediseases.org and visit https://rarediseases.org. RDCA-DAP® is fully funded with a federal grant awarded to the Critical Path Institute: www.c-path.org/fda-acknowledgement. https://c-path.org/fda-acknowledgement.

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You're in for a treat on today's episode of NORDpod as I welcome chronic illness advocate Sarah Pennington to the show. Since the age of 11, Sarah has been managing a condition known as Trichotillomania, a disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out body hair. An estimated 330,000 children in the US alone may face Trichotillomania in their early tween/teenage years, a time in your life that may be challenging enough on its own. Sarah decided to do something by taking ownership of her condition, and, after many years of depression and suicidal thoughts, coupled with months in a residential treatment program. The moment she decided to take off her wig instantly transformed her into a vessel for purpose and impact. And so, she has taken on a new challenge: beauty pageants. So prepare yourself for a profoundly inspiring conversation about perseverance, motivation, and how to pay it forward. Enjoy the show.

NORDpod is the official podcast of the National Organization for Rare Disorders. For more information, visit https://rarediseases.org or email nordpod@rarediseases.org.

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Rob Long is the Executive Director at Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization that inspires the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport. In 1020, as a Pre-Season All-American playing for the Syracuse Orange Football team, he was contemplating which NFL team he wanted to be on. Until he was diagnosed out of the blue with a Grade III Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a rare form of pediatric brain cancer. Eleven years later, he's paying it forward, raising money and awareness for needed rare disease research. He joined Matthew Zachary for a candid conversation about the terrible privilege of surviving cancer, and, as a fellow SUNY Alum, they heavily bond over their mutual love of Wegmans. NORDpod is the official podcast of The National Organization for Rare Disorders. For more information, contact nordpod@rarediseases.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.