CMI Participates in Rare Disease Advisory Council Legislative Awareness Day

By Julie Nettifee

Director, Dr. Jorge Piedrahita and Program Associate, Julie Nettifee represented CMI at the “Every Day is Rare Disease Day,” sponsored by N.C. Rare Disease Advisory Council and N.C. Rare Disease Coalition. This June 7 event at the Legislative Complex was created “to thank the state’s legislators for creating the N.C. Rare Disease Advisory Council and to demonstrate the strong support for rare disease initiatives in North Carolina.”1 More than 1 million people in North Carolina alone have been diagnosed with a rare disease and many of these human diseases have similar disease models in veterinary medicine. Comparative medicine opportunities exist to support both humans and animals impacted by immune-system disorders, infectious diseases, and dermatological concerns.

Https://www.med.unc.edu/ncrarediseasenetwork/news/n-c-general-assembly-rare-disease-event-attracts-rare-disease-record-attendance1 is a link which highlights the role that the Rare Disease Advisory Council plays in helping to increase awareness, funding and support for those impacted by both rare, as well as undiagnosed disease.

 The CMI would like to thank Dr. Bruce Cairns and Tara Britt, UNC School of Medicine, Rare Disease Advisory Council for this opportunity to show CMI’s support as one of over 140 participants in this event.