Vanessa Battista, MS, RN, CPNP-PC, is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner and a member of the neuromuscular team at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She teaches at the local, national, and international level, and is a member of the ELNEC pediatric faculty, for which she was the recipient of the Award for Excellence. Ms Battista is an active reviewer for publications and has authored several book chapters and articles on various aspects of pediatric palliative care and neuromuscular disease. She serves as a board member for organizations that provide services for patients and families living with life-threatening diseases. Ms Battista is currently obtaining her Master of Business Administration and Executive Doctor of Nursing Practice from Johns Hopkins University.

Basil T. Darras, MD, is the Joseph J. Volpe Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and associate neurologist-in-chief, chief of the Division of Clinical Neurology, and director of the neuromuscular program at Boston Children’s Hospital. His primary research focus is on pediatric neuromuscular disorders, specifically molecular genetics, diagnostics, and therapeutics of many myopathies, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which has resulted in over 190 original reports in peer-reviewed journals and over 80 chapters, reviews, and editorials. Additionally, he receives frequent invitations to lecture both nationally and internationally. Dr Darras is editor in chief for the second edition of Neuromuscular Disorders of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence: A Clinician’s Approach.