All About Ataxia Centers of Excellence (ACE)

Take an inside look at NAF’s Ataxia Centers of Excellence (ACE) program—which recognizes regional hubs dedicated to delivering world-class care, advancing clinical research, and providing vital education for people living with Ataxia and their families.

In this session, Kelsey Trace, OTD, NAF’s Clinical Services Director, shares how the ACE program works and the impact it’s making nationwide. She was joined by Sharan Srinivasan, MD, PhD, co-director of the University of Michigan ACE, who walks us through what to expect when registering for and attending the first ACE appointment.

Ataxia is a rare neurological disease that can have a wide array of genetic origins. For more information on Ataxia, please visit our website: www.ataxia.org

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About the Speakers:

Speaker: Kelsey Trace, OTD
Institute: National Ataxia Foundation

Bio: Kelsey Trace is the Clinical Services Director at the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF). She earned her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of St. Thomas and completed her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) at Creighton University. Prior to joining NAF in 2019, she worked as an occupational therapist in skilled nursing and dementia care settings, with a focus on enhancing functional independence and quality of life for individuals with neurologic and geriatric-related conditions. At NAF, Kelsey leads a range of national programs in an effort to improve clinical care for individuals with ataxia. Programs include: NAF’s Genetic Counseling and Testing Program, Ataxia Centers of Excellence Program, and Healthcare Practitioner Resources. The Clinical Services Division at NAF also manages the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxias (CRC-SCA) and Ataxia Clinical Training (ACT). Kelsey is passionate about driving progress in rare disease care through evidence-based, patient-centered initiatives. 

Speaker: Sharan Srinivasan, MD, PhD
Institute: University of Michigan

Bio: Dr. Sharan Srinivasan is an Assistant Professor within the Movement Disorders Division in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. He attended Northwestern University for his bachelor's degree and obtained his combined M.D. Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He then completed his residency in Neurology at the University of Michigan before pursuing a movement disorders fellowship at Mass General Brigham (Harvard). He returned to the University of Michigan in 2022 to continue his clinical and scientific efforts in caring for and treating cerebellar ataxias. Clinically, Dr. Srinivasan co-directs the UM Ataxia Center of Excellence and is UM site PI for the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxias. His research interests involve the pathophysiology of cerebellar ataxias, particularly hereditary polyglutamine disorders. His passion is in developing novel therapeutics via a multidisciplinary approach, combining strategies from organic chemistry, molecular biology, neuro-circuitry, and emerging genetic technologies. His focus has been on targeting impaired neuronal circuitry within these disorders, the amelioration of which has been shown to improve motor symptoms and delay degeneration.