Charlotte J. Sumner, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She received her BA from Princeton University and her MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed internal medicine internship and neurology residency at the University of California San Francisco and neuromuscular fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her scientific training included neurogenetics fellowship at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. Sumner cares for patients with inherited diseases of motor neurons and peripheral nerves such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and co-directs the Johns Hopkins CMT and SMA clinics. Dr. Sumner’s research focuses on the genetic and cellular pathogenesis of SMAs with particular attention to therapeutics development for these disorders utilizing cell and mouse models and human tissues. Dr. Sumner’s laboratory research has been funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cure SMA, the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research Team, Ujala Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and formally of Experimental Neurology. She is also the lead editor on the recently published only comprehensive book on SMA pathogenesis and treatment development. She is an advisor to several companies developing treatments for SMA as well as nonprofit foundations. She particularly enjoys teaching at all levels of training.