Dr. Patricia Greenstein is a neurologist and geneticist with more than 30 years of experience in clinical medicine and research. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of complex neurological disorders, with particular expertise in neurogenetic diseases. For the past three decades, Dr. Greenstein has treated patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), working closely with families affected by these rare, progressive conditions.
Dr. Greenstein is also a principal investigator in clinical trials studying promising new therapies for SCA, helping advance research aimed at slowing or preventing disease progression. She earned her medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in 1984 and is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, where she is the Program Director for the Neurology Residency Training program and continues to see patients and conduct research. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Greenstein advocates for greater awareness of rare neurological diseases and the importance of continued investment in innovative treatments.
Congress has already granted the FDA flexibility in evaluating therapies for rare diseases, including the use of real-world evidence and natural history data when traditional large-scale trials are not feasible. The question before the FDA now is not if those tools can be applied – they can – but if the agency has the courage to use them before more patients lose their autonomy, and ultimately, their lives, to rare disease.