Lianna Orlando, PhD is CureDuchenne’s Vice President of Research and a Partner at CureDuchenne Ventures, where she identifies and evaluates strategic investments aimed at developing treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Prior to CureDuchenne, Lianna oversaw research grants and venture philanthropy programs at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and at Fidelity Biosciences Research Initiative. Before leaving academia, Lianna was a junior faculty member in the Neurology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed her doctorate in Neurobiology from Harvard University, and a special fellowship master’s degree in Medicine from Harvard Medical School. She has taught both undergraduates and medical students at Harvard, and worked as a freelance science writer for disease foundations and scientific journals. She holds B.S. degrees in Chemistry and in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University.