Professor Rachelle Crosbie-Watson received the 2014 Lotus Award from Coalition Duchenne for her outstanding contributions to Duchenne muscular dystrophy education, research and awareness. Crosbie-Watson is on faculty in the department of integrative biology and physiology as well as the department of neurology. Her lab is focused on understanding the function of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, which is so important to the understanding of Duchenne, a progressive muscle-wasting, genetic disease that occurs in children and cuts life expectancy to the mid-teenage years to the 30s.
The award included a $10,000 grant to the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA for Crosbie-Watson’s education initiatives. Winner of UCLA’s Distinguished Teaching Award, she created an undergraduate course, Molecular Mechanisms and Therapies for Muscular Dystrophy, which has inspired students and is being adopted at other institutions in California and across the country. She also serves as the Education Liaison for the Center of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Coalition Duchenne is a Newport Beach-based charity committed to raising awareness about Duchenne muscular dystrophy and funding for research. Crosbie-Watson received the award during the Coalition Duchenne Annual Gala held at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin California in November.
