Campus Designated Rare Disease Center of Excellence

April 2022

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus – home to Children’s Hospital Colorado, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and the CU School of Medicine – has been designated as a Rare Disease Center of Excellence for its research and commitment to advance care for patients with rare diseases.

The new designation from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) was announced in November 2021 and includes 30 others medical centers across the country. Each center was selected by NORD in a competitive application process requiring evidence of staffing with experts across multiple specialties to meet the needs of rare disease patients and significant contributions to rare disease patient education, physician training, and research.

“We are thrilled to be designated as a Rare Disease Center of Excellence by NORD,” said Matthew Taylor, MD, professor of medicine and director of adult clinical genetics at the CU School of Medicine. “As we are witnessing more tools to diagnose rare diseases and can see many novel treatments for rare diseases on the near horizon, we believe that the network of researchers and clinicians at UCHealth and Children’s Hospital Colorado will increasingly serve the needs of patients and families affected by rare diseases.”

“Recognition as a NORD Rare Disease Center of Excellence is a tribute to the high-quality care we provide across the mountain states region and across the nation, and we are proud for our patients to see even more evidence that they are receiving world-class health care in their own neighborhood,” said Shawn E. McCandless, MD, professor of pediatrics who practices at Children’s Hospital. “This is also a truly exciting opportunity to partner with other sites across the country to further enhance and refine care for patients with thousands of types of rare disorders.”