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Connections

Understanding gene therapy for babies and young children

Five smiling people sit around a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has shoulder-length dark hair and is wearing a beige sweater and black pants; a woman front center has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a dark green long-sleeved shirt, grey pants, and tan shoes; a woman back left has short curly black and purple hair and is wearing a brown sweater with a black animal print; a man back center has short blonde hair and is wearing a grey t-shirt with "LOVE" in rainbow lettering with the Rochester city logo; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a light blue button-down shirt, a blue puffy vest, jeans, and sneakers
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Bo Hoon Lee, Kate White, (background) Emily Hessney Lynch, and Sam Mackenzie on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, October 29, 2024
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

When a parent hears their newborn or young child has a genetic condition that could affect the rest of their lives, they may be scared, confused, and have questions about what to do next. Research in gene therapy has led to significant changes in how doctors work with families on those questions.

This hour, we sit down with two local mothers who share their families’ stories of accessing care for their children, and we’re joined by the experts who provide that care.

Our guests:

  • Emily Hessney Lynch, parent of a child who received gene therapy
  • Kate White, DPT, physical therapist in the Orthopedics Department at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and creator of Team Teddy 5K, an annual fundraiser for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research
  • Samuel Mackenzie, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics; and the Center for Health and Technology at the University of Rochester Medical Center
  • Bo Hoon Lee, M.D., assistant professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Child Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.