About

Our Journey

Dr. Goker-Alpan is a world-renowned authority in lysosomal and other rare genetic disorders. She is well known for her over 20 years of dedication to the health and well-being of her patients.

Mission & VIsion

Our mission is to provide high-quality and personalized health care for those affected by rare and undiagnosed disorders.

Our vision is to use the latest research to unravel underlying disease-causing mechanisms, discover new biomarkers, and explore new therapeutic pathways and treatment options for persons suffering from lysosomal and other rare diseases.

We provide comprehensive medical care and consultation for individuals with various LSDs nationwide and internationally. Our center serves as a platform for patients and families affected by these debilitating disorders.

Your Medical Home for
Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs)

We are a medical home and provide comprehensive medical care for individuals with various LSDs nationwide and internationally. For patients of all ages, we offer:

Genetics testing
Coordination of treatment via enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and other approved therapies
Participation in research studies and disease registries
Coordination of multidisciplinary care
Continuity of care and long term follow-up
Support and education for patients and their families
Clinical identification and biochemical and molecular diagnoses for LSDs
In-house treatment with different enzyme replacement products
Management of patients who cannot tolerate ERT due to immune reactions and neutralizing antibodies

In our Rare Disease Clinic, we offer extensive medical genetic evaluations for complex medical problems of unknown etiology and that do not fit a particular disease pattern. Our clinical evaluation begins with an experienced provider who takes a detailed medical history and an extensive three generation family history. Then, a comprehensive physical exam, including a detailed dysmorphology, and neurological examination, is followed by “traditional tier-wise” genetic testing and directed molecular or cytogenetic testing.

PROVIDERS

Ozlem Goker-Alpan, MD

Dr. Goker-Alpan received her medical degree in 1990 from Marmara University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey with the highest honors as first in her class. She trained in Pediatrics and then served as a Pediatric Chief Resident at SUNY at Stony Brook, New York. She completed her first fellowship in Clinical and Biochemical Genetics at the National Institutes of Health, Greater Washington Medical Genetics Program in 1999, and worked as an adjunct scientist at the National Child Health Institute. Her second fellowship focused on Lysosomal Storage Disorders and Gaucher disease at the Clinical Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH. She coordinated the NIH Gaucher Clinic at the Medical Genetics Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). As an established clinician and translational scientist in rare genetic and lysosomal storage disorders, her pursuit is to provide individualized care and treatment for patients with LSDs and rare diseases. Her continuing effort is to educate and train the new generation health care providers in Lysosomal Storage Disorders.

NPLIA VAN

Lia Van is a Family Nurse Practitioner at LDRTC. She graduated from Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While working as a Registered Nurse, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing specializing in Family Medicine at Walden University in August 2019 and finished it with a 2 - year Fellowship in Lysosomal Storage Disorders with Dr. Ozlem Goker-Alpan at LDRTC. Being a Family Nurse Practitioner enables her to work with patients in all age groups. She is also responsible for the supervision of the infusion clinic, where patients are regularly treated with enzyme therapy and other biologics. With over ten years of experience as a bedside nurse in an acute care setting have shaped her professionally and interpersonally. She has a passion for providing compassionate, highest-quality, and individualized care to all her patients.