
Ozlem Goker-Alpan, MD
Dr. Ozlem Goker-Alpan is the founder and president of LDRTC, a nonprofit organization that focuses on Lysosomal disorders and other rare diseases. Dr. Goker-Alpan founded LDRTC in 2013 with a vision that quality care to individuals with rare diseases is provided by offering clinical care, and translational research under one roof. 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 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 LDs and rare diseases. Under her supervision, LDRTC has completed multiple scientific projects exploring immune pathways and lysosomal functions to develop new diagnostic and monitoring tools in LDs and GBA-related Parkinsonism. She serves on the scientific advisory boards of multiple pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy organizations. Her continuing effort is to educate and train the new generation health care providers in Lysosomal disorders.
Administration

Uyensa BeeseOperations Director / Treasurer
Clinical Team

Leah Svarny, PA-CPhysician Assistant

Yoleny Argueta, LPNLicensed Practical Nurse

Dunya Allahwerdy, RPhLicensed Pharmacist

Bobby Sandhu, LPNLicensed Practical Nurse

Hudda Ali, CMACertified Medical Assistant

Rosmery Cambices, CPhTCertified Pharmacy Technician

Sapphire TruongPatient Care Coordinator

William Hylton, CMACertified Medical Assistant
Clinical Research Team

Lauren NollClinical Research Site Manager

Arooj AghaClinical Research Coordinator

Pantea GhadakpourClinical Research Coordinator
Translational Research Team

Margarita Ivanova, PhDDirector of Translational Research Unit

Julia DaoBiology Technician

Neil KasaciLaboratory Technician