When One Door Closes, Another Opens...

Dear Rare Disease Review Community,

As our central branch ceases operations, we are left with a bittersweet taste. Sweet, because of the great achievements and positive societal impacts that the organization has had in the past four years. Bitter, because we realize there continues to be a need for organizations like Rare Disease Review that work towards providing comprehensive medical content to the rare disease patient community. 

For this reason, the managers of Rare Disease Review’s branches at McMaster University and the University of Toronto have decided to keep this website, and our individual organizations, running. We will continue to post content focused on knowledge translation, in the hopes that we continue to bridge the gap of scientific knowledge between the medical professionals and the rare disease patients and families. 

We would like to take this opportunity to show our gratitude to Jonathan Ho, the founder of Rare Disease Review, and Godwin Chan, our former Editor-in-Chief and an essential member of the organization’s executive team. These two individuals have dedicated many hours to the management and operation of the organization. They have worked tirelessly, without any financial remuneration, driven by their wish to better the information dissemination for the rare disease community. Additionally, they have given over one hundred student volunteers the opportunity to get involved, to express their thoughts, and to work for a truly meaningful cause. Jonathan and Godwin, the RDR team will always be grateful for this. We hope that, as our operations resume, we are able to make you proud and stay true to your legacy.

We would also like to thank our readers and followers for their ongoing support. We sincerely hope that you continue to engage with our content and provide us with your invaluable feedback as we begin this new stage of our journey. Lastly, we thank our sponsors for their trust and generous contributions. Here is to the hope that, together, we continue to bridge the gaps in knowledge regarding rare diseases.

Sincerely, 

Maria Huicochea-Munoz, Dorsa Kord, and Erinda Moglica

Branch Managers

Rare Disease Review McMaster and Rare Disease Review University of Toronto