We’ve refreshed our website! Take a look around, tell us what you think, or revisit the archived site.
Save the Date: Join us April 28 - May 2 for the 2027 MDF International Conference in Seattle, Washington!
Learn more
IMPORTANT: Find all anesthesia guides for individuals and their families and healthcare professionals
Anesthesia resources
Donate
Team —
Support Group Facilitators

Meet Annette Rjnak

Caregivers Support Group

MDF Annual Conference

View past & upcoming conferences

Annette Rnjak is a new support group facilitator for the Caregiver’s Support Group, working with Ted Salwin. She is a retired Nurse living in Southern California and got involved in the DM community where her husband was diagnosed as an adult. Annette is so excited to be supporting this community, and to help create a safe place for community members to gain new information about Myotonic Dystrophy and build connections. In her free time, you can find her spending time and playing with her two dogs, Lila- a Labrador, and Abby- a Chihuahua.

Meet the rest of the team

Board of Directors
Comprised of leaders in science, finance, fundraising, advocacy and non-profit leadership. Their expertise helps our work, assess our impact, and guide our pursuit of patient-relevant outcomes.
Medical & Scientific Advisory Committee
A group of leading myotonic dystrophy specialists and researchers from around the globe. Our advisors provide guidance, grant peer reviews, and speak at our annual conference.
Staff & Interns
Our staff and interns oversee the Foundation’s daily operations and work closely with the Board to guide and implement our strategic priorities.
Support Group Facilitators
Our support group facilitators are volunteers who give their time and energy to guide discussions, share resources, and foster meaningful support for individuals and families living with DM.
Former Board Members
Past leaders who have helped shape the organization’s direction and impact. Their experience and dedication continue to inform our work and strengthen our commitment to the community.
Awareness Ambassadors

Trained volunteers who share personal experiences to raise awareness and help researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and other audiences better understand what it means to live with DM.
National Advocacy Committee (NAC)
First launched in 2022, the MDF National Advocacy Committee (NAC) is a group of extraordinary community volunteers dedicated to working at the federal level in the US to increase myotonic dystrophy (DM) awareness, grow DM research funding, and advance policies to accelerate the approval of drugs to treat and eventually cure DM.