Pranger ALS Clinic Team

At the Pranger ALS Clinic, we provide expert diagnostic services, comprehensive treatment and compassionate supportive care throughout the entire disease course. Treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) requires a large, dedicated multidisciplinary team, such as the exceptional group we have assembled at Michigan Medicine.

Leadership Team

Eva L. Feldman, MD, PhD

Dr. Eva Feldman, director of the ALS Center of Excellence, is the Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology at Michigan Medicine. A renowned neurologist and neuroscientist, she has devoted her career to understanding neurological disorders and developing new treatments.

 

Dr. Feldman earned her medical and doctoral degrees at U-M and completed her neurology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She joined the U-M faculty in 1988.

More Information About Dr. Feldman

Stephen Goutman is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Michigan Medicine. His area of expertise is ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease where his focus is delivering comprehensive and compassionate care.

More Information About Dr. Goutman

Ms. Lemkin fields and returns patient calls, assists with patient medical orders, educates patients, directs and assists with clinic flow, and serves as the Pranger ALS Clinic’s liaison with other departments within Michigan Medicine.

She has been at U-M for 17 years and joined the Pranger ALS Clinic in 2016.

Dr. Ritter joined the Michigan Medicine ALS Center of Excellence in 2018 as the Managing Director.

He received his undergraduate and medical school degrees from the University of Michigan. 

Following a surgery internship, he completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Choi is medical director of the University of Michigan’s Assisted Ventilation Clinic in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care.

Previously, he spent three years working at the Duke University ALS Clinic.

Dr. Schmidt’s clinical responsibilities include outpatient practice focusing on ALS, adult muscular dystrophy, hereditary neuropathy, and other neuromuscular conditions.

Dr. Schmidt obtained her medical degree from Michigan State University, and completed her residency training in physical medicine & rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where she also served as chief resident.

Mr. Coltman consults with patients and provides them with complex rehabilitation equipment, including custom power wheelchairs and seating.

He identifies patient need for modifications, adjustments and repairs to their mobility equipment in the clinic and in their homes.

He has been in the seating and mobility industry for 34 years, and has worked at the University of Michigan since 2011.

Ms. Goulet provides supportive counseling, crisis intervention and education regarding community resources, benefits and advocacy.

She has a professional background in hospice and palliative care, dementia care, long-term care and working with older adults through the Medicaid Waiver program.

Ms. Klein is a physical therapist in Adult Patient Rehabilitation and the Adult Muscular Dystrophy Clinic at Michigan Medicine. She is focused on helping patients achieve maximum level of motor control throughout the onset of ALS and other neurodegenerative complications.

Ms. Danielle Karsies is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) who works to optimize the nutritional status and quality of life of those living with ALS. She helps address ALS symptoms that hinder adequate oral intake such as chewing and/or swallowing difficulty, hand or limb weakness, lack of appetite and constipation to ensure proper nutrition to maintain weight.  

Ms.Kluin is a certified speech-language pathologist. She works with patients to assess and manage their cognitive communication, language, motor speech and ability to swallow. An original staff member of the University of Michigan’s Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic, Ms. Kluin has served Michigan Medicine for more than 38 years. 

As a certified speech-language pathologist, Ms. Hanifan evaluates and manages swallowing, motor speech, language and cognitive-communication skills in adults with neurodegenerative complications. 

Ms. Harkaway is a certified speech-language pathologist who evaluates and recommends individualized services for motor speech, language, cognitive communication and swallowing skills. 

Ms. Ingraham provides motor speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing evaluations as well as patient specific recommendations & compensatory strategies at the Pranger ALS Clinic. 

Mr. Kurili is a clinical specialist and respiratory therapist in the Department of Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Michigan Medicine. He evaluates and provides expertise as the respiratory clinical specialist for numerous multidisciplinary clinics.  

Nurse Practitioner. 

Ms. Carli Piecuch joined Dr. Eva Feldman’s team and the NeuroNetwork of Emerging Therapies in 2019 as a research lab tech associate. Within this role, Carli was responsible for processing patient samples and maintaining the ALS biorepository. In June 2021, Carli transitioned to the clinical subjects team at the ALS Center of Excellence. 

Amanda Williams is a study coordinator at the ALS Center of Excellence.  Her responsibilities revolve around working directly with patients for the purpose of assessing interest in participation in ongoing research studies, patient retention and administering clinical measures such as the Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the ALS Cognitive-Behavioral Scale (ALS CBS). 

Ms. Duell works in the Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic, where she recruits patients for ongoing research studies. She works with patients to explain in detail current and future studies.