Coordinating Centre for Children‘s Rare Diseases Team
Head of the centre prof. Rimantė Čerkauskienė
Pediatric nephrologist, pediatrician
Rimante Cerkauskiene is Professor of Pediatric Nephrology at Clinic of Pediatrics, Vilnius University and the Head of Coordinating Centre for Children Rare Diseases at the Children Hospital, Affiliate of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. Prof. Cerkauskiene obtained her MD degree at Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine in 1986 and completed her training for pediatric nephrology in 1999. Since 1988 prof. Cerkauskiene works as a pediatrician and senior pediatric nephrologist in Children Hospital, Affiliate of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. In 2012 she became the Head of Coordinating Centre for Children Rare Diseases.
She completed DAAD and KAAD pediatric nephrology fellowships in Department of Pediatric Kidney, Liver and Metabolic Diseases of Medical School Hannover (MHH), Clinic of Children Kidney Diseases in Rostock University and Charité University Hospital, Berlin. In 2006 she defended her PhD thesis „Pediatric steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome and changes in lipids and homocysteine when it is treated by omega-3 fatty acids“. Her postgraduate training in the field of rare diseases include multidisciplinary courses for international experts on Fabry disease in Spain, Norway, Germany and UK; Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Registries training in Italy and training for multidisciplinary care of patients with tuberous sclerosis and AML in Norway.
Prof. R. Cerkauskiene is participating in different national activities related to rare diseases and serves as a member of National Rare Disease Action Plan and Issues related to Rare Diseases Activities committees in Ministry of Health of Lithuania. She also took part in public consultations concerning European Reference Networks and their requirement criteria.
Prof. R. Cerkauskiene is actively involved in educational and research activities. Since 2009 she is the coordinator of Pediatric subspecialty training in Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine. She is also the principal and subinvestigator of several international multicentre studies in the areas of rare and renal diseases. Her main areas of interest include nephrotic syndrome, Alport syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, Fabry disease, MPS VI, nephrocalcinosis, urolithiasis and tubulopathies. Prof. R. Cerkauskiene has authored or contributed to more than 50 scientific and peer-reviewed publications and is a member of editorial board of several national peer-reviewed journals.
Administrator Liucija Kanapeckaitė, specialist of communication and information, in 2014 trained in Rome, EPIRARE Rare Diseases and Orphan Drug Registries, in 2017 participated in „5th International Summer School on Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Registries“ in Rome.
Physician Dovilė Jonuškaitė, doctoral student and resident in Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine.
2014 – trained in Rome, EPIRARE Rare Diseases and Orphan Drug Registries.
2015 – participated in Metabolic Diseases Summer School, Nierstein, Germany; 3rd International Summer School on Rare Diseases and Orphan Drug Registries in Rome.
2016 – patricipated in „European Headache Summer School 2016“ in Talinn; „Baltic States Summer School of Epilepsy X“ in Trakai.
Physician Viktoras Sutkus, in 2010 received International Baccalaureate Diploma in Vilnius Lyceum, in 2016 finished medicine programme in Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine. Since 2016 – Pediatrics resident in Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine. In 2017 participated in Metabolic Diseases Summer School, Nierstein, Germany, „5th International Summer School on Rare Disease and Orphan Drug Registries“
Geneticist Birutė Burnytė, in 2007 finished medicine programme in Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine. During Genetics residency, trained in Maastrict University Hospital, Medical Genetics Center, Diagnostics of Hereditary Metabolic Diseases department and University of Leuven Centre for Metabolic Diseases.