The Roadmap to Rare

Episode 5: The Road to the CSNK2A1 Foundation ft. Jennifer Sills

In Episode 5 of Roadmap to Rare, host Eric Finn is joined by Jennifer Sills, Founder and President of the CSNK2A1 Foundation, which supports families affected by Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS). Jennifer shares her family’s road to getting a diagnosis for her daughter and describes how a phone call with Dr. Wendy Chung led her to start the Foundation. Jennifer also discusses the importance of supporting the whole family, reaching families in many languages, and the ways that families can get involved with the CSNK2A1 Foundation. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! New episodes every two weeks. Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit questions and topics of interest to us: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast Stay Connected: Visit our website: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation Links & Resources Current OCNDS research opportunities, including Simon’s Searchlight and Citizen Health: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/family-research-opportunities

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Episode 4: Chatting with a Genetic Counselor ft. Grace Branger, MGC

In Episode 4 of Roadmap to Rare, Eric Finn is joined by Grace Branger, MGC, a genetic counselor who helps families navigate genetic testing and rare disease diagnoses. Grace discusses the basis of genetic testing, explains how to make sense of a genetic report—including uncertain results—and speaks to the guilt parents may feel after a diagnosis. She also expands upon how genetic counseling supports the whole family and discusses questions that parents can ask genetic counselors. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! New episodes every two weeks. Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit questions and topics of interest to us: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast Stay Connected: Visit our website: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation Links and Resources: GeneReviews: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK581083/ How to read your genetic report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR1FwdI-WZQ Variant of uncertain significance (VUS) explained: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/understanding-the-significance-of-your-genetic-variant

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Episode 3: Inside OCNDS Research ft. Drs. Gabrielle Rushing and Elena Bagatelas

In Episode 3 of Roadmap to Rare, host Eric Finn is joined by Dr. Gabrielle Rushing, Chief Scientific Officer for the CSNK2A1 Foundation, and Dr. Elena Bagatelas. Together, they unpack the science behind Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS), from explaining the functions of the CNSK2A1 gene and the CK2 protein, to talking about the foundation’s genotype (genetic code)-phenotype (physical result) research, patient registries, and current research priorities. The researchers highlight that every family’s participation helps move research forward. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! New episodes every two weeks. Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit questions and topics of interest to us: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast Stay Connected: Visit our website: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation Links & Resources: https://www.simonssearchlight.org/research/what-we-study/csnk2a1/ https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/simons-searchlight https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/citizen-health https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/project-find-out https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/new-partnership-with-probably-genetic Bagatelas et al., 2025. OCNDS core features are conserved across variants with loop-region mutations driving greater symptom burden: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12267189/

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Episode 2: The Day Everything Changed ft. Amber Reynolds

In Episode 2 of Roadmap to Rare, host Eric Finn sits down with Amber Reynolds, a fellow OCNDS parent and advocate from Colorado, whose 14-year-old daughter, Harper, was one of the first 15 people in the world diagnosed with Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS). Amber shares her family’s journey from Harper’s first-week pediatric appointment to the moment they received an OCNDS diagnosis when Harper was five. Eric and Amber reflect on genetic testing, finding community, and the everyday advocacy and small victories that shape the rare disease journey. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! New episodes every two weeks. Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit questions and topics of interest to us: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast Stay Connected: Visit our website: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation

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Episode 1: Meet Your Host, Eric

In the debut episode of Roadmap to Rare, host Eric Finn introduces himself and the mission of the show. Roadmap to Rare aims to shed light on the reality of navigating the rare disease journey through real stories, real challenges, and research. Eric shares his personal story of how his family discovered that his son had Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS), an ultra-rare genetic condition affecting approximately 400 people worldwide. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! New episodes every two weeks. Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit questions and topics of interest to us: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast About the Host: Eric Finn is from Gillette, Wyoming and is a father, advocate, and an Early Interventionist at the Children’s Developmental Center of Campbell County and a wrestling and football coach for the Campbell County School District. Eric’s son was diagnosed with OCNDS a month before his third birthday. Stay Connected: Visit our website: https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/ Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation

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Trailer: Roadmap to Rare

This is the Roadmap to Rare. Hosted by OCNDS parent Eric Finn, this podcast explores the reality of the rare-disease journey—sharing hope through real stories, real challenges, and research. On Roadmap to Rare, Eric sits down with parents, advocates, clinicians, researchers, and leaders in the rare disease community to talk about what the path really looks like—from diagnosis to advocacy, research breakthroughs, and everything in between. Subscribe so you can stay updated for new episodes! Your ideas help shape the conversations that matter most to the rare disease community. Feel free to submit us questions and topics of interest us at podcast@csnk2a1foundation.org. Or on our webpage https://www.csnk2a1foundation.org/roadmap-to-rare-podcast! Follow us on Instagram: @csnk2a1_foundation Follow us on Facebook: CSNK2A1 Foundation Follow us on LinkedIn: CSNK2A1 Foundation