The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is pleased to announce new leadership of its Board of Trustees, effective Sept. 1.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is pleased to announce new leadership of its Board of Trustees, effective Sept. 1. Beginning two-year terms are Chair Traci Stewart, Chair-elect Mitchell Koppelman, Treasurer Mike Lentz and Secretary Nicole Creech. Todd Bull is the new chair of PHA's Scientific Leadership Council and Melissa Magness is the new chair of PHA's PH Professional Network.
"After working many years for people with pulmonary hypertension and their families as a nurse coordinator, I am excited to support the PHA community in an additional way," Stewart said. "I look forward to working with other officers and members of the PHA Board of Trustees, as well as PHA staff, to help fulfill PHA's mission to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH."
New to the board are Charles Burger, Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, Tisha Kivett, Jody Petry and Kelly Wiegele.
Gomberg-Maitland and Kivett join the board as liaisons from PHA's Scientific Leadership Council and PH Professionals Executive Committee. Burger is chair of PHA's Accreditation and Registry Committee. Petry and Wiegele are new members-at-large. As members of the PHA Board of Trustees, they are part of a diverse group of dedicated and passionate people with pulmonary hypertension, caregivers, family members and health care professionals who serve without compensation.
Officers
Traci Stewart, RN, MSN, is the PH nurse coordinator at the University of Iowa's Heart and Vascular Center. She coordinates care as patients transition between inpatient and outpatient settings. Stewart has more than 20 years of clinical expertise in managing PH and heart failure patients.
Mitch Koppelman, PhD, is a retired vice president of strategic planning for Minerals Technologies and principal consultant for Mineral Solutions and Strategy. He and his wife Debbie, who has pulmonary arterial hypertension, lost two daughters to PAH.
Mike Lentz, whose wife Maureen died from PH in 2016, is managing director of the Jacksonville market for Nelson Worldwide, specializing in the design of large-scale, mixed-use real estate developments throughout the United States. He has a long history of fundraising and supporting PH-related causes and served on PHA's finance and development committees.
Nicole Creech, who was diagnosed with PH at age 36 due to sickle cell anemia in 2008, leads a PHA support group in Lexington, Kentucky. She is a member of PHA's Support Group Leader Advisory Board, a patient representative on the PHA Registry Steering Committee and a PH advocate.
Liaisons
Todd Bull, MD, is a professor of medicine, pulmonary sciences and critical care at the University of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado, where he is director of the comprehensive lung and breathing program and the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center. His research focuses on developing better ways to diagnose and treat patients with PH. As chair of the Scientific Leadership Council, Bull will provide medical and scientific guidance and support to PHA.
Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, is a professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and medical director of the PH program. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of PH, new therapeutics and new biomarkers.
Tisha Kivett, RN, BSN, AMB-BC, is the pediatric PH coordinator at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. Kivett leads PHA's pediatric PH support group in Indianapolis.
Melissa Magness, MSN, is a pediatric PH nurse at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She is a medical co-director for Camp Joyful Hearts, a weeklong residential camp for children with heart defects, PH and heart transplants. As chair of PHPN, Magness will help PHA advocate for the PH community and improve quality patient care.
Charlie Burger, MD, is director of the Pulmonary Vascular Center at Mayo Clinic Florida. His specialty areas include pulmonary vascular disease, liver-lung disease and rare cystic lung disease. Burger founded and served as medical lead for Mayo Clinic's pulmonary vascular and lymphangioleiomyomatosis centers of excellence. The pulmonary vascular center is a PHA-accredited PH Care Center. Burger is a former editor-in-chief of Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension, PHA's quarterly peer-reviewed journal.
At-large
Jody Petry, CPA, is a PH patient and parent of a child with PH. She is a technical director for CLA, a professional services firm, specializing in nonprofit audit and attest services. She is involved in the PH community, participating in local support groups and PHA fundraising walks.
Kelly Wiegele, the parent of a child with PH, is program manager for Lockheed Martin, where she works with $50 million-plus contracts. She moderates two PHA social media support groups, helping other families develop support systems to get through their PH journeys and find the best care possible.
Returning members
- Colleen Connor, PH patient, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
- Ramona Doyle, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, UC-San Francisco.
- Michelle Fernand Liu, MD, parent of a child with double lung transplant, clinical director, ENT Allergy Otolaryngology Associates, Fairfax, Virginia.
- Mike Naple, public affairs and communications strategist, Arc Initiatives, Washington, D.C.
- Monica Penaranda, PH patient and advocate, Hacienda Heights, California.
- Diane Ramirez, heart and lung transplant recipient, PH advocate, support group leader, Lexington, North Carolina.
- Doug Taylor, support group leader, patient, advocate, retired architect, Lexington, South Carolina.
- Matt Wall, parent of a child with PH, advocate, commercial construction manager, Burlington, North Carolina.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association is the oldest and largest nonprofit patient association dedicated to the pulmonary hypertension community. Pulmonary hypertension is a rare, chronic and life-threatening disease of the lungs for which no cure currently exists. PHA's mission is to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH. To achieve this mission, PHA engages people with PH and their families, caregivers, health care providers, and researchers worldwide who work together to advocate for the PH community, provide support to patients, caregivers and families, offer up- to-date education and information on PH, improve quality patient care, and fund and promote research. For more information, visit PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contact
Zangi Miti, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, 1 301-565-3004, [email protected], www.PHAssociation.org
SOURCE Pulmonary Hypertension Association
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