Outreach: This year, the Pulmonary
Hypertension Association (PHA) expanded its presence at medical
conferences, hosting booths at the American Thoracic Society,
American College of Chest Physicians, American Association of
Critical Care Nurses and the Infusion Nurses Society, and the
3rd International Pulmonary Hypertension Symposium in Venice.
Thousands of doctors and nurses requested and received
additional information from PHA…1,000 at the Critical Care
Nurses meeting alone. Most importantly, many medical presentations
were made by PHA's Scientific Leadership Council.
PHA was also pleased to co-sponsor the Tri-State
Regional PH Educational Meeting in Cincinnati and the California
PH Forum, an event organized by patients and family members. We
will also be participating in the Florida Pulmonary Hypertension
Symposium.
Education: In 2002, PHA launched
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension, the first and only
medical journal devoted to pulmonary hypertension (PH). In 2003,
the journal began quarterly publication. It is sent to all cardiologists,
pulmonologists and rheumatologists in the United States and many
foreign specialists and PH nurses - a circulation of 31,000. In
addition, primary care physicians and patients are encouraged
to read or print the journal from the website.
Leadership: PHA's Scientific Leadership
Council (SLC) provides active leadership in the medical arena
by setting the research agenda, educating other medical practitioners,
and advocating for additional research funding. In 2003, the SLC
wrote a new Consensus Statement for transplant, applied for funding
to add Scientific Sessions to PHA's upcoming Conference 2004,
supervised the publication of the medical journal, met to discuss
multi-center research projects and much more.
Professional resources: Allied
healthcare professionals - nurses, pharmacists and respiratory
therapists - are key to good treatment for PH patients. PHA has
created the professional association PH Resource Network within
PHA to provide support and education for nurses and others. In
the Spring of 2003, over 60 medical professionals attended PH
Resource Network's first Care Summit. In addition to two days
of educational sessions and networking, the Summit offered planning
time for the peer-led group. Three committees (strategic planning,
education and membership) are in place, and membership in the
group is expected to reach 200 by 2004.
A similar professional association within PHA for
physicians and researchers is targeted for a 2004 launch.
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