PHA Scientific Leadership Council

PHA’s Scientific Leadership Council (SLC) is composed of leaders in the field of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Coordinating the medical arm of PHA, they provide medical and scientific leadership and guidance for the mission of PHA and lead the development of the wide array of PHA’s medical programming.

SLC members proactively facilitate the development of new knowledge about PH, develop educational resources for medical and public audiences, and advocate to raise awareness about pulmonary hypertension (PH). The SLC was formed out of the PHA philosophy that patients and medical professionals can achieve more working together.

Members of the SLC are clinicians and researchers recognized for performing outstanding research and providing excellent care for people living with PH.

Members of the Scientific Leadership Council (SLC) serve as PHA’s medical leadership and are cardiologists, pulmonologists and rheumatologists – leading PH experts that branch out into all areas of scientific exploration and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Not only do they guide the vast array of medical education PHA offers to both the medical and patient communities, they also are involved in the development of cutting-edge research exploring various aspects of PH such as the implications of genetics in pulmonary hypertension, treatments for children living with PH, PH and associated diseases and much more.

Many past and present members of the SLC are involved in authoring or editing Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension, the Official Journal of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, in developing patient education materials or planning/speaking at patient education events, in planning or serving as faculty at continuing medical education (CME) activities, and in creating the comprehensive treatment fact sheets and consensus statements available on our website.

Individuals invited to serve on the SLC are known for their contributions in the PH field – in research and in providing quality care to people living with PH as well as for their volunteerism in the PH community through PHA. They represent PH centers and clinics in urban and rural areas, in large hospital systems and private practices.

PHA Scientific Leadership Council Members

Anna R. Hemnes, M.D.
Chair

Associate Professor of Medicine
Assistant Director, Pulmonary Vascular Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
Term Ends June 2026

Todd M. Bull, M.D.
Chair-Elect
Professor Medicine Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care
School of Medicine – University of Colorado
Denver, CO

Murali M. Chakinala, MDMurali M. Chakinala, M.D., FCCP
Immediate Past Chair
Professor of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
St. Louis, MO
Term Ends June 2024

Council Members

Eric D. Austin, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Vanderbilt Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee

Sonja Bartolome, MD
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Director, Liver Transplant Critical Care
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas

Vinicio A. de Jesus Perez, MD, FCCP, FAHA, ATSF
Associate Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, Stanford Translational Investigator Program
Stanford Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Stanford University Medical Center, California

Teresa De Marco, MD
Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension
Medical Director of Heart Transplantation
University of California, San Francisco

Ankit A. Desai, MD, FACC, FAHA
Associate Professor of Medicine
Krannert Institute of Cardiology
Indiana University
Indianapolis

Jeffrey R. Fineman, MD
Pediatric Critical Care Specialist
Critical Care Division Chief
University of California, San Francisco
Benioff Children’s Hospital
San Francisco

Robert P. Frantz, MD
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc
Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Medical Faculty Associates
George Washington University, Heart and Vascular Institute
Washington, D.C.

Daniel Grinnan, MD
Pulmonologist in Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth Medical Center
Richmond

Gustavo A. Heresi, MD, MSc
Section Head, Pulmonary Vascular Medicine
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio

Kristin B. Highland, MD, MSCR
Staff Physician, Pulmonary and Rheumatology Departments
Director, Rheumatic Lung Disease Program
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio

Nicholas Kolaitis, MD, MAS
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco

Matthew R. Lammi, MD, MSCR
Associate Professor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore

Peter Leary, MD, PhD
PHCC Program Co-Director
University of Washington Medical Center
Seattle

Deborah J. Levine, MD
Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
Medical Director of Inpatient and Outpatient Lung Transplantation
University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio

Wes McConnell, MD
Pulmonologist at Norton Pulmonary Specialists
Louisville, Kentucky

Lana Melendres-Groves, MD
Medical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Pulmonary and Critical Care Division
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque

Josanna Rodriguez-Lopez, MD
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension and CTEPH Program
Director, HHT Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston

John J. Ryan, MD, MB, BCh, BAO
Co-Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Comprehensive Care Center
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Sandeep Sahay, MD, FCCP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Houston Methodist, Texas

Thenappan Thenappan, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis

Anjali Vaidya, MD, FACC, FASE, FACP
Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure, and CTEPH Program
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship
Associate Program Director, Cardiology Fellowship
Assistant Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency
Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Philadelphia

Nidhy Varghese, MD
Medical Director, Texas Children’s Hospital Pulmonary Hypertension Center
Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Pulmonology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston

Corey E. Ventetuolo, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy and Practice
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Associate Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Center
Medical Director, Adult Extracorporeal Life Support Program
Director of Clinical Research, Pulmonary Division
Rhode Island Hospital
Providence

R. James White, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology
University of Rochester Medical Center
New York

Liaisons

Kimberly Jackson, R.N., B.S.N.
Chair, PH Professional Network
Nurse Cardiovascular Coordinator
University of Kentucky, Gill Heart Institute
Lexington, Ky.
Term Ends June 2024

Melissa Magness, MSN, APRN, CNP-AC
PHPN Executive Committee Chair-Elect

Nurse Practitioner
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati, OH

Research Committee

Members of the Research Committees are leading researchers in the field of pulmonary hypertension. They guide the growth and development of PHA’s Research Program.

Mission Statement and Charge

The Research Committee of the Scientific Leadership Counsel was created to support PHA in its mission to advance PH research in the field for both patient and professional populations. In order to grow the research opportunities, information and resources available to these communities, the Research Committee is charged with supporting the following activities:

  • The Research Committee will advance the goals of the PHA to become a funding body for new research initiatives.
  • The Research Committee will encourage the development of new PH research and researchers through mentorship by established research leaders in the field who will recruit and lead newer researchers.

The Research Committee will commence periodically to discuss progress, evaluate goals and plan.

Research Committee Members

Matthew R. Lammi, MD, MSCR, Chair
Associate Professor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore

Steven H. Abman, MD
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Heart Lung Center
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Children’s Hospital Colorado
Aurora

Eric D. Austin, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Vanderbilt Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee

Vinicio A. de Jesus Perez, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Stanford University, California

Teresa De Marco, MD
Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension
Medical Director of Heart Transplantation
University of California, San Francisco

Tim Lahm, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Cellular & Integrative Physiology
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Occupational Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis

Nidhy Varghese, MD
Medical Director, Texas Children’s Hospital Pulmonary Hypertension Center Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Pulmonology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston

Corey E. Ventetuolo, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Practice, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Associate Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Center
Medical Director, Adult Extracorporeal Life Support Program
Director of Clinical Research, Pulmonary Division
Rhode Island Hospital
Providence

Todd Bull, M.D., Immediate Past Chair
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Colorado
Aurora

SLC Distinguished Advisory Committee

David B. Badesch, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Clinical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Center
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Aurora, Colo.

Erika S. Berman Rosenzweig, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics (in Medicine)
Columbia University Medical Center – New York Presbyterian Hospital
New York, N.Y.

Bruce Brundage, M.D.
Professor of Medicine Emeritus
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Bend, Ore.

Richard N. Channick, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Mass.

C. Gregory Elliott, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
University of Utah School of Medicine
Murray, Utah

Karen A. Fagan, M.D.
Chief of Pulmonology, Critical Care
Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology
University of South Alabama
Mobile, Ala.

Michael D. McGoon, M.D.
Professor Emeritus of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minn.

Vallerie V. McLaughlin, M.D.
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Kim A. Eagle, MD, Endowed Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine
University of Michigan CVC Cardiovascular Medicine
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ronald J. Oudiz, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension
LA Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor – UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, Calif.