PHA News
In This Issue
eLearning Event: Lobby Locally
Over 1,150 Gather for Conference
Leadership in Transition
Huffing and Puffing Utah Style
Larger Than Life
PH in the News
Gilead Sciences' Research Scholars Awards Program in PAH
We Want Your Photos
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Upcoming Events
  
1st Annual Wojo Golf Classic
July 21, 2008
Southern California
 
6th Annual JFK Tower Golf Tournament
July 21, 2008
White Plains, N.Y.
 
5th Annual Michigan Cure PH Golf Tournament
August 2, 2008
Pinckney, Mich.
 
Celebration of Life Party
August 9, 2008
Thornton, Colo.
 
Minnesota Support Group Picnic
August 9, 2008
Maplewood, Minn.
 
2008 Minnesota PHun Walk for a Cure
August 16, 2008
Andover, Minn.
Vol 9/Number 13 June 30, 2008
PHA logoPHANews Editor - Sally Maddox
skmaddox@bellsouth.net
Contributing Editors - PHA staff
 
reaching over 6500 subscribers
www.PHAssociation.org
E-LEARNING EVENT: LOBBY LOCALLY
Get Prepared to Educate Your Elected Officials Face-To-Face about PH
 
Don't miss out! Tell your representative and senators what YOU want during PHA's 2008 District Visit Campaign. 
 Gavin Lindberg Katie Kroner
On July 14, join a conference call e-Learning Event to  learn more. Led by PHA's Advocacy and Awareness Director Katie Kroner and PHA's Washington Representative Gavin Lindberg, this call will provide you with tried-and-true ways to educate the people who have the opportunity to impact PH legislation funding research and education. Learn how to gather a group to visit your Members of Congress or how to bring your elected officials to you! 
 
For more information please contact Meryl at 301-565-3004 x774 or advocacy@PHAssociation.org.   
OVER 1,150 GATHER IN HOUSTON FOR CONFERENCE
Tattooed NursesIt's unanimous - PHA's 8th International PH Conference was a huge success! The three-day event held June 20 - 22 in Houston, Texas, was not only educational, but also provided hope and inspiration to all attendees.
 
At PHA's 2008 Conference there were . . . 

1150 Eager Registrants
352 Dedicated Medical Professionals in Attendance  
254 Enthusiastic Volunteers
171 Excited Scholarship Recipients
125 Generous Patients who participated in the Research Room
5 Informative Plenary Sessions
1 Incredible Meet and Greet
And much more!
 
Be sure to check out the live reports that were posted to PHA's website during the Conference and visit the Conference page regularly, as we will be adding video, photos, session recordings and handouts soon!
PHA LEADERSHIP IN TRANSITION
PHA would like to thank the leadership of the PHA Board of Trustees, Scientific Leadership Council and the PH Resource Network for their dedicated service and welcome new leaders into the fold.
 
Hicks Replaces McGoon as Board Chair
Carl HicksAt the close of PHA's 8th International Conference and Scientific Sessions, the leadership of PHA's Board of Trustees changed hands. Dr. Michael McGoon, who served as the organization's Chair from 2006-2008, ended his term as Board Chair and was replaced by incoming Chair Carl Hicks (term 2008-2010). During Dr. McGoon's leadership of the Board of Trustees, PHA saw the expansion of its medical education programs and the revitalization of its Development Committee. Read Story
  
Dr. Vallerie V. McLaughlin Becomes SLC Chair
Dr. Vallerie V. McLaughlinAs PHA's 8th International Conference and Scientific Sessions closed, the leadership of PHA's Scientific Leadership Council (SLC) transitioned. Dr. David Badesch, who served as SLC Chair from 2006-2008, ended his term as SLC Chair and was replaced by incoming Chair Dr. Vallerie V. McLaughlin (term 2008-2010). Read Story 
 
Schiro and Durst Begin Two-Year Term with PH Resource Network
Arlene Schiro and Louise Durst 
Arlene Schiro and Louise Durst began their two-year terms as the PH Resource Network Chair and Chair-elect, respectively, at the end of the 2008 Conference in Houston, Texas. Joy Beckmann now serves as the network's immediate past chair. Read Story
 
HUFFING AND PUFFING UTAH STYLE
Games and names were on the agenda for the Central Utah PHA Support Group's May 22 meeting. Over 30 people attended the gathering, which was held at the Old Spaghetti Factory, where the food was generously provided by United Therapeutics.
 
In addition to exchanging names with others at the meet-and-greet event, members named their group the "Huffers and Puffers," and played a "Guess Who" game provided by Accredo Representative, Rachel Hamblin.  
 
Group leaders  Jackie Steffes and Lori Heaton led a discussion about the group's purpose and the then upcoming PHA Conference in Houston, Texas.
LARGER THAN LIFE
How much do you know about using a gift of life insurance for the good of a charitable organization?
Test Your Knowledge
PH IN THE NEWS
Determined Woman Not Stopped by Her Disease
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) -- Brittney Evans, a 25-year-old pulmonary hypertension patient, decided that there was not enough money being raised for research. So, a little hard work and three bands later, she raised $20,000 for the cause. Read Story
 
JGH Doctors Excited by New Stem Cell Therapy
(The Canadian Jewsish News) Montreal, Canada -- A "big step forward" in the potential treatment of incurable disease by genetically modifying the patient's own stem cells was announced by doctors at the Jewish General Hospital last week. Read Story
 
Ikaria's INOflo (Nitric Oxide) for Inhalation to be Officially Approved in Japan
(The Earth Times) Clinton, N.J. -- Ikaria Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary INO Therapeutics LLC, announced that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare's Council on Drugs and Food Sanitation has recommended approval of INOflo (nitric oxide) for inhalation. Read Story
 
BMPR2 Mutation and Outcome in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Clinical Relevance to Physicians and Patients
(Red Orbit) -- Despite major advances in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, the pathogenesis of this condition remains obscure. An array of cellular and molecular abnormalities develop in PAH that may cause or contribute to the angioproliferative phenotype characteristic of this condition. Read Story
 
Early Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Delays Progression
(MedPage Today) Bologna, Italy -- Treating pulmonary arterial hypertension with bosentan (Tracleer) when patients are only mildly symptomatic may change the course of the disease, researchers found. Read Story
 
Gilead Buys Hypertension Drug Candidate
(The Street) -- Gilead Sciences will buy assets related to Cicletanine, a pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment of privately held Navitas, and will begin a phase II trial on the drug this year. Read Story

Medical ProfessionalsGILEAD SCIENCES' RESEARCH SCHOLARS AWARDS PROGRAM IN PAH
PHA is excited to announce Gilead Sciences' Research Scholars Awards Program in PAH. This program provides three two-year grants of $100,000 each. More information on this program can be found on the PHA Research Opportunities page under "Other Research Opportunities."
WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS
Share your Conference photos from Houston with Us!
 
Visit our special group on Flickr, a photo-sharing website, and post your pictures to share with the entire PHA community. To get started create a Flickr username, log into our Flickr site, join our group, and post your photos!