Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation adds 2 experts to help guide its future
Experienced ILD specialists join board as foundation advances five-year plan
Written by |
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), an advocacy group dedicated to advancing care for people with pulmonary fibrosis, has added two new members to its board of directors.
Both new board members are physicians with extensive experience caring for people with pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring in the lungs, and interstitial lung disease (ILD), a broad group of disorders involving inflammation and/or scarring in the lungs. According to a press release from the PFF, these members “reflect the PFF’s prioritization of engaging leading experts who can help advance research, improve care and support patients, caregivers and families affected by [pulmonary fibrosis] and ILD.”
New board members bring decades of ILD experience
One of the new board members is Bradford Bemiss, MD, a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care physician based in Chicago. Bemiss is an associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and he directs Northwestern Medicine’s PFF Care Center Network site. He has decades of experience in ILD, including lung transplantation and clinical trials, and has participated in numerous PFF initiatives.
The other new board member is Krishna Thavarajah, MD. Like Bemiss, Thavarajah is also a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care physician. She is based in Detroit, where she serves as director of the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at Henry Ford Hospital and of Henry Ford’s PFF Care Center Network site. She brings more than 15 years of experience leading an ILD program, along with longstanding involvement in PFF committees and programs.
“Dr. Bemiss and Dr. Thavarajah share our urgency to improve the lives of people living with pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease,” Scott Staszak, president and CEO of the PFF, said in a comment emailed to Pulmonary Fibrosis News. “Their leadership, experience and commitment to patients will help us advance better care today and drive progress toward new treatments and a cure.”
Bemiss and Thavarajah “bring invaluable expertise to the PFF at a pivotal time for the organization,” said Wayne Pan, MD, PhD, chair of the PFF’s board of directors. “Their clinical leadership, research accomplishments and patient-centered approach will strengthen our Board as we work to expand the impact of our programs and implement our strategic plan.”
The addition of Bemiss and Thavarajah to the board comes as the PFF implements a five-year strategic plan called The PFF is Me. The plan outlines the foundation’s goals and priorities from 2025 to 2030 as it works to improve care, accelerate research, and move toward its goal of a world free from pulmonary fibrosis.
Fabio Vivas
Tengo 70 años y hace 3 años me diagnosticaron FPI, un hermano y 3 primos hermanos murieron por fi rosis el año pasado, no soy oxígeno dependiente,medicamento Nintedanib estoy dispuesto a colaborar en toda las fases de experimentación para detener la fibrosis
Connie B.
Is any one taking Actemra injections for PF. It is usually prescribed for RA, but is supposed to be helpful to so slow down lung fibrosis.