About PHC
About PHCentral
Volunteer Staff
Officers
Cheryl Switzer, President
Mimi Bitner, Vice President
Edna Merrill, Treasurer
Board of Directors
Armond Aserinsky (board consultant)
Mimi Bitner
Michelle Goll Smith
Cheryl Switzer
Dennis Stenshorn
Email List Moderators
Mimi Bitner
Helen Forrest
Cindy Hammond
Diane Ramirez
Lisa Smith
Dennis Stenshorn
Shirley Wissler
Annette (Annie) Whitaker
Karen Jo Whittlesey
Margaret Wright
Other PHC Staff
Michelle Goll Smith - Web Site Designer & Director
Alan Harder - Social Security expert
Sheri Johnson – Links Editor and PHFriends chat moderator
Merle Reeseman - Action Central Editor
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Armond Aserinsky, Ph.D. - Site co-founder, B.O.D. consultant. Armond, currently a consultant to the board of directors, is the past president and co-founder of PHCentral, Inc. He is a Clinical Psychologist with a longstanding interest in the use of mass media for educational and therapeutic purposes. When his wife became ill with PAH, he harnessed his skills to create an electronic world-wide self-help community which evolved into PHCentral. He is an activist who sees his role as one of providing information, fostering connections, and directing political pressure to benefit the PAH community. |
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Mimi Bitner - Vice President, Board of Directors member, WebBoard Manager. Mimi, PHC's vice-president and a member of the board of directors, began her volunteer work at PHCentral early in 2001. In addition to her staff duties, she serves as lead Moderator for the group of volunteers that monitor our WebBoard activity. Mimi is retired from a long career as a legal secretary and executive secretary to a Houston City Councilman. Mimi was diagnosed with ph in January 1999, secondary to sleep apnea; her sleep apnea being successfully treated resulted in some improvement in her PAH in 2001. As the mother of 5, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 3, she understands the art of diplomacy. And as she puts it herself, she is uniquely qualified to serve the PAH community because in her lifetime, "I have made upwards of 71,822,564 decisions". |
| Helen Forrest - WebBoard Moderator. Bio here. |
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| Marsha Gentry - WebBoard Moderator. Bio here. |
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Michelle Goll Smith - Board of Directors, Web Site Designer & Editor, Writer. Michelle was born with a congenital heart defect which, although surgically repaired at three years old, caused SPH. Although her pulmonary pressures were high from a very young age, it didn’t slow her down much until she was in her late twenties. Until Michelle's PH symptoms became so severe that she had to quit working in 1999, she had a career which she loved as a Graphic Artist, Illustrator and Web Site Designer. She has since utilized those skills by volunteering (as her energy allows) to raise awareness for PH through visual media. She volunteered to redesign PHCentral’s current web site and serve on the Board of Directors. She also paints with watercolors. Some of her paintings are showcased on our Creative Corner section. |
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Cindy Hammond - WebBoard moderator Cindy is a wife, mother of 2 wonderful boys, and a nurse who specializes in infection prevention. Prior to her diagnosis in 2001, she knew nothing about PH. Cindy is "THE soccer mom" for her son's high school soccer team. She has coached, refereed, and been an all around cheer leader for the boy's soccer teams for 15 years. In Feb. 2001, while coaching her youngest son's team, Cindy joked that she was getting too old for it as she was having chest pain and becoming short of breath. Lugging around the equipment became so difficult for her that she finally realized something was wrong. That is when her journey with PH began. Although Cindy can't coach any longer, she "still has the loudest voice on the field." Cindy joined PHC in late 2001. Being told she had PH was terrifying to her. She felt a great sense of relief when she met others here at PHC who were also dealing with PH and could relate to what she was going through. "I am working at LIVING with PH, one day at a time!" |
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Alan Harder - Social Security / Disability Advisor, Writer I began working for the Social Security Administration in 1973. I worked in Social Security district offices as a Claims Representative, Supervisor, Technical Expert and Area Systems Coordinator. I spent the last two years of my career teaching SSA employees how to use their new Electronic Disability Claims process and installing the equipment they use to make it work.
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Diane Ramirez - Chat Leader, WebBoard moderator bio here |
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Merle Reeseman - WebBoard Moderator, Chat Leader, Insurance Advisor I am a wife, mother and grandma to 7 (oh my). I would say we had a typical family life raising children and at times wanting to pull my hair out during their teenage years but we survived. Now we have grandchildren and they are the sunshine in my life. They bring such joy and wisdom to what has become a challenge in my life. My husband is a great support and comfort to me along with the rest of my family. I was diagnosed with PPH toward the end of 2002 and put on Flolan in early January of 2003. As with most of us I had no clue as to what PH is and became very active in research of this disease. I am concerned that the majority of medical professionals, specialist included, don't know what PH is and I am grateful that my PCP has learned how to deal with me and is willing to talk with my PH specialist when needed. I feel it is very important that we become advocates for ourselves and there is a major need for our politicians to become aware of this disease. There are bills out there for research and awareness on PH and we need to write to our Representatives in Congress and our Federal Senators to ask for their support and sponsorship. If you are willing to help with this battle, write to me direct with your zip code plus the 4 digits and I will e-mail you a letter to make copies of; you can have your family, friends and any one at all sign them and then mail to your respective politician(s). I am honored to be part of this PH Central Team and I will do my best to keep us aware of what is going on in the political world of PH. |
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Ralf S. - WebBoard Moderator. Ralf lives with his family in Germany. In 1996 he was diagnosed with PH at the young age of 30. Three years later, he had to retire from his job as an electronics engineer. He became quite active in the world wide PH community around 2001 and tries to learn as much as possible about PH and it's treatments. He then is able to pass along what he has learned to other patients world wide. Although PH took speed out of Ralf's life, it has enriched him with good friends from all over the world, and with time for hobbies like silver smithing, painting and working with clay. Even learning and writing about PH has become one of his hobbies. Ralf is proud to be a part of the moderator team. |
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Lisa Smith - WebBoard Moderator Lisa was born with two congenital heart defects - an ASD and a VSD - which have both been surgically repaired. She was "officially" diagnosed with SPH in 1990, possibly caused by pulmonary thrombosis due to surgery, although her medical records reflected PH since her first heart catherization in 1967. Lisa currently uses oxygen 24/7 and takes warfarin. She is a finance administrator with a Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado. She has a wonderful husband, a married daughter in her 20's, and was blessed to adopt a daughter from China in February 2006. Lisa also has a grandson who was born in January, 2008. Lisa says she feels honored to be a PHFriends moderator. |
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Dennis Stenshorn - Board of Directors Member, WebBoard Moderator Dennis is a PHCentral board member and e-mail list moderator. Diagnosed in 1998 with PH and an ASD, Dennis retired from work in 2001. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and son, two Bassett Hounds and 9 cats. He also works with the local eye and tissue bank promoting organ donation, and is on the board of the local transplant organization. |
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Cheryl Switzer - President, Board of Directors Member, Site Editor, Writer. Cheryl is our volunteer president and chairmen of the board of directors at PHCentral. She started as a diarist, became Feature Editor and Diary section editor in early 2001. Cheryl is a former project manager for a software developer in San Francisco. She retired from her work in 2000 when she was diagnosed with PH secondary to restrictive lung disease caused by a chest wall deformity. She lives with her husband, one cat and one dog within walking distance of Golden Gate Park in her City by the Bay. |
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Shirley Wissler - WebBoard Moderator I was diagnosed with PPH 11 years ago and joined PHCentral over 2 years ago. Until that time, I was being monitored by a cardiologist but was not in treatment. After joining PH central, I started treatment with a PH specialist in 2002 and am now doing well. I'm married with two great dogs. I work part-time in Social Work. I love walking my dogs and swimming. I have a BA degree in Psychology and have worked in Social Services for over 15 years. I just love being a part of this group and hope I can help someone else with PH the way that this group has helped me. |
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Annette (Annie) Whitaker - WebBoard oderator We live in Cairns in the far north of Australia, which is a bit of a tropical paradise except when the occasional cyclone pays a visit. I am married to Richard and have two gorgeous sons: Timothy, my oldest son who passed from PH in 2006 - (we still cannot believe this has happened) = and Phil , my baby, who has moved back home recently. We're still all learning how to cope without Tim. I have always worked in health admin / accounting. but am now back at University studying Psychology (although I may switch to arts). In my spare time, I enjoy art and painting and have a section in creative corner. I also wrote an article in the features section called " In the wee hours" and Tim has a lovely memorial page on this site that I visit often. I also manage an Aussie PH website. PHCentral has been a HUGE part of my life for nearly 8 yrs and has seen our family through many stages of dealing with my son's illness. My most precious life friends are people I have never seen but understand me more than those I see every day. I am proud to be a part of the moderator team. |
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Karen Jo Whittlesey - PHFriends email list moderator Karen Jo lives in Fort Worth Texas, has PH and has been on Flolan for about 4 years. Karen Jo is a self-proclaimed "zookeeper", sharing her home with Ollie, her eleven-year-old chow/germ. shep mix, and Mattie, her African Grey parrot who talks. Karen Jo's words of wisdom: Ya'll need to know this. I learned the hard way. NEVER, NEVER HUG YOUR PARROT IF YOU'RE WEARING EARRINGS! |
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Margaret Wright- WebBoard Moderator. Bio here |
- Nancy D. Bridges, M.D., Medical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart/Lung and Co-director, Lung Transplantation Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Sean P. Gaine, M.D., Director, of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
- Traci Housten-Harris R.N., M.S., Clinical Nurse/Program Manager at the Pulmonary Hypertension Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
- Alice Kahle, Ph.D. is a pediatric psychologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she is a member of the interdisciplinary team that provides clinical services to infants, children, and young adults followed by the Thoracic Organ Transplant and Pulmonary Hypertension Program.
- Ronald J. Oudiz, M.D., Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
- Harold I. Palevsky, M.D., Director of Pulmonary Vascular Disease at the University of Pennsylvania
- Lewis J. Rubin, M.D., Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care at University of California - San Diego
- Robert Schilz, D.O., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of medicine, Case Western Reserve University
Medical Director of Lung Transplantation, Pulmonary & Critical Care
University Hospitals of Cleveland
- Kingman P. Strohl, M.D., University Hospitals of Cleveland, Deptartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
- Norbert F. Voelkel, M.D., Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Center, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
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