PH Insights

Guest: Jenna Olitsky, PAH and HHT patient, PHA’s Patient and Caregiver Education Committee member On this episode of PH Insights, Jenna Olitsky shares five travel tips she’s learned while living with pulmonary arterial hypertension and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. She discusses the unique challenges a person with rare illness faces, including navigating accessibility and managing her med...

Guests: Scott E. Olitsky, MD, MBA, Global Center of Excellence outreach director, Cure HHT ; Marla Olitsky, PH and HHT patient of over 20 years; Monica Penaranda, PH and newly diagnosed HHT patient   On this episode of PH Insights, guest host Scott Olitsky explores the connection between pulmonary hypertension and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Olitsky, along with guests Marla Atkins and M...

Guests: Abby Sickles, program manager, Patient & Caregiver Programs and Marcie McGregor, PH patient and PHA Support Group Leader In this episode of PH Insights, guest host Abby Sickles welcomes Marcie McGregor to discuss her experience as a PHA support volunteer. Marcy shares her personal journey with pulmonary hypertension, the impact of peer support and the importance of community in navigat...

Guest: Abby Sickles, program manager, Patient and Caregiver Programs, Pulmonary Hypertension Association   In this episode of PH Insights, Abby Sickles discusses the various Pulmonary Hypertension Association support programs available to individuals affected by pulmonary hypertension. She shares insights into peer mentoring, support groups as well as resources for caregivers, emphasizing that no...

Guest: Oksana A Shlobin, MD, medical director and pulmonary hypertension program director of education and outreach, Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program, Inova Fairfax Hospital   On this episode, PH expert Oksana Shlobin provides a detailed overview of sarcoidosis-related PH. She reviews common signs and symptoms, outlines treatment options and shares insight into the complexities of diag...

Guest: Mitzi McIver-LaBarge, PHA Peer Mentor   On this episode, peer mentor Mitzi McIver-LaBarge shares her journey as a parent and caregiver following her daughter’s pulmonary hypertension diagnosis at 1 year old. In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, Mitzi discusses the importance of connection, the power of community and how volunteering with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association helped he...

Guests: Navneet Singh, MD, ScM, MBA Assistant Professor of Medicine Associate Fellowship Program Director for Research Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University   Christopher Mullin, MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Medicine, Clinician Educator Director of the CTEPH Program; Associate Director of the Rhode Island Hospital Pulmonary H...

Guest: Naomi Habib, MD, co-director Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Arizona Pulmonary Specialists   On this episode, Naomi Habib, co-director of the Arizona Pulmonary Specialists PH Center of Excellence and recent PH Community Workshop-Phoenix co-chair, shares key takeaways from her experience and explains why these workshops benefit both patients and health care providers. The Pulmonary Hyperte...

Guest: Colleen Connor, PHA Board of Trustees, PH patient and advocate   The Pulmonary Hypertension Association accredited care center network was established over a decade ago to raise the quality of pulmonary hypertension care and expand patient access to specialized care and resources. In this episode, Colleen Connor shares the importance of PHA-accredited care centers, their approach to buildin...

Guest: Mrinalini Krishnan, MD, FACC, regional director of pulmonary hypertension, MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute   In this episode of PH Insights, Mrinalini Krishnan discusses pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease, the most common cause of PH.  Approximately 60% of people with LHD develop PH. Krishnan highlights the risk factors and signs and symptoms of PH-LHD that you should mon...

Guest: Akshay Muralidhar, MD, co-director Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Arizona Pulmonary Specialists In this episode, Akshay Muralidhar provides an overview of pulmonary arterial hypertension and how a PAH diagnosis may affect a person’s daily activities and quality of life. He also shares the benefits of exercise and how a safe regimen can improve cardiovascular health and lead to reduced sy...

Guest: Michele Freeman, licensed professional counselor and PHA support group leader In this excerpt from PH Insights episode, “Relax and Recharge: Practical Strategies for Managing Stress,” Freeman leads listeners through a guided mindfulness exercise to assist with reducing stress during difficult circumstances.

Guest: Michele Freeman, licensed professional counselor and PHA support group leader.   In this episode, Freeman provides an overview of the impact of stress and trauma to a person’s body while living with a chronic illness. She then leads listeners through a mindful meditation exercise designed to help manage stress. Additionally, she shares information about the importance of supportive care and...

Nadine Al-Naamani, assistant professor of medicine with the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care at University of Pennsylvania and past recipient of the PHA/ATS Research Fellowship and the Aldrighetti Research Award for Young Investigators; incoming Steering Committee Chair of the PHA Registry Matthew R. Lammi, associate professor of medicine of Johns Hopkins University and current Res...

Guests: Todd Bull, recipient of 2006 PHA/ATS Research Fellowship Award and incoming Scientific Leadership Council Chair, past Chair of the SLC Research Committee and Rachel Hopper, Associate Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford recipient of Robyn Barst Pediatric PH Research and Mentoring Award   In this episode, Todd Bull, professor of medicine and...

Guest: Paul Critser, MD, PhD; Pediatric Cardiologist, Heart Institute Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center   In this episode, Critser provides an overview of Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension and how it may differ from adults living with PH. Critser shares the unique challenges a child living with PH may face from diagnosis to long-term management. He shares his insights on the signs a par...

In this episode of the PH Insights podcast, Angela Michelle and Mark Porter share their personal journeys with CTEPH and the pivotal decision to undergo pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery. They offer candid insights into their diagnoses, the challenges they faced and the life-changing impact of PTE surgery. Listeners will learn about the emotional and physical toll of CTEPH, the decision-maki...

Guests: Jordan Whitson, MD, transplant pulmonologist, Duke Pulmonary and Specialty Services Clinic and Diane Ramirez, PHA Board of Trustees member and heart and lung transplant recipient   Transplantation may be a treatment option reserved for patients who are not improving on medical therapies. While transplantation can prolong survival, improve quality of life and offer a potential cure for pulm...

PHA’s Advocacy and Treatment Access program manager, Jaeger Spratt, guest-hosts this episode for Open Enrollment Season. They invited Kim Everett, a pulmonary arterial hypertension and lupus patient, to talk about her experiences with insurance over the years and share how current Medicare changes have improved her prescription experience. Guest Amy Niles, chief mission officer at the PAN Foundati...

Guests: Jeff Spiwak, a patient with pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease; and Ahmad Abu Homoud, MD.   In this episode of PH Insights, Spiwak, a pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease patient, joins Hamoud to discuss the impact of PH-ILD on daily life and the importance of exercise or physical activity to manage the condition. Homoud and Spiwak share the importance of...

Guest: Ahmad Abu Homoud, MD, medical director, Pulmonary Hypertension Center, Jersey Shore University Medical Center; and associate program director, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Shore Pulmonary Physician Associates.   In this episode of PH Insights, Homoud discusses the connection between pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease. ILD is a group of disorders that cause sc...

Guests: Jenny Yang, MD, and Monica Penaranda, PHA Board of Trustees member and PH patient.   In this episode, we hear from Monica Penaranda, who has been living with pulmonary arterial hypertension for 27 years. Diagnosed while pregnant, Penaranda shares her diagnosis journey and discusses the importance of perseverance, proper medical care and finding joy while living with PH. Jenny Yang explains...

Guest: Jenny Yang, MD; assistant professor of medicine, University of California San Diego    Pulmonary hypertension is a complex and underdiagnosed condition that affects the blood vessels in the lungs. Blood vessels can become stiff, damaged or narrow, causing the right side of the heart to work harder to pump blood through. In this inaugural episode of PH Insights, Jenny Yang provides a compreh...