Carol Vreim...

Today is Carol Vreim's last day at PHA...

She certainly been been a tremendous asset to PHA as a part-time employee for the past several years but her life and work have been intertwined with the PH community since the 1970's.

In 1973, a group of physicians with an early interest in PH met under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Their goal was to review the current state of knowledge on Primary PH (later described as idiopathic PH).  Following that review, they proposed the establishment of a multicenter collaborative study. This led to the historic and invaluable NHLBI PPH registry which enrolled 187 U.S. patients  from 1981 to 1985. Carol was in charge of that registry.  It was this information that framed much of the research that took place over the next two decades.  It also helped to develop a network of physicians who built this little known field into today's vibrant and active medical community.

Carol also was a catch point for patients during a period of great isolation.  They would call her desk at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and she would put them in touch with each other and, as PHA came into existence, with PHA leaders.  As a trustee of the Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation, she kept Dauna's legacy alive, through early Foundation gifts that helped PHA establish itself in the early days.

After Dr. Vreim's retirement as Deputy Director of the Lung Division at NHLBI, we were honored to have her talents at PHA.

Thank you Dr. Vreim.  Good luck in your move to Pennsylvania. Have no doubt that we'll miss you and that we'll stay in touch!