Out on the Road: PH Education Coming Straight to You

This week, I asked Danielle Thomas on our Meetings staff to tell you a bit about our September PHA on the Road events in Houston and San Diego. These are PHA’s regional one-day conferences. We began offering them in 2008 so that people who weren’t able to come to our International PH Conference could have Conference come to them. 

Why should you come or, if you don’t live in the area, why should you take a minute to tell your family or friends who do? Take a look at the program book, and you’ll know right away!

As a new PHA staff member, I am really looking forward to my first PHA on the Road: PH Patients and Families Education Forum, and I want to encourage as many of you as possible to join me there. In a little over two weeks on Sept. 6, I will be boarding a plane and heading to Houston, Texas, for the first of two PHA on the Road forums. The second forum takes place on Sept. 20 in San Diego, Calif. If you’re in the Houston or San Diego area, you won’t want to miss this event. If you're not, you'll want to tell friends and family who are. Registration is FREE and includes continental breakfast and lunch. While registration is still open, I have to stress that space is limited - so register soon! Registration for Houston closes Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 3 p.m.

If you’d like a sneak peek at the great sessions that await you, just keep reading. I’m happy to share that the PHA on the Road sessions for Houston (Sept. 6) have just been announced! Most of the Host Committee listed below will be presenting at the following sessions. Stay tuned for announcements about San Diego, Calif., (Sept. 20) soon.

In Houston, we’ll learn about the basics of PH, PH and associated conditions and much more. We’ve even got a session in Spanish! Here's a list of the sessions, or you can check out the program book for more details.

General Sessions: Medically Led

• Diagnosis: How is PH Diagnosed?
• Types of PH
• Current Therapies & Management of PH: How Does My Doctor Choose the Right Medication for Me?
• What’s on the Horizon?: Clinical Trials & Drug Development

Breakout Sessions: Medically Led

• Connective Tissue Diseases & PH
• Diagnósticos, Tratamientos y Viviendo con HP - Spanish Session
• Exercising and Dining Better
• Lung Transplantation for Pediatric and Adult Patients
• Preparing for Travel and Emergency Situations with Adult and Pediatric PH Patients - Offered Twice
• PH & Other Associated Conditions: Lung Diseases, Left Heart Diseases & CTEPH
• Workability, Insurance & Disability with PH

Breakout Sessions: Patient and Family Led

• A Patient-to-Patient Guide for Living with PH
• Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating about PH
• The Caregiver’s Guide to Surviving Pulmonary Hypertension

Several medical professionals are helping to put this amazing event together in Houston. The PHA on the Road Host Committee for Houston, Texas, includes:

• Deborah Jo Levine, MD - Regional Committee Co-Chair/University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
• Zeenat Safdar, MD - Regional Committee Co-Chair/Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
• Royanne E. Holy, RN, BSN - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 
• Maureen Mayes, MD, MPH - University of Texas – Houston/Medical School, Houston, Texas
• Bela Patel, MD - University of Texas at Houston/Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
• Fernando Torres, MD - University of Texas Southwestern/Medical School, Dallas, Texas
• Nidhy, Varghese, MD - Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas

All of us at PHA are happy to answer any questions you may have about this exciting program. Be sure to check out our website for more information. I look forward to seeing you soon on the Road!