National Blood Clot Alliance Medical and Scientific Advisory Board

Jack Ansell, MD. Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, NY

Jack Ansell Dr. Ansell is the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Before joining Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Ansell was Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs of the Department of Medicine. See related news story.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia, Dr. Ansell completed an internship and residency at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Ansell then completed a fellowship in hematology at Boston University and in hematology/hemostasis at Boston’s Veterans Administration Hospital.

Dr. Ansell’s main areas of interest and research include hemostasis and thrombosis, with a special emphasis on thrombotic disorders and antithrombotic therapy. He has had a continued interest and involvement in the application of new modes of delivering and monitoring anticoagulants, particularly in the management of oral anticoagulant therapy.

Dr. Ansell has approximately 170 publications in notable journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Journal of the American Medical Association. His publishing activity includes reviews, editorials, textbooks, videos, abstracts and letters. He serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis and as an editorial consultant for such journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and Circulation.

Dr. Ansell is the founder and Chair of the Anticoagulation Forum, a network of anticoagulation clinics throughout North America, and is a member of a number of professional organizations including the American College of Physicians (Fellow); the American Society of Hematology; the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis and its Scientific Subcommittee on Haemostasis Testing; the American Heart Association (Fellow), and the American Medical Association. Dr. Ansell also serves as Chair of the Committee on Managing Oral Anticoagulation for the American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy.

Kenneth A. Bauer, MD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Kenneth Bauer Dr Bauer is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. His hospital positions include Chief, Hematology Section, VA Boston Healthcare System, and Director, Thrombosis Clinical Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr Bauer received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California. He completed his residency in medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics in Illinois. He was a Fellow in Medical Oncology and a Clinical/Research Fellow in the Division of Thrombosis and Hemostasis at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and was also a Clinical/Research Fellow in the Hematology-Oncology Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr Bauer’s research interests include elucidation of the mechanisms leading to the development of a prethrombotic state and clinical evaluation of new antithrombotic drugs. Dr Bauer previously served as Chairman of Council of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and Vice-President and Scientific Program Chair (Clinical) for the XXIInd ISTH Congress in Boston in July 2009. Dr Bauer has published over 200 original reports, reviews, and book chapters.

Bruce Evatt, MD, Director, Division of Hereditary Blood Diseases (Retired)

As a hematologist interested in blood coagulation-associated diseases, Dr. Evatt has worked with hemophilia and thrombotic disorders since 1965, first at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and then the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta beginning in 1976, when he established a national laboratory in hemostasis. He also served as a volunteer and Board of Directors member for Hemophilia of Georgia until the late 1980=s. His major accomplishments include identifying AIDS as a blood-borne disease affecting persons with hemophilia and blood-transfusion recipients, demonstrating that heat-treatment of clotting factor concentrates inactivates HIV, and identifying a new class of congenital clotting disorders, protein C deficiency. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 scientific or review articles. Presently, his major activity includes managing a national program directed at preventing complications of hemophilia and related bleeding and clotting disorders and thalassemia.

Current Academic Positions: Clinical Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

National Activities (Current & Past): National Blood Resource Education Program Coordinating Committee; FDA Blood and Blood Products Advisory Committee; National Hemophilia Foundation AIDS Task Force Committee; Public Health Service AIDS Task Force on Blood and Blood Products; American Society of Hematology Subcommittee on Hemostasis; American Society of Hematology Subcommittee on Clinical Laboratory Standards; National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Subcommittee on Coagulation

International Activities: Member, Executive Committee, World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH); Vice-President Developing World, WFH; CDC Liaison to International Committee for Standardization in Haematology; CDC Liaison to International Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis

Prior Positions: Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Medicine, John Hopkins School of Medicine; Chief Resident of Medicine, John Hopkins School of Medicine; Senior Resident of Medicine, John Hopkins School of Medicine; Osler Medical Service, John Hopkins School of Medicine

Education: University of Oklahoma; MD, University of Oklahoma Honors: American Society of Hematology Outstanding Lifetime Service Award; 2004 CDC Distinguished Service Award; Public Health Service Meritorious Service Award; Dr. L. Michael Kuhn Award for Outstanding Governmental Leadership; Dr. Murray Thelin Award for Distinguished Research; PHS Commendation Award; Stewart Wolfe Lectureship, University of Oklahoma; Public Health Service Hemophilia Association of New Jersey; The Francis S. Schwentker Award for Research, John Hopkins Medical School

James B. Froehlich, M.D. MPH Director, Vascular Medicine Director, Anticoagulation Service Associate Professor of Medicine University of Michigan Medical School

James B. Froehlich Dr. Froehlich received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Dartmouth College, after which he completed three years of a general surgical residency at the University of Massachusetts. He then completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Froehlich was a fellow in cardiology at the University of Michigan from 1993-1996, and a trainee there under the NIH Vascular Medicine Training Program Grant in 1994. After completing a Masters in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, (while serving as Director of Vascular Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), he went to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, with a joint appointment in vascular surgery and cardiology, before returning to Michigan and his current position.

Dr. Froehlich has an interest in the clinical epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and treatment, with particular interest in anticoagulation therapy and venous disease. He is director of the Michigan Clinical Outcomes Research and Reporting Program (MCORRP), which oversees several clinical epidemiology studies on subjects including anticoagulation, fibromuscular dysplasia, aortic dissection, and acute coronary syndromes. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Vascular Surgery and the Cardiosource Review Journal, and an ad hoc reviewer for JAMA, NEJM, Vascular Medicine, and Circulation. He is treasurer and a member of the board of trustees of the Society for Vascular Medicine, and a member of the AHA/ACC Preoperative Guidelines Committee. He has published over 60 articles and book chapters. He and his wife Christine, an internal medicine faculty member at the University of Michigan, and their three sons, are ardent supporters of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, the University Musical Society, and the Boston Red Sox.

David Garcia, MD , Director of the Adult Hemophilia Treatment Program, Director of the Anticoagulation Management Service

Dr. David Garcia is Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Hematology/Oncology) at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. He is Director of the Adult Hemophilia Treatment Program and is also the Director of the Anticoagulation Management Service at University Hospital. In addition to providing medical care for his patients, Dr. Garcia has been an active clinical investigator in numerous trials related to thrombosis and hemostasis.

Dr. Garcia is the President of the Anticoagulation Forum, a national interest group focused on the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disease. His primary research interests include the relationship of cancer and thrombosis, the treatment of warfarin-associated coagulopathy, and the risks and benefits of peri-procedural anticoagulation. Dr. Garcia has been an invited speaker at several international meetings and has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Blood, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, Chest, Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, the British Journal of Hematology and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

John Heit, MD, FACP, FACC, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

John Heit, MD, FACP, FACC, Mayo Clinic Dr. Heit is Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, where he serves in multiple capacities. He is the Director of the Mayo Clinic General, Special and DNA-diagnostic Coagulation Laboratories and Coagulation Clinic; Chair of the Division of Hematology Coagulation Disease Oriented Group and Program Director for the NIH K12 Vascular Medicine Clinical Research Training Program. Dr. Heit is a staff consultant within the Divisions of Cardiovascular Diseases (Section of Vascular Disease) and Hematology (Section of Hematology Research), Department of Internal Medicine and the Divisions of Hematopathology and Laboratory Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Heit is the Founder and former Director of both the Mayo Clinic Thrombophilia Center and the Mayo Clinic Chronic Anticoagulation Management Clinic. He is also Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Mayo Clinic Special Coagulation DNA-diagnostic Laboratory.

He is the Principal Investigator on 5 NIH grants and Co-Investigator on 2 NIH grants, addressing the epidemiology (including the genetic epidemiology) and mechanisms of venous thromboembolism and thrombophilia in white and African-American populations, the role of estrogens and platelets in atherosclerosis and bleeding disorders in women.

Dr. Heit has written over 160 peer-reviewed articles, invited papers or book chapters. He has delivered presentations at various medical conferences in the US and abroad, and has served as a member of NIH study sections, as a member of the American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy since 1995, as a reviewer for 28 medical journals, as Associate Editor for the journal Thrombosis Research, and as Co-Chair of the National Quality Forum/Joint Commission Steering Committee on Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and Management. Dr. Heit is married, and has two children and six grandchildren.

Andra H. James, MD, MPH, Duke University, Durham, NC

Andra James Dr. Andra H. James is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Duke University Medical Center. She is a Co-Director of Duke’s Comprehensive Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center and founder of Duke’s Women’s Hemostasis and Thrombosis Clinic. Her practice, research and publications focus on reproductive issues among women with bleeding and clotting disorders.

Dr. James is involved both nationally and internationally in activities to improve healthcare for women with bleeding and clotting disorders. Besides serving on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MASAB) of NBCA, she is currently Chair of the Women’s Task Force of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and serves on their Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (MASAC). She is also Chair of the Women’s Issues Scientific Subcommittee of the International Society on Haemostasis and Thrombosis. She has served on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s Women with Bleeding Disorders Working Group and their Von Willebrand Disease Expert Panel. A book that she co-authored with Dr. Thomas L. Ortel and Dr. Victor F. Tapson, entitled 100 Questions and Answers About Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, was published in 2008.

Marilyn Manco-Johnson, MD; University of Colorado Health Sciences, Denver, CO

Marilyn Manco-Johnson is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver and Director of the Mountain States Regional Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center. She is a renowned expert on pediatric hemophilia, specifically, joint disease prevention and neonatal and pediatric thrombotic disorders.

Her hemophilia-related research interests include P32 radiosynoviortheses, transfusion-acquired infections and pre-licensure studies of novel clotting factors. She was principal investigator of the Joint Outcomes Study (JOS), the first US randomized controlled trial to compare prophylaxis with an enhanced episode-based treatment for structural joint development in young children with hemophilia A.

Dr. Manco-Johnson is Co-Chair of the Workshop on Congenital Bleeding Disorders in Children for the American Society for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and a medical advisor to the World Federation of Hemophilia. She is a member of both the steering committee of the International Prophylaxis Working Group and the Subcommittee on Perinatal and Pediatric Hemostasis for the International Society for Thrombosis and Hemostasis.

She has published extensively, including over 90 peer-reviewed articles, dozens of reviews and over 100 abstracts. She sits on the editorial board of Biology of the Neonate and the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and is a reviewer for other journals including the American Journal of Hematology, Blood, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (JTH) and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Manco-Johnson’s numerous awards include the Kenneth Brinkhous Award for Excellence in Clinical Research.

Scott Kaatz, DO, MSc, FACP

Scott Kaatz Scott Kaatz is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University. He attended medical school at Michigan State University and completed his residency in internal medicine at Henry Ford Hospital. Later in his career, he earned his Master’s degree in Evidence-Based Health Care from Oxford University.

He has a long standing research interest in anticoagulation and thromboembolic disease and is the Medical Director of the Anticoagulation Clinics for the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI.

He considers himself a clinician-educator and serves as an Associate Program Director of Resident Research for the Department of Medicine and maintains an active inpatient and outpatient clinical practice.

Dr. Kaatz is a fellow of American College of Physicians, as well as a member of the Society for General Internal Medicine, the Society of Hospital Medicine, the International Society of Thrombosis and Heamostasis and the American Medical Association. He serves on the board of the National Certification Board of Anticoagulation Providers and is also a board member of the AC Forum.

He has participated in many research studies with an emphasis on anticoagulation and venous thromboembolism prevention, diagnosis and treatment; and has published numerous abstracts, articles and book chapter in this field.

Kenneth Mann, PhD, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

Dr. Mann received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry (C.S. Vestling) at the University of Iowa. After additional post- doctoral training in physical biochemistry at Duke University (C. Tanford), he moved to the University of Minnesota as an Assistant Professor. His interest in applying Physical Biochemistry techniques to elucidating the varied physical and functional interactions of proteins in the blood coagulation process was encouraged by a joint appointment at the Mayo Clinic (Mayo Medical School), where he achieved the rank of Professor of Biochemistry and Medicine and became Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine. He came to the University of Vermont in 1984 as Professor and Chair of Biochemistry, and he relinquished the Chair in 2005. Dr. Mann’s research interests involve fundamental mechanisms of blood coagulation and its regulation and extensions of this research endeavor to translational contribution to vascular medicine. He has published over 450 original research articles and book chapters." Add at the end "He received the "Henri Chaigneau Prize from the Association Francaise des Hemophiles in 2010.

Gregory Maynard, Clinical Professor and Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine, UC San Diego Director, UCSD Center for Innovation and Improvement Science

Greg Maynard Greg Maynard is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Chief of the division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He is active on both a local and national level in many efforts to improve the quality and safety of the care delivered to inpatients. Dr. Maynard’s special interests include optimizing prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE), improving glycemic control and reducing hypoglycemia in the hospital, and transitions of care. Dr. Maynard’s research interests parallel his QI efforts, and he is principal investigator or otherwise involved in several funded research efforts. He acts as a leader and mentor in the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), AHRQ, ASHP, and IHI national collaboratives to improve VTE prevention He is a mentor / investigator for Project BOOST, an SHM initiative to improve transitions in care, and is also a mentor / investigator for the SHM Glycemic Control collaborative. He acted as the lead of the SHM Glycemic Control Task Force, generating the SHM Glycemic Control Resource Room and the supplement in Journal of Hospital Medicine reflecting the Task Force work, and has published numerous peer reviewed papers on the subject. Dr. Maynard was recently recognized as one of ACP Hospitalist's top hospitalists, and San Diego county “Top Doc”, and has been recognized nationally for his work in Quality Improvement / Research by the Society of Hospital Medicine, the National Association of Public Hospitals, the Venous Disease Coalition, and the North American Thrombosis Forum. He was recently named as the Director of the UCSD Center for Innovation and Improvement Science.

Stephan Moll, MD, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Dr. Stephan Moll received his medical school training in Freiburg, Germany, and London, England. He trained 5 years in Medicine and Hematology-Oncology at Duke University in Durham, NC and one year in Clinical Coagulation at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (UNC). He has been on the faculty at the University of North Carolina in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, since 1999.

Dr. Moll is a clinician, clinical researcher, and clinical educator. Most of his time is spent treating patients with clotting disorders, conducting clinical research relating to thrombosis and thrombophilia, and educating healthcare providers and patients on blood clotting issues. Dr. Moll is one of the founding members of the National Blood Clot Alliance, was NBCA’s first Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board and first Medical Director. Dr. Moll has 4 children. He likes hiking, bicycling and traveling.

Edith A. Nutescu, Pharm.D., FCCP

Edith A. Nutescu, Pharm.D., FCCP, is Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. She also serves as the Clinical Manager of the Antithrombosis Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Nutescu earned her Pharm.D. degree with high honors at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. After graduation, Dr Nutescu went on to complete an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)–accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at Lutheran General Hospital–Advocate Health Care and a Primary Care Specialty Residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. As a clinician and educator, Dr. Nutescu has contributed extensively to the care of patients and the education of students and health care providers on topics related to cardiovascular therapeutics. Dr. Nutescu maintains an active clinical practice and research program. Her research and practice interests are in the areas of comparative effectiveness, health services and outcomes, with emphasis in cardiovascular diseases, stroke, thrombosis, and antithrombotic therapies. Dr Nutescu has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific articles, book chapters, and abstracts published in the science and medical literature and has served as a reviewer for the literature in her field. Dr. Nutescu’s research has been funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Center for Research Resources and is a recipient of the Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award for 2009-2011. Dr. Nutescu is the recipient of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s 2009 Clinical Practice Award and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, Section of Home and Ambulatory Care Practitioners 2010 Distinguished Service Award.

Lynn B. Oertel, M.S. ANP-C, CACP

Lynn Oertel Lynn B. Oertel, M.S. ANP-C, CACP, is a clinical nurse specialist with The Anticoagulation Management Service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Hospital has one of the largest and most experienced warfarin management clinics in the United States.

Ms. Oertel received her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Boston University. She has additional certification from the American Nurse’s Credentialing Center as an adult nurse practitioner. Ms. Oertel is a certified anticoagulation care provider (CACP) and is nationally recognized as an expert nurse clinician in anticoagulation therapy management. She has nearly 25 years of clinical and research experience related to anticoagulant therapy management.

Ms. Oertel is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Certification Board for Anticoagulation Providers, the only multidisciplinary national certification for anticoagulation care providers. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Anticoagulation Forum and co-editor and chapter author of the third edition textbook Managing Oral Anticoagulation Therapy: Clinical and Operational Guidelines.

Gary E. Raskob, Ph. D., M.Sc. Dean, College of Public Health Professor, Epidemiology and Medicine University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Gary Raskob is Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He holds a joint academic appointment as Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, and in the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine. His research and scholarly interests are in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism; the clinical development of antithrombotic drugs; prevention research; evidence-based medicine; and the translation of research evidence into practice and health policy.

Dr Raskob has participated extensively in clinical practice guideline development for several specialty organizations including the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr Raskob has extensive experience in regulatory aspects of clinical research and human research subject protections, and in the data-safety monitoring of clinical trials. He serves as a consultant in clinical research and drug development for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Dr. Raskob has served as a member of the external advisory panel on the “State of the Science” in thrombosis and hemostasis for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and as an advisor on thrombosis and blood disorders to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr Raskob was recently elected to a second term on the Board of Directors of the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), which represents the 46 accredited schools of public health in the United States. He was also elected by his fellow Deans to serve as Chair of the Legislative Committee for this association, and in 2009, he testified on behalf of ASPH at the hearings on health reform held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Dr. Raskob also previously served as Chair of the Committee on Public Health Preparedness, and was Co-Chair of the Native American Task Force, co-sponsored by the Indian Health Service and the National Indian Health Board.

Dr Raskob received his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Science (MSc) degree in clinical epidemiology and health research methodology from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacology from the University of Toronto, Canada. He is author or coauthor of more than 175 articles on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of thromboembolic disease.

FREDERICK R. RICKLES, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Fredrick R. Rickles Dr. Rickles received his MD degree from the University of Illinois and trained in internal medicine and hematology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY. He was Director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Laboratory at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1971-1974, and was on the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine from 1974-93, where he was the American Red Cross Professor of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine and Chief, Hematology-Oncology. From 1993-1998, he was Deputy Chief, Hematologic Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Emory University and Director of the Emory Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, in Atlanta, GA. From 1998-2003, Dr. Rickles was Associate VP for Health Research at The George Washington University and from 2003-2006, he was the CEO of FASEB. Since 2006, Dr. Rickles is a consultant to the Healthcare group of Noblis, a non-profit technology and science company working in the public interest, and to Eisai, Johnson & Johnson, Genmab, ISIS and Pharmacyclics on the development of new drugs for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and bleeding disorders. He is an Editor of the book Cancer and Thrombosis and the author of over 120 papers in refereed journals, 10 book chapters and 20 reviews in his areas of interest, including hemophilia, von Willebrand Disease, rare coagulation disorders and thrombosis in cancer. He continues to investigate the regulation of TF and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor gene expression in cancer and has collaborated on the design of novel therapeutic agents that inhibit these pathways. He has been on the editorial board of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis, Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis and Supportive Cancer Therapy. Dr. Rickles has served on study sections for the NIH, DoD, ACS and the AHA and was a founding Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coagulation and Malignancy for the ISTH and served on the Subcommittee of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis for the ASH. He is a member of AACR and was VP for Medical and Scientific Affairs for the NHF and a founding member of the Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Research Society.

Elizabeth Varga, MS, CGC; Columbus Children's Research Institute, Columbus, OH

Elizabeth Varga Ms. Varga is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University and a Certified Genetic Counselor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences at Depauw University and her Master of Science in Medical Genetics from the University of Cincinnati. Ms. Varga has held many roles in the genetic counseling profession, practicing in prenatal, pediatric and adult settings as well as conducting research. She is widely recognized for expertise related to thrombosis and thrombophilia, specifically factor V Leiden. In addition to providing lectures to various medical and lay audiences locally and nationally, Ms. Varga has published several articles related to thrombophilia and serves on multiple advisory committees. Ms. Varga is also a founding Board Member for the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) and has served as Chair of the Education Committee since its inception. Ms. Varga serves as a liaison to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to plan, develop, and evaluate health promotion programs directed at individuals for blood clots and clotting disorders.

Jeffrey Weitz, MD, Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre, Hamilton, Ontario

Jeff Weitz Dr. Weitz is a Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at McMaster University and Director of the Henderson Research Centre. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Dr. Weitz now focuses his clinical work in the area of thrombosis. He holds an Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research at McMaster University, which is funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He also holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Thrombosis. Dr. Weitz received the Medal in Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1991, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario in 1999, the Research Achievement Award from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society in 2006, and the Jack Hirsh Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement from McMaster University in 2008. He is a member of the American Federation of Medical Research, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians and gave the Davidson Lecture at the University of Edinburgh in 2000, the Nossel Memorial Lecture at Columbia University in New York in 2003, and the Mosesson Lecture at the Blood Research Institute in Milwaukee in 2008. Dr. Weitz directs a well-funded research laboratory that focuses on the biochemistry of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis as it applies to venous and arterial thrombosis. A former Vice-President of Research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Chair of the Scientific Review Committee for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, member of the Executive Council on Thrombosis of the American Heart Foundation, and Chair of the Council on Vascular Biology for the American Society of Hematology, Dr. Weitz has published over 265 peer-reviewed papers and 35 textbook chapters.