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Terry Baker Executive Director, Veterans Aimed Toward Awareness Middletown, DE Terry Baker is a patient advocate for
military veterans and Executive Director of Veterans Aimed Toward
Awareness (VATA). Terry and VATA work to educate veterans about the need
to be tested for hepatitis. They have recently released a hepatitis C
awareness video aimed toward veterans. Terry advocates for veterans'
rights regarding hepatitis C and other illnesses related to military
service. VATA represents the interests of a large portion of the hepatitis
C population in the United States. Misha R. Cohen is a doctor of oriental
medicine and a licensed acupuncturist. She is an internationally
recognized practitioner, lecturer, and leader in the field of traditional
Chinese medicine. Dr. Cohen is the author of The Chinese Way to
Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness (Perigee 1996), The HIV Wellness
Sourcebook (Holt 1998), and The Hepatitis C Help Book (St.
Martin's Press 2000, 2001). She has also authored numerous professional
articles and book chapters on Chinese medicine and research subjects. Dr.
Cohen is Clinical Director of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine, Research and
Education Chair of Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, Research Specialist at
the University of California Institute for Health and Aging, and Research
Consultant to the University of California, San Francisco School of
Medicine Cancer Center. She contributes regular columns to Hepatitis
magazine and NuMedx.com magazine. POZ Magazine
named her one of the "Top 50 AIDS Researchers in the Country" in 1997. She
currently sits on the Board of Directors and is the 2004 Conference Chair
for the Society for Acupuncture Research. Randy Dietrich was diagnosed with
hepatitis C in January 1999 following a routine physical examination.
Randy is a successful executive in the finance arena. As a result of his
diagnosis, Mr. Dietrich, together with his employer Republic Financial
Corporation, founded the Caring Ambassadors Hepatitis C Program. The
purposes of the program are to identify the best possible treatment
options for hepatitis C, educate people about those treatments, improve
the quality of life of people living with hepatitis C, and provide
significant insights towards developing a cure of hepatitis C. Dr. Everson received his medical degree from Cornell Medical College, New York, New York. He is currently a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Hepatology in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado. Dr. Everson is a recipient of both NIH and industry sponsored research grants and contracts to study and treat patients with hepatitis C. He is principal investigator of the HALT C trial in Colorado. Dr. Everson is an author and contributor to many scientific and clinical publications related to hepatitis C and liver disease. He and his coauthor Hedy Weinberg have written three editions of Living with Hepatitis C: A Survivor's Guide, one edition of My Mom has Hepatitis C, one edition of Living with Hepatitis B: A Survivor's Guide, and the new book Hemochromatosis: Answers to Your Questions About Iron Overload. Dr. Everson is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a member of the American Gastroenterologic Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, and the American Society of Transplantation. He is the Associate Editor of the journal Liver Transplantation, and a reviewer for numerous scientific and medical journals.
Dr. Flesner is a naturopathic doctor, a graduate of the former American Holistic College of Nutrition (now the Clayton School of Natural Healing). She has maintained clinical practices in Houston, Texas and Denver, Colorado for the past 23 years. Her training as a doctor of naturopathy included the study of several alternative medical disciplines including homeopathy, nutrition, pressure points, herbology, massage, acupressure, reflexology, iridology, psychology, degenerative diseases, allergic diseases, immune deficiency problems, and techniques for survival in the 21st century. Dr. Flesner is also certified in psychoneuroimmunology. She is a member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association and the American Holistic Medical Association. Currently, Dr. Flesner is participating in research at the Duke University Rhine Research Center correlating medical records of patients using intuitive diagnostics. She is also working on alternative treatment approaches for cancer and other illnesses. Dr. Flesner has lectured at the School of Public Health and MD Anderson Methodist Hospital in Texas.
Dr. Gish is Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He is an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas and received his training in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Gish has conducted extensive research on treatments for hepatitis B and C, and has authored more than 100 original articles, review articles, abstracts, and book chapters. Along with being a co-principal investigator or sub-investigator on a number of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Gish has also received the NIH physician scientist award. He is actively involved in numerous professional societies including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Transplant Physicians, and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. Dr. Gish collaborated with Dr. Misha Cohen to author The Hepatitis C Helpbook, which examines the use of Chinese medicine in combination with conventional western biomedical therapies.
Dr. Horwitz is the Medical Director of the Program in Integrative Medicine and assistant professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Arizona. He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois and a PhD in immunology and molecular biology from the University of Florida. Dr. Horwitz did his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health, and completed a three-year fellowship in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of Wisconsin. He is board certified in internal medicine, and allergy and clinical immunology. Dr. Horwitz recently completed a two-year fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona with a focus on mind-body approaches to illness.
Dr. Jernberg is a board-certified internist and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin. She received her medical degree from the University of Illinois, and completed her internal medicine training at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a keen interest in basic science and clinical research, and previously performed postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Jernberg's work has been published in numerous professional journals. She currently practices in Wisconsin and Arizona.
Dr. LaBrecque received his medical degree from Stanford Medical School, Stanford, CA. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Dr. LaBrecque was Chief of Gastroenterology-Hepatology at the Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa City, IA from 1982 to 2001. He has won a number of awards including the Lange Book Award, the J. D. Lane Research Award, and the Medical Residents Teaching Award at the University of Iowa. Dr. LaBrecque is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in liver diseases, particularly the field of hepatitis. Dr. LaBrecque has built a nationally recognized program in liver diseases at the University of Iowa with an over 1000% increase in patients over the past 15 years, five full-time faculty members, and a liver transplant program. He has written key chapters on clinical subjects in standard internal medicine and hepatology textbooks, and co-edited a textbook on liver diseases.
Lark Lands is a contributing medical writer and editor for the American Academy of HIV Medicine, AIDS Treatment News, www.AIDSmeds.com, CATIE's The Positive Side, CATIE's Practical Guides, and the Houston Buyers Club. She is a long-time HIV treatment activist, journalist, and educator. A former think tank scientist, she was a pioneer in bringing attention to the need for an integrated approach to HIV disease. Her articles, many of which are available at www.larklands.net, have been widely printed and reprinted in AIDS newsletters and on the Internet. She is a frequent speaker at international, national, state, and local HIV/AIDS conferences. Jo An Loren Ms. Loren is an accomplished medical education specialist with more than 30 years experience. She has contributed to health-related patient and professional educational materials on a wide variety of topics including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, smoking cessation, and others. Ms. Loren was the managing director of a medical education company for 14 years, and currently works as a freelance medical education specialist.
Ms. McCarthy received her MBA in health administration from National University in San Diego, California. She was previously an immunology researcher at the University of California at San Diego, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals of this field. Ms. McCarthy worked in the marketing and medical divisions of a pharmaceutical company before founding her companies, McCarthy Medical Marketing (1987) and Innovative Medical Education Consortium (1992). She also founded the Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education (ALCASE) in 1995 and served as Executive Director until 2000. Along with Dr. Claudia Henschke and Ms. Sara Wernick, Ms. McCarthy co-authored the 2002 award-winning book Lung Caner: Myths, Facts, Choices, and Hope. She was named one of the "women to watch in medicine" by The Ladies Home Journal in 2000.
Dr. Mishra is a professor of neurology and Coordinator of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He graduated from Banaras Hindu University Ayurveda Charya with an ABMS (bachelor of medicine and surgery) from the Institute of Medical Sciences. He holds an MS degree in anatomy from Queens University, Canada and an MD from the University of Toronto, Canada. He also holds an MBA in Health Systems from the University of Wisconsin. He is a neurologist with a special interest in neuromuscular diseases. He served as medical director at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic and Associate Dean at the University of Southern California. He is a member of many neuroscience societies and serves on editorial boards of many neurological and integrative medicine journals. Dr. Mishra has been very active in the field of integrative medicine and serves on various committees in this field. He is a practicing Ayurvedist, and yoga teacher and practitioner. Dr. Mishra's goals are to develop evidence-based, cost-effective, quality clinical care education and research in integrative medicine. He is president of the American Academy of Ayurvedic Medicine (AAAM).
Dr. Patrick graduated from Bastyr University in 1984 and was in private practice as a state-boarded naturopathic physician in Tucson, Arizona for 17 years. She is currently in private practice in Durango, Colorado and specializes in chronic hepatitis C and environmental medicine. She is a member of the American College for Advancement in Medicine, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She has provided care for HIV positive and HIV/HCV coinfected patients through federally funded programs that incorporate complementary medicine in a primary care treatment model. She is currently an Associate Editor for Alternative Medicine Review, a peer-reviewed journal. She has published over 20 scientific reviews in the field of complementary and alternative medicine. Dr. Patrick has presented information on CAM and hepatitis C at numerous medical meetings.
Dr. Bharathi Ravi graduated from the University of Bangalore, India. She is a chief ayurvedic practitioner at the Ayurvedic Center in Southern California. Dr. Ravi specializes in pancha karma, diet, and lifestyle. She volunteers and conducts research at the University of Southern California in the Integrative Medicine Program. She regularly lectures on CAM and healthy living through Ayurveda. Dr. Ravi is an active participant in numerous medical conferences to help raise awareness about natural living and healing. She is also a consultant at the Local Charity Health Care Center. Her areas of interest include chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, hepatitis, skin diseases, and gynecological disorders.
Lorren Sandt has managed the Caring Ambassadors Hepatitis C Program since its inception in 1999. She is responsible for the implementation of the organization's structure and spearheads its ongoing mission. A major focus for Lorren has been to attend cutting-edge medical conferences to gather the most up-to-date information on hepatitis C clinical research and to explore the most promising upcoming therapies. At these conferences and symposiums, Lorren talks with people living with hepatitis C, their families, patient advocates, representatives of hepatitis C organizations, physicians, and other health care workers. Her purpose is to learn those issues that are of most concern to the various disciplines and organizations devoted to hepatitis C, and to determine if there is a way everyone can work together toward a common goal. In August 2001, Lorren was honored with an award from the Hepatitis C Global Foundation in San Francisco, California, The Ronald Eugene Duffy Memorial Award for Patient Activism - for leadership and mentoring of patients, making them advocates for their own health.
Dr. St. John is a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia; she is an epidemiologist, medical writer, editor, educator, and clinical research consultant. She was formerly a senior medical officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, Dr. St. John designed and conducted epidemiological and practice-based research, and oversaw continuing medical education activities sponsored by CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). She worked in the private sector as a medical director and medical editor before launching her own company in 2000. She is a member of the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Women's Association, the American Medical Writers Association, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She is currently a regular medical columnist for Hepatitis magazine and recently authored a new book, With Every Breath: A Lung Cancer Guidebook. Dr. St. John is currently the Medical Director of the Caring Ambassadors Program.
Dr. Sivarama Prasad Vinjamury graduated from University of Kerala, South India. He is in private practice as a licensed Ayurvedic physician. He is currently studying for his master's degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Southern California University of Health Sciences at Los Angeles. He volunteers and conducts research at the University of Southern California in the Integrative Medicine Program. He is also involved in part-time research at Southern California University of Health Sciences. Dr. Vinjamury is the former Director of Product Development for Venkat Pharma, Hyderabad, South India, and a former consultant Ayurvedic physician at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, South India. For the past eight years, he has been treating various chronic ailments with Ayurvedic medicines at his clinic and at Apollo hospitals. His areas of interest include HIV, hepatitis B and C, and rheumatology. Dr. Vinjamury is a member of the American Association of Alternative Medicine Practitioners.
Mr. White is a graduate of Sawyer College of Business and has over 12 years experience in the field of medical education. As a person living with HIV, Mr. White combined his personal and professional experiences for his contribution to Hepatitis C Choices.
Dr. Qing-Cai Zhang graduated from Shanghai Second Medical University. He worked as a clinician at Reijing Hospital of the medical university. Dr. Zhang conducted clinical work and research to integrate Chinese and western medicine. In 1980, he was awarded a World Health Organization scholarship, which supported his two-year fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He worked as a research fellow at the Wakai Clinic in Nagoya, Japan. Dr. Zhang received a one-year appointment from the University of California, Davis as a visiting professor. Since 1986, Dr. Zhang has been the primary researcher at the Oriental Healing Arts Institute where he conducts research on treating HIV/AIDS with Chinese medicine. He has published two books on this topic. Dr. Zhang went into private practice in 1990, first in Cypress, California, and now in New York City. He focuses on treating chronic infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Lyme disease, and autoimmune diseases. He is the author of Healing Hepatitis C with Modern Chinese Medicine. Authors' Disclosures All of the authors of Hepatitis C Choices submitted a
voluntary disclosure form indicating financial and/or collaborative
affiliations with organizations that may have an interest in hepatitis C.
While we do not believe that these voluntarily disclosed interests or
affiliations bias the material presented, in the spirit of transparency,
we are making the contents of the disclosures available to our readers. Akros Pharma, Inc. - Grants, Research,
and/or Support Schering Plough - Research Grants,
Speakers Bureau HepaPro Corporation - Consultant
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