The FH Foundation, Advocates For Familial Hypercholesterolemia Awareness, Adds 3 New Board Members

Jan. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- SOUTH PASADENA, CA -- It's a disease that 80% of the affected sufferers don't even know they have. Familial Hypercholesterolemia (http://www.thefhfoundation.org/learn/#what-is-fh), also known as FH (http://www.thefhfoundation.org/learn/#do-i-have-fh), is a genetically inherited disorder that leads to early cardiovascular disease. The FH Foundation (http://www.thefhfoundation.org/about-us/) works tirelessly to bring Familial Hypercholesterolemia into public knowledge, as well as helping those with FH take action against this dangerous disorder. The non-profit organization dedicated to spreading awareness about FH, as well as advocating for affected individuals, has announced the addition of three new board members. The foundation's board members are all either individuals diagnosed with FH, medical professionals dedicated to the diagnosis or treatment of FH, or both.

The first new board member and Chief Medical Officer is Joshua Knowles, MD, PhD. As an attending physician at the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovasular Disease, Knowles treats patients diagnosed with FH regularly. His impressive educational and professional background has helped him to publish over 35 papers focusing on heart disease. His current research projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. He hopes to continue to further facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of FH, as a highly treatable disorder once identified.

Theodore Tussing, Director of the Corporate Partners at Stanford Medical Center, is the next new board member. Tussing has extensive experience with business strategic planning, innovation, and the formation of partnerships. He is also on the board of directors for BioCardia and Cytograph Tissue Engineering, and advises and invests in a number of other cutting edge technology ventures.

Vaughn Davis is the final new board member. As an FH patient himself, Davis is familiar with the potentially devastating consequences of the disease. After suffering for some time with no apparent diagnosis, a chance call from a recruiter got him a position as Director of Sales and Marketing with an apheresis company that treats FH patients. Through his employer's connections, he met and became the patient of one of the country's leading lipidologists. In less than half of a year, Davis was not only diagnosed with FH, but had the disease well within control, with his cholesterol within acceptable ranges. He has since dedicated himself to helping the public become more aware of this condition.

"Our newest board members were the ideal choices for the foundation, and we believe they will help a great deal in furthering our quest for awareness and advocacy for treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia. With 1 in 500 people affected, it's critical that we have the best of the best on our team to help educate the public how to identify and treat this disease," said Katherine Wilemon, President of The FH Foundation (http://www.thefhfoundation.org/)

Familial Hypercholesterolemia is very treatable once diagnosed. Those with FH have 20 times the risk of experiencing a cardiac event. The disease affects every race and both genders. Carriers of FH have a 50% chance of passing the disorder to their children. Learn more about the disease at: http://www.thefhfoundation.org/learn/#what-is-fh

About The FH Foundation: The mission of the FH Foundation is to raise awareness of FH (familial hypercholesterolemia) through education, advocacy, and research. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the rate of early diagnosis and encouraging proactive treatment. If left untreated this life-threatening genetic disorder leads to aggressive cardiovascular disease in men, women, and children.