Leadership
Medical Leadership Team
Our team of medical leadership is doing groundbreaking research. They are at the forefront of identifying new treatments for Scleroderma and Degos disease by promoting disease awareness for earlier diagnosis and rapid diagnosing of systemic diseases.
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Lee Shapiro, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Disease Foundation and Professor Emeritus at Albany Medical College. He received his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Yale University and his Doctor of Medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia University). He did his residency and rheumatology fellowship training at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was mentored by three pioneers of scleroderma research: Drs. Gerald Rodnan, Thomas Medsger, and Virginia Steen.
His more than 40-year career has been devoted to building a model of multidisciplinary care for individuals with scleroderma, fostering multidisciplinary research collaborations, and promoting awareness and understanding of scleroderma among health care professionals. Dr. Shapiro has authored and co-authored numerous medical publications and abstracts. He also served on the medical advisory board of the Scleroderma Foundation Tri-State for more than 30 years.
In 2018, Dr. Shapiro co-chaired the international symposium on Degos Disease held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He continues to organize and co-chair quarterly Degos Disease research meetings with medical professionals from around the world.
Dr. Shapiro has been honored for his tireless advocacy and compassionate treatment of patients affected by scleroderma and Degos disease. His accolades include being named the Scleroderma Foundation Doctor of the Year in 2016, receiving the Distinguished Physician Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Scleroderma Foundation in 2007, and being inducted into the CDPHP Physicians Academy, which recognizes physicians who serve as role models to their medical colleagues and who act as ambassadors in fostering the delivery of high-value health care.
Email: shapirl@amc.edu
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Michael Allen, MD
Medical Advisor
Michael Allen, MD, is a rheumatologist with a special interest in scleroderma, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension. He is the Director of the Scleroderma Clinic at Albany Medical Center (NY), a National Scleroderma Foundation-designated research and treatment center. Dr. Allen also serves as the Associate Program Director for the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Albany Medical Center.
He received his bachelor’s degree from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the New York State/American Program at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine. Dr. Allen completed his residency at The Mount Sinai Hospital and his rheumatology fellowship at Columbia University.
He is a member of the American College of Physicians and a fellow of the American College of Rheumatology, where he currently serves on the Committee on Education. He is also a member of the New York State Rheumatology Society.
Email: allenm4@amc.edu
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Jessica Farrell, PharmD
Associate Medical Officer
Dr. Farrell is a professor at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS). Her practice site is Albany Medical College in Albany, NY, where she provides a variety of clinical pharmacy services, including pharmacotherapy consults, patient counseling, and self-injection training visits.
She serves as program coordinator for the ACPHS PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program, is a member of the American College of Rheumatology Government Affairs Committee, and was the first pharmacist member of the national Scleroderma Foundation Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. She has also previously held officer positions for the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists (NYSCHP) – Northeastern Chapter.
Dr. Farrell received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She subsequently completed an ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood, NJ.
Dr. Farrell presents nationally and internationally on numerous rheumatic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, scleroderma, and pregnancy/lactation in rheumatic disease. She has received multiple professional awards, including Preceptor of Distinction in Clinical Pharmacy, the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation Ernest J. Dupont Award, Faculty Advisor of the Year, and the National Scleroderma Foundation 2019 Doctor of the Year.
Email: Jessica.Farrell@acphs.edu
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Tracy M Frech, MD
Medical Advisor
Tracy M. Frech trained at the University of Utah, where she completed her residency in internal medicine and pediatrics, her fellowship in adult rheumatology, and earned an MS in Clinical Investigation. Dr. Frech’s primary goal in research and clinical care is early diagnosis and effective health care delivery for individuals with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Her specific research interest is understanding the natural history of symptomatic vasculopathy in SSc. To that end, she collaborates with the Prospective Registry of Early SSc (PRESS), the Inception SYstemic Sclerosis Cohort (INSYNC), the Collaborative Quality and Efficacy National Registry (CONQUER) for SSc, and the Utah Vascular Research Laboratory (UVRL).
Her academic career focuses on improving diagnosis and treatment of SSc through meticulous patient phenotyping. Dr. Frech’s 15-year tenure as Director of the University of Utah SSc Clinic, her role as principal investigator for multiple clinical trials, and her participation in several international collaborative efforts have highlighted the importance of outcome definitions and data standardization for effectively monitoring and treating SSc patients.
Dr. Frech currently sees SSc patients at Vanderbilt University and also serves as an adjunct associate professor at the University of Utah. She presents her research at national and international scientific meetings, as well as at patient outreach conferences. She is passionate about clinical and translational research in SSc and believes precision medicine holds great promise for discovery. Dr. Frech is dedicated to teaching medical students, residents, and fellows—both in clinic and through research projects—with the aim of developing the next generation of academic rheumatologists committed to research excellence and compassionate care.
Email: tracy.frech@vumc.org
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Michael Hughes, BSc (Hons) MSc MBBS MRCP (UK) (Rheumatology) PhD
Medical Advisor
Dr. Michael Hughes is a consultant rheumatologist at Salford Royal Hospital, a national UK referral center for systemic sclerosis (SSc), and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at The University of Manchester. He has emerged as a leading national and international investigator in SSc and Raynaud’s phenomenon, with a focus on novel clinical assessments of vascular biology and function, including the development of innovative treatment approaches. His PhD research fellowship (2013–2016) at The University of Manchester investigated treatment efficacy, pathophysiology, and local therapies for SSc-related digital ulcers.
Dr. Hughes has a strong research interest in non-invasive imaging and the development of patient-reported outcome measures, and he works closely with patient-led organizations. In 2022, he was awarded the Edith Busch Young Investigator Award at the World Scleroderma Congress for his significant contributions to the field.
Under the auspices of the World Scleroderma Foundation, he leads the Digital Ulcer Working Group and co-leads the Gastrointestinal Disease Working Group. Dr. Hughes has published extensively in both clinical and basic research and has contributed to the development of SSc treatment guidelines and recommendations. He is also a Fellow of the OMERACT Scleroderma Vascular Disease Working Group and actively participates in numerous international initiatives and collaborations.
He has presented and chaired sessions—including invited oral presentations—at prestigious national and international conferences and serves on the editorial boards of several international rheumatology journals. As lead author, he has published several high-impact studies utilizing data from the EUSTAR cohort. His expertise spans a range of key clinical issues affecting patients with SSc, including Raynaud’s phenomenon, calcinosis, and digital ulcers—topics on which he regularly shares practical guidance and helpful insights through research, lectures, and patient outreach.
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Lesley A. Saketkoo, MD, MPH
Medical Advisor
Lesley A. Saketkoo, MD, MPH, is a researcher, educator, and clinician specializing in scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, sarcoidosis, myositis, pulmonary hypertension, and interstitial lung disease. In 2011, she established the Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis Patient Care and Research Center between Tulane and Louisiana State University—a “center of excellence” recognized by the European Scleroderma Trials and Research Group (EUSTAR), the Scleroderma Foundation, and the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium (SCTC). She also established the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic Program at LSU, now the LSU-Tulane collaborative Comprehensive Pulmonary Hypertension Center (CPHC) at University Medical Center, a Pulmonary Hypertension Association-certified Center of Excellence.
In addition to clinical trials and registries in rare multi-organ system diseases, Dr. Saketkoo is committed to research that centers on patient priorities and incorporates patient expertise into clinical trial design. Her work explores how disease manifestations begin and evolve over time. She is also dedicated to wellness education that empowers patients living with chronic illness—focusing on both biological and psychosocial well-being.
Dr. Saketkoo is a founder of G-FoRSS, the Global Fellowship on Rehabilitation and Exercise in Systemic Sclerosis, a collaborative group of physical therapists, occupational therapists, physicians, and basic scientists working to define the therapeutic impact of exercise and physical activity on systemic inflammation, fibrosis, functional ability, and psychosocial health in SSc.
Dr. Saketkoo was named Doctor of the Year in 2018 by the Scleroderma Foundation.
Email: lsaketk@tulane.edu
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Elizabeth Kessler, MD
Medical Advisor
Beth Kessler is a pediatric rheumatologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
She has witnessed the strength of the Degos Disease Foundation in optimizing care for patients with this rare disease. She is interested in the advancement of therapeutics and improving access to them.
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Patrick Whelan, MD, PhD
Medical Advisor
Patrick Whelan, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA, Adjunct in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at USC, and Lecturer on Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is a pediatric rheumatologist and coordinates care at UCLA for children with autoimmune encephalopathy and other neuroimmune disorders.
He has been caring for children with Kolmeier-Degos disease since 2004 and is the author of the UpToDate chapters on KDD. He is a past president of the Los Angeles Pediatric Society and helps organize the society’s summer program for high school students interested in careers in pediatrics.
He lectures in virology at USC and also teaches a Harvard undergraduate psychology course, “Music and the Mind,” on the evolutionary origins of musicality and the role of auditory processing in health and disease.
Email: Jpatrickwhelan@gmail.com
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David Leader, DMD, MPH
Medical Advisor
David Leader, DMD, MPH, is a general dentist who has treated patients with scleroderma since 1983. Dr. Leader is the Director of Dental Practice and Operations of North Shore Community Health, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) north of Boston, Ma. He is an Adjunct Faculty of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine.
He is a member of the Scleroderma Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and a consultant for the Scleroderma Patient Intervention Network (SPIN). Dr. Leader received the Scleroderma Foundation Doctor of the Year Award in 2008 and has been a regular speaker for the National Scleroderma Foundation and its regional chapters since 2005.
Email: david.leader@nschi.org
Board Members
The Steffens Scleroderma Foundation (in turn with Degos Disease Foundation) is governed by a talented and dedicated volunteer board of directors and board members.
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Carla Gage
President
Executive Committee Chair of the BoardCarla retired from Bank of America as a Senior Vice President in Operations. She was diagnosed with Scleroderma in 2012. Carla joined the Capital District Support Group for scleroderma patients. Subsequently, she became the Group Leader and a board member of the Scleroderma Tri-State Chapter. Carla became involved with the Steffens Foundation because of her passion to not only help other patients but primarily to educate those in the health profession about this extremely rare disease.
Carla studied at the State University of NY and Vanderbilt University ABA Bank Operations. Obtained certification as a Treasury Professional with the Association of Financial Professionals.
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Amy Gietzen
Secretary
Executive Committee Member of the BoardAmy Gietzen from Buffalo, New York is both a scleroderma patient and Patient Advocate, whose mission includes raising awareness of Scleroderma on many levels. Amy’s diagnosis came at the early age of just 19 years old. Her journey followed many twists and turns. Realizing her needs as well as other young adults living with scleroderma might be different, she started to advocate for young adults and travel to various colleges and hospitals, support groups, and conferences to speak about her journey and educate clinicians. In 2016 Amy created a virtual outlet for patients to connect, with The Scleroderma SuperStarz on Inspire.
She continues to provide support through her virtual meetups called SYNC and through her work with SPIN (Scleroderma Patient-Centered Intervention Network. She was elected to sit on the Scleroderma TriState Chapter’s Board of Directors in 2020, Amy started to work with the Steffen’s Foundation as a Keynote speaker and panelist for their first Interprofessional Education Event in 2018. From then on, her passion for helping educate medical students and professionals took off.
She has been involved with the IPE events ever since, also volunteering on the EAC Committee and the Events Committee, and as of 2021 a newly elected Board member to the Steffens board of directors. She used her skills as a patient advocate to help spearhead a training seminar for patients who participate in the IPE every year called the Art of Advocacy. Her awareness and advocacy efforts continue to grow as she moves past her 20-year mark of living a life with Scleroderma and she has no intentions of slowing down.
Amy has written several pieces for her column on Scleroderma News. Her articles are informative and inspiring. Staying Alive with Scleroderma.
2020 she received the Ernest Dupont Award from the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation
2020 NSF volunteer of the year award
2024 NSF Advocate of the Year
2024 The Maureen Sauve Inspiration Award from SPIN
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Janet Sloan McGonagle
Treasurer
Executive Committee Member of the BoardJanet Sloan-McGonagle became a board member in July 2022. She is a retired banking executive having spent the first half of her career in the consumer bank and then moving to banking operations. Janet holds a BS from Simmons University and an MBA from Suffolk University. She acquired a certificate of Treasury Professional with the Association of Financial Professionals and holds a Six Sigma Green Belt.
Janet's interest in Scleroderma began 10 years ago when her close friend was diagnosed with the disease. She has long admired the work of the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation and recognizes the need to enlighten and educate health care professionals on both Scleroderma and Degos disease.
Janet lives in Boston and Scituate Massachusetts with her husband.
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Kerri Connolly
Executive Committee Member of the Board
Kerri Connolly began her journey as an advocate for the scleroderma community 30 years ago when her mother, Catherine, was diagnosed in 1993 with Limited Systemic Sclerosis. When her mother passed away in 2008 as a result of her illness, Kerri became determined to help fill a significant gap in available educational resources for scleroderma patients and their care partners.
For two decades, she has worked closely with leading global scleroderma medical experts to develop comprehensive patient and physician education materials to help the community better understand and manage the disease. Currently, Kerri works as a patient advocate in the pharmaceutical/ biotechnology industry.
Her goal is to incorporate patient insights early in the research and development process for the acceleration of better patient outcomes. Kerri is excited to join the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation to support its mission and help raise awareness of the power patients have in the medical community when they become educators. Kerri will be serving Steffens as an Executive Committee Member and the Communications Committee Chairperson.
American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable Membership Award, 2021
American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable Chairperson Award, 2019
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Julie Kanara
Executive Committee Member of the Board
Julie currently serves as a Senior Development Specialist in the Fundraising Department at Sonoran University in Tempe, AZ. Her professional background includes roles at Bank of America and KPMG, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Penn State University.
Julie first connected with the Steffens Scleroderma & Degos Foundation when her sister, Dr. Jessica Pye, was diagnosed with systemic Degos disease in 2022. Throughout her sister’s journey, resources such as the DegosDisease.org webpage, patient stories, and physicians like Dr. Lee Shapiro provided invaluable support to her family. Following Jessica’s passing in July 2023, Julie was inspired to give back and help others facing similar challenges.
In 2024, she played a pivotal role in strengthening the Foundation’s ability to work with donors by implementing its CRM system and serving as its Salesforce Administrator. In 2025, she joined the Board’s Executive Committee, where she has been key in various fund raising initiatives. She is deeply inspired by her fellow board members and their tireless efforts to support research, advance new treatments, promote early diagnoses, and educate medical professionals about Scleroderma, Degos, and other rare diseases.
In Jessica’s memory, Julie is dedicated to building a compassionate community where individuals affected by rare diseases can find education, support, and understanding.
See Jessica’s Story.
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Theresa Slayton, RN
Board Member
Administrator of degosdisease.orgAs a resolute Registered Nurse for more than 25 years, Theresa’s experience spans rehabilitative medicine, both as a clinical and administrative nurse, oncology nursing, Life Care Planning and currently hospice nursing, promoting palliative and hospice system services across NEPA. She aspires to maximize comfort, safety, and the independence of patients during their end-of-life care. She studied at Penn State University and was part of the final graduating class of the Scranton Community Center School of Nursing, in 1994.
In 2014, Theresa was diagnosed with Systemic Degos disease and since that time has been on a mission, working closely with the Board of Directors of the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation, to help people afflicted with the disease, connect with highly committed medical professionals who can provide treatments that slow, suspend, and hopefully “one day” cure Degos disease.
As one of very few known to have Systemic Degos disease, Theresa has tirelessly worked on behalf of others through degosdisease.org, a website to which she serves as administrator, and through the incredible work being done by the National Institutes of Health and Steffens Scleroderma Board Members, especially Dr. Lee Shapiro who selflessly advocated for Theresa to receive life-sustaining treatments that made it possible for her to lead a productive life and be with us today. Theresa’s story, which is still unfolding, is featured in a February 26, 2016, article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Read Theresa’s story.
Email: theresa@degosdisease.org
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Celeste Freeman, OTR/L, CHT
Board Member
Celeste graduated from the University of Buffalo with a BS in Occupational Therapy in 1977, and earned her Hand Therapy Certification (CHT), in 1992. She worked the first decade of her career at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Southern California, where she had a wide berth of experience in orthopedics and rehabilitation. Celeste began working in outpatient upper extremity rehabilitation in 1990. She has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Russell Sage Graduate School of Occupational Therapy for many years.
She currently is at Albany Memorial Hand Center in Albany NY, where she has worked in full-time patient care since 1995. This is where she gained her direct experience with the Scleroderma population and realized the tremendous needs present in the upper extremity.
Celeste developed a commitment to pursue the education of hand therapists, with the goal of early access to quality upper extremity care for those with this rare disease. In addition, she has been a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists since 1993. Celeste has presented lectures locally and regionally since the first few years of her career.
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Mark Slayton
Board Member
Mark is a senior-level executive with a demonstrated history of success leading all aspects of Contact Center Operations, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Marketing for International Correspondence Schools, Penn Foster, Ashworth College and The Princeton Review. He studied Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State and is certificated in Six Sigma by Villanova University.
A lifelong advocate for the underprivileged and underserved, Mark is on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties in PA, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Scranton. As a Board member for the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation, Mark is partnering with his wife, Theresa, and other board members, to advance the foundation’s agenda on behalf of those afflicted with Scleroderma and Degos disease.
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Jane Eason, MD
Board Member
Jane Eason, MD, is an infectious diseases and internal medicine physician with extensive clinical experience in New York and several years working in China. She now serves the nation’s veterans in Memphis, TN, where she works with a multidisciplinary team and mentors medical students and residents from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Eason is also the Medical Director of Infection Control, the Physician Lead for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, and a longstanding member of the Ethics Committee.
Dr. Eason is a scleroderma patient, diagnosed 22 years ago with limited systemic scleroderma. Her first encounter with the disease occurred during medical school, where she cared for a young woman with severe complications of scleroderma, a memory that left a profound impact. Years later, receiving her own diagnosis brought shock and psychological challenges, compounded by the rarity and complexity of the disease. She credits her prompt diagnosis and care to a dedicated internist who quickly connected her with an experienced specialist, Dr. Shapiro—a resource many patients lack.
A couple of years ago, Dr. Eason participated in the Interprofessional Education (IPE) initiative as a patient advocate and later joined the Education and Awareness Committee. Recently, she was invited to join the Board of the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation. She finds the Foundation’s patient-centered approach—using patients as educators to promote disease recognition and awareness—particularly meaningful. Dr. Eason brings a unique perspective, shaped by both her professional career and personal journey as a patient, to address the challenges of diagnosis, specialist access, multidisciplinary care, and navigating novel treatments.
Dr. Eason’s career began in New York during the AIDS epidemic, a time when survival for many patients was grim. Reflecting on the dramatic advances in HIV treatment, she expresses hope that similar progress will be made for scleroderma, Degos disease, and other rare, often-overlooked conditions.
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Melissa Marquis, MS, RN
Board Member
Melissa Marquis is a nurse, author, advocate, and scleroderma patient. Her journey with autoimmune disease began in 2008 when she developed symptoms such as Raynaud’s phenomenon, chilblains, and other skin and joint issues. Despite seeking care and undergoing numerous tests, Melissa spent years without a clear diagnosis. It wasn’t until 2017, after her symptoms worsened and she sought additional opinions, that she was diagnosed with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) and later with Limited Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis (LcSSc) at Yale University—a process that took nearly 13 years.
As a passionate advocate, Melissa empowers others with autoimmune diseases to fight for the care and treatment they need. In 2024, she authored Invisible: A Nurse-Turned-Patient’s Resource to Living Well with Autoimmune Disease, a book offering education, practical recommendations, and strategies for living a balanced life with chronic illness.
Melissa recently joined the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation as a member of the Board of Directors, continuing her mission to educate and support others navigating the challenges of autoimmune diseases.
Read Melissa’s Story.
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Christina Cook
Board Member
Christina is an accomplished marketing and advertising professional with extensive experience in media strategy, buying and planning; account, program and project management; promotions development and execution; customer relationship building; and process improvement. Her list of clients served include both for and not-for-profit companies such as Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Anne Frank The Exhibition, New York Hall of Science, Michaels’ Stores, TJX Companies and Showtime Networks.
She joined the Steffens Scleroderma and Degos Disease Foundation as a volunteer in the fall of 2023, when she met Dr. Lee Shapiro and was inspired by his tireless passion and dedication to help those who suffer from these disorders. As a board member, she is excited to more deeply support the foundation’s mission towards advancing awareness and treatment of these rare diseases.
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Karen Kemper, MSPH, PhD
Board Member
Dr. Karen Kemper is an Associate Professor Emerita in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University in South Carolina. She holds an MSPH and PhD from the University of South Carolina School of Public Health and has worked in hospital, community, and academic settings for over 40 years. Her research has focused on physical activity promotion, disease prevention and management, and fall prevention. Her expertise includes physical activity, functional mobility assessments, and the role of functional fitness in protecting health, mobility, and independence across the lifespan.
Karen was diagnosed with scleroderma in 1992, and in 2011, she co-authored a book with colleague Linda McNamara about living with chronic illness, titled If You Have to Wear an Ugly Dress, Learn to Accessorize: Guidance, Inspiration and Hope for Women with Lupus, Scleroderma, or Other Autoimmune Illnesses.
She has volunteered with the National Scleroderma Foundation (NSF) since 2006 and has been an invited presenter at numerous scleroderma patient education meetings across the U.S., including the 2013 NSF Patient Education Conference in Atlanta. As a board member of the NSF South Carolina Chapter, she helped host 14 patient education conferences at the Medical University of South Carolina and launch support groups across the state.
Her work in patient advocacy also includes serving as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Medical Research Program and as an inaugural member of the South Carolina Rare Disease Advisory Council. Karen is excited to collaborate with the Steffens Scleroderma Foundation to advance scleroderma awareness and interprofessional education (IPE) in support of timely diagnosis and care.
Staff
Our dedicated paid staff bring vital expertise to the Foundation’s work. From education to research and interprofessional education (IPE), they help us deliver accurate information, support key collaborations, and keep programs moving forward—complementing the incredible work of our volunteers.
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Steve Rosenblum
Educational Programs Manager
Steve Rosenblum, Director of Education, has been a project manager with the Steffens Foundation since 2021. Over the course of his varied career, he has worked as a project manager, event and meeting planner, IT/HR manager, systems architect, programmer, and special education teacher.
Steve spent 25 years at John Hancock Financial Services in a range of roles, most recently as Assistant Vice President of Corporate Systems and Technical Lead for the global Workday implementation. In 2013, he joined the Masie Center in Saratoga Springs as the event manager for its annual “Learning” conferences, attended by up to 2,000 learning and development professionals.
Steve retired from event planning in 2020 and has since devoted most of his time to a variety of volunteer endeavors. A deeply committed community advocate, he supports numerous local nonprofit organizations and was recently appointed by the Mayor of Saratoga Springs to chair the city’s Arts Commission. He currently serves as president of the Opera Saratoga Board of Directors and operations manager for the annual Saratoga Book Festival. He also contributes his “spare time” to the Saratoga Pride group, where he serves on the organizing committee.
Steve moved from Boston to Saratoga Springs in 2014, where he now lives with his husband, Eric, and their cats.
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Hannah Bowen
Research Coordinator
Our Research
Want to learn more about the science? Take a deep dive into the research.
Pathways to Education
Learn more about our interprofessional education (IPE) forum.