The Pulmonary Hypertension Center

The section established the Pulmonary Hypertension Center in 2005 to address the complex needs of these unfortunate patients. Coordinated by Kathryn Lerz, A.P.R.N and under the direction of Dr. Terence Trow, the center has more than tripled in size over the preceding two years, fostering important collaborative interactions with the Departments of Cardiology, Rheumatology, and Hematology. In addition, the center has dovetailed it's expertise with those of Dr. John Fahey's Adult Congenital Heart Disease program, Dr. Robert White's program on Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, and Dr. Pramrod Mistry's interest in Gaucher's Disease exposing Yale Pulmonary Post-Graduate Fellows to many rare but important causes of pulmonary hypertension. The center is actively involved in clinical research, currently conducting two studies of combination therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well as examining the role of numerous biomarkers in this disorder. There is also active involvement of both Dr. Trow and Dr. McArdle in the Vascular Biology Translational Work Group, an organization that brings the Yale's molecular biology of vascular disease researchers together with clinicians who care for these disorders. A.P.R.N. Lerz has also established a community based support group to address the educational and emotional needs of the pulmonary hypertension patients and their families.