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The People Behind the Mission

Our work is guided by patients, clinicians, researchers, healthcare leaders, community advocates, and professionals who bring a wide range of expertise and lived experience to our mission.

Board of Directors

Our Team

Board of Directors

Isabel Bjork, JD, MS, MA

Chief Executive Officer, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

David Rae, MBA

Partner at KPMG LLP
Treasurer, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Steve Hamburger, MBA

Patient Advocate
Chief Marketing Officer, Shockproof Training

Leigh Ann O’Banion, MD

Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCSF-Fresno Branch Campus

Ron Stoney, MD

Emeritus Professor of Surgery, UCSF
Co-Founder & Emeritus Board Member, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Edward Yu, MS

Advisor, Leader in Change Management Chairperson, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Ebony Dashiell-Aje, PhD

Executive Director & Head of Patient-Centered Outcomes Science, Biomarin

Lilia Coburn-Martinez, MBA

Administrative and Clinical Engagement Coordinator

Megan Patterson, MBS

Community leader, Strategist, Advocate

Michael Conte, MD

Professor & Chief, Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, UCSF, Chief Medical Officer, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Douglas Grey, MD

Retired Chief of Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Kaiser San Francisco

Robert Kain, MBA

Founder & Board Chairman at Mesa Rim Climbing Center, Strategic Advisor in Genomics

Peter Schneider, MD

Professor of Surgery Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, UCSF

Staff

Isabel Bjork, JD, MS, MA

Chief Executive Officer, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Glomarie Ramos

Intern, Media & Events Coordinator

Ashley Xu

Program Coordinator

Yvonne Vasquez, PhD

Project Manager

Brandon Blanton

Intern, Program Coordinator

Leila Namvar, MS

Administrative and Clinical Engagement Coordinator

Michelle Conte

Learning and Development Specialist- CHAMPIONS

Advisory Board

Kim Campbell, RN

Patient Advocate

Patrick Chong, MBBS, FRCS

Clinical Lead for Vascular Surgery

Zorina Galis, PhD

Chief, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch, NHLBI

Manesh Patel, MD

Chief and Professor of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Duke Heart Center

Omaida Velazquez, MD

Surgeon-in-Chief, University of Miami Health System

Jason Belzer, MS

Representative, The Americas at W.L. Gore & Associates

Matthew Corriere, MD, MS, MA

Director, Division of Vascular Diseases and Surgery at Ohio State University

Gaurav Sharma, MD

Vascular Surgeon & Assistant Chief of Surgery

Naomi Hamburg, MD, MS, FACC

Joseph Vita Professor of Medicine, Boston University

Sherene Shalhub, MD

Division Head, Vascular & Endovascular Surgery at Oregon Health and Science University

Margaret Wong, MBA, MS

Director, Oncology Payer Strategy and Marketing at Gilead Science, Inc.

Julie Thomson

Patient Advocate

Sharon Binkley Straus

President, Binkley Foundation

Julie Freischlag, MD

CEO, Wake Forest Baptist Health
Dean, Wake Forest School of Medicine
CAO, Atrium Health Enterprise

Wendy Hitchcock

Former CEO, Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures

Edith Tzeng, MD

Chief of Vascular Surgery, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

David Armstrong, DPM, PhD

Professor of Surgery, USC
Director, Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance

Contributors

Rob Currie, MBA

Volunteer,
Research Fellow, UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute

Joanna DeLong, RN, MS, NP

Volunteer,
Clinical Nurse Manager, UCSF

Katherine Yin

Volunteer, UC Berkeley

Group Hug Outdoors

Together, We Can

Change Lives.

Your support fuels research, education, and hope for a healthier tomorrow.

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