A panel involved in cystic fibrosis care will review all nomination forms and choose those individuals who best exemplify Heroes of Hope Living with CF, based on program criteria.
The panel includes:
Joan DeCelie-Germana, MD has over 18 years experience in Cystic Fibrosis. She has served as the director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York for the past four years, and previously served as co-director of the Center for five years. Before joining the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Schneider Children’s Hospital, Joan spent nine years at the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York, where she served as Director. Joan is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. Joan has been involved in clinical trials for CF and is a strong advocate for living well with CF through adherence to medical therapies, nutritious diet and regular physical exercise. She is the proud mother of three sons.
Somer Love is a 28-year-old adult living with cystic fibrosis. Somer is an active advocate in the CF community and makes it a priority to raise awareness and help educate everyone about CF. Somer strongly believes that maintaining her pulmonary medical regimen and keeping active is critical in managing her health. Somer lives each day to the fullest by keeping her hopes high, and dreams big.
Anabel Stenzel, MS has been a genetic counselor at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford for the past ten years. She specializes in prenatal and pediatric genetic counseling. She is a 35-year-old identical twin with cystic fibrosis who lives in Redwood City, California. Her hobbies include hiking, exercise and volunteering for the CF and transplant communities. Anabel received a double lung transplant on June 14, 2000 and again on July 13, 2007.
Isabel Stenzel Byrnes is a public health social worker with cystic fibrosis and a bilateral lung transplant recipient. She and Anabel Stenzel are authors of The Power of Two: A Twin Triumph of Cystic Fibrosis, and are co-chairs of the Heroes of Hope Living with CF program.
Stacy VandenBranden, RN, MS, CPNP, is a pediatric pulmonary nurse practitioner at the Children's Memorial Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Stacy has been involved in the care of individuals with CF for more than 15 years. Her focus is on providing up-to-date patient and family education that allows individuals with CF to manage their CF care needs well and partner with their CF care team. Stacy is also actively involved in numerous local and national CF Quality Improvement Initiatives to improve the health outcomes of those with CF.
K. Randall Young, Jr., M.D. has been involved in the care of adults with cystic fibrosis throughout his entire career as a pulmonary physician. He was the founding director of the Adult CF Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he holds the Ben Vaughan Branscomb Chair in Medicine. In addition to his activities in CF care and research, Randy devotes his professional time principally to lung transplantation and critical care medicine. Outside of medicine, he enjoys running, other sports and music.
Lisa Yourman is a mother of two children with cystic fibrosis, and a patient and parent advocate for all people who live with CF. She has served as an expert witness for matters relating to pharmaceutical and healthcare legislation, acting as an advocate to provide a patient's perspective on issues. Among her extensive activities advocating for people with CF, Lisa has provided written testimony for the Newborn Screening Program just recently enacted in New Jersey, influenced legislative bills related to health insurance and CF legislation, and was appointed in 1995 as a consumer representative by the Governor of NJ and is serving as Vice-Chair on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Individual Health Insurance Board. She currently devotes her time to train parents about accommodations available to CF children in the school setting.
