WHO WE ARE
Who We Are
The WSPHA association has been founded to foster constructive scientific interactions and collaborations among the top worldwide experts on Pulmonary Hypertension.
WSPHA founders, Nazzareno Galiè, Vallerie V. McLaughlin, Lewis J. Rubin and Gérald Simonneau, are also members of the 7th World Symposium Steering Committee.
WSPHA Founders
Nazzareno Galiè
Nazzareno Galiè is graduated MD cum laude at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna (UNIBO) and attended the Postgraduate Specialization Schools of Cardiology and Sports Medicine at UNIBO.
He attended the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, University of London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK and has been Research Fellow in Heart Failure at the Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Nazzareno Galiè is now a Full Professor of Cardiology at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) of the UNIBO. He is also Head of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Coordinator of the Low Intensity of Care Section of the Cardio-Thoracic-Vascular Department at the Bologna Sant’Orsola University Hospital.
He is currently Vice-chairman of the Core Network Pulmonary Hypertension of the European Reference Network—LUNG (ERN-LUNG) and coordinator of the Guidelines and best Practice of Care committee of ERN-LUNG.
Nazzareno Galiè authored 264 cited publications on heart failure, pulmonary thromboembolic disease and pulmonary hypertension. The SCOPUS H-index is 74. He has been included in the Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers list in 2014 and 2016 and in the Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list in 2017 and 2018.
Marc Humbert
Marc Humbert is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the South Paris University (Université Paris-Saclay) in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France since 1999.
In addition to his academic responsibilities, he is the Director of the French Reference Centre for Pulmonary Hypertension, Department of Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine, Hospital Bicêtre, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, France.
Marc Humbert is the current Director of the INSERM Unit “Pulmonary Hypertension: Pathophysiology and Innovative Therapies” and of the “Thorax Innovation” University Hospital Department. He has been the Chief Editor of the European Respiratory Journal from 2013 to 2017 and has published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles.
He is a Fellow of the European Respiratory Society and has received several distinctions including the 1997 François Brenot Award and the ERS Award for Lifetime Achievement in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Clarivate Analytics listed him as one of the world’s highly cited researchers in Clinical Medicine (2018).
Vallerie Victoria McLaughlin
Vallerie Victoria McLaughlin is the Kim A Eagle MD Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, Associate Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program.
She received her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, and completed her internal medicine residency at University of Michigan Hospitals and cardiology fellowship at Northwestern University. Prof. McLaughlin is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians and American Heart Association.
She has been the Principal Investigator of several major clinical trials of drug therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension and has published more than 150 articles in this field. She is a two-time recipient of the Alfred Soffer Research Award.
Lewis J. Rubin
Lewis J. Rubin is Professor of Medicine, Emeritus and former Director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
He has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, over seventy book chapters and edited six books dealing with pulmonary circulation. He has been the Principal Investigator and a Steering Committee member for clinical trials leading to regulatory approval of all currently approved PAH medical therapies.
He was listed among Thomson Reuters’ Most Influential Researchers in the World in 2014 and 2015, and received the CHEST College Medalist Award from the American College of CHEST Physicians in 2016. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute.
Gerald Simonneau
Gerald Simonneau is Professor Emeritus of Pneumology at the Department of Pulmonary Disease and Intensive Care, Hospital Antoine Béclère-Clamart-University Paris XI.
With a deep interest in clinical practice guidelines, Prof. Simonneau served in 2000 as President of the working group on pulmonary circulation of the European Society of Cardiology. In 2005 he became head of the Reference National Center for Pulmonary Hypertension.
His publications include 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet in the fields of pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, and pulmonary intensive care medicine. He is Director of the Unité de Recherche d’Enseignement Supérieur (UPRES) on pulmonary vascular diseases.
Leadership
Marc Humbert
Marc Humbert is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the South Paris University (Université Paris-Saclay) in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France since 1999 and Director of the French Reference Centre for Pulmonary Hypertension.
He has published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles and received the ERS Award for Lifetime Achievement in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Clarivate Analytics listed him as one of the world’s highly cited researchers in Clinical Medicine (2018).
Vallerie Victoria McLaughlin
Vallerie Victoria McLaughlin is the Kim A Eagle MD Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program.
She has been Principal Investigator of several major clinical trials of drug therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension and has published more than 150 articles in this field. She is a two-time recipient of the Alfred Soffer Research Award.
Organizing Committee — 8th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension
Nazzareno Galiè
Full Professor of Cardiology at UNIBO, Head of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Bologna Sant’Orsola University Hospital. Vice-chairman of the ERN-LUNG Core Network on Pulmonary Hypertension.
264 cited publications, SCOPUS H-index 74. Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher 2017 and 2018.
Marc Humbert
Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Université Paris-Saclay, Director of the French Reference Centre for Pulmonary Hypertension, Hospital Bicêtre.
Over 700 peer-reviewed publications. ERS Lifetime Achievement Award in PAH. Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in Clinical Medicine (2018).
Vallerie Victoria McLaughlin
Kim A Eagle MD Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan. Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program.
Principal Investigator of major PAH clinical trials, over 150 publications. Two-time recipient of the Alfred Soffer Research Award.
Lewis J. Rubin
Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, University of California San Diego. Nearly 300 peer-reviewed papers and six books on pulmonary circulation.
Thomson Reuters Most Influential Researcher 2014–2015. CHEST College Medalist Award 2016. Lifetime Achievement Award, Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute.
Gerald Simonneau
Professor Emeritus of Pneumology, Hospital Antoine Béclère-Clamart, University Paris XI. Former head of the Reference National Center for Pulmonary Hypertension.
16 publications in the New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet. Director of the UPRES on pulmonary vascular diseases.
Kelly M. Chin
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Medical Director of the University Hospital Heart and Lung Clinic.
Principal investigator and steering committee member for major PAH clinical trials. Task force member for the 5th and 6th World Symposia on PH.
Marius M. Hoeper
Head of the Pulmonary Hypertension program, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Germany. More than 300 papers in the field of PH.
Associate Editor of Circulation and the European Respiratory Journal. Task force chair at the 3rd–6th World Symposia on PH. Senior author of the 2015 European PH Guidelines. ERS Lifetime Achievement Award in PAH (2014). Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2018).