PH Insights

Guest: Michele Freeman, licensed professional counselor and PHA support group leader.

On the next episode of PH Insights, we continue our focus on mental health awareness with licensed professional counselor and support group leader Michele Freeman. Freeman discusses the mental health challenges faced by those living with pulmonary hypertension and their caregivers.

She explores the differences between depression and anxiety, the impact of chronic illness on mental health and practical strategies for managing these emotions.

 Tune in to learn practical strategies to help you manage tough days.

 Connect with support in a way that fits your needs.  

Guest: Dan Lier, Amyloidosis patient and founder of Elevate Amyloidosis and co-author, The Rare Disease Playbook

On this episode of PH Insights, host Jolie Lizana speaks with Dan Lier, a rare disease patient and advocate. Lier shares his inspiring journey navigating an amyloidosis diagnosis and discusses how changing his mindset and choosing positive thoughts aided in overcoming the challenges of living with a rare disease.

Lizana also makes the connection for those living with PH and how many, regardless of diagnosis, can benefit from resilience tools and other lessons shared in this thoughtful conversation.

 Connect with support in a way that fits your needs.  

Guest: Dawn Grandell, PAH and Sjögren’s patient, PHA peer mentor and support group leader

Sjögren’s is an autoimmune disease that can lead to PH due to damage caused to the lung tissue. On this episode of PH Insights, peer mentor and support group leader Dawn Grandell shares her inspiring journey of living with pulmonary arterial hypertension and Sjögren's while discussing the importance of advocacy, support, and finding community.

Read more about Pulmonary Hypertension Related to Sjögren’s by visiting the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s Website.

To find a peer mentor, visit PHA’s Peer Mentor page.

Join Dawn at Rock the PHight, an evening of music, dancing, and PH awareness, in Shorewood, Illinois on June 27. Details are on the event calendar on PHA’s website.

Host: Jolie Lizana, PAH patient and advocate

Guests: Matt Granato, LL.M., MBA, PHA's President and CEO; Kevin Heyen, PHA's Vice President, Development & Industry Relations; Jaeger Spratt, MSW, PHA’s advocacy and treatment access program manager; Eric Borstein, PAH patient and advocate; and Roopa Radhakrishnan, PH patient and advocate

On this episode, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association takes you inside the rooms where real change begins. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the meetings where pulmonary hypertension patients’ and health care providers’ stories are heard, valued, and carry real weight.

You will learn how advocacy meetings work, hear directly from individuals who traveled to Capitol Hill to speak on behalf of the PH community, and understand the impact their voices have in shaping policy.

Most importantly, this episode breaks down how PHA can support you in advocating from wherever you are. Whether you are new to advocacy or already involved, you will see just how powerful your voice is and why it matters.

Discover upcoming advocacy volunteer opportunities by subscribing to the monthly Advocacy Action Alert newsletter.

Host: Jolie Lizana, PAH patient and advocate, PHA’s Patient and Caregiver Education Committee member

Guest: Mary Jo Farmer, MD, PhD; board certified pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine physician, Mass General Brigham- Salem Hospital, associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine

Sleep-disordered breathing is far more common in pulmonary hypertension than most people may realize. On this episode of PH Insights, host Jolie Lizana sits down with a pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine specialist, Mary Jo Farmer, to unpack how nighttime oxygen drops, sleep apnea, and hypoventilation can impact your pulmonary vascular health and right heart function.

Together, they discuss how clinicians diagnose and classify sleep‑disordered breathing, what happens in the body when sleep is disrupted, and how targeted treatment strategies can help.

Visit Pulmonary Hypertension Related to Sleep Apnea to learn more.

Register for the PHA 2026 International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions to hear more from Dr. Farmer in, “The Impact of Treating Sleep Apnea and Hypoxia on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Management.”  

PHA 2026 Scientific Sessions brings together health care professionals from all disciplines to earn continuing education credit, network with fellow pulmonary hypertension professionals, learn about the latest research and discuss best practices for PH treatme

Host: Meghan M. Cirulis, MD, MS, medical director, Intermountain Health Pulmonary Hypertension Center, assistant professor, pulmonary and critical care medicine, Intermountain Medical Center, adjunct assistant professor, University of Utah Pulmonary and Critical Care.

Guest: Roberto Bernardo, MD, MS, ATSF, clinical assistant professor, Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Service, Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine

On this episode, host Meghan Cirulis speaks with clinician and researcher Roberto Bernardo about his work exploring ethnicity and social determinants of health for those living with pulmonary arterial hypertension in the Hispanic community. Bernardo discusses underlying disparities and offers insight into ways to improve quality of life for patients with limited access to care. 

Bernardo also shares how PHA’s Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry provided the data needed for his study.

Host: Jenna Olitsky, PAH and HHT patient, PHA’s Patient and Caregiver Education Committee member

Guest: Silvana Saleme Mooney, MSN, APRN, nurse practitioner with the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program at the Medical University of South Carolina

On this episode, host Jenna Olitsky, a PAH patient and estate planning attorney, and nurse practitioner Silvana Mooney discuss how advance health care directives, health care power of attorney documents, HIPAA authorizations, and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms work in real-life medical situations.

This episode is not legal or medical advice, but an educational conversation designed to help listeners better understand how these tools can support their care, reduce confusion and ensure their voices are heard when it matters most.

Visit Health Care Planning: conversations, decisions, and directives - PH Association to learn more.

Guest: Katharine Clapham, MD, assistant professor of cardiology and co-director of the Pulmonary Hypertension and Dyspnea Program, University of Utah 

On this episode, host Megan Cirulis sits down with cardiologist Katherine (Katie) Clapham to discuss methamphetamine-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. They explore the increasing prevalence of methamphetamine use, particularly in the western United States, and its severe health implications. Clapham also discusses treatment approaches, including the integration of addiction medicine into PAH care.

Visit Pulmonary Hypertension Related to Meth Use for more information.

Guests: Paul Critser, MD, PhD, pediatric cardiologist, Heart Institute Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; and Priya Pillutla, MD, associate chief, Division of Cardiology, director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic chair, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

On this special episode, cardiologists Paul Critser and Priya Pillutla, discuss congenital heart disease associated pulmonary hypertension. They explain how PH is diagnosed, treatment advances, and what those advancements mean for life expectancy.

Visit Pulmonary Hypertension and Congenital Heart Disease for more information.

Guest Host: Courtney Durham, PHA’s director of individual giving

Guests: Judy and Ed Simpson, PHA co-founders

On this episode of PH Insights, Courtney Durham, PHA’s director of individual giving, speaks with PHA co-founders, Judy and Ed Simpson. They discuss the challenges and milestones of establishing PHA, the importance of connecting patients with physicians, and the significant advancements in pulmonary hypertension research and treatment.