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Home 
About Us
The Advisors
We are thrilled to tell you
about our medical advisors. Many of you already know and love Dr. Susan from
her participation in alt.support.arthritis. Dr
Waters' web page has been a great source of arthritis information for
many of us. Dr. Lehman's website is a
wonderful resource for anyone interested in juvenile arthritis. Walt Hanks' involvement in alt.support.arthritis has lasted many
years. Amy Wright & Chuc Ryan both maintain websites that are beneficial
to many of us.
Dr. Susan Hoch
Dr. Susan graduated from the University of Chicago majoring in chemistry. She received her medical degree from the University of Chicago as well. She was an intern in medicine at Boston City Hospital and a medical resident at Mount Auburn Hospital. Dr. Susan trained in rheumatology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and received additional fellowship training in pediatric rheumatology and immunology at Children's Hospital in Boston. She was an instructor and then assistant professor at Harvard Medical School until 1991. Since then she has been affiliated with the MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine where she is Associate Professor of Medicine and Chief of Rheumatology at Hahnemann University Hospital. Dr. Susan's main research interest in rheumatology has been in systemic lupus erythematosus. She currently spends her time seeing patients and teaching fellows, residents and medical students. Dr. Susan is married and is the proud mother of two grown sons. In her spare time, she grows tomatoes, peppers and
roses.
Dr.
Barry Waters
Dr. Waters attended Brown University and majored in molecular biology. He went to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston for medical school. There he met his wife Susan. After medical school Barry and Susan did their internships and residencies at Medical College of Virginia, Barry in internal medicine, and Susan in pediatrics. At Medical College of Virginia Barry became interested in Rheumatology, to a large degree because of his exposure to one of the world's best and most famous rheumatologists, Dr. Shaun
Ruddy. After completion of his rheumatology training, Barry and Susan moved to Coral Springs, FL, where they both entered private practice.
Barry has been in practice since 1986 and since that time has seen approximately 15,000 different patients. It is this vast experience that has allowed Dr. Waters to develop extensive hands-on knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of the varied rheumatologic diseases. Recently, Dr. Waters was honored as one of the top Rheumatologists in South Florida by Miami Metro magazine. He has also been the medical director of the Broward branch of the Arthritis Foundation and currently is a member of the board of directors.
Barry is blessed with his hard-working and caring wife, Susan, and his two school age sons. In his spare time he coaches youth sports, plays tennis and works out avidly at a local gym. He tries to spend as much time as possible with his grandmother, parents, in-laws and sister, all of who live near by. Barry's interests in physical fitness and family togetherness have been important influences in the art of the medicine he practices.
Dr Ken Merriman
Dr. Ken Merriman, orthopedic
surgeon, is a 1974 graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. He has taken an
interest in the development of orthopedics in other countries. He worked with the Afghan refugees of the Russian war in 1988 in Peshawar, Pakistan and with the International Medical Corps in Biadoa, Somalia in 1992. He recently worked in Asmara, Eritrea hopes to return to there next year to continue development work. He teaches physician assistant students from Western Michigan University and Grand
Valley State University as well as Medical students from Michigan State University. He is an assistant clinical professor at MSU. He is also the President of the Michigan Orthopedic Society which has been rather active trying to improve the
environment for patient care in Michigan.
Dr. Merriman and his wife Lee, a fitness instructor have two daughters. Leslie
is 21 and will be graduating this Spring from Hope college. Becky, 19, is finishing her sophomore year at MSU. In his spare time he rides his horses when his knees allow. Dr. Merriman admits to be being pretty dense in the computer learning department, but we are about to give him a
thorough education!
Thomas
J. A. Lehman MD
Dr. Lehman is Chief, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Hospital for
Special Surgery in New York City, and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics,
Cornell University Medical College.
A fellow of both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College
of Rheumatology, Dr. Lehman is also a member of the New York Academy of
Medicine, the Harvey Society, the Western Society for Pediatric Research,
and the American Federation for Clinical Research. Dr. Lehman graduated from
the University of California at Berkeley in 1970, then cum laude from
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in
1974. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at Childrens Hospital of Los
Angeles and the University of California San Francisco (VMC campus) in 1977.
This was followed by a two year fellowship in Pediatric Rheumatology with
Dr. Virgil Hanson at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.
Dr. Lehman is the author of many peer reviewed publications in pediatric
rheumatology as well as manuscripts and textbook chapters. He is a
recognized expert in the rheumatic diseases of childhood with many
educational and scientific presentations for the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the American College of Rheumatology, and many medical societies
around the world. He serves on review committees for the NIH, the Lupus
Foundation, the Canadian Arthritis society, the March of Dimes, and the
Veterans Administration as well as being a manuscript reviewer for multiple
journals. In addition he is the section editor for Pediatric Rheumatology in
Current Rheumatology Reports, and Rheumatology UptoDate, which are,
specialized publications for physicians.&nbsP;His contribution to the
internet arthritis community, Pediatric
Rheumatology Page, has reassured many worried parents.
Under his direction the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Hospital
for Special Surgery has become one of the preeminent Pediatric Rheumatology
programs for both patient care and physician education. Patients and
physicians from around the world have journeyed to the Hospital for Special
Surgery to benefit from the special expertise of the program. The Hospital
for Special Surgery has one of only 18 approved training programs for
fellows in Pediatric Rheumatology and trains fellows from around the world.
Dr. Lehman believes that research and teaching are critical to the
development of pediatric rheumatology, but proper and attentive care of the
child with arthritis and except in emergency situations proper respect for
the feelings of the child and his family must come before all else.
Amy Wright PT
Amy graduated from the
University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1992 after completing
affiliations in pediatric rehabilitation, long-term care, acute care, and
sports medicine
. She has a BS in
Physical Therapy and certificates from professional seminars in Geriatric
Orthopedics, Geriatric Neurology, Shoulder Rehabilitation, and Neuro-Developmental
Treatment. Her clinical experiences include working with clients with a
variety of orthopedic diagnosis such as total knee, shoulder, hip and ankle
replacements, severe OA and RA, AK and BK amputations, various fractures,
strains and sprains. She has also worked with patients with neurological
diagnosis such as strokes, MS, ALS, CP, Spina Bifida, and various balance
and coordination deficits. Her
honors include the Continental Medical Systems Award for Clinical Excellence
in Physical Therapy in 1995, and the NovaCare Northstar award for Program
Development in 1997. She is
currently a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
In working with older
adults struggling to maintain their independence, Amy noted that certain
rehabilitation products were very helpful, but were only available through
health care providers. In order to make these useful products accessible to
more people, Amy now owns and operates ?The Wright Stuff? with her
husband, Chris, who has been in health care consulting for the past 10
years. The Wright Stuff (www.thewright-stuff.com)
provides unique health care products that make life a little easier.
In addition, Amy continues to practice physical therapy in home
health and long term care settings.
Amy and her husband, with
their 3 children, enjoy exercising at the local gym, growing trees, flowers
and roses, and attending the local church.
Walter A. Hanks, BS, CHES
Walt is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), specializing
in arthritis education and web-based instructional design. He graduated Magna cum Laud with his BS in Community Health Education
from Brigham Young University in 1998. Walt then began his Masters degree program at BYU, again majoring in Community Health Education
and minoring in Instructional Design. He will be graduating in August.
Walt came to his new career after leaving a 13-year mortgage-banking career in 1994. He chose his new field after experiencing for
himself the power of health education. Walt was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1991, then spent two years battling to regain
control of his life. The instruction and support he received from the Arthritis Foundation allowed him to achieve that goal.
Walt began volunteering with the Arthritis Foundation in 1992. He is certified as a "Self-Help Course" instructor and an "Arthritis
Education and Support Group" leader. Walt says that helping others to battle arthritis completely changed his life. He has been active
in the online arthritis community since 1995. Walt spends many hours answering questions and helping others to find the strength and
support they need to reclaim their lives.
Walt has added several more diseases to his list since 1991, including peripheral neuritis, fibromyalgia, and Sjogren's syndrome.
He has had a total of 12 surgeries (so far) and knows well the physical challenges that everyone with arthritis face on a daily
basis. Walt's family includes his wife Wendy, who is a professor of Audiology at BYU, and his two children, Micah and Amanda.
Chuc Ryan
Chuc Ryan, note: No "K" on Chuc, describes himself as an old, short, bald headed guy with a beard and a limp. We describe him as a great guy who practices Social Security Disability Law. Chuc helps disabled people in South Louisiana obtain Disability Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits.
Chuc, a Louisiana native and Eagle Scout, graduated from Terrebonne High School in 1957. He obtained his undergraduate degree at Nicholls State University and his Juris Doctorate at Louisiana State University. Chuc has practiced law in Houma since 1969. He is a member of the Federal, Louisiana and Terrebonne Parish bar associations and a sustaining member of The National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR).
Chuc is married to childhood friend Katherine Aileen O'Neal. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters. Chuc's hobbies include Macintosh computers and maintaining his
website.
He knows what it is like to be disabled. He had polio at age 4 1/2, that's
the reason for the limp. Chuc spent more than a year at the Charity Hospital polio ward in New Orleans, LA. Because of Post Polio Syndrome, he now uses a wheel chair for any task that requires walking a distance longer than a half a block.
*The
information presented on Arthritis Insight is the opinion of the authors and
has not been reviewed, approved, nor endorsed by the Advisors.
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