IN THE NEWS

The National Asthma Educator Certification Board (NAECB) is pleased to announce the results of the election of five new board members for the 2006-2008 Board of Directors term. The following individuals were elected by ballot sent to all Certified Asthma Educators (AE-C®). The NAECB appreciates those who participated in the voting process. We are excited to welcome these new board members and look forward to their enthusiasm in promoting excellence in asthma education.


Diane Porretta Fox, RN, RRT-NPS, BA, BSN, MSN, AE-C

I am an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Eastern Michigan University and Educational Leadership Doctoral student, initially a Respiratory Therapist in 1978. My teaching experience involves teaching Registered Respiratory Therapy students from 1988-2004 at Monroe County Community College and Registered Nursing students at Washtenaw Community College from 2000-2004. I became certified as an asthma educator in 2003, acknowledging the interdisciplinary approach to asthma management. Asthma education of patients and families includes six years as an asthma educator at Mott Children’s Hospital/University of Michigan Health System and eight years as Cardiopulmonary Services Director at Saline Community Hospital. I would like to serve on this board because I am committed to health promotion, management of chronic respiratory disease, and educational leadership. Professional contributions include asthma education presentations to healthcare professionals in area hospitals and the Michigan Society for Respiratory Care (NAECB examination review).


Nicola (Nick) A. Hanania, MD, FCCP, FRCP(C), FACP

I am delighted that I am being considered to serve on the National Asthma Education Certification Board. I am currently an associate professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. I have great passion for asthma and have focused the last ten years of my career on this area of Medicine. As the Director of the Adult Asthma clinic at Ben Taub General Hospital, a tertiary care County hospital affiliated with Baylor, I oversee the care and delivery of asthma education to hundreds of high-risk, indigent patients with asthma. In addition, I am the principal investigator for the American Lung Association Clinical Research Center at Baylor. I have published numerous articles, book chapters, and abstracts and have been an invited lecturer for many local, national, and international meetings.

I am a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as well as a member of many professional societies, including the American Thoracic Society, the American College of Physicians, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. I am currently the chair of the Clinical Pulmonary Network and Vice Chair, Council of Networks of the American College of Chest Physicians. I am associate editor for Respiratory Medicine and an ad hoc reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals including European Respiratory Medicine, Chest, Drugs, and Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.


Karen L. Meyerson, RN, BSN, AE-C

I am Manager of the Pediatric and Adult Asthma Network of West Michigan (PAANWM), the asthma coalition serving West Michigan. I supervise a staff of asthma educators and medical social worker providing in-home asthma case management, for which we receive reimbursement from five health plans, and are believed to be the first organization in the nation to receive reimbursement for asthma education. I have lectured extensively on asthma for professional and lay audiences and am currently completing my Master’s degree in Nursing. I helped develop a college-level course for asthma educators and currently serve on the Michigan Asthma Advisory Committee (overseeing the state strategic plan for asthma), the Michigan Pediatric Asthma Mortality Review Panel, and the Michigan Consortium of Asthma Coalitions Steering Team. I would like to bring my experiences with case management, reimbursement, funding and evaluation to the Board to help underscore the value of certification for asthma educators.


Stephen F. Wehrman, RRT, RPFT, AE-C

I have been a respiratory therapist for 29 years and have taught respiratory therapy for 23 years. During my career, I have been involved in many aspects of asthma education. I ensure the training all of my students for their role in asthma education via the American Lung Association Open Airways program and at our local asthma camp. I regularly teach nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists on various aspects of asthma management. I believe that strong partnerships are the key to success in addressing complex issues and making a difference for our patients and clients. The work we have accomplished in Hawaii has been recognized by the American Lung Association with both local and national awards and by the American Respiratory Care Foundation with the Dr. Charles Hudson Award for Cardiopulmonary Public Health. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the larger community as a member of the NAECB and to further the cause of educating patients and professionals in this vital public health endeavor.


Dennis R. Wissing, PhD, RRT, CPFT, AE-C

My respiratory therapy career began in 1974. My early years were spent as a department head of respiratory care services in a major hospital. In 1984, my career focus shifted to academia when I began 21 years of service as a program director for the LSU Health Sciences Center’s Cardiopulmonary Science Program and recently have been promoted to assistant dean of academic affairs. I remain active in teaching and clinical research. I am currently the primary investigator in three asthma-related clinical research projects. I am developing a school based out-patient pulmonary and asthma rehabilitation program which will open fall 2006. We are the first school based program in the country. I currently serve as president of the American Lung Association of Louisiana. During the past two years, I have coordinated six asthma education certification preparation workshops and oversee a number of asthma related projects the association is involved with. In addition, I am president-elect of the Louisiana Society for Respiratory Care. I bring to the NAECB three decades of expertise in the care of the patient with asthma, leadership skills, and motivation to help move the board forward to meet the challenges ahead.