About The
Transverse Myelitis Association

• Mission
• Officers and the Board of Directors
• Medical Advisory Board
• Statement of Financial Activities

Mission

The Transverse Myelitis Association (TMA) was established in 1994 as an organization dedicated to advocacy for those who have Transverse Myelitis. It was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Washington and obtained a 501(c)(3) status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in 1996.

In 2003 the TMA's mission was expanded to advocate for neuroimmunologic disorders of the central nervous system, which include: transverse myelitis; recurrent transverse myelitis; recurrent transverse myelitis and recurrent optic neuritis or Devics Disease; recurrent optic neuritis; and acute disseminating encephalomyelitis or ADEM.

The Transverse Myelitis Association facilitates support and networking opportunities amongst TM families; provides educational information; functions as a clearinghouse for articles and research literature about the TM diagnosis; and investigates, advocates for and supports research and innovative treatment efforts.

Information is available in these Languages:

English	Français	Italiano	Deutsch	Español
Português	Dutch	Polish	Chinese (Traditional)	Romanian

TMA Brochure in English

El folleto de TMA en el español

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The Transverse Myelitis Association Officers and Board

The Officers and the Board of Directors of the TMA are volunteers. The TMA has no paid employees. The TMA has nearly no overhead. We have no offices; the officers and board work from their homes, pay for most of their own supplies and office equipment, their own computer equipment, their own long-distance phone bills and internet access. The TMA does not use any of its funds for fundraising purposes. All of the funds we receive go directly to offering services to our members. The vast majority of our operating costs are for the printing of information that is distributed to our members and for postage.

Sanford J. Siegel President & Newsletter Editor 1787 Sutter Parkway Powell, OH 43065-8806 Phone:   +1 (614) 766-1806 Email	Sandy has been involved in the TMA since shortly after its inception. Sandy's wife, Pauline, contracted TM in 1994. At the time of her onset, Pauline was a kindergarten teacher. Currently she is a second grade teacher in a public school district in central Ohio. Sandy is a cultural anthropologist and has been an adjunct instructor at various colleges in central Ohio. He is employed by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and is involved in policy research. Sandy also sit on the board of ambassadors for Johns Hopkins Project RESTORE.
Paula Lazzeri Treasurer 10105 167th Place NE Redmond, WA 98052-3125 Phone:   +1 (425) 883-7914 Email:	Paula contracted TM in 1979 at the age of 12. Paula has a degree in accounting from the University of Washington and works as an accountant for a software company in Seattle. Paula has also been involved in the TMA since its inception.
Deborah Capen Secretary P.O. Box 5277 Hemet, CA  92544 Phone:  +1 (951) 658-2689 Email:	Debbie contracted TM in 1996 when she was 45 years old. Debbie works in the health services profession. She and her husband also operate a company in the construction industry.
Jim Lubin Information Technology Director 6830 NE Bothell Way, STE C PMB 243 Kenmore, WA 98028-3546 Email:   Web site	Jim was diagnosed with TM in 1989 when he was 21. Jim is a C2 quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down and ventilator dependent. Jim performs all of the Internet and web site work for the TMA. Jim was the New Mobility Magazine's 1998 Person of the Year. Jim has been written about extensively in books and magazines. He is an inspiration for everyone in the TM community and for everyone who knows him.
Honorary Board
Deanne Gilmur Founder	In 1991 Deanne's 18-month-old daughter was diagnosed with TM. In 1994 she began an effort to find others through the assistance of the National Organization of Rare Disorders and to develop a support organization. It is through Deanne's vision and courage that the TMA was started.

The Transverse Myelitis Association Medical Advisory Board

The Transverse Myelitis Association Medical Advisory Board was initiated by Dr. Charles Levy in 1997. At this time. Dr. Levy was an Assistant Professor of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The Ohio State University. Dr. Levy is currently System Chief of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System and Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Dr. D. Joanne Lynn also joined the TMA Medical Advisory Board in 1997. Dr. Lynn is an Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University, and is the Director of the MS Center at The Ohio State University.

Dr. James Bowen and Dr. Douglas Kerr joined the TMA Medical Advisory Board in 1999.

Dr. Bowen is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation (adjunct); the Director of Neurology Services for the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Washington Medical Center and Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at the University of Washington.

Dr. Douglas Kerr is Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is also the Director of the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center. Dr. Kerr established the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center and has become the nation's and the world's only specialist in the treatment and research on TM.

Dr. Gregory Bames, Dr. Adam Kaplin, Dr. Leslie Morrison and Dr. Frank Pidcock joined the TMA Medical Advisory Board in 2002.

Dr. Bames is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Divisions of Child Neurology and Epilepsy, Department of Neurology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Kaplin is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Kaplin serves as the Chief Psychiatric consultant to the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, in addition to his clinical involvement in the Center through his work as a consultant and outpatient psychiatrist for patients with TM, Dr. Kaplin has initiated a collaborative research project with Dr. Kerr to investigate the psychiatric sequela of TM.

Dr. Pidcock is a clinical research scientist at Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is the Associate Director of Pediatric Rehabilitation at Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Pidcock is an attending physician at both Johns Hopkins Hospital and Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital. Dr. Pidcock's clinical research focuses on developing treatment protocols and quantitative measurements for the use of therapeutic botulinum toxin injections in the treatment of children with spasticity from cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or other processes that affect motor control and the rehabilitation of children with pediatric TM.

Chitra Krishnan serves as the Research Coordinator for the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelopathy Center (JHMTC). Chitra coordinates all basic and clinical science research activities at the JHTMC. She has been trained in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with TM, epidemiology, biostatistics and design and implementation of research studies and clinical trials. While a student at the School of Public Health, she developed a comprehensive health questionnaire and evaluation strategy for following patients with TM. She then created a database for this information and has managed that database for the past three years. This has allowed her to assist with management of TM patients throughout the world as they are diagnosed. As Johns Hopkins has the only TM Center in the world, Chitra has developed a very specialized expertise in TM and recurrent TM. Besides the physicians on our medical advisory board, no one has seen more cases of TM, worked with more patients, or performed more research on TM than Chitra. Chitra is extensively published in the area of the neuroimmunologic disorders, and particularly Transverse Myelitis and Recurrent Transverse Myelitis.

The physicians on our Medical Advisory Board are regular contributors of articles for the newsletter regarding symptom management issues and about TM research. They provide critical advice and direction regarding the TMA's goals, programs, and policies. They provide critical information regarding the most effective treatment approaches for adult and pediatric TM. The Medical Advisory Board physicians also participate in all of our symposia and workshops around the country and around the world. All of these physicians serve in the TM Consortium and most of them are involved in TM research. They are intensively involved in disseminating information and educating about TM to both people with TM and their family members and to the medical community as presenters at symposia and through publications. Perhaps most importantly, we refer TM patients to these physicians and they are offering these people the best possible treatments and care.