Dear friends,

As we enter 2023, we look forward to a new year and new possibilities. Those possibilities exist through ongoing research to treat and diagnose pulmonary hypertension, as well as in our daily lives.

For many of us, we continue to navigate the COVID-19 virus at home, work, school and social occasions. At the same time, other respiratory viruses are circulating, making our return to normalcy more challenging.

While the world seems to have moved on from the pandemic, many in our pulmonary hypertension (PH) community are trying to catch up. Because PH makes people more vulnerable to serious COVID side effects, the community remains cautious about how to proceed. When you’re always wondering what’s next, it can be difficult to move forward.

However, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association wants to help in the transition from pandemic mode to more familiar routines. In the year ahead, we’ll provide the resources and venues to support you as you resume “normal life” and re-engage with each other.

We’ll also be looking for ways to introduce others to our resources. According to a recent PHA study, about 20% of patients 18 and older within PHA’s reach were diagnosed with PH during the pandemic. This year, one of our priorities will be to reach out to those people, offer our support and educational services, and encourage them to participate in in-person events depending on their comfort levels. We hope to connect them to others with PH, specialists, and research opportunities to give hope and reduce the feeling of isolation.

For those of you who already are part of our community, you may know that we’re incrementally and safely resuming our in-person events. Our patient and caregiver educational forums, PH community workshops, will continue this year, with one in San Diego in May and one on the East Coast in late summer.

Similarly, we’re providing more opportunities this year to support PHA and our mission by participating in or volunteering for in-person fundraising events, such as our O2breathe walks. We were excited to see the turnout in 2022 and hope to see more of you in 2023.

As part of our mission to improve and extend the lives of those with PH, we will continue to focus on research and treatment. We will encourage more patients to enroll in the PHA Registry, which will expand data available to scientists, and we plan to award more grants for new research projects.

Additionally, we will seek improved access to care by expanding our network of accredited PH Care Centers, adding new rural and pediatric centers.

I welcome your ideas for returning to normalcy and improving PH care in the new year. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback.

With gratitude and respect,