Chairperson of the National Scientific Advisory Board
Officers and Members of the Board of Directors
Advisors to the Board

Dr. Finger, a Registered Environmental Manager and Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists, has served on the engineering faculty of Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, and Catholic University of America. He is listed in Who's Who in Engineering. Dr. Finger is president of Environmental Consulting and Investigations, Inc., based in Bluffton, South Carolina.

Dr. Finger is AARDA's representative to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC) and the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups (NCAPG). He is also on the National Board of Advisors of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Autoimmune Disease Research. Dr. Finger chaired one of the four Working Groups that drafted the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan.

Dr. Finger received a Distinguished Layperson Award from the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies and a Pratt Institute Alumni Achievement Award recognizing his contributions toward advancing autoimmune disease research, education, and awareness.

Noel R. Rose, M.D., Ph.D. - Chairman Emeritus, Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Rose is Chairman Emeritus of the Scientific Advisory Board of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) on which he has served since 1992, first as a member and then as Chair.

An immunologist, pathologist, and molecular microbiologist, Dr. Rose long has been associated with Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, where he has served as professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Today he is professor of pathology and of molecular microbiology and immunology and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Autoimmune Disease Research.

Dr. Rose's pioneering research some 50 years ago was instrumental in establishing the concept of autoimmune disease and helped immunologists understand, for the first time, that the immune system was capable of directing a response to healthy tissues and organs of the body, not just to invading foreign viruses and bacteria. He is co-editor of the classic textbook The Autoimmune Diseases, now in its 4th edition. Dr. Rose has published more than 760 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has edited or co-edited some 22 books, and has served as an editorial board member of more than 27 journals.

Dr. Rose has served as an autoimmunity expert for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan) Academy of Scholars. He also served as Chair of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee.

Dr. Rose is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the College of American Pathologists, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and is an Honorary Member of the American Society for Microbiology.

Dr. Rose holds degrees from Yale University (B.S.), University of Pennsylvania (A.M. and Ph.D.), and State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo (M.D.), where he was chosen as the Distinguished Medical Alumnus in 1994. He also holds two honorary doctorates: Doctor "Honoris Causa" in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Calgari, Italy; and Doctor "Honoris Causa" in Biological Science from the University of Sassari, Italy.

Mrs. Ladd was also instrumental in the formation of the International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO), which is a global group dedicated to advocacy for patient centered health care, and is a member of its board of governors. She is a member of the board of directors for the UN NGO Health Committee and is a past member of the board of directors of the National Health Council. She is the founder and facilitator for the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups (NCAPG), which includes 29 national autoimmune disease-specific organizations.

Mrs. Ladd serves on several committees of the National Institutes of Health, including the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee; the Public Interest Committee for the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood; the Public Interest Group for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and the Panel of Experts for the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan.

Mrs. Ladd was an invited speaker to the Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Republic of Indonesia. She also addressed the United Nations at a meeting organized by AARDA along with the Global Alliance for Women's Health (GAWH), entitled "Women and Autoimmune Diseases: Gender and Biological Perspective," featuring internationally known researchers as part of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

In honor of her many years of volunteer service, Mrs. Ladd was a 1995 Jefferson Award Honoree of the American Institute for Public Service with recognition at the national level.

Michelle Ouellet - Secretary

Ms. Ouellet serves on the AARDA Board of Directors in the office of Secretary. She has a BA with special honors in social research from The George Washington University, Washington DC, and is an inactive member of the Federal Bar.
She has volunteered with AARDA for more than fourteen years, not only as a Co-Founder and President of AARDA's Mid-Atlantic Affiliate, but also as an active participant in local resource development and educational events. Ms. Ouellet continues those assignments while carrying out AARDA responsibilities as Secretary.

A retired senior federal government director, Ms. Ouellet is currently with CACI International, in Arlington, Virginia.

Ms. Ouellet has a deep personal interest in promoting patient education and medical research supportive of the advancement of autoimmune disease treatment, and she brings strong management and leadership skills and experience to AARDA.

Robert Meyer, CPA - Treasurer

Mr. Meyer, a charter member of AARDA's Board of Directors and immediate past Chairman of the Board, currently serves as Treasurer of the Association. He also serves on AARDA's Corporate Advisory Committee and the National Resource Development Committee. 

Mr. Meyer is president of Fort Wayne Insurance Services, Inc., in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

T. Stephen Balch, M.D.

Dr. Balch has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association since 2003, and he has served on its Executive Committee since 2004.

Dr. Balch, a former chief medical resident at Emory University Hospital, is Medical Director of the Jacquelyn McClure Lupus Treatment Center, at The Center for Specialty Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2002, The Jacquelyn McClure Lupus Center expanded to become Patient School, whose goal is to provide medical information in a more meaningful fashion to media consultants of large medical organizations.

Dr. Balch has been interested in patient education for over 25 years. He served the Lupus Foundation of America as chairman of its education program for approximately ten years and as a member of its Board of Directors for six years. During that time, publications included a series on the effect of patient education on patient care that is still in use today. For two years, Dr. Balch held a position at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Centers. He was appointed to the Health Education Affinity Group of the National Health Council and served as its Chairman.

Over the past ten years, Dr. Balch's interests have gravitated to autoimmune disorders in general as a precursor to more specific autoimmune diseases. He continues to watch this focus as a fund raiser and developer of patient education material. Dr. Balch is Board Certified from the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is licensed to practice medicine in the state of Georgia.
 

Ms. Pandl, a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has spent most of her professional life in the restaurant business, working in the family restaurant/catering business and, finally, on the manufacturing side. She has now left the business to pursue a dream of writing a book.

Ms. Pandl's experience in the restaurant and catering business has provided her with a lifetime of education in fund raising, and she is an active community volunteer. She and a committee composed of many family members and friends (some of whom have firsthand experience with autoimmune diseases) have, over the past years, organized a very successful annual fund raiser that currently benefits AARDA's mission.

Commenting on her community work within the Greater Milwaukee area, Ms. Pandl says, "Autoimmune diseases impact so many of us--regardless of age, race, or gender. Research is the key to finding better care options and curing these diseases once and for all."

Ms. Pandl brings to her AARDA leadership role a dedication to reaching out to her community and beyond for autoimmune awareness, education, and research. She has a spirit of openness and honesty, a willingness to lead, a commitment to fund raising, a sense of humor, and the appreciation of a generous heart.

Robert H. Phillips, Ph.D.

Dr. Phillips, a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice since 1975, is founder and director of the Center for Coping, in Hicksville (Long Island), New York. This unique organization specializes in working with individuals and families who are looking to improve their ability to cope with medical illnesses, stress, family concerns, and other life problems.
Dr. Phillips has authored dozens of books on coping; and his work has been described in a number of magazines and newspapers, both national and local. He is an internationally known speaker, educator, writer, and community leader. He has presented more than 500 papers and talks at seminars, conventions, and meetings around the country and internationally. Dr. Phillips is the host of "Coping Conversations," a nationally available audio-streamed radio talk show, and is the editor of the Center for Coping's free monthly e-mail newsletter "E-Cope."

Dr. Phillips, a longtime member of AARDA's Scientific Advisory Board, has given generously of his time as a speaker at AARDA events. In addition to his volunteer work with AARDA, Dr. Phillips has served on the Board of Directors of the national Lupus Foundation of America as well as the Nassau (New York) Chapter of the American Heart Association.

A graduate of Fordham University, where he received his Ph.D., Dr. Phillips is affiliated with several major professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, New York State Psychological Association, and the Nassau County Psychological Association.

Dr. Phillips brings to the AARDA Board of Directors strengths in organizational development and enhancement as well as public awareness activities. In his expanded work with AARDA, he plans to continue his presentations at public forums and additional venues to help "deliver the message" and promote the mission of the organization. Dr. Phillips sees his role in AARDA as focusing on the liaison between the medical, research, and organizational components of AARDA's activities as well as consumer advocacy and coping needs.

Edward K. Christian-Advisor to the Board

James E. Zehnpfennig, Esq. - Advisor to the Board

Mr. Zehnpgennig, attorney at law, in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, serves as legal advisor to AARDA. He also designed AARDA's Web site and continues as Webmaster.