The winner of this item will have the unique opportunity to speak directly with Dr. Connie Lee, Founding President of Angioma Alliance, and Dr. Amy Akers, Chief Scientific Officer, in a 45-minute Skype video discussion about all things related to cavernous angiomas and Angioma Alliance. These women will bring their combined 20+ years of experience with cavernous angioma advocacy and research to the conversation.

Connie Lee, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and mother to 14-year-old Julia who had her first of four cavernous angioma brain surgeries as a 4-month-old. Dr. Lee founded Angioma Alliance in 2002 to provide a venue for patient education and support and to organize the patient community to advance research for better treatments. Under her leadership, Angioma Alliance has become the premier patient advocacy organization for those with cerebral cavernous angiomas, fulfilling its mission to inform, support, and empower individuals affected by cavernous angioma and drive research for a cure.

Amy Akers, PhD, joined Angioma Alliance as Chief Scientific Officer in 2009.  Prior to that, Dr. Akers began her cavernous angioma research career at Duke University where she worked in the lab of distinguished geneticist, Dr. Doug Marchuk, Ph.D.  While in Dr. Marchuk’s lab, Dr. Akers focused on developing mouse models for cavernous angioma and on investigating the molecular nature of human brain lesion development.  Her genetic studies succeeded in providing evidence that two genetic ‘hits’ are necessary for the genesis of familial cavernous angioma lesions. As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Akers is committed to facilitating cavernous angioma research by efficiently and effectively leveraging the resources of Angioma Alliance to drive research for a cure.

Bid on this item or forego the wait and buy this unique auction item with the ‘Buy It Now’ feature. Use the time for a one-on-one discussion or make it a combined bid with up to three families for a group Skype conversation.