How we strive to empower, educate and collaborate throughout the world and across the web.
In its quest to spread the message about early detection and aggressive treatment for CVD, the Foundation has established two web portals, BiomarkerBliki.org and LecturePad.org.
BiomarkerBliki.org is a dynamic online resource for the most current and authoritative biomarker research available—a living encyclopedia that will be continually updated to reflect the latest thinking from the best minds in the industry. Part blog, part wiki, Biomarker Bliki will offer chapters on individual biomarkers (triglycerides, red blood cell fatty acids, etc.) authored by some of the most respected experts in their fields. Written on a peer-to-peer level for physicians, laboratorians and other healthcare professionals, the articles will be enriched with videos, illustrations and photographs to bring the topics to life. Each will be divided into sections including Analytical Approaches, Clinical Interpretations, Treatment Considerations, and References.
The Foundation for Health Improvement and Technology’s education web portal, LecturePad™, intends to be the leading destination for continuous professional development for clinicians who are seeking to improve day-to-day clinical practice and earn continuing medical education credit. Unique to other web portals, LecturePad provides practical clinical application of advanced lab testing to help users learn how to interpret and evaluate patients using real case studies from our extensive database. Whether via computer or mobile device, the registered user will have full access to LecturePad’s comprehensive and interactive educational resources.
TARA DALL, MD
Tara Dall, MD graduated in the first class of Diplomates of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology; her clinic has been nationally recognized as the first fully certified Level II lipid clinic in the United States. She is also one of a handful of United States physicians treating pediatric dyslipidemia. She attended University of Wisconsin-Madison for undergraduate, medical school training, and family medicine residency.
Entering private practice in 2001, she formed the Cholesterol & Lifestyle Center in 2006 with the goal of aggressive detection and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In 2008 she formed Advanced Lipidology, Early Detection Center for Heart Disease and Diabetes. She has a special interest in advanced lipid testing and CIMT technology, women’s heart disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome and pediatric obesity. A published author in the field of lipidology, she is also involved in CIMT research in collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine for the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Because of her passion and expertise, Dr. Dall has been asked to lecture in every venue from hospital and medical school grand rounds to large-scale community events. She also has appeared on CNN Radio, Milwaukee’s FOX News, WISN-TV, WTMJ-TV, Reach MD Satellite Radio, RadioHealth Journal and has been a keynote speaker for the American Heart Association GO RED for women community events.
Dr. Dall is an elected Executive Board member of the Midwest Lipid Association. Hobbies include competitive ballroom dancing and photography.
THOMAS DAYSPRING, MD, FACP, FNLA, NCMP
Dr. Thomas Dayspring is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Clinical Lipidology. He is also a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians (FACP), and a Fellow of the National Lipid Association (FNLA). He is also a certified menopause practitioner by the North American Menopause Society. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School and is on the staff (Department of Medicine) at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson and Wayne, NJ. His private medical practice of 36 years is currently limited to consulting men and women patients with complex lipid disorders and or atherosclerotic heart disease.
He is a member of the American Heart Association Council on Atherosclerosis and several other organizations. He is listed in the Guide to America’s Top Physicians and is a faculty member of the Master’s of Lipidology Course offered by the NLA and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. He was awarded the first NLA's prestigious President's Service Award in 2011.He is a high level consultant with industry involved with lipid/lipoprotein testing and modulating drugs.
He is one of the most requested speakers in the United States with expertise on atherothrombosis, lipoprotein and vascular biology, advanced lipoprotein testing, and the CV effects of estrogen and selective estrogen receptor modulation. Dr. Dayspring has given over 4000 lectures in all 50 states, including over 500 CME programs at hospital and medical school grand rounds, and participated as faculty in multiple other educational venues such as teleconferences and web casts during the last eleven years.
He is the author of a chapter on phytosterols and cholesterol synthesis, absorption and excretion in the 2008 textbook, Therapeutic Lipidology as well as several peer-reviewed articles, CME publications and other book chapters relating to lipids and lipoproteins including their pharmacologic modulation and their relationship to gender, estrogen and raloxifene. He also authors “Lipidaholics Anonymous” a biweekly newsletter received by several thousand healthcare professionals. He is a Power Point expert and has created multiple animated slides, including CME CDs, relating to all aspects of lipidology and atherosclerosis.
RUSS WARNICK, MS, MBA
G. Russell Warnick, MS, MBA, trained as a biochemist, in 1973 joined the Northwest Lipid Research Clinic (LRC) of the University of Washington, Seattle, where he became Director of the Lipoprotein Core Laboratory. This laboratory provided specialty analysis for university research programs and clinical trials and contract analyses and technical support for most of the major pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies as well as many of the startup companies developing new assay technologies.
Mr. Warnick was also active in improving reliability of cholesterol and related lipoprotein measurements, serving on American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) committees and the National Cholesterol Education Program expert laboratory panels. He was one of the founders of the Lipoproteins and Vascular Diseases Division of the AACC and since 1990, has served as Editor of The Fats of Life, the Division Newsletter. He is also co-Editor of the Handbook of Lipoprotein Testing and of chapters on lipid/lipoproteins in various clinical chemistry handbooks and textbooks. He has authored well over 200 publications, primarily in the lipid and osteoporosis fields.
Previously, Mr. Warnick also served in the US Army Medical Service Corps, assisting in standardizing related assays throughout the military and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. In 1990, Mr. Warnick founded and served as President of Pacific Biometrics, Inc., a specialty service laboratory supporting pharmaceutical and diagnostic clinical trials, and of Pacific Biometrics Research Foundation, which provided standardization programs for lipids and lipoproteins. From 2005 to 2009 Mr. Warnick was at Berkeley HeartLab, which provided advanced testing of CVD biomarkers in management of patients with cardiovascular disease, first as VP for Laboratory Operations and later as Chief Scientific Officer. Subsequently, he co-founded Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. where he continues as Chief Science Officer and organized the Foundation for Health Improvement and Technology, serving as Executive Director.
He is recognized as an authority on diagnostics for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases and continues his career long effort to promote improvements in the laboratory measurement technologies and encourage effective management of cardiovascular diseases throughout the world.
JOE MCCONNELL
Dr. McConnell is currently the Laboratory Director, Chief Medical Officer, and Co-founder of Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) Inc., in Richmond Virginia. Health Diagnostic Laboratory is a national clinical reference laboratory committed to personalized disease management with focus on identifying and reversing the health risks associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease.
Until November of 2009, Dr. McConnell was an assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Mayo Clinic. In that role he served for 12 years as the Director of Cardiovascular Laboratory Medicine, and was the Chair of the Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Program at Mayo. He also held a joint appointment in the Cardiovascular Diseases Section of the Division of Internal Medicine. Dr. McConnell graduated high school Magna Cum Laude, received his Bachelors degree in Biology (with honors) from the University of Michigan in 1987, and completed Medical Technology training and certification (MT: ASCP) in 1988. Dr. McConnell received his M.S. degree in Chemistry and Ph.D. degree in Clinical Chemistry from Cleveland State University in 1990 and 1993 respectively. Dr. McConnell participated in the Clinical Chemistry Postdoctoral Training Program at Mayo Clinic from 1993 to 1995 and upon completion joined the faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine, where he served as associate director of the Special Coagulation Laboratory at Indiana University Medical Center. He was recruited back to the Mayo Clinic in 1998 to serve as Director of Cardiovascular Laboratory Medicine. He was on the faculty of the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine until November of 2009 when he left Mayo to establish Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. in Richmond Virginia.
Dr. McConnell has been active in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), participating as Chair of the Lipoproteins and Vascular Diseases Division in 2006 and 2007 and as past chair in 2008 and 2009. He has been a delegate to the Midwest section for 4 years and served as the Chair for the AACC House of Delegates in 2009. He has also participated as a member of several other AACC committees.
Dr. McConnell’s primary research interest is in the field of atherosclerosis, specifically the use of novel risk factors to identify individuals at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease and events, with a focus on prevention. Dr. McConnell has co-authored more than 80 manuscripts in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Bajet Nour
Dr. Nour attended medical school at the University of Bordeaux and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in surgical research at the University of Sorbonne before moving to the U.S. He completed dual residency in surgery and family practice. Dr. Nour also holds a Master Degree in Physics, a Bachelor Degree in Biology.
In addition to his 14 years experience in General Surgery, Dr. Nour has been intimately involved in medical education and technology since 1999. His medical education experience has been focused on using the latest in innovative technology and delivery systems, which include Gross Anatomy Online, Online Anatomy Physiology for Medical Students, Online Anatomy and Physiology for Nursing, Online Biochemistry, and Online Physics, to name a few.
Dr. Nour has also helped with the launch of several WHO accredited medical schools in the Philippines, Bangladesh and Dubai, that utilize the latest in e-learning platforms and delivery mechanisms, which he has been an integral part in developing.