2012 Patient Conference Presentations

The following presentations were given at the 2012 National Eczema Association Patient Conference in Atlanta.

Lisa Choy, NEA Board of Directors

Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD Children's Hospital Boston

T.J. Berryman, Eczema: A Teen's Perspective

Stephanie Knox, NEA National Itching for a Cure Chair

Peter Lio, MD, NEA Scientific Advisory Committee

Neal Jain, MD, NEA Board of Directors

Mary Spraker, MD, NEA Scientific Advisory Committee

Lisa Choy

As Lisa describes it, eczema may not be a life threatening disease, but it is a life altering one. Lisa shares her experience living as an adult with eczema, and her commitment to the National Eczema Association. For Lisa, living with eczema means thinking twice before doing anything.

Lisa was elected to the NEA Board of Directors in 2010, after serving two years as a volunteer in the NEA office. Previously she had a busy 25-year career in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Recently, Lisa has been contributing her considerable organizational and personal skills toward various projects in her community.

Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD

Dr. LeBovidge on eczema coping strategies. Whether you are an adult with eczema, or caregiver to a young child, you’ll find excellent ideas and tips to help manage this condition. Dr. LeBovidge is a psychologist at Children’s Hospital Boston and a Clinical Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, specializing in pediatric psychology. Dr. LeBovidge provides psychological consultation and support to children with eczema and food allergies, and to their families. She has facilitated groups for young children and teens with eczema in collaboration with the National Eczema Association Boston Support Group. Her research interests include interdisciplinary approaches to managing eczema, as well as the effectiveness of group interventions for children with food allergy.  

T.J. Berryman

T.J. Berryman presents "E.T.: Eczema as a Teen," a discussion of the struggles of dealing with eczema as a teenager. He created a short film about the same topic for his Eagle Scout Project, for the benefit of other teens with eczema. His film is available on the NEA website and the Northwestern Eczema Care and Education Center website. T.J. attended his first NEA conference in 2010 and is very excited to return as a presenter and Kid's Camp Counselor. He just graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois and will be attending college in the fall.

Stephanie Knox, NEA National Itching for a Cure Chair

Stephanie is itching for a cure – a cure for eczema! Stephanie will share her family’s journey with eczema: growing up with her twin sister Daphne, an eczema patient, and parenting her daughter, Paige, who has severe eczema.

In the summer of 2010, Stephanie and her family attended the NEA Patient Conference in Chicago. Paige met other kids like her in the NEA Kids Camp. Stephanie and her husband Scot talked with adults who live the life of eczema and with other parents of eczema patients. After the conference, Stephanie wanted to channel her “eczema energy” into something productive. She contacted NEA to learn if a fundraising walk for eczema existed. Stephanie jumped into action, and the NEA Itching for a Cure 5K Walk was born.

Stephanie Knox lives in Weaverville, NC with her husband Scot, son Patrick and daughter Paige. Stephanie is the National Chair for the National Eczema Association Itching for a Cure Walk. Learn more and get involved here: www.itchingforacure.org. She has been teaching for 20 years and enjoys living in the mountains of western North Carolina.  

Peter Lio, MD, NEA Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr. Lio on eczema treatments, including anti-inflammatory therapy and handling infections. New insights into the use of commonly used medications and others to combat inflammation will be discussed.

Peter Lio is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and the director of the Northwestern University Eczema Care and Education Center. His clinical practice is at Dermatology & Aesthetics of Wicker Park, in Chicago.

Dr. Lio attended Harvard Medical School, completed his internship in pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston, and his Dermatology Residency at Harvard. He served on faculty at Beth Israel Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston for 3 years where he won the resident teaching award, then moved to Chicago to join Northwestern, where he has also won the resident teaching award.

He serves as a section editor for the Archives of Disease in Childhood and has recently completed the 2nd edition of the textbook - Color Atlas and Synopsis of Pediatric Dermatology - with several colleagues. His special interests are atopic dermatitis and alternative medicine and he has publications and several active projects in these areas. Dr. Lio was appointed to the National Eczema Association Scientific Advisory Committee in 2011.

Neal Jain, MD, NEA Board of Directors

Dr. Neal Jain on the role of allergy in atopic dermatitis. Dr. Jain covers how both food and environmental allergies can contribute to the inflammatory changes associated with atopic dermatitis

Dr. Jain is a Pediatric Allergist with a special interest in atopic dermatitis and food allergy. He trained under Drs. Mark Boguniewicz and Donald Leung at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado and received a faculty appointment at The University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics where he spent time teaching medical students, residents and allergy fellows. Today he is in private practice in Gilbert, AZ. Dr. Jain was elected to the National Eczema Association Board of Directors in 2011.

Mary Spraker, MD, NEA Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr. Spraker is a nationally and internationally recognized pediatric dermatologist. She grew up in Wisconsin and received her B.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She completed a pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati and a dermatology residency at the University of Oregon in Portland. She is currently an Associate Professor of Dermatology & Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and Chief of Dermatology at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston. She is a past president of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology and has held many leadership positions within the American Academy of Dermatology. She is a frequent lecturer and best known for her interests in the subjects of diaper dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and medical student education.