ALS Research Paper Review

Phil Green

Phil was diagnosed with ALS in August of 2018 at the age of 48. He is a graduate of the University of Washington where he was on the 1991 National Championship UW Football team. He has spent the past 25 years building a career in developing technology solutions for brands such as Sony, Hewlett Packard, and Home Depot. A loving husband to his wife Jennifer, Phil is also a dedicated father to four children (Arianne-18, Hunter-17, Parker-13, and Whitney-10). After his diagnosis, he immediately dedicated himself to making a difference in the fight against this horrific disease. Phil is active in helping multiple ALS organizations with promoting ALS legislation and policy issues, increasing awareness and raising funds to find effective treatments and cures, and providing much-needed support services for ALS patients and families.

Natalie Fernandez

Natalie has been active within the ALS community since 2011, when her mother, Martha Olson-Fernandez, was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS. She is currently a board member of the Martha Olson-Fernandez Foundation (MOFF), which is a 501 (c)(3) foundation that Martha started in 2012, shortly before she passed away. Today, MOFF funds ALS patient care on the Central Coast of CA and national ALS research projects. Natalie studied the economics of funding rare diseases while attending the MBA program at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. She is energized by the innovation that has emerged within the ALS scientific field over the last eight years and is looking forward to witnessing more initiatives that close the gap between the content within scientific laboratories and viable treatment options for people living with ALS. Natalie currently works as the associate project manager of clinical development at Viracta Therapeutics in San Diego, CA.

John Russo

John Russo has been active in the ALS community since his diagnosis in May 2013. He and his wife Loretta have been ALS advocates on a local level in their home state of New Jersey and on a national level in Washington D.C. John hasn’t missed an ALS Advocacy Conference in DC since 2014. John and Loretta have tirelessly lobbied for financial support for individuals living with ALS in New Jersey and have seen the impact of their efforts grow over the years. The state of New Jersey went from supporting ALS families with $0 a year in 2013, to $600,000 in 2020. John is a member of several ALS initiatives, including the clinical trials team at I AM ALS, the Focus Survey Patient and Caregiver Advisory Committee (PCAC) at the ALS Association, and the In-Home Care Committee at the ALSA Greater Philadelphia. He has served as a consumer advocate at the CDMRP ALS Research Program since 2016 and has had the privilege of attending two ALSA national steering committee meetings as well as one round table meeting.

Prior to his ALS diagnosis, John traversed the business development side of the dialysis industry for 26 years. First at Baxter, then DaVita, and later, in a consultant role.