LRF Founder, Wendy Chaite, introduces new Executive Director, Jacqueline Reinhard, to organization's East Hills headquarters. Long Island-based Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF) has announced the appointment of Jacqueline Reinhard as its first-ever Executive Director. Ms. Reinhard of Garden City formerly served as Executive Director of The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter.

In a statement issued today, LRF Founder and President, Wendy Chaite, Esq., referred to the appointment as a pivotal point in the ten-year-old organization's history. "Jacqueline Reinhard is a seasoned non-profit executive with the experience and skills needed to bring LRF to the next level. We are thrilled to have her join the LRF team," said Ms. Chaite.

The Lymphatic Research Foundation is the only patient advocacy organization whose primary mission is to advance scientific research targeting the lymphatic system and to find improved treatments and cures for the broad spectrum of lymphatic diseases. Lymphatic diseases and disorders are estimated to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. While some lymphatic diseases are congenital, others such as lymphedema represent the aftermath of injury or illness. Inherited diseases of the lymphatic system are less common, but are often life-threatening or life-limiting. Malformation of lymphatic vessels can disrupt function of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, and other vital organs.

Ms. Reinhard has a twenty-five year career history spanning the for-profit and non-profit sectors. As Executive Director with The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter Ms. Reinhard contributed to the organization's programmatic and financial growth and was effective in streamlining administrative systems for greater efficiency. Prior to her term at The ALS Association, Ms. Reinhard held executive leadership positions with The College Board and NatWest Bank. She is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and holds a masters degree from the University of Illinois.

"I am excited to be joining the excellent team already in place at LRF, said Ms. Reinhard. "The accomplishments of the organization's first ten years are truly remarkable. I look forward to working with the Foundation's generous supporters, dedicated research scientists, and, of course, the patient community in the urgent search for improved treatments and cures for lymphatic diseases."

Wendy Chaite, the Roslyn, NY resident who founded LRF after her child was born with systemic lymphatic disease, continues with the organization and will take the lead in expanding LRF's scientific/medical outreach programs and advocacy efforts. "This is an important and critical time . . . not only for LRF's history, but for the expansion of knowledge in the scientific and medical communities now focused on the role of lymphatics in human health and disease," said Chaite. "The excitement among researchers in the field is palpable; and the convergence of new discoveries is bringing hope to many families like mine who are living with the sometimes devastating effects of lymphatic disease."

Established in 1998, the Lymphatic Research Foundation has been instrumental in transforming lymphatic research into what is now considered a critical new field of scientific/medical investigation. The Foundation's advocacy programs have been effective in gaining Congressional and National Institutes of Health support and in elevating lymphatic diseases from relative obscurity to a position on par with other national health priorities. LRF's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program and other scholarship and awards programs support young research scientists pursuing cutting-edge work in lymphatics at leading academic research laboratories. LRF was instrumental in establishing a semi annual scientific conference and a scientific journal in lymphatics; and, most recently, in funding the first-ever endowed academic Chair in Lymphatic Research and Medicine (Stanford University Medical School, 2008). The Foundation is currently working with The Feinstein Institute of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System to develop a National Lymphatic Disease Patient Registry and Tissue Bank.

Additional information regarding the Lymphatic Research Foundation and lymphatic diseases can be found on the organization's website: www.lymphaticresearch.org