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Amanda Proctor, BS-RRTFounder
President & CEO Medical Advisory, Scientific, & Review Board- Research Committee Amanda Proctor founded Cauda Equina Foundation after seeking answers and peer support for her diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome (CES), a rare neurological chronic illness caused by damage to the cauda equina. Quickly realizing there was a lack of patient support, and education and after a lengthy frustrating search, she realized there was a clear and evident need for research, education, patient support, and advocacy in the field of CES. Read more...
Prior to being diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome in 2012, Amanda practiced as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in adult and pediatric critical care and emergency medicine as well as cardiopulmonary research. Amanda has a deep understanding of the healthcare system, disease management and prevention, disease research, patient and provider education, and patient advocacy. She received her Respiratory Care Degree at Valencia College, her degree in Cardiopulmonary Science from The University of Central Florida, and she went on to study Nonprofit Management and Public Administration at The University of Central Florida. As President & Chief Executive Officer of Cauda Equina Foundation, she is responsible for sharing her vision for the foundation and the future of the field of cauda equina syndrome with the governing boards, developing and implementing a strategic plan, fostering pioneers in the study of CES, ensuring the fiscal accountability, sourcing and securing infrastructure and resources, expanding the capacity of the foundation to serve its mission, and remaining mission & vision focused to ensure the success of the organization and its mission to improve the quality of life and care for individuals living with cauda equina syndrome and associated disorders for generations to come, to one day eradicate the devastating neurological effects of cauda equina syndrome and associated disorders. |
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Karen MarshallSecretary, Chief Operations Officer
Karen has been volunteering with the Cauda Equina Foundation since 2018 and has an educational and professional background in location analytics, demographics analysis, and marketing. She enjoys reading, spending time outside, doing puzzles, going to the movies, traveling, and trying new restaurants. Read more...
Interesting Fact: Karen has been to over 30 airports - 12 international and she lost track at 19 in Canada. Favourite places are Scotland, Italy, Taiwan, and the East and West coasts in Canada for the oceans and mountains. |
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DR. DAN KRICHBAUM,PHARM D
Medical Researcher
Retired from Pfizer, Inc. where he served most recently as a Senior Director, Team Leader, on the Field Medical Director Group for the Inflammation & Immunology Team, North American Medical Affairs. He is also a Principal Investigator at the Cauda Equina Foundation, Inc. and a member of the Medical Advisory and Review Board. Read more...
Dan Krichbaum, PharmD was a Senior Director, Team Leader for the Inflammation & Immunology Field Medical Director (FMD) Team. In this role he led the 20 colleague Field Medical team activities in support of in-line medicines for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and oversaw the teams medical communications for the Pfizer pipeline medicines. Dan has 21 years of pharmaceutical experience in medical affairs and has held several different roles in various therapeutic areas over that time. Dr. Krichbaum earned his BS in 1984 and Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1986 – both from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy. He specialized in cardiovascular drug therapy and worked 13 years as a clinician, researcher and educator in teaching hospitals with an academic appointment at the University of Illinois before joining Pfizer in 1999. His experiences prior to industry include serving as an IRB Chairman at an academic medical center and as Director of Research at a Site Management Organization. He served as a Principal Investigator on 12 clinical trials and as sub-investigator on over 80 trials. He was Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties in 1994. He has held membership in a number of medicine and clinical pharmacy organizations and has over 20 scientific publications. CES Story My cauda equina syndrome was diagnosed at my first visit to a University Hospital in September 2018 in Chicago. I was hospitalized 2 weeks later and diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. We still don’t know exactly what the caused the CES although it is most likely a paraneolastic response to the lymphoma. I went through six cycles of chemo including high dose methotrexate and came out completely deconditioned. As I worked on my conditioning in the summer of 2019 I was getting stronger and walking independently by the Fall. However, my health took a turn for the worse in the beginning of 2020 with decreasing control of my lower extremities, more balance problems and progressive numbness and pain in my lower extremities. I was also experiencing increased saddle pain to the point where sitting became intolerable. So my doctors decided I had an underlying autoimmune disorder and started me on IVIG and Rituxan. The pain continued to progress and I was offered a spinal cord stimulator in March of 2021. Foundation Involvement The way I got involved with the foundation was also through a simple Google search. At the time there wasn’t much information at the level of detail I was looking for. So I had a discussion with Amanda who I quickly realized there was a potential win-win opportunity for both of us. She invited me to join the medical advisory board. Fun Facts and Hobbies As far as fun, I love to hang out with my wife and adult children, play golf and take vacations. I come from a family of seven and I have been to every state in the US (except 3) at least once. And I have been working from home for the last 21 years. |
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Michael PeckDirector
Michael is a serial tech entrepreneur who has successfully started and sold numerous companies specializing in information technology consulting, technical staffing, real estate fintech and currently primary care telemedicine. Following his 2020 cauda equina syndrome diagnosis, Michael has been dedicated to increasing awareness of this condition, especially to medical personnel. He looks forward to working with the foundation to further awareness and advocate for post diagnosis care for people who experience CES. Michael also serves on the board of directors for the Reda Educational Foundation. |
Are you passionate about patient advocacy? Do you have the passion and dedication it takes to serve on a charitable nonprofit board of directors? Do you have the skills necessary to bring value to the organization? Cauda Equina Foundation is an equal opportunity organization, we encourage everyone that qualifies to apply. We especially encourage persons of color, persons from the LGBTIQ+ community, and those from other diverse communities to apply. Along with filling out the application, please email your resume and/or CV, and references to [email protected].