The Stanford Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Program is one of only seven programs nationwide to have been accredited as a comprehensive care center by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

"We're very excited to be one of the first centers in the country to get this accreditation," said Juliana Liu, a nurse practitioner in the Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease. "It's really a recognition for the work we've been trying to do for many years."

Pulmonary hypertension, high blood pressure in the arteries and capillaries of the lungs, can lead to right-heart failure. Its causes may include genetic, environmental and immunological factors. Stanford earned the accreditation by demonstrating its ability to care for a broad spectrum of patients, Liu said. The center also conducts research. "The reviewers said Stanford is the model that programs across the country should emulate," she said.