Stanford Pulmonary Hypertension Program

The Stanford Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Program provides comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients with all forms of pulmonary hypertension. Fifteen years ago pulmonary hypertension was considered to be a uniformly progressive and fatal disease. While exciting new treatments have been developed since then, patients with pulmonary hypertension face a truly life-threatening illness. Care is therefore provided by a team of closely coordinated experts in pulmonary hypertension, including physicians, clinical nurse specialists, pharmacists, and social workers skilled in counseling patients facing life-threatening illness.

Outstanding Patient Care

Linking clinical research and state-of-the-art treatment, Stanford is internationally recognized for excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary disease. The first heart-lung transplant in the world was performed at Stanford in a patient with pulmonary hypertension. Since then, cardiologists and pulmonologists at Stanford have been at the forefront of new developments in the treatment of cardiopulmonary disease and in evaluating new pharmacologic agents which offer potentially promising therapeutic benefits.

Working in conjunction with the lung and heart-lung transplant program, clinical trials are being conducted, using agents that may function as a bridge to transplantation or as palliative therapy for patients with severe end-stage pulmonary hypertension who are not appropriate transplant candidates.

Patient Evaluation Process

A referral from a referring provider should be sent to the Stanford Health Care Referral Center.  The referral should specifically indicate that you are seeking a consultation with the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at the Stanford Chest Clinic.   Together with the  Stanford Health Care Referral Form, relevant past medical records, along with insurance information should be faxed to 650-320-9443.  Further information on other methods referring providers can send a referral can be found HERE.

After the initial consultation documentation will be sent to the referring physician to discuss findings and recommendations. At the request of the referring physician, patients with severe symptoms despite empiric therapy may be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Stanford. Treatment recommendations and follow-up care are developed through close collaboration with the referring physician.

Stanford Pulmonary Hypertension Program Multidisciplinary Team Members

  • Roham Zamanian, MD
    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
    Stanford University Medical Center
  • Juliana C. Liu, RN, MSN, ANP
    Nurse Practitioner
    Adult Pulmonary Hypertension Service at Stanford
    Juliana Liu received her MSN from the University of California, San Francisco, where she completed both her registered nursing and adult nurse practitioner training. She also has a bachelors of arts in Modern East Asian History from Pomona College in Claremont, California. Her primary duties at Stanford involve management of PH patients, physician, nursing and patient education, and serving as a liaison between various interdisciplinary teams caring for PH patients at Stanford as well as in the local community.
  • Allyson Rupp, MSW, ACSW
    Social Worker
    Vera Moulton Wall Center at Stanford
    Allyson Rupp earned her MSW from the University of California, Berkeley and joined the Vera Moulton Wall Center and pulmonary transplant programs at Stanford Hospital in 2003. Her focus is on assisting adult PH patients and their families through illness adjustment, coping, and critical decisions around quality of life. She facilitates the PH support group on a monthly basis, providing care, education, and encouragement. She has presented at national and international conferences on topics including adjusting to chronic illness and manging post-transplant issues.

 For more information about PH therapies please contact: Vera Moulton Wall Center Patient Care Overview.

The Stanford Pulmonary Hypertension Program Provides:

Consultation with referring physicians

Treatment alternatives

Individualized medical therapy

Risk Assessment

Access to the most current drug therapies

Access to the clinical trials of investigational drugs

Surgical interventions: lung and heart-lung transplantation, thromboembolectomy

Consultation and coordination with other Stanford specialists