Board Bios:
* Diagnosed Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficient
+ Diagnosed family member
Jon Hagstrom *
Chair – New York
Jon Hagstrom spent over 20 years working in investment banking and management consulting. He was diagnosed as a ZZ Alpha in 2008, after noticing increasing shortness of breath. The course of his disease was quite aggressive, cutting his career short in his early 40s. He received a bilateral lung transplant at Duke University Medical Center in 2016.
Jon serves in a variety of roles for the Foundation, spanning all aspects of our mission. He has a keen interest in research and therapeutic development, serving as a patient representative on the Grant Advisory Committee, the Therapeutic Development Network Steering Committee, the Alpha-1 Research Registry Steering Committee, and the Alpha-1 Biomarker Consortium. He is passionate about patient support, serving as the Support Group Leader for NY/NJ, an Alpha-1 Global Advisory Committee member, and a Peer Guide for Alphas facing lung transplant. He is a fierce advocate for fellow Alphas, actively lobbying Congress for better care, championing patient interests to the FDA, and promoting early detection.
He has been a member of the Investment and Development Committees since 2019, elected Board Treasurer and Executive Committee member in 2021, and Board Chair in 2022.
Jon is an avid classical pianist and resides in Dobbs Ferry, New York, with his teenage son.
Fred Walsh *
Vice Chair – Massachusetts
Fred Walsh graduated with a BS in History from the University of New Hampshire and received a Master’s degree in Counseling at Suffolk University in Boston. Like his father, he started teaching and coaching at a local high school. After seven years, Fred joined a mid-sized construction company. Diagnosed in 1989 along with his twin brother John, Fred’s health forced him out of construction. In 1995, he began working for AlphaNet as Patient Services Coordinator and received his 20-year pin in 2017. Fred has been a leader and a member of a hard working Alpha-1 Support Group in Massachusetts. He helped build fundraising efforts through events like the Team Alpha-1 Escape to the Cape and The Celtic Connection. Fred received a double lung transplant in 2016 and with his new lungs, Fred looks forward to riding his bike once again. As a life time resident of Massachusetts, Fred resides in Duxbury with Pam, his better half for 36 years. Their two daughters work and live together in Brooklyn, with Fred’s grand dog Seamus.
Jeanine D’Armiento, MD, PhD
Immediate Past Chair – New York
Dr. D’Armiento is a Professor of Medicine in Anesthesiology at Columbia University in New York City. She is the Director of the Center for Molecular Pulmonary Disease in Anesthesiology and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, and Director of the Center for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and Rare Lung Disease. Her clinical center serves as atertiary referral center for the Northeast region and cares for patients with LAM and Alpha-1. Dr. D’Armiento’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of lung injury and repair. The foremost goal of her research program is to develop insight into lung physiology and pathology through understanding the fundamental mechanisms modulating lung injury and repair and translating these findings into practical clinical solutions. Dr. D’Armiento has been involved with the mentoring and training of young faculty. She has trained over 15 clinical and basic fellows most of which now hold academic and industry positions. In 2008, she completed a two-year appointment as the Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Faculty Development at Columbia University where she concentrated on professional development programs specific for women faculty. She currently serves on the Executive committee of the Columbia University senate and Chairs the Commission on the Status of Women at the University. She has served on the Executive Board of the Alpha-1 Foundation and previously served as Chair of the board of directors of the Foundation. She is also presently serving as a Consultant to the Director of the Office of Rare Disease, NCATs, National Institute of Health.