Founded in 2017, the DCM Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide hope and support to patients and families with Dilated Cardiomyopathy through research, advocacy, and education.
Kathy Crispell, MD, President
Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Specialist
Kathy Crispell, MD was a Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant specialist at the Portland VA Medical Center and a faculty member at Oregon Health and Science University. She did her Cardiovascular training and Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant training at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). During that time she participated in research studying DCM in families. Dr. Hershberger was her mentor. She remained at OHSU until 2003 when she was recruited by Northwest Kaiser Permanente (KPNW). While there she was the Chief of Cardiology, Director of Cardiovascular Services and Chief Medical Officer. During her time in these roles, Dr. Crispell started an Advanced Heart Failure Program and a Cardiac Mechanical Assist Program.
Dr. Crispell retired from KPNW in 2015 but has continued to work part-time at the Portland VA Medical Center and most recently back at OHSU as an Adjunct Associate Professor doing part-time work caring for patients with Advanced Heart Failure and after transplant. She has also done volunteer Global Health work in Myanmar and Ethiopia since 2015. She was voted DCM Foundation Board President in February 2024.
Greg Ruf, Founder and Executive Director
In 2014, Greg was diagnosed with DCM and required an ICD. Through genetic testing, it was revealed he had three mutations responsible for his DCM. A number of his relatives carry genetic mutations that can cause DCM.
Greg retired from his work as a business entrepreneur and in 2017 he launched the DCM Foundation to bring education, hope, and resources to DCM patients and their family members. Greg’s hope is that by raising awareness and supporting DCM research, a means will be found to halt, reverse or even completely prevent DCM from developing in at-risk individuals.
After a period of worsening heart failure, on July 15, 2021, Greg had a successful heart transplant. Greg lives in Dublin, Ohio with his wife Brenda of over 35 years, and together they have three grown children and many wonderful grandchildren.
Gregory Hershberger, Treasurer
Operations and Policy Expert
Gregory Hershberger retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in October 2004 as Regional Director for the North Central Region, located in Kansas City, after 26 years of service. As Regional Director, he oversaw the operation of 18 Bureau of Prisons facilities, and a network of community corrections assets located throughout 12 mid-western states. This responsibility included an annual budget of $578 million, a staff complement of approximately 6,700 employees, and the safe and secure housing for over 20,000 inmates. As a member of the Director’s Executive Staff, Mr. Hershberger assumed a major role in the development and approval of national policy and procedures for the agency.
Mr. Hershberger earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Master’s Degree from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. He and his wife Catherine have been married for 49 years, and following his retirement moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Hershberger served on the Board of Directors of Christian Heritage, a ministry for children and families for several years after returning to Lincoln. He currently serves as a volunteer with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry and Habitat for Humanity. Gregory and Catherine are active members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln.
Mr. Hershberger was diagnosed with DCM in early 2017, which necessitated the implantation of an ICD-Pacemaker. Even though his brother Ray Hershberger, MD specializes in DCM research, he knew very little about DCM prior to his diagnosis. His prior lack of understanding of the condition moved him to assist the Dilated Cardiomyopathy Foundation to demystify the origins and treatment of the disease for others experiencing the same disorder.
Rebecca M. Graciano
Becky joined the DCM Foundation board in the spring of 2023 after recently learning she has dilated cardiomyopathy caused by the BAG3 genetic mutation. Her interest and passion in genetic cardiomyopathy have motivated her to join the DCMF to help support and oversee the Foundation’s mission of providing hope, research, and advocacy to DCM patients and their families.
A medical physicist by training, Becky holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee. She holds numerous honors and certifications in her field and is currently employed as Senior Medical Physicist for the John Muir Medical Center in California.
Becky and her husband live in California with their two children and are involved in a number of charitable activities.
Neal K. Lakdawala, MD, MSc, FAHA
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, Fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Cardiovascular Division
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Boston, MA
Neal K Lakdawala, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiovascular genetics specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr Lakdawala completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, a clinical and research fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a master’s degree in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. His research fellowship focused on identifying Mendelian causes of dilated cardiomyopathy and studying the early contractile phenotypes of sarcomere mutations. His recent research has focused on defining the natural history of genetic cardiomyopathies and the conduct of clinical trials in this rapidly evolving space. His clinical expertise includes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, cardiac sarcoidosis, congestive heart failure, and heart transplantation.
Ana Morales, MS, CGC
Ana Morales is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genomic Health at Geisinger, a board-certified genetic counselor with over 20 years of experience, and a Translational Health Sciences PhD candidate at George Washington University. She is committed to advancing cardiovascular genomics through service, research, and education.
Ana currently serves as Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded IMPACT-FH study, which applies implementation science to promote cascade genetic testing for familial hypercholesterolemia in primary care. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Clinical Science Working Group of the NIH Genomics-enabled Learning Health System Network, where she advances implementation science for the genetic evaluation of cardiomyopathy.
Ana has co-authored national guidelines for the genetic evaluation of cardiomyopathy and has published in peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from genetic testing to variant interpretation and genetic counseling. Her work has contributed to publications in leading journals including Circulation, Genetics in Medicine, and JAMA Cardiology. Ana is also an experienced educator, having served as Course Director for the Cardiovascular Genetics course at The Ohio State University and currently serving as Co-Director of the Research Course for the Geisinger Genetic Counseling Program.
