May 26, 2021
Contact: Stephanie Alband
442-615-9221
stephanie@pheopara.org
Pheo Para Alliance, a patient advocacy organization dedicated to supporting those with pheochromocytoma (pheo) and paraganglioma (para), a rare neuroendocrine tumor, has designated Penn Medicine a Center of Excellence. The Center of Excellence Program recognizes institutions worldwide for providing cutting-edge, quality, multi-disciplinary care and participating in pheo and para and related research.
The illness is often called “the great mimic” because symptoms are common among countless other illnesses. Patients often live with debilitating symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis. Determining a diagnosis and receiving proper clinical care requires an experienced, multi-disciplinary team, such as the team at Penn Medicine, who currently treats over 200 patients with pheo or para and related genetic mutations.
Under the Penn Medicine Neuroendocrine Tumor Center led by Debbie Cohen, MD, a professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Daniel Pryma, MD, a professor of Radiology at Penn, a team of experts across a variety of clinical departments have developed an interdisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of patients with these rare disorders.
Eli Soto, Chair of the Board of Directors and patient, states, “Pheo Para Alliance is honored to provide a Center of Excellence designation to Penn Medicine. Pheo para patients often feel isolated and lost, and Penn serves as a beacon of light for patients seeking quality treatment and hope from a highly experienced team.”