Tag: Lupus Foundation of America

What is Lupus?

With almost two decades of experience in the banking industry, Vince Liuzzi currently serves as the executive vice president and chief banking officer of DNB First. A community leader, Vincent has been named Man of the Year by Shelter for the Homeless, and has placed on the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list. Vince Liuzzi was also a member of the Lupus Foundation of America’s board of directors.

Established in 1977, the Lupus Foundation of America is the largest organization dedicated to fighting the autoimmune disease, with more than 300 chapters across the country. Because its symptoms often resemble those of other diseases, and can range from fatigue and fever to chest pain and dry eyes, lupus can be difficult to diagnose. Lupus is characterized by the body’s immune system attacking part of itself. Commonly afflicted areas include the brain, heart, skin, joints, and blood cells, among others. No two cases of lupus are the same, as symptoms can come and go for years, and its most distinctive symptom — a facial rash that looks like open butterfly wings — is not always present.

Although there is no cure for lupus, there are treatment options, depending on symptoms. Most involve a series of medications to treat the range of symptoms as they occur or preventively.

The Lupus Foundation of America Supports Student Research

An experienced banking professional, Vince Liuzzi currently serves as an executive vice president and the chief banking officer at DNB First in Philadelphia. Outside of his professional pursuits, Vince Liuzzi supports the work of a number of charities and nonprofits, including the Lupus Foundation of America, an organization that seeks to improve the lives of individuals with lupus through research, education, and advocacy programs and activities.

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance the scientific understanding of lupus, the Lupus Foundation of America operates the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program for individuals interested in pursuing careers in biomedical research. The program provides financial support to several students each year and connects them with established principal investigators, who assist them in conducting research projects on lupus.

Established in 1984, the Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program has provided grants to nearly 200 promising young students over the last 30 years and has helped inspire a new generation of researchers. A number of program participants have published their work in peer-reviewed journals, and several have gone on to earn advanced degrees and become medical practitioners or academic researchers.