Transforming Health Care through Innovative and Impactful Research

Cathy Krinsky has been actively involved in the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) community since 1994, when her then fourteen-year-old daughter Lauren was diagnosed with TSC. Now at the age of 36 and working as a paralegal, Lauren is considered to be on the healthy end of the spectrum. In order to help those families who are less fortunate than the Krinsky family, Cathy works with and supports the TS Alliance, with the hope that someday, a cure for TSC can be found.

Cathy has chaired, served, and/or participated on many boards and committees within the TS Alliance, including committees on Government Relations and Strategic Planning. Every year since the TS Alliance initiated its "March on the Hill," Cathy has gone to Congress to advocate for research dollars for the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP).

She states that she felt "honored to represent the community of people affected by tuberous sclerosis complex for the TSCRP in 2014" by serving as a Consumer Peer Reviewer for TSCRP. With more than twenty years of advocacy, she represents the broad TSC community with a clear commitment to improve the lives of those affected by TSC. Of her experience as a Consumer Peer Reviewer for TSCRP, Cathy states that "the panel presentations and discussions were illuminating" and she was "in awe of the commitment of the scientific community to understanding the pathogenesis and manifestations of TSC."

This was Cathy's first experience on a peer review scientific committee for TSCRP; however, she has previously evaluated research grants awarded by the TS Alliance. She noted that there is one common issue across both organizations: too many great proposals and not enough money to fund them. Through her many community service activities, both scientific and non-scientific, Cathy has learned to appreciate the challenge of making choices among very (and equally) qualified applicants. She has also strengthened her ability to listen to the opinions and appreciate the experience, knowledge and thought processes of others in her panel or group. She looks forward to another opportunity to participate in the TSCRP.

Cathy continues to stay current on scientific advances and achievements in the TSC field while also finding time to stay involved with her local community of Laguna Beach, California, and the community of Jackson, Wyoming, where she spends her summers fishing.