Two RWJUH medical professionals invited to New Jersey Rare Disease Advisory Council

Sabahat Bokhari, the director of Advanced Cardiac Imaging at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), and Jessica Lise, a pediatric clinical pharmacist at RWJUH and a Rutgers alum, were recently inducted to the New Jersey Rare Disease Advisory Council by Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), according to a press release.

The Advisory Council serves the New Jersey State Legislature, among other statewide governing bodies, regarding government action on the identification and treatment of rare diseases, as defined by the Legislature's Bill SJR104.

Bokhari specializes in amyloidosis, a rare disease induced by a malfunctioning protein. While serving as the director of RWJUH's Cardiac Amyloidosis and Cardiomyopathy Center, he is also a professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension at RWJUH and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), according to the release.

Lise focuses her practice on rare diseases in younger patients and is also the coordinator for RWJUH's PGY-1 Residency Program for first-year postgraduate students, the release said.

"Rare diseases often have no cure and little scientific knowledge from which to employ effective treatment," Amy Murtha, the dean of RWJMS, said in the release. "The research of our physician-scientists adds to the growing body of evidence-based medicine for the rarest of diseases to ensure access to the highest quality, most advanced care for all individuals."