Christine O’Leary, Haemochromatosis International

“When the Assistant Dean said I would never make it into the Pharmacy School because of my math scores, I said, challenge accepted!”
Christine O’Leary

Christine O’Leary, U.S. Board Trustee for Haemochromatosis International, shared the story behind her title with us on July 24, 2022.

Christine is a clinical pharmacist and health communications specialist. Her 25-year career as a licensed healthcare professional encompasses work in the academic, health system, pharmaceutical industry, and non-profit settings. Her passion for raising awareness of the importance of early and accurate diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is driven by the memory of her father, who died prematurely in 2009 due to a delayed diagnosis of HH, and her desire to prevent another family from experiencing this unnecessary tragedy. Christine works full-time in the biotechnology industry, supporting scientific communications for genetic conditions. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Michael Alleruzzo, and their rescue kitty Mr. Higgins.

SUE SAYS

Christine has a very personal family connection to the disease of Haemochromatosis, a severe iron disorder. Her father died from it. She is on a mission to raise awareness among the Irish community and talks about why this fairly unknown condition can be treated successfully if caught early enough.