About ITSAN

Kathryn Tullos is a Registered Nurse from Houston, Texas with a degree in Communications. She was a bedside nurse in pediatrics for 7 years, before taking a “break” to stay home with her 4 kids. In mid-2013, her son suffered severely from Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome (TSWS) for 18 months, due to steroid creams prescribed for his eczema. Kathryn used the experience with her son and her passion for research to throw herself into patient advocacy, and try to help others navigate this often misunderstood iatrogenic disease. She joined the ITSAN board in 2015, helped write and relaunch the ITSAN website, and eventually became Executive Director. She stepped down briefly in 2018, but she couldn’t stay away for long. Kathryn returned to ITSAN in October 2019 as President and CEO. Kathryn’s main goals in her advocacy with ITSAN are: 1) petition for labeling changes on the drug insert for topical corticosteroids, and 2) to connect patients with doctors who understand how to diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent this debilitating disease. Though it may be a long road, she takes courage in the words of her Great Aunt Ruth Ann, “My dear, you are assertive.” In her free time she loves to go on dates with her husband, sing show tunes with her kids, Netflix binge, and memorize the Hamilton soundtrack.

Jolene MacDonald joined ITSAN as a Board Member and parent caregiver in the summer of 2019.  She brings a love of working with children and families as a former Teacher of the Deaf and a former children’s case manager.  Her son Max began TSW in June 2014 after being prescribed topical steroid creams, used intermittently, from infancy until age 4 years old.  His withdrawal was a 24/7 struggle in the early stages to protect him from being further harmed by treatment and to support him with appropriate medical care and comfort measures for the intense nerve pain, itch and exhaustion.  He has multiple food, environmental and drug allergies, including severe side effects to all forms of steroids: topical creams, oral, and inhaled.  ITSAN has been a touchstone of hope and healing through the years.  Max is now almost 6 years TSW, and though he has had a longer recovery than most young warriors, he is healing, thriving, loves school, biking, basketball and football.  Jolene’s heart is with every TSW warrior and every warrior caregiver.  She hopes to provide support and advocacy for children and families going through Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome until the ultimate outcome of awareness and a safe standard of care around steroid use is an inherent part of our world.  

Rochelle Richter joined ITSAN as Treasurer on the board in the winter of 2018 as a veteran RSS/TSW Survivor and prior to that has been a patient advocate since its advent. She entered withdrawal in May of 2011 was completely healed by December 2012, and has been healed since. Being mostly a moderate strength steroid user for only a few years, her eczema spread quickly. After taking multiple tests that came back normal, her doctor diagnosed her with “incurable eczema.”  In complete misery and desperation for an answer that made sense, she found the forerunner to ITSAN’s website, and upon realizing what she was really dealing with, began topical steroid withdrawal. Rochelle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has several years experience both in public and corporate accounting. She recently left corporate America in pursuit of a better culture, and to work in causes she really cares about. Currently, she also works as a small business accountant in the film industry. She is also an advocate against child verbal and physical abuse. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and two fur kids. She enjoys traveling, hiking, snowboarding, interior design, reading, art, tennis, and concerts.

Molly began her journey with TSW in September of 2013 after a colleague randomly mentioned steroid addiction to her in a meeting one day.  Upon doing just a little research, and finding ITSAN, Molly had the “knowing” in her gut that indeed what had started as an eczema condition as a child, was now a skin addiction to topical steroids.  The good news was that her ongoing, chronic skin condition and mystery ailments now had an answer, and yet, it also meant the beginning of a long and winding health road were unfavorably in the cards ahead.  After 18 years as a public educator and district administrator, Molly resigned her position to assume a simpler, more positively intentional life that included time for healing, family, and the pursuit of working to educate the masses on health and wellness, especially those in the midst of chronic health struggles.  Molly teaches wellness classes and motivates her local community members through social media to bring a sense of empowerment and intentionality to all parts of a more natural lifestyle. For pleasure, Molly enjoys reading, writing, blogging, traveling, and sharing her passion around mindfulness with as many people as possible.  Her family, including her parents, her husband of 21 years, her 2 daughters and son have embraced her healing journey as well and were constant cheerleaders as every flare subsided throughout the years. Molly enthusiastically joined the ITSAN board in the fall of 2018 and looks forward to the day TSW is prevented for all.

Dr. Patrice Faye Little is the Editor-In-Chief of NP Student Magazine, Clinical Instructor of Nursing at
Georgia State University Perimeter College, Perioperative Nurse Practitioner at Atlanta
Ophthalmology Associates, Founder of Nurses as Media Consultants & Speaker’s Bureau,
Contributor for The Christian View Magazine, and Host of P.O.W.E.R. Talks weekly Christian
Broadcast. Dr. Little has worked as a nurse for 11 years and is an active member of United Advanced Practice
Registered Nurses (UAPRN) Gwinnett/Forsyth Chapter and the American Association of Nurse
Practitioners (AANP).

Dr. Little has disseminated her research findings at local symposiums and published her first scholarly
article in The Journal of Thermal Biology at age 22.  She authored two books and continues to
contribute playground reviews and tips for caring for newborns in the Atlanta Parent Magazine.
In her spare time, Dr. Little enjoys speaking annually at Redan High School and New Life Academy of
Excellence’s career days and facilitating support groups at Partnership Against Domestic Violence
(PADV) organization’s shelter. Most of all, Dr. Little enjoys freestyle dancing on Friday nights with her
hubby and two children.

Dr. Sandipan Dhar, MD, DNB is a renowned Pediatric Dermatologist & Atopic Dermatitis researcher of National & International repute.  He works as the Professor and Head of the Department of Dermatology at the Institute of Child Health and is the Senior Visiting Consultant at AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata. 

He is currently the President of the Indian Society for Pediatric Dermatology (ISPD), and is one of the key persons for establishing the subspecialty “Pediatric Dermatology” in India. Dr. Dhar also serves as the editor-in-chief for the Indian Journal of Pediatric Dermatology (IJPD), and is a member of the editorial board of  several journals in Dermatology and Pediatric Dermatology.  He also serves as a Council Member of the International Eczema Council.

Dr. Dhar has published more than 220 scientific papers in various indexed journals of which more than 100 papers are on Pediatric Dermatology and 50 papers on Atopic Dermatitis. His papers have been abstracted and quoted in Year Books of Dermatology, various standard text books of Dermatology & Pediatric Dermatology. He has authored “Colour Atlas and Synopsis of Paediatric Dermatology”, the first book on Pediatric Dermatology from India. Dr. Dhar is one of the few Indian Dermatologists to contribute chapters in various Dermatology Text Books read by millions of students and post-graduate researchers across the world.  He is a reviewer in several Dermatology journals published from the UK and the USA.

His fields of interest are Pediatric Dermatology, Atopic Dermatitis, Urticaria, and adverse cutaneous drug eruptions.

Dr. Koushik Lahiri is a Senior Consultant Dermatologist of Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in Kolkata, India and the Honorary Director of WIZDERM. He also serves as Vice President of the International Society of Dermatology, is a Member of IADVL and ACSI, Fellow of IADVL Academy of Dermatology, International Fellow of American Academy of Dermatology, Foundation Fellow of Asian Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and member of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. He is also a Fellow of all three Royal College of England, London, Glasgow and Edinburg.

Dr. Lahiri has authored the book,  A Treatise on Topical Corticosteroids in Dermatology, and has championed the fight against the abuse and misuse of topical steroids in his country of India. He most recently was honored by the American Academy of Dermatology with their prestigious “Members Making a Difference Award” for his work, and 14 year long battle, in successfully having OTC topical steroids banned by India’s Ministry of Health.

Dr. Marcello Monti is a former Professor of Dermatology at the University of Milan, Italy of which he now serves as Consultant Dermatologist.

He graduated from University of Pavia, School of medicine in 1977 and completed his internship  and residency in Dermatology from University of Milan in 1980. He later completed his internship and residency in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases from the University of Pavia in 1982.

Early on in his career he was Clinical Researcher, then Clinical Associate Professor in Dermatology at University of Milan where he taught Clinical Dermatology in medical courses of San Raffaele Hospital, Sacco Hospital and Humanitas Clinical Institute.

During his long career serving as Chief Dermatologist in many Hospitals of Milan, he continued to improve his diagnostic capabilities and refine his therapeutic solutions focusing on innovative protocols for the treatment of the most common dermatological pathologies.