Founder & President

Joshua Bastean

Joshua is an amateur photographer and EoE patient, diagnosed in 2017. He founded Pics4EoE in 2023 while a high school student in Bucks County, PA, turning his photography into a way to fund EoE research and awareness. Joshua is now studying data science in the University of Michigan's College of Engineering and continues to lead Pics4EoE's mission, partnerships, and photo library.

Secretary & Web Developer

Maria Kesisoglou

Maria is now a student at UCLA. She has been committed to service and outreach for years, volunteering with many local groups and leading her school's Key Club. Maria aims to be a research scientist in the future, and has interned in labs at Johns Hopkins and the Pennsylvania BioTech Center. For now, she's dedicated to supporting medical research by putting her leadership, organization, and technology skills to use at Pics4EoE.

Treasurer

Brian Bastean

Dr. Bastean has worked in the healthcare sector for over 35 years as a clinician, in academia, pharmaceutical industry, healthcare startups, and consulting. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and holds an MBA in Pharmaceutical Marketing. Throughout his career and into retirement, he has focused on optimizing patients’ outcomes. He passionately believes success in healthcare is primarily determined through patient expectations and experience. In his free time, Brian enjoys time with family and volunteering for multiple community-
based not for profit organizations.

Outreach Coordinator

Jeni Bastean

Dr. Bastean has over 25 years of experience communicating drug information to both patients and healthcare providers. At the heart of her inspiration is her youngest son who was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis in 2018. She is passionate about helping other parents/guardians put together the early 'symptom puzzle pieces' to identify and seek EoE support. Dr. Bastean is confident that by increasing symptom awareness, we will help improve the speed to diagnosis and ongoing research for all affected.

Board Member

Caryl Harris

Caryl Harris co-founded Avery’s Hope with her husband Eric. Named for their beautiful, and beautifully rare, grandson. Caryl holds an M.A. in English Literature from Rutgers University and has an A.B.A. from the Department of Education. Caryl is a member of the National Organization for Rare Disorders and is a representative for Avery’s Hope with the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, and the Global Genes Rare Patient Alliance. She serves on the Patient Senate for Patients Rising Now. Caryl is also a Founding Member of WRAP – Worldwide Rare Advocacy Partnership. Caryl is an avid cyclist, an artist, a wife, a mom to three amazing young men, and “Ya Ya” to 4 grandsons. 

Board Member

Renato Cataldo

Dr. Cataldo had been in professional and consumer healthcare profession for over 30 years. He has held positions as a tenured Pharmacy Professor, healthcare agency executive, and CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Dr. Cataldo has grown four clinical corporations from an entrepreneurial start-up in the last 15 years serving medical organizations and specialty groups on a world-wide basis. During Dr. Cataldo’s career he has pioneered numerous health and medical products for Glaxo, Merck, Pfizer, BMS, Abbott, BD, bioMérieux, AstraZeneca, and Amgen. 

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