About RSDSA

Supporting the CRPS Community

Our History

The Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Milford, CT, founded in 1984. Our mission is to provide support, education, and hope to all affected by the pain and disability of CRPS/RSD, while driving research to develop better treatments and a cure.

Conferences
We conduct conferences throughout the United States to provide the latest knowledge on research and treatments
Connections
We connect individuals with CRPS/RSD with one another, as too often individuals with CRPS/RSD have never met someone else with the same disorder.
Collaboration
We provide services, tools, and a source of hope for individuals with CRPS/RSD, for now and into the future.

RSDSA is governed by a national Board of Directors and guided by a Scientific Advisory Committee, and we mail out hundreds of introductory packets via physical mail and email on an annual basis.

Board of Directors

James W. Broatch, MSW
Executive Vice President & Director
Milford, CT
James has served as RSDSA’s as Executive VP and Director for 22 years. He also serves on RSDSA’s Board of Directors. Under his leadership, RSDSA’s revenue has grown by three hundred percent (300%), more than $2 million has been invested in CRPS research and fellowships, and RSDSA is now recognized as the international “go-to” organization for the latest information of the diagnosis, treatment, and management of CRPS. In addition to leading RSDSA, Jim serves as a compassionate, knowledgeable point of contact for individuals newly diagnosed with CRPS or those suffering for decades with the intractable pain and disability caused by CRPS who reach out to RSDSA for direction.
Mary Beth Kenny Ludington
Co-President
Princeton Junction, NJ
Mary Beth has served as Patient Representative and Secretary to the Board. She has had CRPS for a period which spans many decades. She has been blessed with a life filled with support from her family and close friends, inspiring her to help others struggling with CRPS, especially those who are without social support. She was a prime mover behind RSDSA’s establishment of its Patient Assistance Fund in honor of Brad Jenkins and serves on RSDSA’s Grant Committee.
Hank Ludington
Co-President
Princeton Junction, NJ
Hank is a caregiver. He recently retired as President of the Premium Audit Division for AIG. Prior to AIG, Hank spent 23 years at Citibank including Chief Operations Officer for Citibank Delaware. He serves on the Executive, Finance, and Audit Committees.
Peter A. Moskovitz, MD
Chairman
Washington, DC
Peter is a recently retired Orthopedic Surgeon with a special interest in CRPS. He also serves on the Executive Committee and also as RSDSA’s liaison to the International Research Consortium for CRPS, which is currently funded by RSDSA.
Bryan Pope
Director
Dallas, TX
Bryan has spent the last 25 years developing a law practice that specializes in helping those who have been diagnosed with CRPS/RSD. He has represented clients in many states across the country (including Colorado, Montana, Washington State, Texas, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, Arkansas, California and Idaho). Bryan’s team stays on top of the new research, studies, and treatments, to better serve his clients. He frequently lectures to other lawyers and trial lawyer associations about CRPS/RSD related legal issues, and is a frequent speaker at RSDSA conferences.

Bryan is a managing partner in The Cochran Firm – Texas and also litigates catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Stephen G. Brilliant., MS, CPA
Treasurer
Hillsborough, NJ
Stephen is a person with CRPS for over 20 years who, along with Sharon Weiner, is a founding member of Living with RSDS where he has served as treasurer since inception. Mr. Brilliant is a sole proprietor of his own CPA business located in New Jersey where he specializes in accounting and taxation for small businesses, individual’s estates and nonprofits. He is also an adjunct accounting and taxation professor at Kean University. As the Treasurer of the Board, he serves on the Executive, Finance and Audit Committees.
Sharon L. Weiner
Vice President
Bethlehem, PA
Sharon is a person with CRPS for over 20 years and the President of Living with RSDS, Inc., a New Jersey not-for-profit that offers multiple support groups and serves as a vice president of the Board. She serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Support and Board Nomination Committees.
David Bond
Director
Buckeye, AZ
David is a father whose younger daughter has had CRPS for over 25 years. He is a retired Senior Vice President of Finance at Safeway, and serves on the Finance and Audit Committees.
Stephen Bruehl, PhD
Director
Nashville, TN
Stephen is a Professor of Anesthesiology and NIH-funded chronic pain researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was co-developer of the current diagnostic criteria for CRPS (the Budapest Criteria). He is chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee and serves on the Research Committee.
Norman Harden, MD
Director
Athens, GA
Norman has served as Professor Emeritus in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) Center for Pain Studies, the latter of which he directed during the 1990’s. In 1998, he was awarded the Addison Chair in Pain Studies, and in 2000, he founded the Center for Pain Management. Having served as both a Falk Scholar and a Rosen Scholar, he was the first holder of the Robert G. Addison, MD, Chair in Pain Studies, RIC. He currently serves as Chair of RSDSA’s Research Committee and on the International Research Consortium for CRPS Steering Committee.
Robert Lane
Director
Denver, CO
Robert is an active member on the Board, and husband of Maria, who lost her battle with CRPS. Founder and trustee of Maria’s Fund. He facilitates a support group in Denver.
Eric Moyal
Director
Medford, MA
Eric is the sibling of a young adult with CRPS. In 2018, he started a cycling campaign called Ride for Warriors to raise money and awareness for CRPS. Eric also gave a TEDx talk in 2020 about how to be a better ally to people with chronic illnesses He currently is the Communications Committee Chair.
Sue Pinkham
Director
Duxbury, MA
Sue is a mother whose daughter was diagnosed with CRPS/RSD in 2005 and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in 2012. She has been involved in raising awareness of CRPS/RSD and chronic pain since 2008. Sue has organized and participated in many fundraisers for non-profits for the last 20 years including Wide Horizons for Children, The Thornton Burgess Society, RSDSA and TCAPP. Sue is one of the founding Moms and the President of The Coalition Against Pediatric Pain. Her duties include presiding over the Board meetings, supporting children and families who live with pediatric pain conditions, fundraising, and working to fulfill the mission of TCAPP.
Ilona Thomassen
Director
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Ilona is a person who has CRPS and serves as the president of Patient Society CRPS, a patient advocacy committee in the Netherlands.
Kelly Considine
Director
Torrington, CT
Kelly developed CRPS in 2005 after an ankle sprain while playing volleyball. Since then, she has become a fierce advocate for CRPS Warriors across the globe through numerous efforts. She has taken on many roles within RSDSA over the years, such as Chairing the 2nd and 3rd Annual Virtual CRPS Awareness Walks and through membership of RSDSA’s Development Committee, Patient Protective Task Force, and the Patient Representative on the Practical Pain Management Advisory Board.

Scientific Advisory Committee

Stephen Bruehl, PhD
Chair
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Norman Harden, MD
Chair
International Research Consortium for CRPS
Athens, GA
Charles B. Berde, MD, PhD
Committee Member
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Frank Birklein, MD
Committee Member
The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Mainz, Germany
Andreas Goebel, MSc, PhD, FRCA, FFPMRCA
Committee Member
University of Liverpool
Liverpool, England
Lorimer Moseley, PhD, FACP, HMAPA
Committee Member
University of South Australia
Adelaide, Australia
Candy McCabe, MSc, PhD, RGN
Committee Member
University of the West of England
Bristol, England
Frank Huygen, MD, PhD
Committee Member
Erasmus Medical Center
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Christoph Maier, MD
Committee Member
Ruhr University Bochum
Bochum, Germany
Guillermo Alexander, MD, PhD
Committee Member
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Florian Brunner, MD, PhD
Committee Member
Balgrist University Hospital
Zurich, Switzerland
Peter Moskovitz, MD
Committee Member
George Washington University
Washington, DC

Annual Report

RSDSA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Founded in 1984, we are the oldest organization dedicated to supporting the CRPS/RSD community, funding research to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for this rare disease that afflicts people with chronic, potentially debilitating pain.

In addition to viewing our audit and annual accomplishments, you may find additional information about our activities and success stories throughout our website. We are also available to speak with you one-to-one about support opportunities. Thank you for your interest in RSDSA.

Here is our 2022 and 2021 audit for your review, as well as our 2022 initiatives and accomplishments.