Mark J. Buchfuhrer, MD, FRCP(C), FCCP
Downey Regional Medical Center; Downey, CA
Dr. Buchfuhrer is an attending staff physician at Downey Regional Medical Center, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and Long Beach Community Hospital in Downey, California. He started a sleep laboratory at Downey Regional Medical Center in 1983 and then became a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Buchfuhrer became interested in RLS in about 1992 and has developed a large outpatient RLS practice. He has served on the Medical Advisory Board of the RLS Foundation from 1998 to 2005. Dr. Buchfuhrer has written several publications on RLS including the patient book RLS, Coping With Your Sleepless Nights sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), a handbook for doctors on RLS and is currently working on his third book.
Karla Dzienkowski, RN, BSN
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Austin, TX
In January 2014, Karla accepted the position of executive director at the RLS Foundation. Since then she has made a huge impact on the organization. Karla first learned about RLS in her dual roles as a mother and registered nurse when her daughter, then 11 1/2 years old, began to experience symptoms that doctors could not explain. Karla crossed the country looking for answers before finally finding a knowledgeable doctor, and shortly after, the RLS Foundation. Eager for answers, Karla joined the Foundation's Board of Directors in 2004 and served through 2009. As a board member, she encouraged pediatric RLS research, along with programs to increase awareness and education of RLS in the medical and school communities. Karla believes that much work has yet to be done in disseminating information about RLS to the public and the medical community, and that much more research into its cause and treatment is needed. Karla drives the mission of the Foundation with her leadership, and she is passionate about promoting research for better treatments and a cure.