Extrapelvic Not Rare (EPNR) is operated entirely by volunteers. EPNR does not accept monetary donations or sponsorship from any companies with interest in endometriosis that present with potential conflicts of interest. All funding for operations and programs are supported through in-kind donations and grants.
Our board of directors
Wendy bingham
Executive Director & Founder
Dr. Wendy Bingham, DPT, brings over 20 years of medical experience and personal insight, having battled endometriosis for 33 years, with 30 years misunderstood by conventional medicine. As a thoracic endometriosis patient and esteemed researcher, Wendy founded Extrapelvic Not Rare.org, dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of extrapelvic endometriosis. She serves as a prominent advocate and educator, bridging the gap between medical professionals’ knowledge and the experiences of those living with the disease. Wendy’s impactful work includes presentations at prestigious events like The Endometriosis Summit and advocacy efforts such as engaging with Iceland’s Minister of Health. EPNR also spearheads research initiatives to advance medical understanding and patient care. With academic credentials including a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Temple University, Wendy continues to drive change on a global scale, advocating for policy reforms and amplifying the voices of endometriosis patients worldwide.
Dana Bowling, JD
Director of Volunteer Programs
Dana is a multifaceted professional, blending her legal expertise with her passion for wellness as a pelvic health yoga teacher and extrapelvic endometriosis patient. With a background in property subrogation and family law mediation/litigation, Dana now focuses on serving small business owners in the equine and wellness industries. Transitioning from full-time law practice, she founded a yoga studio where she specializes in pelvic floor yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, offering support to those affected by conditions like endometriosis. Dana is deeply involved in her community, volunteering with New Jersey’s 4-H Youth Development program and leading as President of her county’s Horse Advisory Council. She holds a law degree from William & Mary School of Law and is a certified 500RYT yoga teacher with specialized training in pelvic floor yoga. Dana resides on a farm in southern New Jersey with her family and a menagerie of animals.
Perry Salzhauer
Director of Legal Compliance, JD LLM
Perry is a seasoned corporate and environmental attorney, serving as a partner/shareholder at Greenlight Law Group. With a focus on ensuring legal compliance for both public and private entities, Perry specializes in sustainability, environmental conservation, and land-use issues within business development. Perry’s career spans from Washington DC to practicing in and maintaining licensure in New York and Oregon. Notably, he chaired the Cannabis Law Committee of the Oregon State Bar. Perry holds a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and a post-graduate certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis and Clark Law School. Personally impacted by his spouse’s experience with endometriosis, Perry resides in Seattle, WA, advocating for those affected by the condition.
Holly Durand
Director of Finance
Holly was the first in her family to graduate college, despite many years of severe illness, with a degree in business administration and finance. She worked as a finance and contracts manager with a private company that worked to support water resources planning. Playing with numbers in Excel with music blasting in her headphones is one of her happy places. She had always hoped to return for a Masters in small business law, but her health had other plans for her life. Although her life has been health centered, she has always been ready to respond to it all with a witty comeback. She grew up in Northern California and is no stranger to an off-road adaptation to life.
Allie Donovan
Director of Information Technology
Allie brings 10+ years experience of experience in IT, with her focus primarily being in project management, application development, and software training. She loves introducing people to new technologies and finding creative ways to use technology to make life easier.
As an endometriosis patient herself, she is excited to bring her professional experience to EPNR to help make accurate information around the disease more accessible to others.
Our scientific Advisory Committee
Dr. Nicholas Fogelson
MD, FACOG
Dr. Nicholas Fogelson is a board-certified and fellowship-trained gynecologist and gynecologic surgeon in Portland, OR, and the founder of Northwest Endometriosis and Pelvic Surgery.
Shanti Mohling
MD, FACOG
Robert Sutfcliffe
MA, MB, BCHIR, MD, FRCS
Bethany Dixon
MSN, RN, CNOR
Bethany Dixon is a registered nurse with over 15 years experience primarily in surgical services, nursing education, and labor and delivery/high-risk OB. Bethany is passionate about healthcare education and uses her years of experience to enhance her work as a Clinical Editor/Medical Writer.
Joseph Raccuia
MD
She plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice, architecture means to provide services in connection with the creation of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that have human occupancy or use as their purpose.
Our Translation Team
SARAH YVONNE RAMOS
Spanish
Sarah Yvonne Ramos is a proud Mexican- American living in Los Angeles, Ca. She was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2017 and has spent most of her free time educating herself about the disease in hopes to build community and spread awareness for Latinos in the Los Angeles area. She is the founder of “Chism-Endo,” a monthly social circle to support individuals living with Endometriosis. As an extrapelvic endometriosis patient, Sarah supports the important work that EPNR is doing to address the lack of educational resources about extrapelvic disease.
NATALIA FORERO
Spanish
Natalia Forero-Mejia is a Colombian who grew up in a household where language and culture were always celebrated. Her father’s love for languages and culture was an inspiration for her. She has lived in four different countries and currently resides in Canada. With a Bachelor of Communications and Masters of Cultural Management, Natalia has dedicated her professional life to cross-cultural education. She is passionate about promoting cultural understanding and inclusivity.
Natalia suffered from symptoms of Endometriosis since adolescence. After decades of misdiagnoses, and gaslighting she finally received a proper diagnosis at the age of 41. Following expert surgery for Endometriosis, she discovered a love for running and has since completed three 5k races. She supports extrapelvicnotrare.org, as she believes that everyone deserves an early diagnosis and timely recognition of symptoms, so they don’t have to endure decades of unexplained pain like she did.
SARAH DUCOS MERIC
French
Sarah Méric-Ducos is a translator and student in English studies. Her wish is for her work to be useful to others, by bridging the gap between languages and cultures, thus giving access to useful information to new audiences. This goal has brought her on the path to becoming a specialized translator in the medical field and to align her work with her values of inclusivity, intersectionality and equity. At 19, her life was uprooted by endometriosis, thrusting her onto the difficult path to diagnosis, and the even more complicated quest for treatment and pain management. It is with the utmost trust and pride that she joined EPNR to participate in building awareness and advocacy for those suffering from the disease.
MARTINA LIEL
German
After studying literature, Martina Liel was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2004. Besides working as an Online-Journalist, she had been blogging about her life with endometriosis for almost 10 years (blog “Endo Bay”, discontinued). In 2017, Martina´s first endometriosis book got published (“Nicht ohne meine Wärmflasche”, available in German and Polish). In October 2021, her second book about endometriosis and mental health got published (“Endometriose und Psyche”, German). Martina continues spreading awareness for endometriosis with her English-German podcast “Endo Worldwide” and in the German Podcast “Die 3 Endozysters”.