Kathleen L. Gallant has over 20 years of experience as a volunteer advocate for people challenged with psoriatic disease. As a person disabled from psoriatic disease, including psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia, Kathleen strives to utilize her “good days” for productive advocacy and outreach. Kathleen currently serves as ex-officio/IFPA Representative to the Board of Directors of the National Psoriasis Foundation (NFP), United States. As a volunteer with the NPF, she formed and led a support group in Pittsburgh for eight years. She traveled numerous times to Capitol Hill, speaking about the challenges of living with psoriatic disease and struggling with her disability, Medicare, and access to treatment. Kathleen was elected to the NPF Board in 2007 and Chaired the Outreach Committee.

Ms. Gallant has served on the Board of the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations/IFPA since 2007. In 2009, Kathleen developed and helped drive the IFPA campaign to have WHO recognize psoriasis as a severe, inflammatory noncommunicable disease with serious physical, psychosocial, and socioeconomic impacts, which led to the adoption of the Psoriasis Resolution at the 67th World Health Assembly in 2014 and the WHO Global Psoriasis Report. In addition, Ms. Gallant has spoken for Psoriatic Disease at various United Nations meetings and events in New York for over a decade, aiming to create awareness that psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis can be disabling, and awareness is needed to bring down the barriers to full participation in society. Although most of her focus has been on global advocacy, she serves on IFPA’s Policy and Election working groups, and represents IFPA on the Steering Committee of the Global Psoriasis Atlas Project.

Ms. Gallant received her Master of Public Administration/Nonprofit Management from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and her undergraduate degree In Public Service from the University of Pittsburgh, PA. Kathleen studied Global Civil Society at the London School of Economics and Political Affairs and currently serves on the board of The Peters Township Library Foundation, United States.