Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation - HS History & Milestones

The Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit organization, incorporated in
the state of California, USA.
Your donations are tax
deductible as allowed by law.

In April of 2005, after working thousands of hours trying to locate and consolidate information about HS, Ms. Barlow and Mr. Howes published a website called hs-research.com. The launch of the website was well received and in a very short time, it became clear that a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching this disease was essential. Thus, the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation was born. The co-founders of the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation, Inc. are Michelle Barlow, Robert Howes, Dr. Ralf Paus and Dr. Christos Zouboulis. LINK

Below are highlights of the history and milestones of the HSF. We graciously thank everyone involved in the amazing progress towards helping find the cause, effective treatments, and a cure for HS.

2007 April
The following documents, authored by Michelle Barlow and Robert Howes, were initially added to this website, and have not received medical/scientific peer review. Following an extensive site update, these articles are now provided here in PDF format for historical purposes:
- What is HS? A brief history and summary of the disease, Dec. 2005 (rev. Feb. 2007). PDF
- Suggested Researcher, Physician and Patient Assessment Tools, May 2005. PDF
- Estimating the Prevalence and Lifetime Risk Factor of HS in the U.S., April 2005. PDF
- Inpatient/Hospital Discharge Figures and Statistics from the US, UK and Australia, April 2005. PDF
- Incidence, frequency, co-morbidity and gender statistics of HS, Sept. 2005. PDF
- Self-Reported Familial Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Sept. 2005 (rev. July 2006). PDF

2006 March-April
The HSF held the First International HS Research Symposium in Dessau, Germany. Thirty-three doctors attended, and Gregor B.E. Jemec, MD, was presented with the inaugural HSF Outstanding Investigator Award for his lifetime achievement in treating and researching HS.

2006 January
The HSF, via the Coalition for Health Funding (CHF) advocated for a One Billion Dollar Funding Increase for Public Health funding. This proposed increase is necessary to restore programs cut in FY 2006 appropriations and to further strengthen these programs. Read a copy of the letter sent from CHF to President George W. Bush and Congress. PDF

2005 October
On October 12, 2005 the HSF received IRS notification of tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation (public charity), effective July 26, 2005 through December 31, 2009. Donations to the HSF are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

2005 August-September
- The website domain hs-foundation.org was purchased August 12, 2005.
- The HSF transfers information from hs-research.com and launches hs-foundation.org Sept. 29, 2005.