Maybe it’s because I’m a storyteller that everyone I meet tells me they want to write a book. What they really want to do is write their life story. Maybe not all of it, but the unforgettable three or four events that have shaped their life. One reason I believe people want to tell their […]

As a woman living with heart disease, I approach February with mixed emotions.  Like so many others, I don a red sweater on the first Friday of the month and send valentines to friends and family.  I eat a little too much chocolate and swear I’ll make up for it at the gym. But it’s […]

One of the most surprising conversations I had while working in industry came when a colleague of mine in the regulatory department called to get my input on the value of patient engagement to the company.  He was drafting a response to FDA’s proposed ombudsmen-type “patient office” and new requirements to include patient experiences in […]

During a meeting with the American College of Not-to-be-Named-Doctors, their staff shared with me that the Incoming President’s plan was for it to be “the year of the patient.” Immediately, I wondered why it wasn’t every year. Clearly the mission of any professional medical society is to be a voice for its members, but their […]