Why I Became An Advocate

I began my journey to patient advocacy young in life as a person with Epilepsy. My health challenges were initially what led me to pursue an education in Acupuncture and Eastern healing through The New England School of Acupuncture and later, pain management through a joint degree program with Tufts University School of Medicine. During my time in direct patient care at the Roxbury Community Health Clinic and Boston Medical Center Pediatric Unit, I realized much of my time was spent educating and advocating for my patients, which inspired my move toward public health and advocacy. ​ I started my career in higher education in 2010 and soon dovetailed it with grant-funded community health program implementation. Through this work, I gained extensive knowledge and invaluable skills and abilities. My expertise and ability to take difficult insurance, medical terminology, and procedures and explain them in ways that make sense provide clients with the understanding and knowledge they need to make informed healthcare decisions. I became intimately well-versed in the system gaps and the challenges patients with chronic health disorders specifically, chronic pain face when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in 2008 and again when my son was diagnosed at birth with a significant immunodeficiency.  My compassion and empathy for my clients are a direct result of these health journeys. ​ The medical and insurance industry has had a long history of being overwhelming and hard to navigate. The pandemic furthered these challenges and brought more strain to an already overwhelmed system. It forced change that neither the system nor the patients were completely ready for further highlighting the need for patient advocacy. My goal is to not only light the way but also remove the barriers patients face as they try to navigate these unwieldy systems.