Michele
Patient Engagement Program
Michele, the co-founder of Kicking Cancer in Heels, has a unique background that helps fuel SoF's Patient Engagement Program. She has worked nationally as a broadcast journalist and globally as the Chief Communications Officer for well-known, international publicly-traded multi-billion-dollar corporations. A leukemia diagnosis changed her life but did not stop her. Calling on her combined career expertise, she uses her experience to empower patients and their caregivers to move forward in their lives through patient-friendly communications programs, patient engagement communities, education, and reporting.
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As a former Board member of the International Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club and as a corporate sponsor of the Special Olympics, Michele has extensive experience working with programs that directly seek to improve the quality of life for children with challenges, saying that, "we need to help speak up for those who cannot." She now devotes her work to bridging communications between life sciences companies and patients to deliver true patient-centric programs and patient advocacy and has become a recognized leading influencer, recently being named the 2021 WEGO Health Awards - Patient Leader, Healthcare Collaborator of the year out of 21,000 nominees.
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Michele delivers the latest news and topics of patient interest online, including video reporting and program hosting on The Patient Story and PatientPower.info. This health communications news company empowers patients to play active roles in their care. You can watch her live social media programs on Instagram, Kicking Cancer In Heels, and on Facebook, Connect On CLL. On a mission to ensure patients' voices are heard, Michele consults with major pharmaceutical companies on their Patient Engagement programs and as a member of their Patient Advisory Councils. She serves as a Patient Representative for the U.S. FDA. She is frequently quoted as the voice of patients in major media outlets such as NBC Nightly News, Bloomberg, STAT, CNN, LA Times, Boston Globe, PharmaVoice, and USA Today.
