As a trauma survivor, harmed patient, and community advocate I have developed a passion for being a voice for the voiceless.
My medication and medical device safety health advocacy began in 2006 when I suffered severe, permanent adverse reactions from a commonly prescribed antibiotic called Levaquin. In 2017, I experienced harm from the off-label use of propranolol for PTSD. Then in 2021, I experienced adverse events from a total knee replacement.
Since then, I have used my experience as a harmed patient to advocate for others and work in partnership with established consumer and patient-safety advocacy groups and agencies.
The experiences I have had and people I have met led me to many opportunities and partnerships-both within patient-safety, and in other causes I am passionate about. Some of my current roles and recent projects include:
Medical safety positions
- Medical Officer at United States Food and Drug Administration
- Communications Lead at the American Society of Pharmacovigilance
Advisory and collaborations
- Collaborator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Contributor for Drugwatch, Medshadow Foundation, and the Journal of Precision Medicine.
- Founding member of the Standardizing Laboratory Practices in Pharmacogenomics (STRIPE).
Public speaker
- Domestic violence.
- Patient education and empowerment
- Sexual assault
- Pharmacogenomics/Pharmacovigilance
Film maker
- Founder of Courage to Continue Productions.
- Director | Executive producer Every 73 Seconds documentary
- Director | Executive producer Moral Pedestal docuseries