Patient Advocate Profile
Learn More About this Valuable Professional
How I Can Help
As a physician advocate, I clarify and provide guidance when you are facing complex medical illnesses:
• So you know what is happening
• Why it is happening
• And what your options are.
Support: I support you in the process of seeking a second opinion and help bring you together with top specialists and medical centers.
Knowledge: I review pertinent medical records and help translate them so they are understandable; I help provide you with the most up to date medical research to support you in making decisions knowledgeably. I help explain unclear diagnoses and research new or alternative treatments.
Coordination: I facilitate communication among your health care team and make sure key family members and caregivers are included and working together.
Formal Education
U. Of Colorado, fellowship in Infectious Diseases, 1997
U. of Wisconsin, residency in Internal Medicine, 1994
U. of Wisconsin School of Medicine, M.D. 1991
Harvard, A.B. 1984
Why I Became a Professional Healthcare Advocate
As an infectious diseases specialist and internist, I have experienced from both sides how complicated the medical system can be. When I stepped away from my clinical practice to care for ailing family members, I discovered a huge need for advocacy. This has led me to advocate for patients with a range of serious illnesses including congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease among many other conditions.
A former Assistant Professor in the Infectious Diseases Division at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, I am passionate about helping clients navigate the medical world with better information and greater confidence. My greatest satisfaction lies in helping people find their way through the medical maze so they have a better idea of what to expect and so they have a more complete understanding of their health situation and of the choices before them.
Professional Organizations and Affiliations
Member, NAHAC and APHA
Executive Committee, Massachusetts Medical Society
Delegate, Massachusetts Medical Society
Member, Environmental and Occupational Health Committee, Massachusetts Medical Society
Board Member, Green Newton
Board Member, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Additional Skills:
Fluent in French, working knowledge of Spanish
Personal experience with family members with type 1 diabetes, celiac, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's, and advanced heart failure
Privacy: In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (HIPAA), Greater Chicago Advocates is not a covered entity. To protect yourself from disclosure of protected health information (PHI), please refrain from sending any sensitive health related information via email.
Disclaimer: GCA is not a provider of advocacy services or legal services. The advocates listed in the GCA directory are not employees or agents of GCA. GCA does not control any aspect of any service provided by any of these advocates. The advocates listed in the GCA directory are not paid by GCA and none of the advocates has paid anything to GCA to be listed in the directory. GCA merely compiled information about these advocates and received permission from each advocate to be listed in the directory.
The GCA website is intended to be a source for information about patient advocacy and those who provide advocacy services. While GCA strives to provide users with accurate credentials for the service providers featured on the website, GCA does not endorse or warrant the competence of any advocates listed on the site. The information on this website is not, nor is it intended to be, medical or legal advice. The information on this website is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or in any way replace medical advice from your physician. Use of the GCA website indicates your understanding and acceptance of these terms and conditions.
