About this talk
Upon being diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, attorney Meg Gaines made the decision to undergo a risky new surgery that ultimately saved her life. Afterward, Meg felt compelled to make sense of the harrowing experience and to find something of value from it. She soon found herself working as a patient advocate, drawing on her law experience to help empower other patients to make informed decisions about their health.
Instead of serving one patient at a time, Meg saw major potential impact in training the next generation of healthcare workers to become better partners and advocates for their patients. She formed the Center for Patient Partnerships, where students from across disciplines come together to advocate for people with serious illnesses. Watch Meg’s 2017 TEDMED Talk to learn why she believes that “effective healthcare begins when patients and clinicians design it together and fight together to make sure patient care comes first.”
About Meg Gaines
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Martha “Meg” Gaines is an attorney and a leading voice in patient advocacy. She is the founder and director of the Center for Patient Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin. Inspired by her personal experience as a cancer survivor, Meg created the center to help patients with life-threatening and chronic illnesses. The Center for Patient Partnerships aims to improve the healthcare experience by building strong relationships between patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. As a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin, Meg oversees teams of students from different fields, including law, medicine, and public health. She teaches them how to be effective advocates for patients, helping them navigate a complex healthcare system. Meg’s work focuses on empowering patients and giving them a voice in their own care. She believes that by working together, patients, providers, and policymakers can create a better and more equitable healthcare system for everyone.
