2022 Speakers
Julie Baker, Health Literacy Communications Trainer & Practitioner
Julie N. Baker is a health literacy practitioner, consultant, and trainer. Her primary focus is to close the gap between what and how healthcare providers, organizations, and program designers communicate and what patients, employees, and the public actually understand and can use.
Martie Carnie, Patient Advocate; Senior Patient Engagement Advisor; Co-Chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council Steering Committee
Martie Carnie is a 31-year, four-time survivor of breast cancer and melanoma. She is a 30-year Patient Advocate, Senior Patient Engagement Advisor, and Co-Chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council Steering Committee.
April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP, Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University and VP and Director, Weitzman Institute
Dr. April Joy Damian is an epidemiologist, health services researcher, and classically trained public health professional with expertise in health equity, social determinants of health, psychiatric epidemiology, and mixed methods. She currently serves as the Vice President and Director of the Weitzman Institute, a research, education, and policy center dedicated to quality improvement and primary care transformation, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations.
Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA, Founder & CEO
Grapevine Health
Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick is an infectious diseases physician and CDC-trained medical epidemiologist. Her career has spanned research, clinical medicine, global health, community health education and patient advocacy. Most recently she served as the medical director for Washington DC’s Medicaid program.
Aileen Kantor, Ma.Ed, MBA VP of Innovation Health Literacy Innovations
For more than 20 years, Ms. Kantor has helped health care organizations raise visibility, target new audiences, evaluate market opportunities, and increase company bottom lines’ through innovative marketing, sales, and communication strategies.
Felicia W. Kent, Project Director, COVID-19 Advancing Health Literacy Project, Office of Mayor George Flaggs, Jr., City of Vicksburg, MS
Felicia Whittington Kent is the Project Director/Principal Investigator of the City of Vicksburg, Mississippi Office of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen COVID-19 Advancing Health Literacy Project.
Helen Osborne, M.Ed., OTR/L, President,
Health Literacy Consulting
Helen Osborne M.Ed., OTR/L helps professionals communicate health information in ways that patients and the public can understand. She brings to this work her experience as an occupational therapist, training as an educator, and perspective as a patient. Helen is president of Health Literacy Consulting.
Catina O’Leary, President and CEO, Health Literacy Media
Catina O’Leary, PhD, LMSW, is President and CEO at Health Literacy Media (HLM). Catina oversees HLM’s core activities and works to set and maintain the strategic vision for the organization.
Joe Smyser, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Public Good Projects (PGP)
Dr. Joe Smyser is the CEO of The Public Good Projects (PGP), a public health nonprofit that specializes in large-scale media monitoring programs, social and behavior change interventions, and cross-sector initiatives.
Cheryl Stephens, Plain Language Editor and Trainer, Plain Language Wizardry
A former lawyer, Cheryl has been involved in legal education, adult training, and communication for 40 years. For the last 30 years, she has consulted with business and the government on communication projects.
Erin Sturgeon, Patient/Family Relations Specialist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Erin Sturgeon, MBA has worked in the Center for Patients and Families at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for 6 years. Primarily, she’s worked as a Project Specialist alongside Patient Advisors providing guidance to hospital staff on new patient education materials and strategies on how to create materials for patients and families. Most recently, her role has accumulated into a Patient/Family Relations Specialist facilitating effective communication between patients, families and providers to advocate for the best possible experience. Erin completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology at Endicott College and has earned her Masters in Business Administration with a healthcare focus from Simmons College.
Christopher R. Trudeau, JD, Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
Christopher R. Trudeau, JD, is also an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Bowen School of Law. He has also led the Regulatory Knowledge & Support function for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Translational Research Institute for the past two years.
Mark Zhang, DO, MMSc
Medical Director
Brigham Digital Innovation Hub, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Mark Zhang DO, MMSc, is the Medical Director of the Digital Innovation Hub at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Associate Program Director of the Clinical Informatics and Innovation Fellowship at Mass General Brigham, Palliative Care consultant at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.