Patient Leadership Council: 2023 Goals

Each year, we have our Social Health Award winners join a small group of carefully selected Health Leaders to give feedback on Health Union projects, called the Patient Leadership Council (PLC). We work together at meetings throughout the year, getting to know each other and generating ideas together.

At the end of our year together, we asked the 2022 PLC members to share with us their advocacy goals for the new year

"I want to share my knowledge and expertise in chronic illness and work across all conditions, helping people to find and create work that both accommodates their work and generates an income." – Kathy Reagan Young

"Self-development – completing my graduate degree; Rebranding; organizational growth and expansion." – Sarita Edwards

"I am celebrating my 26th year as a stage IV Ca-larynx conqueror. My first goal is that I'm committed to publish my book during 2023 and my second is looking forward to delivering 500+ talks globally as a keynote speaker. My third is mentoring individuals & groups through my differently enabled unique voice." – Shrenik Shah

"I have had a successful year including an increase in blog hits and subscribers over last year and growth in most other areas. In 2023, I want to expand on that in a number of ways including the following goals: 1. Build up my new Facebook page dedicated to World Neuroendocrine Cancer Day; 2. Increase the reach of my main Facebook page in other countries; 3. Enhance my website with a new design, more integration with my social media and offer new services to the readers and followers." – Ronny Allan

"Goal achieved: be a grant reviewer, I now am on 3 Canadian cancer organizations as a grant reviewer and on ASCO, Conquer Cancer Foundation for 3 years grant review, and I’m going to continue. Goal to achieve: I want to get involved in the research projects (now I’m involved in 2 pending approval of funding). I’m working on submitting abstracts to cancer research conferences. Overall, I'm working on becoming a Patient Research Advocate involved in research." – Christine Qiong Wu

"My advocacy goal for 2023 is to expand the ways I can get my message out through new forms of media (video, new social media, etc)." – Devin Garlit

"I plan to revive my blog with a focus on skin cancer prevention and help install sunscreen dispensers in our local parks." – April Pulliam

"My goals are to continue writing well-researched work for the sites, to moderate more, and to build out an ankylosing spondylitis support blog (on a personal level)." – Lisa Marie Basile

"My goal for 2023 is to publish a book of art and writing compiled by those with my disease in collaboration with a nonprofit organization." – Lisa Benson

We'd like to thank our other 2022 members for their hard work this year

We had the pleasure of also having Cathy Chester, Abigail Johnston, Joel Nelson, Thomas Silvera, Effie Parks, Michelle Munt, Jordan Beckwith, Olivia Zhang, Michele Nadeem, Damian Washington, and Ashley Perkins on our council.