From Marketing Executive to Patient Safety Leader featuring Karen Curtiss

Listen in as we sit down with Karen Curtiss, a Board-Certified Patient Advocate whose journey into patient advocacy started with her quest for a lung transplant to save her dad's life. Karen was working in advertising and marketing at the time, but she dropped everything to advocate for her dad who was near death from pulmonary fibrosis and beyond the transplant cut-off age in most hospitals. Karen was relentless in her determination to get her father’s medical records to the #1 transplant facility in the world, convincing them that her dad was the ideal candidate for the lifesaving lung transplant he received at age 72. But everything took a turn for the worse when inadequate hospital safety measures resulted in her father’s passing. 

Since then, Karen has been on a quest to help other patients and families access and navigate our complicated health care system for the care they need. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Care Partner Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that develops and implements evidence-based tools and resources for both families and providers in order to support safe care practices and prevent harm in hospital settings. 

Karen is a respected patient advocate and patient safety leader, and her story has inspired countless advocates, healthcare clinicians, hospitals, and policy leaders. Her strong track record of collaborating with other health care leaders and innovators including The Patient Safety Movement Foundation and as a study advisor at Harvard Medical School makes her a compelling and knowledgeable voice for the profession. Don’t miss this engaging and informative interview with one of the premier leaders in Independent Patient Advocacy and patient safety.