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.”