Bringing Punk Rock to Health Care

Hi, I’m Liz.

I’m a former punk rock drummer-turned-cancer patient, and now research dissemination strategist and community organizer at an academic medical center.

What does awake brain surgery feel like?

“During an awake craniotomy for resecting part of her astrocytoma, a patient-investigator faces a high-stakes decision that she will make in collaboration with her neurosurgeon.”

Screenshot of NEJM paper: "Deciding on My Dimples""

You might know me from:

OpenNotes
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

“Liz is a professional medical nerd who knows how to ask the right questions”

—according to Liz’s niece, who produces video games and is way cooler than Liz

 

Patient & Researcher Blog

My favorite part about being a patient and now researcher is learning new things and immediately applying them to my experience. Here’s what I have been learning over the years.

most-recent blog posts

a message for my long-time friends

I have been keeping this blog for 16 years.

I started blogging as an outlet to share about my experience living with a slow-growing, malignant brain tumor (grade II astrocytoma), colloquially known brain cancer. I started as a graphic designer, got caught up in the academic circus, and now I’m a researcher. I’ve learned people are supposed to evolve, have many lives, and be more than one thing.

At different times over the last 16 years I have been:

  • a passive subject of research,

  • an advisor in patient stakeholder groups,

  • and a leader in patient research engagement initiatives.

Today I work in health care. I am a communications professional, patient advocate, and emerging “patient-researcher”—all at once. And because my life has many facets, this blog is a space where I explore what it means to live beyond the treatment of a disease. Thank you for remaining my friend.