Advocating for the Invisible: When Health Conditions Are Unseen

Dave Craig is a two-time cancer survivor, oncology researcher and patient experience champion. After 10 years of struggling to see his own cancer journey in the patient experience research he led for the pharmaceutical industry, he left to use his survivor heart and researcher brain to help other patients. In 2016, he co-founded Gryt (“grit”) Health, a digital oncology solutions company that empowers people to be in charge of their own health through connection, education and advocacy. At Gryt Health, he and his team of fellow survivors and caregivers, use their expertise and personal experiences to improve medicine development and access, while creating platforms to learn from and support the lived experiences of facing a diagnosis.

Wayne Eskridge, an electrical engineer from the University of Idaho, worked in software and electronics through a 50 year professional career. He served in many technical and managerial roles beginning as a computer programmer, through multiple levels of technical and managerial positions in businesses of all sizes. He held executive positions in both public and private corporations with worldwide responsibilities, and from startups to Fortune 500 firms. 

Eskridge was first diagnosed with liver disease in 2010 and, as a result of his own experiences, he became aware of an acute need for an educational resource from a patient perspective. At the core of his motivation is the fact that an estimated 100 million Americans already have fatty liver disease and are unaware of it. While there is currently no medical treatment for NAFLD/NASH, lifestyle changes can be effective. Prevention through education is the only practical solution today. His desire to help others avoid his experiences led him to the decision to become a patient advocate and to create the Fatty Liver Foundation.

Lisa Salberg is the Founder and CEO of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA). Since starting the organization in 1996, the HCMA has evolved into an international resource and support center for families affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The HCMA has an active membership of over 15,000 families and provides information via its website, social media, and office-based client services. The HCMA also supports research, innovation, and policy initiatives to increase disease awareness, improve detection, and improve access to care.

Lisa has published three books on HCM and nearly two dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and has spoken internationally about the disease and the need for increased awareness and education. The HCMA' s work focuses on the concept that knowledge is power and all patients deserve to understand their disease state and the therapeutic options available to them to live the highest quality of life possible.

As an HCM patient, stroke, and transplant survivor, as well as a parent and family member to those with HCM, advocacy and service to the HCM community is a passion, a mission, and a calling.

Learn more at 4hcm.org.