No room to write how difficult it is to get a referral for an MRI. Insurance companies use the process to deny, because of lack of medical records. And it’s not as if there is one language that all are available if the patient agrees to share their medical records, the PCP has no way to follow up on all records or tests. Often held hostage by payment from the same insurance company. Transparency is a farce. The MRI company says, well you chase the insurance, pay the full amount and you will have access to your own record. So many things about the actual process is not the reality.

Kimberly Warner is a film director and producer based in Portland, Oregon. After receiving her degree in Pre-Med and Biology at Colorado College and pursuing her Masters degree at National University of Naturopathic Medicine,  Kimberly abruptly changed paths and has never looked back. Her work, still founded in a passion for the psychological and social patterns that influence healing, has traded herbs for a camera, prescriptions for storytelling. 

Kimberly has written, shot, directed and edited narrative films, webisodes and corporate and non-profit brand videos. She’s written and directed two of her own narrative short films and both have screened at film festivals globally and garnered numerous awards. 

In 2015, Kimberly developed Mal de Débarquement Syndrome, an incurable neurological disorder that manifests as a feeling of constant rocking, bobbing or swaying. As months turned to years, her sense of self dissipated as her relationship to her body, her career and her community faded. At forty years young, she watched the rest of the world continue on while she was stuck trying to figure out how to put her pants back on. 

After years of isolation and desperately chasing a fix, Kimberly realized the chase was making her more sick. So she decided to learn how to say “yes” - yes to the messy, uncomfortable, painful journey of being alive and how to incorporate it into a bigger, fuller definition of herself. She founded Unfixed Media Productions in 2019 as way to find others who are doing the same, have honest conversations and demonstrate that our wounds and weaknesses are our strengths, they complete us and they equip us to help others. 

These inevitable peaks and valleys of living with an incurable, chronic condition are part of an expanding Unfixed portfolio that currently includes a docu-series, podcast, round-table webcast and feature documentary film all in production. 

Unfixed Media Productions has led to Kimberly’s larger advocacy role within the chronic illness community where, alongside directing and producing media, she writes and speaks about her own patient experiences and how healing can exist even when our bodies can’t be cured. She is the 2020 recipient of the Invisible Disabilities Association’s Media Impact Award. 

When Kimberly isn’t nurturing and developing the many facets of Unfixed, she works a small, sustainable homestead with her husband in rural Oregon. 

Links 
website: www.unfixedmedia.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/UnfixedCommunity
Podcast: https://unfixedmedia.com/podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unfixed_film/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/unfixed_film
Press: https://unfixedmedia.com/press-1
Personal website: www.kimberlywarner.com

Kimberly Warner, Founder unfixedmedia

Leah Barrett is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Master’s Level Nutritionist and has been Private Practice for 25 years. She also has worked in medical settings, specifically oncology as well as consulting for nonprofits and teaching at Colorado State University’s School of Social Work. Most recently, Leah has been living with advanced breast and ovarian cancers - the biggest teachers of her life.

Leah Barrett, living with cancer

When Effie’s son, Ford, was born with an extremely rare genetic condition called CTNNB1 syndrome, she dove headfirst into the world of advocacy. CTNNB1 syndrome is caused by a deletion, partial deletion, or mutation of the CTNNB1 gene. It is a neurological condition that can cause a range of symptoms from mild developmental delays to severe physical and intellectual disabilities. To help herself and others cope with and manage raising a child with a disability or rare genetic condition, Effie started the Once Upon a Gene podcast. She shares her personal stories and interviews other parents, patients, advocates, doctors, scientists, and more.

Effie Parks, patient advocate

Leah Barett, MS, LCSW is a Psychotherapist and Nutritionist in Private Practice in Colorado. That is what she does, not who she is. She is a philosopher, nature-lover, sunset chaser and lover of beauty which she strives to see even in the darkest of places. She has a Ph.D. in being human which she gained from living with end-stage ovarian and breast cancer.

Leah Barrett, PhD in being human

Gabe Charbonneau, MD is a rural family physician and high-tech entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Fluent Systems, an EHR automation software company. He serves as EHR faculty at Practicing Excellence, and has been a physician advisor to the AI scribe companies, Tenor and Saykara. He is also the passionate creator of the #FightBurnout movement on social media, and FightBurnout.org. Gabe lives and practices in Stevensville, Montana.

Gabe Charbonneau, Family Physician

Alastair Santhouse is a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at The Maudsley Hospital in London. He began his career working in internal medicine, retraining in 1996 as a psychiatrist. He worked as a consultant psychiatrist for 18 years in Guy’s Hospital, London, at the interface between medicine and psychiatry, before moving into neuropsychiatry. He is a fellow of both The Royal College of Physicians and The Royal College of Psychiatrists, and is a former President of the Psychiatry Council at the Royal Society of Medicine. Alastair is an enthusiastic teacher and communicator, and has taught medical students and junior doctors over many years. His book, Head First, was published in 2021 and is available to buy at https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/head-first/ as well as all good bookstores.

Alastair Santhouse, Neuropsychiatrist and Author of 'Head First'

Tristan Bilash (he/him/human) is a clinical oncology social worker, writer, speaker, Stage 3C ovarian cancer survivor, ADHD thriver, transgender man, and inclusive health advocate. Tristan has presented at numerous provincial and national conferences in Canada, including being a keynote speaker for the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) 2020 National Conference. 
As a transgender health advocate, Tristan is a national 2SLGBTQIA+ representative for the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology Advocacy Committee. He is currently collaborating with the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition on their upcoming No Person Left Behind campaign to improve awareness and care for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 
Tristan’s story is featured in the journal article, “Spare Parts: Navigating Ovarian Cancer As A Transgender Man” which Tristan co-authored with his friend and colleague, Dr. Lauren Walker (University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Centre). “Spare Parts” was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Volume 40, Issue 9) and remains free-to-access.
Tristan was recently invited to write a column for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. “When The Software Says You Don’t Exist: Creating Change As a Trans Man Navigating Ovarian Cancer” was published on SGO’s blog on June 8, 2022. 

Tristan currently resides in Regina (Saskatchewan), Canada. 
 
Links: 
Psychosocial Needs and Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse People with Cancer: A Scoping Review and Recommendations for Improved Research and Care
Authors: Lauren R. Squires, Tristan Bilash, Charles S. Kamen, Sheila N. Garland
LGBT Health, Volume 9, Number 1, 2022
 
Spare Parts: Navigating Ovarian Cancer as a Transgender Man | Journal of Clinical Oncology (ascopubs.org) 
Authors:  Tristan Bilash BSW, RSW and Lauren M. Walker, PhD, RPsych, DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.01249 Journal of Clinical Oncology, Art of Oncology - published online before print January 12, 2022                                                                  
PMID: 35020447
1Supportive Care Department, Allan Blair Cancer Centre, Regina, SK, Canada
2Division of Psychosocial Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
3Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
 
When The Software Says You Don’t Exist: Creating Change as a Trans Man Navigating Ovarian Cancer | Tristan Bilash, RSW | Society of Gynecologic Oncology (sgo.org)
Author: Tristan Bilash, Society of Gynecologic Oncology - published online June 8, 2022
 
Social Media / Contact
Personal Blog – A Cup of Strong T  https://acupofstrongt.blog/
Twitter - @strongtlb1

Tristan Bilash (he/him/human) is a clinical oncology social worker, writer, speaker.

Catherine Foot is Director of Phoenix Insights, a new think tank set up to transform the way society responds to the possibilities of longer lives. Phoenix Insights is part of The Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business. 
 
Catherine is a research and policy specialist in ageing and longevity, and from 2015 to 2021 was Director of Evidence at the Centre for Ageing Better, a charitable foundation funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, and part of the government’s What Works Network. Catherine has also held senior roles at the health and social care think tank The King’s Fund, and the medical research charity Cancer Research UK.

Catherine Foot, Director of Phoenix Insights

Mary I. O’Connor, MD is founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health, a virtual musculoskeletal company focus on transforming the delivery of patient-centered and value drive care. She is a nationally recognized leader in health equity and Chair of the Board of Directors of Movement is Life, a nonprofit multi-stakeholder coalition committed to addressing musculoskeletal health disparities. Her new book, “Taking Care of You: The Empowered Woman’s Guide to Better Health,” supports women advocating for equitable healthcare. A past Olympian (US Women’s Rowing), she is passionate in her promotion of the power of sports for girls and women.
Dr. O’Connor is Professor Emerita of Orthopedics at Mayo Clinic and past Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. She received her MD from Drexel University and completed her residency in orthopedics and fellowship in orthopedic oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She practiced at Mayo Clinic in Florida until 2015 during which time she served in many leadership roles: Enterprise-wide Medical Director of the Office of Integrity and Compliance; Chair, Orthopedic Surgery Department (Florida); Medical Director for Development (Florida); and member of the Executive Operations Team (Florida). In 2015, she became the inaugural Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Care at Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health. In February 2021, Dr. O’Connor became a founder and Chief Medical Officer at Vori Health to advance her passion for transforming musculoskeletal care.
Dr. O’Connor has published extensively on clinical research and innovation in care pathways, hip fracture care, limb salvage for tumor, sex and gender differences in arthritis, and regenerative medicine. At Yale, she led the creation of a multidisciplinary hip fracture program which transformed clinical outcomes and promoted innovation in the care of this vulnerable population.  She authors a quarterly column in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research entitled, “Equity360: Gender, Race and Ethnicity,” to advance health equity in the orthopedic profession.
She has broken numerous gender barriers as the first female member of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS), the International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS), the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) and The Knee Society. She is the Past President of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeon, AAHKS, ISOLS, MSTS and the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society. She is past Chair of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) Diversity Advisory Board and the AAOS Women’s Health Issues Advisory Board, founding member of the AAHKS Women in Arthroplasty Group, past board member of the Perry Foundation, and member of the AAHKS Diversity Advisory Board. She is past member of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health at NIH. 
Dr. O’Connor has received numerous awards and honors during her training and career, including the 2023 AAOS Diversity Award, 2023 AAHKS Diversity Award, Distinguished Clinician Award at Mayo Clinic, and the Corinne Farrell Award from the International Skeletal Society. She received the Congressional Gold Medal as a 1980 Olympian (Women’s Rowing).

Company: https://www.vorihealth.com
 
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryoconnormd/
 
TEDx: Promoting Health: Your Secret Superpower https://www.ted.com/talks/mary_o_connor_promoting_health_your_secret_superpower
 
Book: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/product/taking-care-of-you/
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Care-You-Empowered-Womans/dp/1945564148
 
Movement is Life (the non-profit focused on health equity): https://www.movementislifecommunity.org

Mary O'Connor MD,  founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health

Dr. Rakel started his career near the Teton Mountains in Driggs, Idaho where he was in rural private practice for five years before completing a two-year residential fellowship in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. He was the founder and director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program and was awarded tenure in the department of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in 2010.

David Rakel Podcast

Dr. Victor Montori is Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic. He is a practicing endocrinologist, researcher, and author and a recognized expert in evidence-based medicine and shared decision-making. Dr. Montori developed the concept of minimally disruptive medicine and works to advance person-centered care for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. He is the author of Why We Revolt – a Patient Revolution for Careful and Kind Care.

Victor Montori Interview

The Health Design Podcast brought to you by the Journal of Health Design(www.journalofhealthdesign.com). Features interviews with the world's leading health design experts including clinicians, designers, patients, authors and researchers. Better health by design.

Mary O'Connor MD, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health

The Health Design Podcast

Recent comments

AnnJeanette Farrer

Related tracks