Gwen Darien is a longtime patient advocate who has played leadership roles in some of the country’s preeminent nonprofit organizations. As executive vice president for patient advocacy, engagement and education, Gwen leads programs that link Patient Advocate Foundation’s direct patient service programs to PAF patient education and NPAF system change initiatives, with the goal of improving access to affordable, equitable quality health care. A three-time cancer survivor herself, Gwen came into cancer advocacy expressly to change the experiences and outcomes for the patients who came after her and to change the public dialogue about cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Gwen serves on a wide range of program committees and workshop faculties. She is the past Chair of PCORI’s Patient Engagement Advisory Panel and founding Chair of Community Engagement in Genomics Working Group of the National Human Genome Research. Gwen serves on the Board of Trustees of the USP and is a member of the National Cancer Policy Forum. Gwen also writes about her experiences as an advocate and cancer survivor. A recent piece, Transformation: My Experience as a Patient and an Advocate in Three Chapters appeared in the National Academy of Medicine Perspectives.