Geri Lynn Baumblatt, MA, is the principal at Articulations Consulting. She has over 20 years of experience consulting on and designing technology and other resources to improve patient communication, education and engagement, health literacy, and shared decision making for  organizations like AHRQ, Johns Hopkins, UPenn., and Docola, She was the multimedia expert on AHRQ’s Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool. She currently works with organizations like the Veterans Health Administration to improve organizational health literacy,  Docola:creating a patient education content clearinghouse, and TCare: designing resources for family caregivers. She served as Emmi’s Executive Director of Patient Engagement for 15 years, where she oversaw the creation of a large multimedia library of patient education, decision aids, and interactive phone calls, and spoke at hundreds of events. She recently served a 3-year term on PCORI’s Patient Engagement Advisory Panel, and has served on the Leadership Board of the Journal of Patient Experience since 2010, and she’s a reviewer for Health Literacy Research & Practice and JMIR She partners in outcomes research and conducted  research to study the impact of double-duty caregiving on nurses and care delivery. She’s also a champion of Patients for Patient Safety U.S. and an investor in Health Innovation Pitch.

Christine Freund, CSW is an advocate for Huntington’s disease and family survivor of suicide. She was her brother’s primary support person during his struggle with Huntington’s disease and assisted her father when he was afflicted. Christine also assisted her mother, nephew and other family members when chronic illness occurred. She is a retired social worker who focused her career on elder abuse. Christine resides in Wisconsin and currently serves as the President of the Wisconsin chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA). She also serves on the HDSA National Advocacy Leaders committee and is a Community Advisory Board member of the Center for Innovation & Value Research’s Patient-Centered Economic Impacts project.

Tara Lavelle is an Assistant Professor at the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at Tufts Medical Center. Her research focuses on evaluating the cost-effectiveness of various health interventions, including vaccines, medical devices, genomic sequencing, and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Lavelle also examines the impact of illness on caregivers and family members to support value assessments and inform healthcare policies.

Dorothy is a passionate, patient, family, and caregiver advocate. With firsthand experience witnessing and navigating the challenges faced by those dealing with chronic and multiple health concerns, she understands the complexities of coordinating care within the medical system. After leaving Corporate America, she trained as a Personal Care Aide (PCA) for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries until she had to assume the role of caregiver for her brother and mother. Dorothy is acutely aware of the difficulties individuals encounter when managing chronic diagnoses and trying to navigate various doctors’ visits. She supports and advocates for individuals throughout their journey, staying well-informed of their beliefs, values, and desired health outcomes.

Dorothy continually updates her skills by connecting with Patient and Family Advocacy (PFA) organizations, bringing new insights and up-to-date information. She is actively involved in several organizations championing efforts to combat disparities and promote patient-centered outcomes, including:

National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF)

PFCC Partners Advisory Board

Health Quality Innovators Patient and Family Advisory Council (HQIN’s PFAC)

National Quality Forum Consumer Stake Advisory Council

American Association of Diabetes Educators Council

Dorothy has facilitated value-based programs, workshops, and seminars, including:

Stanford University Patient Education Research Center's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Master Balance

YMCA of the USA's Foundation of Listening First and Understanding Diabetes

Dorothy is a 2023 graduate of The PATIENTS Program and The Higher Ground Women of Faith Leadership Development Program. She attended Virginia Union University and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. She is an elder and a published author of "God Got Me: A Tribute to her brother Kirby Lee Edwards, Jr."

Dorothy is the voice for those who may feel voiceless during their most vulnerable times or when intellectually challenged.