DIA is Proud to Announce the DIA 2020 Keynote Speaker
Mary Elizabeth Williams, Writer, Speaker, Consultant
Mary Elizabeth Williams is a journalist and author. In 2011, facing metastatic melanoma, she became one of the first people in the world in an innovative immunotherapy clinical trial—and twelve weeks later showed a complete response. She chronicled her experience in the nonfiction book "A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles," which won this year's Walter C. Alvarez Award from the American Medical Writers Association. She is currently studying for her certification in narrative medicine at Columbia University.
When Mary Elizabeth Williams was diagnosed with metastatic cancer and trying to get into an odds-defying clinical trial, a clinician at her hospital casually introduced her to his research fellows as "the tumor." Science is advancing, but what good is it if patients feel alienated? Journalist and author Williams will discuss why the treatment plan process must understand the emotional and logistical needs of the patient, and how, in a sped-up world, humanity is an essential element of successful healthcare outcomes.