Terry Merrill Wilcox

Terry Merrill Wilcox is the Co-Founder and Chief Mission Officer of Patients Rising and Patients Rising Now, organizations dedicated to patient advocacy and healthcare access.12 With a background in production and multimedia storytelling, Wilcox has been instrumental in helping patients find their voice and become advocates for their own healthcare.1

Career Highlights

Leadership Roles:

• Co-Founder and CEO of Patients Rising Now (August 2022 - Present)
• Co-Founder and CEO of Patients Rising (August 2022 - Present)
• Previously served as Executive Director for both organizations

Prior Experience:

• Executive Director at Vital Options International (June 2014 - August 2015)
• Creative Director at Vital Options International (2008 - 2014)

Advocacy Work

Terry Wilcox is known for:

• Managing day-to-day operations to help patients gain access to proper treatment
• Building coalitions with survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals
• Writing opinion pieces on health policy and its impact on patients
• Presenting powerful personal patient narratives

Her work has been published in various outlets, including Fortune, the Boston Globe, The Hill, and Real Clear Health.1

Personal

Wilcox currently juggles roles as a part-time caregiver for her stepmom, who has Alzheimer's Disease, and her 88-year-old mother-in-law.3 This personal experience further informs her work in patient advocacy.

Impact

Under Wilcox's leadership, Patients Rising has grown to represent more than 100,000 chronic disease patients and caregivers nationwide.6 She has been a vocal advocate for patient rights, including supporting legislation to ban the use of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) in federal programs.5

Terry Wilcox continues to be a prominent voice in the fight for equitable healthcare access and against discriminatory benefit design.14