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Dave Bjork
Lung Cancer Survivor, Patient Advocate, Health Equity Ally, Speaker, Podcaster
Dave Bjork is an influential figure in the healthcare and life sciences sectors, currently serving as an Advisor at Breathe BioMedical. He is also the founder of Research Evangelist, LLC and hosts the Research Evangelist Podcast, where he interviews key players in the life sciences field, particularly focusing on lung cancer research and advocacy.
Professional Background
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Current Roles:
- Advisor at Breathe BioMedical: Engaging with innovative biomedical solutions.
- Founder of Research Evangelist, LLC: Focuses on amplifying voices in life sciences.
- Vice President of Empowerment at Gryt Health: Collaborates with pharmaceutical companies to enhance health equity and patient advocacy initiatives.
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Previous Experience:
- Patient Advocate at Health Union, LLC: Advocated for the lung cancer community.
- Director of Development and Community Relations at FRAXA Research Foundation: Worked on fundraising and patient engagement for Fragile X syndrome research.
- Vice President of Development at National Foundation for Cancer Research: Enhanced donor engagement and funding strategies for cancer research initiatives.
Advocacy and Impact
Bjork is recognized for his commitment to health equity, access to care, and the importance of patient involvement in clinical trials. His efforts have earned him accolades such as being named one of the Top 100 Influencers in Cancer Care on Twitter and a Lung Cancer Super Advocate by Cancer Commons.
Personal Philosophy
He emphasizes the significance of building authentic relationships within the healthcare community, believing that collaboration among passionate individuals leads to meaningful advancements in patient care and treatment development.
Highlights
I saw so many friends in San Diego at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Lung conference, including these 2 compassionate oncologists - Misty Shields and Jason Porter. Thank you all for spending time with me and sharing the amazing work you doing. You are all so important to me as I enter the next chapter - and I love the work we are doing together - and that we will do in 2025!
So I'm now off to Barcelona for the ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology meeting. If you are there please make sure we connect!
Arun Krishna Devon McGoldrick Scott Campbell Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH David LeDuc Katy Miller Kristie Traverso Josh Bergren Michael Rowinski Miryah Morris Aubrey Rhodes Stacey Bowers Courtney Brandt Gayle Ipock Pooja Merchant Michelle Hull Karl J. Lobo, MBA Nicole Dixon Jackie Zima-Evans Andy Johnson Andrea Lemesh Amanda Leiting Andrew White Kip Cross Jessica Morales Geoff Oxnard Richard O'Hara Emily Fox-Musheno Malaika Pastel Judy Christoff Gissoo DeCotiis Melissa Raczka Bjork Andrea Ferris Lindsey B. Pamela Wilson #wclc #wclc24 #esmo #esmo24 #esmo2024 #lungcancer
Spending time with family in Maine is so important to me. I love being present with my wife and kids and enjoying every moment we have together. This year was even more important as I used this time to reflect on my values, priorities and the next chapter - going out on my own. I've left my full-time position to commit 100% of my time to my personal patient advocacy/Research Evangelist work.
My core values of family first, kindness, empathy, gratitude and understanding are aligned with my family, friends and business partners. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with several of my pharma partners and meeting new friends along the way. I am excited for the opportunities to continue bringing the patient voice to drug development/clinical trials and helping my partners bring more treatment options to patients in need. Let's work together to help ALL patients get access to the amazing lung cancer treatment options available today.
I will be at WCLC in San Diego and ESMO in Barcelona so I hope I get the chance to meet many of you in person. #gratitude #kindness #empathy #family Melissa Raczka Bjork
