Health Care Heartbreaks

Within a four-year period, Dr. Christine Cardinal personally experienced three health care fails. During a late miscarriage, she was shamed by health care providers who thought she was having an abortion. During the birth of her son, who was born with a rare genetic disorder, the nurse failed to deliver the news of his phenotype. A cancer misdiagnosis made her sub-clinically ill and kept her bedridden for nine months. These experiences led her to change careers, leaving legal practice and joining academia to research vulnerable populations and advocate for stronger patient-centered care in the medical profession. Her talk highlights the importance of moving away from patriarchal styles of healthcare where clinicians make assumptions and fail to listen, toward one that is shame-free, accounts for people’s diverse experiences, and protects patients at their most vulnerable moments.