Meet the 2020 Scholars

"What do you believe is the greatest unaddressed patient need in the CF community, and if you could, how would you try to fix it? Who would you partner with (e.g. public figure, organization) to help fix the issue and why?"

I believe that the CF community needs more support in rural areas. I am lucky enough to live near a large city and have all of my CF needs met by my amazing CF care team. But when I am at college, I am 2 hours away from my team. I get tests and other needs fulfilled at the local hospital, but it is a very rural town, and they don't have a staff that really understand my needs as someone with CF, because I am not like every other patient. It has made me wonder what it is like for patients in rural areas who either have to travel far for the support they deserve, or have to go to a local hospital where there aren't doctors focusing specifically on CF patients and their needs. I know I am lucky to have the support I have, and I believe every CF patient deserves that same level of care. I think that there should be a lot more options for virtual doctor visits, especially because many doctors are accommodating for that in the age of the coronavirus. I think working with Gunnar Esiason would be a great help because of his podcast and other experience with online platforms to support and inform our community. Online resources and talking to doctors virtually should always be an option, even when the pandemic is over, to keep CF patients supported and healthy.