About | Power of the Patient

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About The Power of the Patient Project

The Power of the Patient Project is a completely volunteer national initiative headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It has been designated by the National Library of Medicine as one of the only digital libraries in the country devoted exclusively to education and information on patient rights, The Project is anchored by its website. The website offers patients a comprehensive list of reliable sources for finding information on medical conditions and treatment options as well as an extensive library of video segments featuring prominent physicians, healthcare providers, and healthcare leaders discussing how to improve the patient experience. The website also features informational video segments on the current issues in the areas of patient rights and patient advocacy. In addition to the website, The Project offers an outreach program that provides live educational workshops to patient support groups as well as a personal research service where medical librarians will research questions for patients on medical conditions and treatment options and compile easy to understand articles that can be sent by mail or sent electronically.

How It All Began ...

Work on creating The Power of the Patient Project, the National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy, began in 2014 when a group of talented on-camera hosts, videographers, and segment producers spent the next three years, filming over 120 video interviews with some of the most prominent physicians and healthcare leaders in the country. This initial project was called Health and Wellness. In the spring of 2017, Bob Kieserman and a select group of his healthcare administration students at the Arcadia University School of Global Business, near Philadelphia, collaborated to expand the project and

created the current website and introduced the community outreach efforts of the Project. The mission of the Project was to educate consumers about their patient rights, help patients become more proactive with healthcare decisions, and teach patients how to have a more interactive dialogue with their healthcare providers. Based on the Medical Library Association guidelines for providing consumer and patient health information, the goal of the Project has always remained to transform patients from healthcare accepters to better healthcare consumers and help foster a better relationship between patients and their healthcare providers.

In the summer of 2017, the students became the Founding Executive Advisory Board and Bob Kieserman assumed the role of the Project's volunteer executive director. In August of 2018, the Project was designated the National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy, and is recognized by the National Library of Medicine.

Our Dedicated Volunteer Team

Bob Kieserman, Executive Director

Bob Kieserman is the Founding Executive Director of The Power of the Patient Project. Bob served as the Program Director of the Health Administration Program and was a member of the senior faculty at the Arcadia University School of Global Business for over 20 years. Throughout his 35 year career, Bob taught and mentored thousands of men and women preparing them for careers as physicians, nurses, rehab therapists, hospital administrators, nursing home administrators, and medical practice administrators. Throughout his impressive career, he also practiced as a healthcare consultant, and continues to work within the Project as a consumer health librarian and medical sociologist. He earned his MBA from the Fox School of Business at Temple University and his MLIS from the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. Prior to joining Arcadia, Bob was the CEO of one of the country's leading continuing medical education companies for over 15 years, and prior to that served as Assistant to the Deans of the Temple University School of Medicine. He was also a Special Lecturer in Medical Practice Management at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, the Temple University School of Medicine, and the Howard University College of Medicine. Highly respected by both clinicians and administrators throughout the country, he is the author of four books on medical practice management and over 200 articles on the issues of healthcare management and patient rights. Bob is a member of the Medical Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association and, in recognition of his writing contributions, he was inducted as a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists in 2020. Bob's passion is educating patients about their rights and empowering patients to be better consumers of the healthcare delivery system.

Emily Sokol, Associate Director of Patient Education

Emily Sokol, MPH graduated from Brown University with a master's degree in public health and Boston College with a bachelor's degree in English. Emily has worked across the public health field in patient education, journalism and event organizing, government contracting, and care management. Blending her passions for public health and writing, Emily helps The National Library of Patient Rights and Advocacy raise awareness of the public health issues that affect us all.

Bri Allison, Director of Communications

Brianna Allison graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelor’s degree in Multiplatform Journalism and one in Public Relations. Brianna has a strong passion for storytelling and loves being a part of a media-enriched environment. She has worked in broadcast journalism, social media, and print journalism in the past. Bri oversees our entire communications team and also contributes her talents as a Senior Anchor and the Managing Editor of Today's Patient, our online monthly magazine,