I grew up in Rio de Janeiro and moved to San Francisco in 1990, where I built a career in digital design and technology. My life took a different turn when I was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and received an implantable defibrillator. That experience transformed me into a patient advocate. I’ve been honored by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change for Precision Medicine and now serve on the NIH All of Us Research Program, PCORI’s THRIVE Trial, and the advisory board of UCSF/UC Berkeley’s Computational Precision Health program. What sets me apart is not just my advocacy, but how I live it. I use generative AI daily to manage my own health and my father’s care. My work sits at the intersection of personal experience, critical thinking, and the philosophy of patient autonomy.
