Published September 28th, 2021 | 4 Minute Read

PHILADELPHIA — September 28, 2021 — WEGO Health, part of Health Union, announces its 2021 class of WEGO Health Awards honorees, including winners in 16 patient leader categories and, for the first time in its decade-long history, six industry categories.

“After a decade of recognizing the most influential patient leaders in the world in a way nobody else was, the WEGO Health Awards continue to provide these individuals with the ‘thank you’ and honor they dearly deserve,” said Jack Barrette, Health Union’s chief innovation officer and former CEO of WEGO Health. “It is so meaningful to us that we will once again have the opportunity to celebrate with many of these amazing healthcare transformers in person, this year at the 2021 HLTH conference in Boston.”

The categories for the 10th Annual WEGO Health Awards were divided into three subgroups – Showstoppers in Social, Cultivating Community, and Journey of a Patient Leader – with both patient leaders and industry members being recognized in each. Winners were announced during a virtual ceremony on Sept. 23, which can be viewed on-demand here.

The winners in the inaugural industry categories are:

• Best Use of Social Media to Engage Patients – #WhyITattoo, GlaxoSmithKline
• Most Authentic Use of Patients in a Marketing Campaign – More to MS, Janssen Pharmaceuticals
• Best Digital Patient Engagement Program – Akili Interactive
• Most Valuable Support or Access Program – Antidote Match 
• Champion for Patient Collaboration – Vanita Sharma, Strongbridge Biopharma
• Patient Truth Industry Hero – Dr. Jennifer Arnold, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

“By advocating for patients, I have been fortunate to have my professional career be centered around amplifying the patient voice,” said Vanita Sharma of Strongbridge Biopharma. “I have an unwavering commitment and passion for bringing the voice of the patient, especially those living with rare conditions, to the forefront. Receiving this award is the biggest honor of my career, and I am so humbled to have received this distinction as WEGO Health’s Champion for Patient Collaboration.”

The patient leader winners in each category were:

• Best in Show: Twitter – Michelle Munt, brain injury patient leader
• Best in Show: Youtube – Jo Beckwith, chronic pain patient leader
• Best in Show: TikTok – Ariana Covarrubias, chronic illness patient leader
• Best in Show: Podcast – Effie Parks, rare disease patient leader
• Best in Show: Instagram – Thomas Silvera, food allergy patient leader
• Best in Show: Facebook – Joel Nelson, arthritis patient leader
• Best in Show: Blog – Devin Garlit, multiple sclerosis patient leader
• Best in Show: Community – Kathy Reagan Young, multiple sclerosis patient leader
• Best Kept Secret – Sumaira Ahmed, neuromyelitis optica patient leader
• Hilarious Patient Leader – Damian Washington, multiple sclerosis patient leader
• Best Team Performance – Cancer Kids First, juvenile cancer advocacy group
• Rookie of the Year – Ashley Perkins, ADHD patient leader
• Advocating for Another – Sarita Edwards, rare disease patient leader
• Healthcare Collaborator – Michele Nadeem-Baker, chronic lymphocytic leukemia patient leader
• Lifetime Achievement – Ronny Allan, neuroendocrine tumor patient leader
• Patient Leader Hero – Shrenik Shah, vocal cord cancer patient leader