HIMSS20 Update: Do No Harm

It is after much consideration and many hours of lost sleep that I have made the decision to not attend HIMSS20. There were significant circumstances that needed to be considered. The safety of the patients I work with, the disabled family members I care for, and the safety of my own family and local community take priority over the many landmark professional and networking opportunities offered to me at HIMSS. Here is my official statement of cancellation.

I'm reaching out to let you know that I have made the incredibly difficult decision to not attend HIMSS20.

As an individual patient advocate, I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to represent the patient and carepartner voice in discussions about digital health, internet of things, innovation, the patient experience, patient engagement, and consumerism. I take these opportunities very seriously, recognizing how rare they are, especially in the conference setting, and the responsibility that comes with them.

As you may know, my day to day is spent in cancer centers and hospitals, with often very sick, very immune-compromised patients in active treatment for cancer. I have been carefully following the reports from WHO and CDC as well as local media surrounding the coronavirus. I have to weigh the potential consequences of attending HIMSS and returning home with an unsuspected case of the virus and the impact it could have if I return to my daily patient advocacy work in working with people at their most vulnerable time of their life. Similarly, as the caregiver to 2 disabled adults and a mother with small children, a potential illness, self-quarantine, or mass quarantine of a plane would be an unmanageable burden for my family. 

I have never cancelled an invited speaking engagement or interview. This year's HIMSS20 had 6 invited speaking engagements and 3 recorded interviews on my calendar. It is with a great disappointment that I have decided to not attend. Please know that this has been one of the most difficult professional decisions I have ever had to make. I greatly apologize for any inconvenience this late cancellation may cause in the scheduled programming. I do hope that future events will continue to be supportive of the patient and carepartner voice and thank you for all the opportunity that was given to me at this year's event. I wish you the safest of travels and best of luck with the conference.