Patient Perspectives

At the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation, our Patient Perspectives team is responsible for conducting content development focus groups with patients, and sometimes providers, in two to three locations around the U.S. when a decision aid program is in the process of being created or revised. The Patient Perspectives team also develops DVD programs that illustrate what shared decision making looks like in practice.

Pamela H. Wescott, MPP Director of Patient Perspectives

Pamela H. Wescott, MPP
Pam is responsible for managing patient perspective content development for all Shared Decision-Making® programs and independent production initiatives, including the video collaboration “Transforming the Patient Experience," which received international health and medical media recognition. Prior to joining the Foundation, she managed research initiatives for Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Radcliffe Public Policy Institute. She also taught focus group methodology to Harvard undergraduates and Harvard Law students. Pam holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MPP from the University of California at Berkeley.
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Ellen J. Reifler, MPH Senior Research Associate

Ellen J. Reifler, MPH
Ellen is responsible for patient perspective content development in Shared Decision-Making® programs and independent production initiatives. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was executive director of the Abortion and Pregnancy Testing Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, administrator of surgery for Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, and a consultant for the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Ellen holds a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University and an MPH from Yale University.
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Chris Bettis Patient Perspectives and Research Specialist

Chris conducts qualitative research and assists the patient perspectives team with focus group and other projects. She also assists the content development team with a variety of projects to promote shared decision making. Before joining the Foundation, she worked as a research publications specialist at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center at McLean Hospital. Prior to that, she wrote reports and conducted research for a Boston detective agency. Chris holds a BA from Wellesley College.
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