WES MICHAEL
Founder and President, Rare Patient Voice
Wes Michael founded Rare Patient Voice in 2013 to give patients and caregivers with rare diseases the opportunity to voice their opinions in research studies. Rare Patient Voice has now conducted over 5,000 studies and rewarded patients and caregivers with over $7 million for their participation. Many have been recruited in person by Wes and his team at patient events like fund-raising walks and patient conferences. Rare Patient Voice now covers non-rare as well as rare diseases and conditions and has expanded from the United States to Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Before forming Rare Patient Voice, Wes worked for healthcare market research firm Kantar Health. He previously was a brand manager and market research manager at McCormick (the spice company) and General Mills (working on Wheaties, Total and Kix cereals). He has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania (with a year at Edinburgh University) and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Wes lives outside Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Cathy, teen children Julia and Cliff, grandson Taylor, and dogs Ace and Stanley.