Laurie Edwards
AUTHOR

Laurie Edwards

Mental Health Medicine & Health Care Industry Social Sciences
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Laurie Edwards is an award-winning health writer and patient advocate. Her newest book, In the Kingdom of the Sick: A Social History of Chronic Illness in America (Walker, 2013), explores patient rights, the role of social media in medical advocacy, the origins of our attitudes about chronic illness, and much more. People with chronic illness owe much to advances in medical technology, but they also are aware both of the limits of science and of society’s throwback belief—subtle or blatant—that people who are sick have weaker character than those who are well. Through research and patient narratives, Edwards looks at the origins of these attitudes, and from the advent of modern vaccinations through present day, she traces the experience of being a patient with chronic illness through such cultural influences as the disability rights movement, the women’s health movement, and the rise of the Internet and health 2.0 technologies. Critics call In the Kingdom of the Sick “surprising, revealing, and beautifully written,” and a “probing, clear-thinking examination of the new medical crisis on our hands: chronic illness.” In giving it a starred review, Booklist described it as “an indispensable book for anyone with or concerned about chronic disease, and everyone interested in the health professions.” Edwards is also the author of Life Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties (Walker, 2008), the first book to focus on and advocate for the needs of younger adults with chronic illness—a population that continues to grow. Life Disrupted was named one of 2008’s Best Consumer Health Books by Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly called Edwards “wise, generous, and a terrific storyteller.” Edwards is a freelance writer and writing consultant whose work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston Globe Magazine, Glamour, and many online and print outlets. Her award-winning health blog, A Chronic Dose, was featured in Wired. As an advocate for young adults with chronic illness, Edwards is a frequent speaker at conferences, virtual conferences, webinars, and other venues. In 2009, she was invited to participate in a private, round-table discussion about health care with President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Foundation. Edwards received a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, and a Master of Fine Arts from Emerson College, where she won the departmental award for nonfiction writing. She is a full-time lecturer at Northeastern University, where she teaches writing for the health sciences. She lives with her family outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
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