The pediatric healthcare ecosystem is evolving. Patients and families are no longer passive participants in care, they are informed advocates, community builders, and change agents.

This keynote brings together two nationally recognized nonprofit leaders, Brian Burkhardt (Oliver Patch Project) and Andy Shepperd (Project Outrun) who have independently built powerful movements supporting children battling cancer and life altering illness, and who now collaborate under a unified patient advocacy initiative known as The Patchwork Collective.

Together, they will share how mission-driven collaboration can amplify patient voice, improve engagement, strengthen
retention, and build authentic trust within pediatric clinical research and healthcare communities.