Heather Guidone, BCPA is the Program Director of the Center for Endometriosis Care and a Board-certified Professional healthcare Advocate. She oversees the Center’s efforts towards planning, coordination, and execution of various advocacy, education, and research initiatives to drive innovation and improve patient care. For over 30 years, she has focused on 'bench to beltway to bedside' efforts in research and clinical trial facilitation, legislative and policy reform, disease education, patient-centered care and more. Her lived experiences with chronic illness lend her work a deeply personal and empathetic perspective, driving her commitment to ensuring that patient, advocate, and stakeholder voices are integrated at every level of decision-making in research and healthcare. 

Heather also serves as a Reviewer for various federal Medical Research Grant Programs and has been instrumental in promoting patient inclusion in trial design and execution as an advisor, research coordinator and participant. She actively participates in many working groups, healthcare economic panels, and other collaborative efforts including as a member of the Bon Secours Hospital System Patient Advisory Committee, a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Ambassador, member of the Chronic Disease Coalition, and many others. Heather also volunteers as an Advisor to several nonprofit organizations including the Endometriosis Research Center. She was also part of the effort initiated by State Representative Jillian Gilchrest and her Legislative Working Group to establish the nation's first public, multi-institution biorepository of its kind. Deemed EndoRISE, the program is operated through a partnership between UConn Health and The Jackson Laboratory with a focus groundbreaking research and clinical advancements. She is also an Editorial Board Member and Reviewer for various patient-centered journals and has contributed extensively to books, publications, documentaries, and other materials focused on clinical trials, health education, patient-centered outcomes, equity in care, and other critical initiatives.  

She remains a member of many professional healthcare organizations and is a Founding Member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Task Force of the national Patient Advocate Certification Board, reinforcing her dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices in healthcare. Her efforts and subject matter expertise have been featured across various media platforms, further enhancing her advocacy and outreach efforts. Heather’s work exemplifies the critical intersection of research, advocacy, and patient care, and her priority focus remains on ensuring representation for patient, advocate, and stakeholder voices in all places where decisions about health are being made.