I am The Liz Army.

I was diagnosed with a low-grade malignant brain tumor in my late twenties. That diagnosis sparked something in me: relentless curiosity about my own health information, my medical records, what my doctors were thinking, and how they talked about me. That curiosity led me into a career in health communications. For over a decade I've been working to answer the question that first drove me: how do we make health information understandable and accessible for everyone?

For the past nine years, I've been the Communications and Patient Initiatives Director for the OpenNotes Lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where we co-design research in partnership with patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Our work has primarily focused on patient-clinician communication through clinical documentation (“open notes“), however, in recent years we've been focusing on the intersection between patients, open notes, and artificial intelligence.

I have first-authored and co-authored 30 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including NEJM, Cancer Cell, JAMA Open, and the BMJ. I have delivered more than 100 presentations nationally and internationally. My work has been recognized with the Jan Esenwein Public Service Award in Neuro-Oncology (2024), the "Doc Tom" Ferguson Award from the Society for Participatory Medicine (2019), and recognition through the White House Cancer Moonshot (2023).

Despite these experiences and accomplishments (aided greatly by incredible partners and mentors), what I lack is formal academic credentialing. I am seeking to change that.

Starting in fall 2026, I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science at UC Davis. I’ll be bringing years of field experience to bear on foundational questions about human cognition in healthcare contexts. Who knows, maybe I’ll live long enough to earn my PhD?

My work appears at thelizarmy.com, where I have been writing about my own health care experiences, patient advocacy, and research since 2008.