March 28, 2023

Meningitis Stories and Advocacy with Patti and Alicia

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Show Notes
Guest Profile

Patti Wukovits and Alicia Stillman, two mothers who each lost their young, healthy daughters too soon to a now vaccine-preventable disease, Meningitis B (known as MenB). High school senior Kimberly (Patti’s daughter), 17, died one week before her graduation. College sophomore Emily (Alicia’s daughter), 19, died just 36 hours after her first symptoms. Both Kimberly and Emily had received the MenACWY vaccine, the MenB vaccine was not yet available to help protect them from MenB.

In 2014, to educate the public about meningococcal meningitis and MenB vaccination, Patti and Alicia each established their own foundations named after their daughters. Both mothers have since joined forces under the Meningitis B Action Project to make sure other parents don’t needlessly suffer the same fate.

The objective of the Meningitis B Action Project is to:

Empower young adults (and their parents) with information to talk to their healthcare provider about Meningitis B and the vaccine that can help prevent it.
Encourage healthcare providers to discuss Meningitis B and the MenB vaccine with their patients.
Increase awareness of Meningitis B on high school, college and university campuses
Engage policymakers to ensure broader access to the MenB vaccine.

:: EPISODE LINKS ::

Guest details: Patti Wukovits & Alicia Stillman

Meningitis B Action Project

The Kimberly Coffey Foundation: https://www.kimberlycoffeyfoundation.org/

The Emily Stillman Foundation: https://www.foreveremily.org/

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Alicia Stillman

MBA, MPH

Alicia Stillman is the Director of the Emily Stillman Foundation. Named after her daughter Emily, who was taken at 19 by Meningitis B in 2013, the Foundation works to eradicate meningitis through education and action-focused initiatives. For the last 8 years, Alicia has been a leading advocate for meningitis vaccination in the United States, lecturing at academic, healthcare, and government institutions across the country. Her most recent initiative, the Meningitis B Action Project, currently provides educational materials and other learning platforms thousands of US-based universities and doctor’s offices. In addition to running her Foundation, Alicia is the Chief Executive Officer for a multi-state law firm based in Michigan. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (BS) from Arizona State University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Wayne State University, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from George Washington University.

Patti Wukovits

BSN, RN, AMB-BC

Patti Wukovits is a Registered Nurse and Executive Director of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation. After losing her 17-year-old daughter Kimberly to Meningitis B in 2012, Patti formed the Foundation in her daughter’s name to improve awareness of meningococcal disease and the vaccines available to help prevent it. As a prominent advocate of meningitis prevention, she has shared her story with thousands of healthcare providers, policymakers, school administrators and students around the world and played a critical role in the passing of New York State’s meningococcal disease vaccination law in 2016. Patti currently serves on the policy and advocacy committee of the New York State Public Health Association. Her Foundation partnered with the Emily Stillman Foundation in 2017 to launch the Meningitis B Action Project, a nationwide disease awareness and advocacy initiative. Patti lives on Long Island, NY, with her husband John. In addition to Kimberly, she has three children, son Chris, stepson John, and stepdaughter Jaclyn. Patti holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Chamberlain University.