About

Learning in teams, across disciplines, is a hallmark of the Center’s educational approach.

Below, you’ll find faculty and staff with broad academic training and deep professional experience in multiple sectors, including law, medicine, social work, education, public policy, health administration, psychology, community organizing, and business. We invite you to contact any of our staff to inquire about our work and explore ways we might work together.

We also work with a range of partners to influence change in the health and social sector systems that influence health.

Learn more about our partnerships

Faculty and staff

Leadership & Administration

Sarah Davis

Position title: Director

Email: sarah.davis@wisc.edu

Curran F Cauldwood

Position title: Education and Outreach Coordinator

Email: curran.cauldwood@wisc.edu

Chris Lacey

Position title: Administrative Manager

Email: chris.lacey@wisc.edu

Kaila Saladino

Position title: Administrative Assistant

Email: adminasssist@cpp.wisc.edu

Education & Advocacy

Kay Barrett

Position title: Medical Consultant

Email: kmbarrett@wisc.edu

Pete Daly

Position title: Advocacy Faculty

Email: pdaly@wisc.edu

Sachin Gupte

Position title: Legal Advocacy Coordinator

Email: sachin.gupte@wisc.edu

Jill Jacklitz

Position title: Professor

Email: jjacklitz@wisc.edu

Sheray Wallace

Position title: Community Resource Educator

Email: slwallace4@wisc.edu

Action Research: Qualitative and Health Experiences Research Lab

Jane Evered

Position title: Qualitative Researcher

Email: jane.evered@fammed.wisc.edu

Rachel Grob

Position title: Director, Q-HER Lab

Email: rachel.grob@fammed.wisc.edu

Briana Patrick

Position title: Research Specialist

Email: briana.patrick@fammed.wisc.edu

Ellie Plahetka

Position title: Administrator

Email: ellie.plahetka@fammed.wisc.edu

Emily Warne

Position title: Research Specialist

Email: emily.warne@fammed.wisc.edu

Our story

“The benefits of this work are extraordinary; the promise of partnership is powerful.”

Meg Gaines

The Center was founded on the belief that to improve healthcare quality, there must be systems and standards for meaningful patient-provider interaction. These changes must be fought for by both patients and the healthcare system itself.

Martha “Meg” Gaines, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, transformed her own experience as a cancer survivor into a model for consumer-centered patient advocacy. She quickly recognized the educational potential for this type of advocacy—a vision of patients getting help and future medical professionals providing the help they need. Working with colleagues from the schools of medicine, nursing, and public administration, Meg founded the Center for Patient Partnerships in 2000 to make this vision a reality.

In honor of Meg’s contributions to the field of patient advocacy, we’ve established an Innovation Fund, and we welcome your support.