For more than two decades, Barbara Coombs Lee worked in clinical settings as a nurse, a nurse practitioner and a physician assistant.
Her unforgettable experiences ministering to the terminally ill eventually led her to a career in law and health policy. For the next 25 years she devoted herself to advocacy for initiatives that allow individuals a full range of options and much greater agency in their healthcare decisions.
Barbara’s work in public policy culminated in her roles as Chief Executive Officer and now as President Emerita/Senior Adviser of Compassion & Choices, the nation’s oldest and largest organization working to improve care and expand options at the end of life. Thousands of personal experiences and teachings gathered from scholars and thought leaders around the globe inform her perspective.
A writer, speaker and commentator, Barbara’s passion for transforming end-of-life care through information and empowerment infuses her new book Finish Strong. She calls for all Americans to join a patient-driven movement to dismantle the institutional and cultural barriers to living well to the very end.
She lives in Oregon.
