Ella Balasa is a passionate patient engagement expert, advocate, and individual living with cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare genetic lung disease which was diagnosed when she was just 18 months old. Having endured numerous hospitalizations since childhood, Ella has used her personal healthcare experiences to drive change in patient empowerment, research, and healthcare strategies. With a background in biology, she focuses on advocating for innovative therapies, particularly those targeting antibiotic-resistant infections, which have greatly impacted her life. Ella is dedicated to elevating the patient voice in healthcare, having spoken at numerous healthcare conferences, the FDA, as a guest on podcasts, congressional meetings, and given keynote presentations. She firmly believes that empowering patients to be active participants in their healthcare can improve disease outcomes, and she works to engage them through education and collaboration with key stakeholders. She contributes to clinical trial design, research committees, and patient engagement initiatives. Ella’s dedication has earned her recognition as a Health Union Social Health Award winner for Healthcare Collaborator along with numerous other awards. In addition to her advocacy work, Ella is a writer, distilling clinical information for patient communities and sharing her personal experiences living with chronic illness. Her articles have been published on platforms such as MedPage Today, HuffPost, BMJ, and the Pulmonary Therapy Journal. Through her consulting business, Ella helps startups and small biotech companies develop strategies to involve patients in product development. She has also served on several advisory boards, including those for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI), and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Ella continues to bridge the gap between research and patient advocacy, striving to create patient-centric advancements in medical progress. To learn more about her work and experiences visit www.ellabalasa.com.