Honoring The Patient Voice: Wes Michael, President and Founder of Rare Patient Voice

In 2013, Wes founded Rare Patient Voice to provide patients and their caregivers with the opportunity to voice their opinions through surveys and interviews to improve medical products and services. As with any new business, the initial days were challenging. Wes knew that he wanted to be able to share this resource with all clients, so he purposely did not accept investments from clients or other related sources. He spent time traveling across the country and meeting patients and caregivers at events such as awareness days, fundraising walks, meetings, and conferences. Eventually, the business grew and Wes was able to add staff to support projects and attend events.Wes has been amazed at the great reception Rare Patient Voice has received from both patients and the market research industry. To date, over $13 million dollars have been awarded to RPV participants. Working to meet the needs of advertising agencies, market research firms, pharmaceutical companies and other clients has been a labor of love for this longtime marketing professional. In addition to the United States, Rare Patient Voice now recruits patients and caregivers for studies in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.