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Susan Patrice Weiner, MD, MPH
Dr. Weiner received her MD and MPH from Tulane University and began practicing medicine in pediatric neurology. Later she studied at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University and worked with issues of bioethics and human rights. She worked as a volunteer physician from 1994 to 2010, helping people without health insurance in the San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles CA. areas. During this time she was cofounder of Elder Voices, and hoped to continue this work for many more years.
However, she tragically died in 2012 from a rare cancer, small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Dr. Weiner will continue to be our guide for exploring the interface of spirit, art, and science to help bring human rights to global health and healing. For example, she found the virtual world environment we had created for some of our education work about human rights was an uplifting place to visit during her cancer, and Elder Voices continues to share her work there.
Besides her medical practice, Susan was a member of the advisory counsel for the program of Medicine and Philosophy at the California Pacific Medical Center, and trained with the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team. In 1989 she won the young investigator award from the American Epilepsy Society. Her publications are in books, medical journals, interviews with health professionals about the philosophy of health and healing.
by Yao/Kara Bennett
No one should be denied treatment because of insurance issues. This article is a shout out to volunteer physician groups to work with our nonprofit org www.eldervoices.net to find help for physicians who offer health care without being paid, like my late colleague Dr. Susan Patrice Weiner.
The delay in Susan’s chemotherapy took Susan’s life. This shows how wrong the US health system can be. The irony is that Susan had helped so many others without insurance. Susan died of small cell neuroendocrine cancer. She was 58 years old, a volunteer physician who never denied care to anyone. She was teaching about human rights and health care in the virtual world of Second Life as the Avatar Kasuku Magic.
Susan’s medical license was active until August of 2013, but the medical board in California was notified that she had to wait for treatment beyond the allotted time because she was told she did not have the ‘right insurance’.
Susan was a neurologist, I’m a psychologist in California. We met in San Francisco in the early 1990’s, and decided to work nonprofit, as it was obvious too much emphasis was being placed on having the right insurance and money for health care. It has only become worse in California. We had no idea this would happen to physicians as well.
In honor of Dr. Susan Patrice Weiner,
Best to you, Dancers http://www.eldervoices.net/about-us
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