Anna Payne
Anna Payne is a dedicated public servant and patient advocate. She’s committed to improving her community and healthcare to better meet the needs of her neighbors as well as fellow patients and their families.
Anna currently serves as Supervisor in Middletown Township Bucks County and was an elected Delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Anna knows that we have to get involved to influence positive change for the world around us. She leads by example holding various titles and positions within local political party. She knows that by getting involved she can help raise awareness for issues impacting her community both locally and globally.
Anna’s other passion is healthcare, as she lives with cystic fibrosis, a rare disease. When Anna was born, she wasn’t expected to make it out of high school as the life expectancy was only 17. This illness has not stopped Anna from thriving in her day to day despite spending 3-4 hours per day in healthcare maintenance and taking anywhere from 30-40 pills daily to stay healthy. She is now 34 years old an age she never thought she would see.
She was chosen to serve on the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council as one of only two patients selected statewide. Anna uses her voice to advocate the struggles of patients with rare diseases and bring a real-life perspective to the council. The goal of the council is to help improve the lives of patients with rare diseases in the state. She also currently serves on the Drexel Cystic Fibrosis Care Center’s “Patient and Family Advisory Council”. Where she advocates for patients needs and concerns about the quality of care they receive both in and out of the hospital setting. She has advocated for rare disease patients in Harrisburg and advocated in front of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2017 she was nominated for a Rare Voice Award from the Everylife Foundation for her statewide advocacy efforts.
In 2015, Anna received the Patient Volunteer of the Year Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Delaware Valley Chapter in recognition of her tireless efforts on the Great Strides Executive Leadership Council and her state level advocacy efforts. To date she has raised more than $60k for the Foundation to advance research and patient support programs. Raising 30k in 2018 alone. Anna is always ready to volunteer her time for the foundation,
Despite her health challenges, and a full-time job, Anna volunteers her time to all of the above boards and organizations to help make a difference and improve the lives of others. Anna is committed to leave the world a better place and works daily to achieve this mission. Helping others is her true passion and it shows through everything she does.