Cynthia Overton, PhD
Turning person-centered care into daily practice. Speaking, workshops, and advisory work for healthcare organizations ready to move from intention to execution.
Bring the Author to the Classroom
Live Zoom Q&A Sessions for Healthcare Education
Includes but not limited to Nursing, Medical, Physical Therapy, and International Training Programs.
Clear Cane Chronicles is a practical guide for person-centered care grounded in healthcare research, principles for person-centered care, and patient perspective.
When assigned in your course, I offer a live Zoom Q&A with students to discuss patient experience, person-centered care, and the realities of navigating healthcare systems as a patient.
These sessions are not lectures. They are facilitated conversations.
Students are encouraged to bring questions and reflections from the book and from their training. I come prepared with questions and discussion prompts to guide the conversation as needed.
Sessions create a thoughtful, low-pressure space where students can engage honestly with patient experience and connect it to their clinical education. The only expectation is that students read the book in advance of the session.
I work with patients, providers, & payers to advance person-centered care.
As a speaker, workshop facilitator, advisor, and author, I blend humor, storytelling, and evidence-based frameworks to elevate learning.
Speaking
Keynotes that translate lived experience into system design.
Topics include:
- The Hidden Curriculum of Being a Patient
- Person-Centered Care Beyond Buzzwords
- When Patients, Providers, and Payers Work as a Team
Workshops
Interactive sessions that help teams operationalize person-centered care in real workflows.
Core offerings:
- Person-Centered Care 101: Foundations and Frameworks
- Person-Centered Care In Action: From Policy to Practice
- Between Visits: Designing for What Happens Outside the Clinic
→ Formats available from 60–90 minutes to half-day sessions
Strategy & Advisory
Strategic advisory for organizations redesigning care delivery and patient experience.
Suited for:
- Care model design and refinement
- Staff training and culture change initiatives
- Embedding patient context into system design
Clear Cane Chronicles
Clear Cane Chronicles is a practical guide for person-centered care.
Drawing on her experience with hospital stays, insurance systems, and the process of relearning how to walk, Cynthia Overton illustrates why seeing patients as people, not just cases, is essential to effective care.
Through stories of humor, challenge, and resilience, she explores how better alignment among patients, providers, and payers can improve real-world healthcare experiences.
Grounded in research and practical strategies, the book offers conversation starters and tools to support meaningful change.
Clear Cane Chronicles is a valuable resource for anyone committed to building a responsive healthcare system that centers patients’ evolving needs.
Trusted by leaders and learners committed to real implementation
“Your speech was deeply inspiring, sparking thoughtful conversations among those who attended."
- Conference Program Chair
“What I definitely appreciated about this approach was the expansive thinking.”
- Workshop Particant
“There were very specific notes and things we can take with us to really implement the strategies day to day.”
- Workshop Participant
