Keynotes That Translate Lived Experience Into System Design
Cynthia Overton delivers keynotes that move beyond inspiration and into implementation. Drawing from lived experience navigating sudden disability, hospitalization, insurance appeals, and long-term system interaction along with research in person-centered care, she helps audiences see healthcare differently.
Her talks connect human experience to structural realities, showing how what happens between visits shapes outcomes, trust, and cost.
Audiences leave with:
- A clearer understanding of the “between visit” gap in care
- Practical insights for integrating patient context into workflows
- A shared language for person-centered care that moves beyond buzzwords
- Concrete ideas for aligning patients, providers, and payers
Signature Keynotes
The Hidden Curriculum of Being a Patient
What patients learn outside the clinic — and what healthcare systems rarely name.
This keynote explores the invisible education patients receive while navigating complex care: coordinating providers, translating symptoms, managing insurance decisions, and rebuilding identity between appointments. Cynthia connects this lived reality to system design, medical training, and healthcare incentives — offering insight into how organizations can reduce hidden burdens and improve outcomes.
Best suited for: medical education programs, healthcare conferences, quality improvement initiatives, and health system leadership events.
Person-Centered Care Beyond Buzzwords: Moving from philosophy to practice.
Person-centered care is widely endorsed but inconsistently operationalized. This talk examines why good intentions stall and how organizations can embed dignity, continuity, and context into real workflows. Cynthia draws on established frameworks and lived experience to bridge values and execution.
Best suited for: clinical teams, healthcare leaders, payer organizations, and policy audiences.
When Patients, Providers, and Payers Work as a Team: Aligning incentives to make person-centered care real.
Fragmentation is not just cultural — it is structural. This keynote explores how misaligned incentives create friction across the system and what it takes to move toward shared accountability. Cynthia offers a practical, non-accusatory framework for alignment that speaks to patients, clinicians, and payers alike.
Best suited for: integrated care organizations, insurers, hospital systems, value-based care initiatives, and multi-stakeholder convenings.
What People Are Saying
My approach blends authentic storytelling, practical tools, and a supportive learning environment—helping audiences and teams translate person-centered care principles into everyday action.
