Dornan briefed National Press Foundation fellows in October 2022: Empowering Rare Disease Patients Through Advocacy and Counseling. 

As a rare disease patient living with primary lymphedema for over three decades, Britta is invested in empowering patients to be partners in the development of policies that impact their lives. As the senior director of marketing and communication at the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, Britta develops strategies that inspire rare disease patients and caregivers to engage in advocacy to make their voices heard. Britta has led efforts to develop What’s Your Story?, the Foundation’s first rare disease story bank (capturing patient experiences on a wide range of issues impacting the rare disease community); collaborated with stakeholders to establish the Foundation’s first advocate training program to employ personalized, peer-to-peer coaching; and created and hosted the Share Your Story Through Local Media webinar. She is a long-time advocate on behalf of the lymphedema community, earning the Outstanding Advocacy Award from the Lymphatic Education & Research Network. For the last eight years, Britta has shared “advice, comfort, and positive thinking” on her blog, LymphedemaDiary.com. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Pace University.