Olga Lucia Torres, MS, JD

Olga has been sick her entire life: starting with severe asthma, a pituitary adenoma, later developing lupus and multiple other autoimmune diseases, and ultimately experiencing a devastating brain injury that left her disabled. She was a founding attorney at the Bronx Defenders. After recovering from the brain injury, Olga pivoted to health law at the Medicare Rights Center and then to patient advocacy, serving as the inaugural Northeast Region Advocacy Chair for the Lupus Foundation of America. She is also a member of the Patient Engagement Collaborative, collaborates with the Patient Advocate Foundation, and serves on the medical advisory board of Hear Your Song. Olga now teaches in the narrative medicine program at Columbia University. She chairs the Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association Board of Trustees. Olga has published articles on healthcare, disability rights, and BIPOC issues in various publications, including the New York Times, New York Daily News, and Next Avenue.