Michelle Johnston-Fleece

Michelle Johnston-Fleece has a diverse work experience spanning various organizations and roles. Michelle is currently working at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as the Associate Director of Workforce Development. Prior to this, they served as a Senior Program Officer in Public & Patient Engagement at PCORI.

Before joining PCORI, Michelle worked at the National Academy of Medicine as a Senior Program Officer. In this role, they directed the Care Culture and Decision-making Innovation Collaborative and co-authored a framework for patient and family engaged care that has been implemented in multiple health systems.

Michelle also worked as an Engagement Officer at PCORI, where they oversaw patient and stakeholder engagement activities within the Improving Healthcare Systems research portfolio. Michelle collaborated with staff to develop research contract monitoring strategies and initiated outreach and communication activities to ensure meaningful engagement in PCORI-funded research.

Michelle has extensive experience in the healthcare and cancer-related fields. Michelle served as a Columnist for Cancer Today at the American Association for Cancer Research and was the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Cancer Support Community. At the Einstein Healthcare Network, Michelle was the Patient Experience Manager, leading efforts to improve patient experience in a large healthcare system. Michelle also held a board membership position at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Michelle's earlier roles include Senior Policy and Research Analyst at the American Board of Internal Medicine, Assistant to the Deputy General Secretary at the American Friends Service Committee, and Executive Policy and Planning Associate at God's Love We Deliver.

Michelle Johnston-Fleece completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and media studies from New York University in 1998. Later, they pursued a Master's degree in health systems and policy from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which they completed in 2008.