Patrice O'Brien ’83 Helps Fight Breast Cancer

Patrice S. O’Brien ’83, a passionate advocate for people with breast cancer, recently helped determine how $120 million will be spent on breast cancer research. 

Susan G. Komen Philadelphia nominated O’Brien to serve as a consumer reviewer for research applications submitted to the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program.  

As a consumer reviewer, she was a full voting member, along with prominent scientists, at meetings to help determine how $120 million in breast cancer research funding will be spent. 
 
Consumer reviewers are asked to represent the collective view of patients and family members by preparing comments on the impact of the research on issues such as diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life.  Scientists applying propose to conduct innovative research to improve the quality of life by decreasing the impact of cancer on Service members, their families, and the American public.
 
O’Brien has a strong commitment to breast cancer research. As captain of Rawle & Henderson LLP’s race team for the annual Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure, she has helped raise more than $78,500 for breast cancer research. 
 
O’Brien has practiced as a civil trial lawyer for over 30 years in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, catastrophic loss and premises liability in the Mid-Atlantic region. After earning her bachelor’s in business administration from DelVal, O’Brien earned a law degree from Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America. She currently co-chairs the Medical-Legal Committee of the State Civil Litigation Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association.