With over 50 years living with transfusion-dependent thalassemia, Josephine has used her lived experience as a patient to raise awareness, educate and advocate on behalf of patients with thalassemia and other inherited blood disorders. She is a long-time volunteer in the thalassemia community, who led the successful effort to include thalassemia patients in Canada’s Hepatitis C compensation plan. She was an inaugural member of Canadian Blood Services’ community liaison committee. Josephine continues her volunteer work as a board member of the Thalassemia Foundation of Canada and the Network of Rare Blood Disorders while working full time for the federal government. Josephine obtained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McMaster University and her M.Sc. in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology from University of Toronto. She resides in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, with her husband and three young adult children.
