Trisha Torrey

{{Infobox person

| name =

| image =

| alt =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1951}}Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, [http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/09/19/ep.misdiagnoses/index.html?eref=rss_health Has your illness been misdiagnosed?], Retrieved February 23, 2016, ... math: 2004-52 => 1952 birth year approx ...In June 2004, Trisha Torrey found a golf ball-size lump in her torso. A surgeon removed it and gave her the grim news: cancer....

| birth_place = Syracuse, NY, USA

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = American

| education = Bucknell
Elmira College (in Education){{cite web|title=Resumé: Trisha Torrey|url=http://everypatientsadvocate.com/resume-trisha-torrey/}}

| other_names = Patricia Torrey

| occupation = patient advocate

| years_active = 12+Note: 2004 misdiagnosis, current year 2016, math => 12+

}}

Trisha Torrey is an American advocate of patient empowerment and patient advocacy.{{cite web

| first= Kim| last= Painter

| date= February 1, 2012

| publisher= USA Today

| url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/LIFE/usaedition/2012-02-02-Patients-Checklist----_ST_U.htm

| title= Hospital patients should be prepared

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=...Trisha Torrey, a patient advocate from Baldwinsville, N.Y., ... more patients are realizing they must take more active roles....

}}{{cite web

| first= Barbara| last= Sadick

| date= February 15, 2016

| publisher= Chicago Tribune via Washington Post

| url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-patient-advocates-health-0217-20160211-story.html

| title= Patients hiring advocates for expert help

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=...Patient advocates for hire number perhaps 250 to 300 in the United States, according to Trisha Torrey, founder of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates. ...

}}

Torrey became an activist after she was misdiagnosed with a rare form of cancer. While scrutinizing her own medical records, she found an error and avoided unnecessary and potentially damaging and dangerous chemotherapy.{{cite web

| first= Christie| last= Aschwanden |author-link= Christie Aschwanden

| date= June 22, 2015

| work= Washington Post

| url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/check-your-health-records---you-may-avoid-trouble/2015/06/22/f56e4aa6-138d-11e5-89f3-61410da94eb1_story.html

| title= Check your health records: You may be able to avoid trouble.

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=... Trisha Torrey... she discovered an error that had led her to become wrongly diagnosed with cancer ... she would have undergone chemotherapy and other cancer treatments that she never needed....

}} She founded the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates in 2009.{{cite web

| first= K| last= Thayer

| date= April 23, 2015

| publisher= Chicago Tribune

| url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-patient-advocate-met-20150423-story.html

| title= Private patient advocates a growing, yet costly, trend in health care

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=...private patient advocacy remains relatively uncommon ... Torrey founded the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates after her own brush with medical dissatisfaction...

}} In 2009 she wrote the book You Bet Your Life which detailed strategies for patients in avoiding mistakes.{{cite web

| first= Kim| last= Painter

| date= June 29, 2010

| publisher= USA Today

| url= http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2010-06-28-yourhealth28_ST_N.htm

| title= Your Health: Is a hospital visit in July bad for your well-being?

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=...patient advocates. ... Trisha Torrey, a Syracuse, N.Y., cancer survivor and author of a 2009 book, You Bet Your Life: The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes....

}} She advocates that patients empower themselves to get the healthcare they deserve, take steps to stay safe when they access care, especially in hospitals, and that they get a "full picture of a doctor's background", including where they went to medical school and their certifications and length of practice.{{cite web

| first= DEIRDRE| last= KENNEDY

| date= January 24, 2008

| publisher= Wall Street Journal

| url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18349445

| title= Choosing a Doctor in the Digital Age

| access-date= February 23, 2016

| quote=... patient advocate Trisha Torrey. ... A full picture of a doctor's background ... when they graduated from medical school, whether they're board-certified in their specialty area, and how long they've been in practice....

}}