Passion. Experience. Perseverence.

The Accidental Advocate

On August 6th, 2003, my world came crashing down on me. I was out of town on business when I got a call from my dad telling me Woody, my husband of almost 10 years was found hanging from the rafters of our garage — dead at the age of 37. 

My drug safety/FDA reform advocacy was born out of nothing but a deep knowing that something didn’t make sense about Woody’s death. So I started to dig into the one and only thing that changed in my husband’s life — being prescribed Zoloft. This journey for the truth took me to the FDA, HHS, Congress, the courts, and the media. What I learned shocked me. Someone had to do something, so, why not me? If I could spare just one family the pain I went through — by simply providing them basic information that I learned — then I believed Woody’s life and death could make a difference. That was over 19 years ago, and despite some successes, there’s still so much left to do.

Co Founder and Organizer

Selling Sickness, 2013: People before Profits in Washington, DC

Kim went to a conference in Amsterdam that dealt with the selling sickness epidemic. Noticing that every example was from the US, Kim thought it was high time to bring the conversation to the US. Kim’s conference brought together almost 300 medical reformers from around the world. Strategies for action. 

Member

Patient, Consumer, and Public Health Coalition

Coalition of individual and non profit organizations representing the interests of patients, consumers, healthcare professionals, scientists, and public health experts and advocates.

Activities and Actions

Involved in National legislative issues regarding FDA reform and pharmaceutical and device safety issues. Lobby and testify before FDA, HHS and other Congressional Hearings making sure the independent and non-conflicted consumer voice is represented.

co Founder

Woody Matters

Established after the death of Kim’s husband, Woodymatters advocates for safer medical products. It represents the voice for the voiceless, those who have suffered the consequences of a failed drug safety system, and to keep others from suffering future harms. Woodymatters reminds us that this isn’t just a prescription drug epidemic, it’s a human epidemic.

Activities and Actions

Black Box suicide warnings for children in 2004 and young adults in 2006; Testified before US Senate HELP Committee, FDA Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Social Media Hearings, Off-Label Prescribing, FDA Prescription Drug User Fee Act, Medication Guides, Singular Black Box Warnings, COVID-19 vaccines

Speaker

Kim has traveled the world speaking on a wide range of drug safety and advocacy topics.

United States

American Association Justice Annual Meeting (Denver)
American Association for the Advancement of Science - Evidence for New Medical Products: Implication for Patients and Health Policy (Washington DC)
Consumer Reports Advocacy Leadership Forum (New York)
Free Arts Annual Fundraiser (Minneapolis)
Integrated Behavioral Health Minnesota (Minneapolis)
International Society of Ethical Psychiatry and Psychology (Los Angeles)
Lown Institute Opening Panel (Washington DC)
Medicating Normal Film Panel (Minneapolis and virtual Zoom) National Physicians Alliance Grand Rounds (Washington DC)
New View Campaign (Indianapolis)
Preventing Overdiagnosis (Washington DC/Dartmouth)
Women En Mass Tort Trial Attorney Annual Meeting (Aspen)
Union of Concerned Scientists Press Conference on FDA Ignoring Science (Washington DC)

International

Too Much Medicine (Helsinki)
Institute for Scientific Freedom Symposium (Copenhagen)
American Association Justice Keynote Women’s Luncheon (Montreal) 
Do Psychiatric Drugs Cause More Harm than Good? (Copenhagen)
Improving the Detection, Analysis and Reporting of Harms in Medicines (Erice, Italy)
Preventing Overdiagnosis Mental Health Panel (Quebec City)