Meet Brendan Hayes!
NBDF's staff is comprised of so many talented, dedicated people who use their skills to uplift the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community.
Brendan Hayes is one of those remarkable individuals. The Communications team spoke with her about how her love for outreach, passion for advocacy, and personal connection to the mission has shaped her career as NBDF's Senior Director of Education, Innovative Therapies.
Watch the interview or read the full conversation below.
What is your name, role, and title at NBDF?
Brendan: My name is Brendan Hayes, and I'm the Senior Director of Education, Innovative Therapies at NBDF. Some of the work that I do is to find innovative ways to help educate our community about bleeding disorders, and some examples are using 3D technology and experiential learning, providing hands on engagement when possible.
How long have you been a part of the NBDF team?
Brendan: I have been working with the NBDF team for eight years, and I'm fortunate that I've been able to work in a few different departments. It's been really rewarding.
What drew you to this type of work?
Brendan: I actually have family members with severe hemophilia. That's what really drew me to this work. I've been active in the community in various capacities for over 20 years. I am really passionate about helping people with bleeding disorders find their voice to advocate for what they need to thrive with a bleeding disorder.
It could be having conversations with their physicians, family members and friends, or even a legislator and being knowledgeable about their own bleeding disorder, as well as important issues that our community is facing. You know, examples are things like product safety, the importance of mental health, and access challenges like copay accumulators.
Those are all really important things that people need to know about. And I think this enables us to be strong advocates for our own care.
The organization recently rebranded from the National Hemophilia Foundation to the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. Why are you excited? What does this mean for your work in the Education department?
Brendan: I am really excited about the rebrand. I think that we have been doing the work to ensure our diverse community is well represented from a consumer education perspective. I think we're constantly striving to provide accessible, innovative content to help our community learn about bleeding disorders.
I think the name change makes it official, and I'm excited that everyone with a bleeding disorder will feel a sense of belonging to something important, and I also think it makes our advocacy voice much louder.
What has been a highlight from your time at NBDF?
Brendan: One highlight that I always come back to is BDC, the Bleeding Disorders Conference. I think it's a great place for folks to find their voice, to find others just like them, and to make long-term connections. I think it's the one place where we all come together providers, consumers, chapter leaders, board members, and allies
Every year, it's magic watching those connections. And I appreciate so much that we have travel grants actually to help bring a diverse group of individuals to the meeting from across the country, ensuring that all of our voices are heard.
Thank you for all you do, Brendan! Interested in joining the team? Visit the careers page here: hemophilia.org/careers.
