Jennifer Helfer is working within the advocacy community to positively disrupt the healthcare system to create access, transparency, and education so that gene therapy can become available to all those who can benefit. Jen joined bluebird bio in December of 2015. As part of the Patient Advocacy team, Jen serves as a conduit to patient advocates and advocacy organizations. The Patient Advocacy team is responsible for building and sustaining trusting relationships and collaborations with key stakeholders around shared goals to address patients’ and their families’ needs, as well as facilitate the integration of patient and caregiver perspective throughout the nest to inform decisions made at bluebird bio. Before joining bluebird bio, Jennifer was Associate Director of Scientific Operations at the National Brain Tumor Society, the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the brain tumor community in the United States. Prior to finding her passion in advocacy, Jennifer engaged in basic research at Boston University Medical Center. Jennifer received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a M.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Delaware, and a PhD in Biology, Neuroscience, from the University of Victoria.