Meredith A. Cowden

Bio:

Meredith A. Cowden is a nationally recognized patient advocate, speaker, and long-term survivor whose work centers on improving awareness, support, and outcomes for people living with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A 25-year AML and bone marrow transplant survivor who had acute GVHD and has now lived with chronic GVHD for more than two decades, Meredith brings a deeply personal and informed perspective to conversations about patient experience, survivorship, and the evolving needs of the transplant and GVHD communities.

She is the namesake and a board director of the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting people affected by GVHD. She also serves as executive director of the GVHD Alliance, a collaboration of patient advocacy organizations focused on the GVHD community. Through these roles, Meredith collaborates with healthcare organizations, advocacy groups, clinicians, and industry partners to raise awareness, elevate the patient voice, and advance education around GVHD. She has presented at medical conferences globally, served in advocacy and advisory roles with leading health organizations, and authored or co-authored articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.

In recognition of the Foundation’s impact, MACF has received distinguished honors including the ASTCT Public Service Award and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Lifeblood Award of Advancement. Meredith is also a licensed professional clinical counselor and founder of Up/Root Counseling in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a BFA in Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and integrates creativity, counseling, and lived experience to help GVHD survivors explore healing beyond clinical care.