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T.J. Sharpe
Patient. Advocate. Survivor.
About T.J.
T.J. speaks, consults, and coaches to make an impact—guided by one unshakable purpose: to beat cancer and live fully with his wife, Jen, and their growing children, Josie and Tommy. Surviving against the odds gave him a mission he carries into every role: patients aren’t statistics; they’re people whose voice he represents. Every team he leads and every audience he addresses is an opportunity to share that purpose and inspire those shaping the future of patient health for families worldwide.
Speaking
After delivering more than 100 keynotes to audiences across the country, T.J. has become known for weaving his lived patient experience into powerful lessons that inspire leaders to elevate the human experience—whether in life sciences, clinical research, or any mission-driven field.
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Building on that foundation, he created DURABLE RESPONSE LEADERSHIP, a framework that shows organizations how to choose the path that creates meaningful, lasting change. Rooted in the mindset that carried him through life-defining challenges, it guides leaders to stay resilient, center their people, and respond to adversity in ways that generate strong, sustainable impact.
Consulting
T.J. has more than a decade of work across all areas of biopharmaceutical development, being a co-collaborator within research and development, plus commercial and market access with large pharma and smaller biotech; co-creation of digital health technologies; patient advocacy group engagement; and experience with CROs and IRBs. He has co-created and/or grown several patient engagement programs and was the patient partner to Trans Celerate for the Patient Engagement and Clinical Research Awareness work-streams.
Testimonials
“T.J. was invited to be a guest speaker at one of our annual in-person leadership meetings at Advanced Clinical. T.J. traveled to Chicago to meet with us, and he spoke about his incredible and hard-fought journey as a cancer patient. Through his powerful and emotional story, T.J. reminded all of us about the importance of self-advocacy, the incredible role that clinical research plays in the lives of patients and their families, the need for ongoing persistence in today's healthcare environment, and the proof of resilience and optimism in the face of immense challenges. T.J. is an inspiring speaker and leader and I would highly recommend him!”
“It has been my distinct pleasure to work with TJ on a number of events over the past two years. In each case TJ joined employees and clients to discuss his journey and talk about the importance of patient advocacy as well as the need to fundamentally way the change we deal with bringing new therapies to patients. He is an impassioned speaker and his journey left the audience inspired and motivated. He continues to be an inspiration for me and everyone he has touched through his work. I would not hesitate to call on TJ to share of his message of why we as a society need to do radically better in delivering care.”
“I had the privilege of inviting T.J. as a keynote presenter at one of my clinical trial conferences, and he was nothing short of extraordinary. As a cancer survivor who bravely participated in clinical trials, his story is both deeply personal and profoundly inspiring. What sets T.J. apart is not just the power of his experience, but the way he shares it—with authenticity, clarity, and an unwavering sense of hope. From the moment he took the stage, he captivated the audience. His storytelling is masterful—clear, heartfelt, and deeply human. He weaves together the complexities of clinical trials with the emotional reality of being a patient, offering insights that are both informative and moving. His ability to connect with people on such a personal level makes his message resonate long after the event ends."
Professor E. Elizabeth Patton PhD FRSE
Chair of Functional and Translational Genomics,
Institute of Genetics and Cancer
The University of Edinburgh, UK
"It has been a great pleasure and honour to work with T.J.! His lived experience, combined with his genuine interest and support of cancer researchers, has made such a difference to our application by collaborating on reviewing the overall aims of the grant proposal and helping us to see the critical research questions that matter to patients. In addition, he had brilliant and tangible ideas about a proposed workshop on how we can bring people together in the wider community of researchers, patients and the public to improve discovery and cancer research. The funding body was especially impressed by the workshop, and indicated how important they thought this was to developing science with meaningful outcomes."
“We've featured T.J. as a speaker twice: once for an all-company event and another for a client advocacy event. T.J. does an outstanding job relaying his deeply personal message in a touching, humorous, and optimistic way that brings connection and meaning to those of us who work in clinical research.”
President, Global BioPharm Solutions
Board of Directors, Global Clinical Supplies Group
"T.J. is a very experienced professional and an excellent speaker and guide to enhance the patient experience for all companies that need to remember why they do what they do for people."
“T.J. was an absolute pleasure to work with for speaking spots both in keynote and panel formats for various programs we produced in the clinical trials space. He is incredibly knowledgeable and has a fantastic patient perspective to share. Working with him was smooth and seamless, and we would definitely work with him in the future should the content be applicable to his expertise areas.”
'".J. has been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with! As a dedicated patient advocate, he consistently delivers valuable contributions when peer reviewing Plain Language Summaries of Publications (PLSPs) or other plain-language materials. His prompt responses and thoughtful insights make each review highly impactful. I wholeheartedly recommend working with T.J. for any project requiring patient advocacy or plain-language expertise."