Jennifer Woodruff
Graduation Year: 2003
Graduation Major: University College
Class Note Type: Career
Hi there UHD,
My name is Jennifer and I am a 2003 University of Houston-Downtown Alumna. I wanted to share a book that I wrote during our recent pandemic. Since graduating, I have had a remarkably successful career in pharmaceutical and medical device sales. In 2015, I left my employment status behind and I became a business owner. I created a company from an idea and now it is a trademarked brand (Patient Better). In the last three years of it's conception I have been devoted to creating a program that helps people and their family members self-manage medical care (patientbetter.com).
The book that I wrote is extremely important to me, not because it challenged me in so many ways, but because of its relevancy and how much additional value it brings into our society. Patient Better: A Remote Companion for Self-Health Management (Release date: January 1st, 2021) helps our population with debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and other severe illnesses and conditions (and their families) make it through the tough times- only easier. This is not a book of consolation, but rather, it is a book to help people and their families help themselves by teaching them how to manage medical care for both in-person and virtual medical office visits.
I also wanted to take this time, whether my life's journey makes it to your magazine, to again, thank UHD for helping me graduate. I was a foster child in the system growing up in Wisconsin. I was living down here for a couple of years and I had no idea what I was getting into when I called you all up in the fall of '98 for a "tour". And before I knew it, I was enrolled in the next semester. Life happened of course, and a couple of key pivotal people that worked at UHD helped me make it through. And I went on to lead a much better life, with UHD's help. And I know that most (if not all) of the people probably don't work there anymore. But I can only imagine how many other young adult's lives' you have enriched for the better, just like mine.
