Mary Elizabeth Williams is an author, journalist, graduate student in medical humanities and conflict resolution, metastatic melanoma survivor, and phase 1 immunotherapy clinical trial veteran. For the past decade, Williams has been writing and talking about clinical trials, informed consent, and healthcare communication as a senior writer for Salon, in the pages of the New York Times, Health, Time, and for numerous healthcare organizations across the country. She is the author of "A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science, & Cancer." Recently, she has been doing her practicum work in the Netherlands, to learn what different medical systems around the world can teach us about improving care here in the US.