Meet Penney Cowan - World Patients Alliance

This section features Questions and Answers with Penney Cowan, Founding Director and Secretary WPA.

Patients’ Voice is WPA’s quarterly Newsletter opening windows to news, activities, interactions and events organized by WPA, its member organizations around the globe and the international stakeholders working for patient safety and quality healthcare. Patients’ Voice features an interview with each Board Director in its quarterly issues and in August 2023 this is the time to meet Penney Cowan. Patients’ Voice thanks Penney for sharing her story.

Patients’ Voice: When did you first get involved in the nonprofit world/community?
PC: It was over forty-five years ago after completing a pain management program at the Cleveland Clinic.

Patients’ Voice: What led you to get involved?
PC: I realized that it was possible to manage my pain and regain control of my life in spite of the pain. I still had pain, but it no longer ruled my life. Someone had to teach me how to manage the pain not simply tell me to learn to live with it. While at the pain program they helped me reduce my fear of the pain while providing me with the skills and knowledge I needed to begin to manage the pain. They I went from a nonfunctioning patient to an active person with the skills and interventions they provided. I wanted to provide others with the same hope for their future that I had received during my stay on the pain program so I began the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) with one small peer group. Over the next forty plus years in grew into an international organization.

Patients’ Voice: Is your background in nonprofit management or were you involved in a career when you began your work with ACPA?
PC: I had absolutely no experience in the nonprofit world. Before having children, I worked in radiology and x-rays. However, because we had started a family and my children were small at that time, I was a stay-at-home mom. It was the pain that prevented me from taking care of my family and my home, to very important things in my life.

Patients’ Voice: What would you say is the most rewarding part of working with a nonprofit?
PC: The people you meet. They allowed me the opportunity to reach out to them, to listen to their stories and to work with them so that they could improve the quality of life and increase function. My goal from the beginning was to reach that one person who believe there was no hope, that no one cared about their pain and suffering and to provide them with the hope, skills and knowledge to regain control of life. It was their willingness to get involved, to make the effort to help themselves that gave me the biggest reward. I have always credited the individual who said, “I need help” and then made the effort to work toward progress that give me the greatest reward.

Patients’ Voice: What is the most challenging part of working with a nonprofit?
PC: Like so many other nonprofits, it is the funding of the programs that is most difficult. Especially with pain. Most people and funders will focus on disease specific issues. Pain overlaps all of those so it was difficult to get funders interested in the education and management of pain. But persistence pays off and I was determined to reach as many people as I could. I wanted to ensure that the ACPA was as innovated as possible and make the resources and peer groups available to the widest audience.

Patients’ Voice: What would you tell someone who was thinking about working or being involved with a nonprofit health organization?
PC: They have to have the passion to want to help their peers. They have to accept defeat and keep going in spite of all obstacles. For me it is not what you get out of your efforts, it is what you can give to other people, the positive impact you have on their lives. It is watching them grow into the strong determined person that is willing to get involved and help themselves.

Patients’ Voice: What are you most proud of because of your work in the nonprofit world?
PC: There have been many rewards, honors, recognition. But I think for me it is seeing people go back to living their life in spite of the pain, to have the same hope that I had when I began the ACPA many years ago. It is the people who allow me to help them and success, I am most proud of their efforts they committed to regain control of life.

Patients’ Voice: If you want, you can share a little bit about you. The number of kids, pets, and anything things else that would put a more personal spin on the article.
PC: I have been married for 55 years to an amazing man that stood by me in the good but more importantly the bad times. I have two amazing adult children who have created wonderful lives for themselves. My grandchildren are my pride and joy! They have grown up into such strong intelligent adults. I so have to Russian Blue cats that rule our home. After 40 plus years with the ACPA as founder and CEO, I retired and have been part of the World Patients Alliance since its inception.