“A Pioneer and Provocateur.” — Atlantic
“An Incomparable Storyteller.” — Klick Health
“MZ Is Why We Do What We Do.” — AbbVie
“A Real American Advocate.” — Walgreens
“He Really Rallied the Troops.” — Amgen
TRUSTED SOURCE
“Matthew Zachary is the irreverent, informed friend you WISH you could talk to when the American healthcare system has you screaming or crying."
Susannah Fox, Author
Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care
For three decades, Matthew Zachary has been standing up for patients inside a healthcare system that prioritizes profits.
“The People’s Voice in Healthcare”
– People magazine
“A Pioneer and Provocateur.” — Atlantic
“An Incomparable Storyteller.” — Klick Health
“MZ Is Why We Do What We Do.” — AbbVie
“A Real American Advocate.” — Walgreens
“He Really Rallied the Troops.” — Amgen
Press & Media
New York musician and cancer survivor fights for healthcare equity
Media Assets
Short Bio
A 30-year brain cancer survivor, Matthew Zachary is the co-founder of We The Patients, a national movement channeling the growing frustration with American healthcare into collective action and civic power, and the author of We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare (Wiley).
Long Bio
Matthew Zachary has spent three decades fighting to make the American healthcare system less cruel, organizing millions through advocacy, activism and media. A former concert pianist whose life was turned upside down by brain cancer at just 21, he founded Stupid Cancer, the largest nonprofit for young adults with cancer. He also launched The Stupid Cancer Show, widely regarded as the first healthcare podcast, which later evolved into the award-winning Out of Patients. He produced Cancer Mavericks, a documentary series about the rebel patients who changed modern oncology. He is CEO and Co-Founder of We The Patients, a national movement organizing patients into collective civic power, and the author of We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare (Wiley) with Jen Singer.
Book Jacket cover
We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare (Wiley)
Short Book Description:
We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare is an unfiltered look at what happens when the American healthcare system fails real people. It’s a blueprint for fighting back, and a must-read for anyone navigating illness, caregiving, or just trying to stay human in a system that makes it harder and harder for us all.
Matthew Zachary Headshots 2026
Photo Credit: B-Freed Photography