Lauren Nichols

Vice President of Body Politic

Lauren Nichols is the Vice President of Body Politic, a patient-led health justice organization at the forefront of the Long COVID movement, the home of the first COVID-19 Support Group, and the first entity to research Long COVID. Body Politic and its research organization, the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, are recognized leaders in helping global governments, public health agencies, medical organizations and the public to recognize, research and support the millions of Long COVID patients globally. Body Politic has supported White House and NIH initiatives that ultimately led to Congressional funding for Long COVID research and innovation and the inclusion of Long COVID as a disability under the ADA, and has been instrumental in supporting acute and Long COVID patients globally since March 2020. Personally, Lauren is regarded as the first American patient to discuss the continuing symptoms of COVID and subsequent patient challenges in mainstream media, and has been an advocacy leader since March 2020. Lauren supports various Federal public health and medical organizations, including serving as a patient expert for the CDC, NIH RECOVER Initiative, AAPM&R and more. Lauren is also a Federal Government Manager, and has a prior history in healthcare as well as disability advocacy.