Doug Oliver serves as Founder and Chairman of Regenerative Outcomes Foundation. He is a writer, editorial contributor, and patient advocate from Nashville, Tennessee. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of New England and has specialized in work on health care policy, compliance, and clinical case advocacy.
After years suffering from legal blindness caused by macular degeneration, Doug’s vision was restored in 2015, when he received stem cell treatments for his damaged retinas. He received his driver’s license 5 months later. Doug’s story has reached millions through international broadcasts, interviews with the national press, and countless affiliate television and news media outlets. The news of his story has been featured by People Magazine, Forbes, Fox News, and has also been shared with Pope Francis.
In early 2016, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., engaged Doug in helping to craft key legislation aimed at speeding access to regenerative medicine technology and therapies, and due in part to his successful efforts, the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act passed and was signed into law.
Mr. Oliver has continued to inspire, not only through sharing his experiences but by expanding his work beyond Capitol Hill. He has contributed regularly to publications such as The Hill as well as many opinion editorials for national news media. His current policy work has broadened further, being recently appointed by Senator Alexander to the Foundation of State Medical Boards’ stem cell policy and ethics workgroup, undertaking academic efforts in informed consent, patient engagement, and a framework for stem cell counseling.
In September 2016, Mr. Oliver established the Regenerative Outcomes Foundation, a non-profit project that hopes to soon provide direct grants to stem cell patients participating in FDA-approved clinical trials, train patients as ambassadors between interests represented in the Regenerative Medicine field, inspire the public with his Pioneers of Hope interview series, educate and guide companies and biotechnology companies seeking to sponsor clinical trials, advance a national cell registry, and forming collaborative alliances with both private and non-private parties to conduct patient outcomes.