Christiane Garcia had a successful, diversified career as a nurse, nurse clinician, and nurse educator. She subsequently became an assistant director of nursing, earned her MBA, and was the chief executive of three organizations, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Montreal. As a strategic planner and consultant, she assisted foundations, hospitals and associations to develop fundraising strategies and worked with governments to improve the quality of care for patients in a variety of milieus.

Christiane has started and implemented many special projects: a new nursing curriculum; hospital in-service departments; and new associations and patient groups. Her advocacy has included being a spokesperson for several illnesses including ME.

Christiane became bedridden in 1982 and or for two decades since her eventual diagnosis, she devoted her limited energies to advocacy for ME. She has served on the boards of the ME Association of Ontario (MEAO) and of Action CIND. Christiane is currently Co-President of l’Association Québécoise de l’Encéphalomyélite Myalgique (AQEM). She has been an active leader of the patient group ICanCME formed in early 2019 to work with Dr. Moreau in developing the successful CIHR proposal, making a significant contribution to the document. Christiane is thankful to Dr Moreau and all researchers, clinicians and persons with ME who have joined hands to research, diagnose and treat this complex multisystem disease.