Carin Andersen

Carin Andersen is the founder of AortaCope, a nationally and globally recognized nonprofit organization. What began as a Facebook page evolved into a nonprofit due to its impact in the aortic disease community, and she remains one of the founding members after others stepped away. Prior to this work, she spent time in for-profit recruiting and nonprofit HR roles but left that world following an aortic dissection that prevented her return to traditional employment. For nearly 12 years she has led AortaCope, which is 100 percent patient-led and 100 percent volunteer operated with no compensated staff. The organization focuses on spreading hope, creating awareness and education, and providing support through online groups, community stories, and patient guides that have received clinical review and endorsement from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.