John Mahalchak is a chronic illness patient and Healthcare Advocate from Pittsburgh, PA.  John earned his BS in Psychology and Neuroscience from Allegheny College in 2010, and previously worked as a research lab coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh.  John was forced to take a medical leave of absence in 2013 to undergo a total pancreatectomy with auto-islet transplant, and has been battling various GI conditions since then.  In addition, John has a J-tube for nutrition, and a Hickman catheter for IV hydration.  

In 2017, John attended his first medical conference, and found a love for patient advocacy.  John currently volunteers with several patient-centered non-profits, including The Oley Foundation, NASH Knowledge and IFFGD to name a few, and recently joined the Patient and Family Advisory Council for UPMC, his local academic medical center.  John has enjoyed the opportunity to share his patient journey at medical conferences and events on Capitol Hill, and has a passion for helping other patients learn to be an effective advocate and to cope with the social and mental aspects of living with a chronic illness.