Susanna van Tonder
President, PatEx Academy – The Patient Expert Academy
Susanna van Tonder is a passionate advocate, experienced patient expert, and the founding president of PatEx Academy – The Patient Expert Academy. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, Susanna quickly transformed her personal health journey into a broader mission: to ensure that people living with illness are not only heard but actively involved in shaping the healthcare system.
Fluent in multiple languages and firmly rooted in both lived experience and policy advocacy, Susanna brings a unique and powerful voice to the conversation around health equity, patient participation, and mental well-being. She has represented the patient perspective at national and international levels, collaborating with institutions, healthcare professionals, and civil society to advance a more inclusive, co-created model of care.
Through her leadership at PatEx Academy, Susanna works to professionalize the role of patient experts by developing robust training programmes, psychological support networks, and platforms for representation. She is especially committed to integrating mental health, disability rights, and the fight against stigma into the foundation of health democracy.
Susanna is not only a leader by title but a changemaker by example—demonstrating every day that patient experience is not a limitation, but a form of expertise that can transform lives, systems, and society.