About Us
Let's Talk UTI seeks to create awareness, education and community about Urinary Tract Infections - the most diagnosed outpatient infection in the United States.
Urinary tract infections affect women and people assigned female at birth in exorbitant numbers. Over 50% of women will experience this painful infection in their lives and more than 30% of those will go on to experience life-dimming recurrent infections that could go on for years or indefinitely.
Women's health research has been woefully underfunded and under researched. Let's Talk UTI seeks to change those trends and create a supportive network bringing awareness to the illness of recurrent/chronic UTI which has been hushed due to the personal nature of the suffering and lack of education and understanding among medical professionals.
Meet Laura
Laura is the founder of Let's Talk UTI. Her life-long experience of having UTIs led to the creation of UTI Health Alliance in 2023. It is the only US-based, patient advocacy organization shining a light on the issues associated with UTI, while providing valuable insights, supporting research, and furthering education to drive meaningful change.
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​UTI is one of the most common infections around the world. Laura is one of approximately 404 million patients worldwide who will experience a urinary tract infection this year. She has been suffering from UTIs since she was two years old. From this life-long point of view, she hasn't seen any real change in the care and treatment of patients with this illness in more than half a century.
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The purpose of Let's Talk UTI is to bring forth meaningful change–to educate patients so that they know how to advocate for themselves in the healthcare setting. To educate clinicians so that they understand the most recent science regarding UTI testing and treatment. To influence research by collaborating with researchers and including the patient's voice within that research.
Prior to the formation of Let's Talk UTI, Laura worked as a professional classical musician playing with the Minnesota Opera and recording albums with stars including Janet Jackson. She was ordained as an interfaith minister in 2009. Within the ministerial role, Laura developed and taught a course on forgiveness and worked with people and their families struggling with addiction.
Laura is mom to two beautiful daughters and lives with her husband, Scott, and their two dogs, Heidi and Belle.