Hello! My name is Debra Rafson.

I am a former arts administrator, who spent 16 years working in professional theatre, beginning as a Stage Manager for several theatres in the Boston area, including 8 ½ years with Blue Man Group. I later transitioned from theatre production to administration, ultimately becoming Managing Director at Stoneham Theatre (now called Greater Boston Stage Company). My non-traditional career path also included two forays into higher education, with administrative roles in Harvard University’s undergraduate admissions office and Emmanuel College’s Graduate and Professional Programs.

Known for my attention to detail and ability to multi-task, I was a workaholic to my core…until I was derailed by multiple chronic illnesses and disability. Now, I am a writer and patient advocate.

My Substack newsletter is called “What’s Her Problem?” In it, I tackle Issues at the Heart of Chronic Illness and Disability. I believe in the power of storytelling. I suppose that’s not surprising, coming from someone with a background in theatre. The goals in theatre and in writing “What’s Her Problem?” are the same: to create connections; to build awareness; and to make people think or feel something. I want to take what I have learned through my own successes and failures with chronic illness and disability and help make the path forward a little bit easier for others who are going through something similar.  No one ever teaches us how to be sick, especially chronically so.

I’m also in the process of writing a memoir about my diagnosis with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and long struggle to accept that I needed open-heart surgery. I am eager to have it published.

I am the founder of The Open-Hearted Advocate LLC, where I offer my services as a writer, speaker, or podcast guest.

As a patient advocate, I have served as an Online Discussion Group Leader for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA) since December 2020, and I moderate a monthly peer support group about “Life with HCM.” I also work on a project for the HCMA, through Reasonable Accommodations LLC, which I co-founded with a colleague. Our project provides Patient Travel Planning Guides, online resources for patients who need to travel to receive their medical care at a Center of Excellence (COE).

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature from Brandeis University, a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University, and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from Emmanuel College.

In 2025, I completed the Harvard Medical School Media and Medicine Certificate program, where I had the extraordinary opportunity to learn from some of the foremost experts in an array of media modalities about “how to tell stories that make a difference.”

As something of a joiner, I participate in a number of activities, including taking writing classes in memoir, creative non-fiction, personal essays, editing, and publishing, as well as serving as Vice President of the local chapter of my college alumni association. I have been a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the national union for actors and stage managers, since 2002. I have extensive knowledge of Spanish and an impressive (in some very small circles) multi-year streak on Duolingo, in which I am attempting to re-learn French.