Volunteer Spotlight: Jody Quinn

Jody Quinn’s journey with psoriatic disease began when she was in her late 20s when she began having joint pain, especially in her elbows and shoulders. Prior to the pain starting, she was very active and so she assumed she had overdone it on the volleyball or racquetball court. Her primary care physician had no suggestions other than aspirin, ice, and rest.

The discomfort continued for years while Quinn saw many specialists. She says, “For 12 years, I had a lot of doctors telling me what I didn’t have!” 

In 1999, Quinn began experiencing psoriasis, including nail psoriasis, scalp psoriasis, and palmoplantar pustules. During a follow-up visit to the dermatologist, she asked the doctor why her fingernails kept falling off. The doctor asked if she was having joint pain and when she shared her story, he immediately referred Quinn to a rheumatologist who diagnosed her with psoriatic arthritis. She said, “I knew a few people with psoriasis, but I had never even heard of psoriatic arthritis!” 

Seeking to connect with others with psoriatic disease, Quinn contacted the National Psoriasis Foundation and registered for her local NPF event in Cambridge, MA. Quinn remembers meeting the inspirational group of volunteers. In the years that followed, Jody attended several NPF educational events, many local NPF walks and volunteer conferences.

In 2016, Quinn was invited to attend her first Capitol Hill Day followed by the FDA Patient Focused Drug Development (PFDD) meeting for psoriasis attended by more than 100 people living with psoriatic disease. She remembers that the patient stories were incredibly powerful, “I have never laughed and cried so much in one day!” This profound experience moved Quinn to become a committed patient advocate.

A memorable moment during Quinn's first trip to Capitol Hill was meeting with her own Massachusetts legislators where she shared her story and asked for their support on bills to help patients. She recalls, "I was so nervous, but I knew I had to do it. The entire experience was surreal and empowering." Since then, Quinn frequently advocates at Capitol Hill and the Massachusetts State House to promote research for psoriatic disease and to advance legislative initiatives that enhance access to treatments and health care services.

“I volunteer because it gives me some control over what often feels like a completely uncontrollable disease,” says Quinn. “It allows me to have a say in what is happening with my life and my disease, which I didn't have before. I also volunteer so that others don't have to go through the same long and difficult journey to diagnosis and treatment that I did."

In 2017, Quinn arranged to have Boston’s beautiful Zakim Bridge lit up in psoriasis awareness colors, orange and blue. While at the bridge lighting, she ran into then-Mayor Walsh who was so impressed by Quinn and the mission, he arranged to have the Boston City Hall illuminated! She was on a roll when she applied and was approved to have the 52-story Prudential Building lit up in as well. This same year, Quinn wrote a resolution that was adopted by the Massachusetts Senate that declared August as Psoriasis Awareness Month. To recognize all this important work, Jody received the NPF Volunteer Innovator Award in 2017.

Quinn is an avid traveler and lifelong learner. She has explored numerous destinations in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Quinn shares, "Traveling has always been a dream of mine. I have had so many 'aha' moments, like seeing the Colosseum in Rome, watching a herd of elephants cross the Massai Mara, seeing the Great Pyramids in Egypt and riding in a hot air balloon while the sun rises over the Nile River." Jody also enjoys archery and has adapted her equipment for her PsA.

Quinn works as an office manager for a family-owned construction company, a company she has been working at since 1996. The owner and his family are very supportive of Quinn and NPF and will be in attendance when she is honored at the September 18, 2025, New England Soirée.