What we're here to do
The J.A.M.I.E. Group's mission is to educate and inform people about meningitis.
The J.A.M.I.E. Group's vision is larger. We want a future where deaths and severe complications from meningococcal disease drop sharply because they were prevented. We want a future where every survivor has the support, resources, and community to rebuild a full life on the other side of illness.
The J.A.M.I.E. Group gets people talking to their doctors about vaccines. We work to rebuild trust in medical research and science at a moment when that trust feels fragile. And we show up as a resource for people and families navigating the long physical, emotional, and practical realities of life after severe illness.
We go where decisions about health actually get made. Classrooms and government policy courses. Doctors' offices. Podcasts and social media. The first frightening days after a new diagnosis, when families are searching for answers and for someone who understands.
The J.A.M.I.E. Group pushes for tighter vaccine mandates state by state. We work to be a resource that legislators and health officials trust when they write the rules. And we bring the survivor's perspective into rooms where public health and disability policy get shaped, because those two conversations belong together.
The J.A.M.I.E. Group holds ourselves to outcomes rather than activity:
- Advances in meningitis-related legislation
- The reach of our resources among survivors, caregivers, and communities disproportionately affected by vaccine-preventable illness
Meet the Founders
The J.A.M.I.E. Group was founded by mother and daughter, Patsy and Jamie Schanbaum, after their family was forever changed by meningococcal disease.
What began as one family's mission to ensure no one else experienced what they did has grown into a nonprofit dedicated to meningitis education, advocacy, and prevention. Learn more about the people behind the mission and the passion that continues to drive The J.A.M.I.E. Group.
Meet Patsy Schanbaum
A Mother's Mission
Patsy Schanbaum is the mother of four children, with Jamie being her youngest.
Like so many parents, Patsy made sure her children received the vaccines and healthcare recommended by their pediatricians before heading off to school and college. She trusted the medical guidance she was given. But one conversation never happened.
No one talked to her about meningitis.
When Jamie became critically ill with meningococcal disease in 2008, Patsy and her family experienced every parent's worst nightmare. Within hours, they went from believing Jamie had the flu to hearing she had only a small chance of survival. Over the next seven months, Patsy remained by Jamie's bedside as she fought for her life.
The experience forever changed their family.
Like Jamie often says, "What happened to me does not need to happen to anyone else."
Patsy shares that same belief. She never wants another mother or family to experience the fear, uncertainty, and heartbreak that hers endured.
Turning Tragedy into Purpose
While Jamie was still recovering, Patsy began searching for others who understood what their family had experienced. She connected with the National Meningitis Association, where she met other parents who had lost children to meningitis as well as survivors rebuilding their lives.
Those relationships reinforced something she already knew—there was more work to do.
Families needed education.
Healthcare providers needed support.
Communities needed to understand that meningitis can progress within hours but is often preventable through vaccination.
Together, Patsy and Jamie transformed their personal experience into a lifelong mission of education and advocacy.
A Global Advocate
Today, Patsy serves as President of The J.A.M.I.E. Group, helping guide the organization's strategic direction and educational initiatives.
She is also an active leader with the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO), where she serves on the Board of Directors and oversees initiatives throughout the Americas. Through CoMO, she collaborates with meningitis organizations around the world to strengthen advocacy efforts, improve education, and support policies that save lives.
Her work extends beyond The J.A.M.I.E. Group. Patsy partners with universities, healthcare organizations, public health leaders, and advocacy groups across the country to increase awareness of meningitis prevention and improve vaccine education.
Whether speaking with parents, students, healthcare professionals, or policymakers, her goal remains the same:
To make sure families have the information hers never received.
Because no parent should have to wonder if a simple conversation could have changed everything.
Meet Jamie Schanbaum
A Survivor with a Purpose
I am incredibly grateful to be alive.
But surviving meningococcal disease wasn't the end of my story—it became the beginning of my life's work.
My family and I founded The J.A.M.I.E. Group because we never wanted another family to experience what ours did. Meningococcal disease changed every aspect of our lives in a matter of hours, and yet it is a disease that, in many cases, can be prevented through vaccination.
No one should have to learn about meningitis the way we did.
While I am grateful that I survived, I also know the reality that many others do not. Every family we've met who has lost a loved one reminds me why this work matters. Their stories continue to fuel my commitment to educating others and helping prevent future tragedies.
Sharing My Story
Over the years, I've had the privilege of partnering with hundreds of organizations, healthcare professionals, schools, universities, public health agencies, and pharmaceutical companies to educate communities about meningitis prevention.
Whether I'm speaking to students, legislators, healthcare providers, parents, or the media, my goal is always the same: to help people understand the seriousness of meningococcal disease and empower them to make informed decisions about their health.
In recent years, I've had the opportunity to dedicate myself full-time to The J.A.M.I.E. Group, allowing me to expand our educational initiatives, advocacy efforts, and creative outreach in ways I never imagined possible.
I'm excited for what lies ahead and the opportunities to reach even more people with our message.
My Role
I often remind audiences of one important thing:
I am not a physician, scientist, or healthcare professional.
I am a survivor.
Everything I share comes from my lived experience of surviving a vaccine-preventable disease and navigating life afterward. I leave medical recommendations to healthcare professionals while offering something they cannot—my personal perspective as someone whose life changed forever because of meningococcal disease.
Together, science and lived experience have the power to educate, inspire, and save lives.
If sharing my story encourages even one person to have a conversation with their healthcare provider about meningitis prevention, then every interview, every speech, every event, and every mile traveled is worth it.
Prevention is also a policy problem
It started with a bill
The advocacy began in 2009 when Texas passed the Jamie Schanbaum Act (Senate Bill 819), requiring meningococcal vaccinations for students living in on-campus housing across public and private institutions, aligning with CDC guidance at the time. Yet the policy had a clear gap: Jamie lived off-campus, by herself, when she fell ill.
Recognizing that off-campus students were equally at risk, lawmakers broadened the mandate in 2011 after Texas A&M student Nicolis Williams lost his life to the disease. The resulting Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act (Senate Bill 1107) expanded coverage to virtually all incoming college students in Texas, ensuring public policy matched the real-world reach of the disease.
The Impact of the Billl
More than 350,000 Texas college students are protected against meningococcal disease every year under the law. Since 2011, this policy has reached nearly 5 million students—a number that continues to grow every year. The state has not experienced a campus outbreak since the law took effect.
0+
Texas students vaccinated every year0 Million
Students protected cumulatively since 2011Since then the work has moved outward:
- Texas formally proclaimed October 5th as World Meningitis Day
- New York passed a legislative resolution recognizing the same day
- Iowa and Arizona issued their own proclamations
- New Jersey adopted a 2014 law tying its meningitis vaccine requirements to ACIP recommendations
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Legislative Advocacy: Delivering expert testimony before key legislative bodies.
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Strategic Collaboration: Partnering in direct working sessions with health committees and higher education boards.
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Institutional Partnerships: Cultivating long-term relationships with physicians, insurance commissioners, and public health officials to shape healthcare coverage and delivery systems.
Jamie's story opens doors that data alone cannot. The data keeps her in the room once the door is open.