Lisa Faye Crites is a journalist, inventor, and advocate whose work embodies the intersection of personal experience and practical innovation. She is best known for creating The SHOWER SHIRT™, a patented, water-resistant garment designed to protect surgical drains during recovery. Her career is defined by a consistent commitment to clarity, problem-solving, and the ability to identify needs that others may overlook. The SHOWER SHIRT® reflects both her professional skill and her dedication to improving the quality of life for patients during vulnerable periods.
Crites began her professional journey in journalism, focusing on health and medical reporting. She held positions as a reporter and anchor for several respected outlets, including Central Florida News 13 in Orlando, America’s Health Network, PBS, WKMG Local 6, CNTV, NADA TV, and the Travel Channel. Her work involved translating complex medical and business topics into clear, understandable language for viewers. This experience allowed her to develop a keen sense of observation and an ability to recognize gaps between existing solutions and real-world needs, skills that would later guide her work as an inventor.
In addition to her reporting roles, Crites worked as a media coach with Gannett, where she helped professionals communicate effectively and present information with confidence. This role further honed her ability to understand audience requirements and the importance of delivering information clearly and reliably. Journalism provided her with a foundation of precision, research, and empathy, all of which would become essential in her innovation journey.
Her path to invention became deeply personal in 2009 when she underwent a double mastectomy. During recovery, Crites encountered a challenge that many patients face but rarely discuss openly. Surgical drains, crucial for post-surgical healing, created difficulty during everyday activities such as showering. Available options were uncomfortable, impractical, or entirely lacking. Drawing on her background as a journalist who had learned to identify problems and explore solutions, she began designing a garment that would protect surgical drains while allowing patients to maintain independence in their daily routines.
The result was the SHOWER SHIRT®, a garment that combines simplicity, comfort, and water resistance. Crites secured U.S. Patent No. 8,516,613 for the design and method of use, establishing her official role as an inventor. The SHOWER SHIRT® is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class I medical device, recognizing its practical, low-risk contribution to healthcare. The product is now available through medical supply platforms and retail outlets, providing patients worldwide with a solution that improves both safety and dignity during recovery.
Crites approached the design process with a level of rigor comparable to her work in journalism. She consulted medical professionals, studied patient experiences, and refined the garment based on practical feedback. Rather than emphasizing novelty, she focused on functionality and empathy. The success of the SHOWER SHIRT® lies in its ability to meet a specific need with simplicity and care, reflecting Crites’s understanding of both the science of recovery and the emotional realities faced by patients.
Her work quickly gained recognition. In 2015, Crites was named a winner of the national InnovateHER Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Washington Post, and Microsoft. This competition recognizes products that empower women and enhance the quality of life. That award led her to travel with the U.S. State Department to Singapore to present at the annual meeting of the WE-APEC network. That same year, she received the Patient Innovation Award from the University of Portugal, highlighting the international relevance of her invention.
The SHOWER SHIRT® also gained visibility on the global stage when it was featured in the London Science Museum’s innovation exhibit, which toured multiple European countries. Crites was later invited to present her work at the World Government Summit in Dubai, where innovators and leaders explore solutions that merge technology, policy, and social good. She further received a Silver Award at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival and an ARCA award from the Croatian Union of Innovators. In 2024, she was nominated for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, recognizing her lasting contributions to patient-centered healthcare innovation.
Beyond invention, Crites has contributed to policy and advocacy. She played a key role in the bipartisan legislative filing of the Post Mastectomy Infection Reduction Act, sponsored by Congressman Bill Posey and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. This legislation sought to address critical gaps in post-surgical care and reflects her ability to translate personal experience into actionable healthcare reform.
Education and knowledge sharing have remained central to Crites’s career. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Murray State University in Kentucky and later completed an MBA and a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing and E-commerce from the European Business School in Barcelona. She regularly lectures at colleges and universities across the United States on topics such as patient-led innovation, social entrepreneurship, and translating lived experience into scalable solutions. Her work is also featured in academic literature, including the book Patient Innovation, which highlights global patient-driven innovation programs.
Crites has consistently demonstrated a commitment to community service. She has served on the boards of organizations such as the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, Digital Arts for Autism, National Breast Friends Advisory Member, Driven By Heart, Space Coast Early Steps, and the Women’s Business Center Advisory Board at the Florida Institute of Technology. She has also volunteered with the Central Florida Second Harvest Food Bank and the Central Florida Homeless Coalition. These efforts reflect a dedication to giving back and supporting communities alongside her professional achievements.
Lisa Faye Crites’s career exemplifies how observation, experience, and practical problem-solving can intersect to create meaningful change. From journalism to invention, policy advocacy, and global recognition, she has demonstrated the power of identifying real-world challenges and designing solutions that improve lives. The SHOWER SHIRT® stands as a testament to her ability to combine empathy, practicality, and professional expertise. Through her work, Crites has shown that innovation often begins not in laboratories, but in the careful observation of human need and the decision to create something better.
