Lisa Faye Crites
Lisa Faye Crites (born May 12, 1967) is an American journalist and inventor. She is best known for developing the Shower Shirt, a patented garment intended to protect surgical drains following medical procedures such as mastectomies.
Career and education
Crites began her professional career as a health and medical journalist. She worked as a reporter and anchor for several outlets, including Central Florida News 13 in Orlando, America’s Health Network (later part of Discovery Health), WKMG Local 6, CNTV, NADA-TV, and the Travel Channel. She has also worked as a media coach with Gannett.
In 2009, following her own double mastectomy, Crites created the Shower Shirt to reduce the risk of water exposure to surgical drains. She received U.S. Patent No. 8,516,613 for the garment’s design and method of use. The device is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Class I medical device.
Crites earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Murray State University in Kentucky. She later completed an MBA and a master’s degree in Digital Marketing and eCommerce from the European Business School in Barcelona.
Recognition
In 2015, Crites was a winner in the national InnovateHER Challenge, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, The Washington Post, and Microsoft. That same year, she received the Patient Innovation Award from the University of Portugal. The Shower Shirt was also included in the London Science Museum’s innovation exhibit, which toured several European countries. Crites presented the product at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
In 2022, she was nominated for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.
Philanthropy
Crites has served on nonprofit boards including the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, Digital Arts for Autism, Driven By Heart, and Space Coast Early Steps. She has also volunteered with organizations such as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Central Florida Homeless Coalition.