Meet Stefanie
About Stefanie Rafes
Stefanie is a Lehigh Valley Native who graduated from Whitehall High School. She currently resides in Lower Macungie Township with her dog, Chicky and cat, Dusty. She has been a practicing Cardiology Physician Assistant for the last twenty years. Stefanie has devoted herself to running for office to help diagnose and solve the biggest issues facing Lehigh Valley Families.
Her parents instilled a sense of responsibility for public service at an early age. Her mother worked as a social worker at Crime Victims Council of Lehigh Valley for 38 years, as a trauma counselor for underserved community members. She also presented prevention programs for schools and community groups, and conducted trainings for professionals. Since recently retiring, she continues to provide hotline counseling several times a month. Her late father had a passion for the environment, serving on the Whitehall Environmental Council and the Whitehall Parkway committee in the 1990s. He was a volunteer at the Wildlands Conservancy, an organizer for the Lehigh River Sojourn, and a recipient of the “Friend of the Lehigh River” award. It was her family’s commitment to public service that inspired her to seek a career in healthcare, and now, to seek a position as your representative
At age 33, Stefanie was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. For 9 months, she was treated with a combination of intense chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Fortunately, she is now 8 years cancer free.
Through her experience as a breast cancer survivor & healthcare provider, she has witnessed how damaging exorbitant healthcare costs and barriers to healthcare access are for her patients & for herself. Stefanie will fight to lower costs for Lehigh Valley Families and will be a problem solver for the 187th in Harrisburg.
