About us
Every year, 10 million people die unnecessarily because they lack access to existing medical treatments; high prices and legal barriers are often contributing factors. A further billion people are infected with one or more so-called “neglected” diseases, for which safe and effective treatments have not been developed because the patients are too poor to provide an economic incentive.
In both cases, universities are well-placed to make a difference. University scientists are major contributors to the drug development pipeline. At the same time, universities are commitmed to advancing the public good.
With this in mind, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, an interdisciplinary group of university students, aims to enhance the global health impact of our schools’ biomedical research. We advocate for universities to ensure that biomedical end products, such as drugs, developed in campus labs are affordable and accessible in poor countries, and we work to reduce or eliminate barriers to research on neglected diseases.
Read more about UAEM’s work across Canada, the US, and the UK at uaem.org.
Lastly, if this all sounds good to you, we invite you to sign on to our statement of principles.
The UBC chapter of UAEM began in 2005 and has benefited from the efforts of both graduate and undergraduate students from medicine, law, science and the arts.
Our members
| Emily Anderson M.Sc. candidate, Resource Management and Environmental Studies Charles Au Sonja Babovic, Empowerment co-leader Goldis Chami, Secretary Jennifer Choi, co-chair and Access co-leader Andrew Gray, Access co-leader Mike Gretes, international coordinating committee liaison Jo Gorton Rebecca Goulding Kevin Charles Hooi, co-chair and External Affairs leader |
Jiyoon Koo B.Sc. Chemistry Year 3 June Lai Emma Noble Gordana Panic, Empowerment co-leader Matt Reimer, Technologist Jordan Tam Antonia Tsallas, Librarian Kerry Walker Stephanie Woo, Treasurer and Empowerment co-leader |
Distinguished alumni
| Leigh Beamish B.Sc. Microbiology and Immunology Gina Eom Stephanie Gatto Patricia Kretz Catee Lalonde Lara Malks-Jjumba |
Cecily Morgan-Jonker MD Year 2 Emma Preston Nadine Straka Shannon Turvey Shahla Yekta |
Advisory Committee
The UBC-UAEM Advisory Committee is a group of researchers, professors, administrators, and experts in public policy who support UAEM’s mission, and who we consult periodically for feedback and advice.
