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 commited 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
Farnaz Changizi Jennifer Choi, Co-Chair Ian Garber Andrew Gray Jo Gorton |
Rebecca Goulding Post-doctoral student, Centre for Applied Ethics; Ph.D. GeneticsKevin Charles Hooi, Outgoing Co-Chair B.A. Political Economy Jiyoon Koo June Lai Gordana Panic Matt Reimer, Technologist Stephanie Woo, Treasurer |
Distinguished alumni
| Leigh Beamish B.Sc. Microbiology and Immunology Goldis Chami MD Year 2Gina Eom B.Sc. Microbiology and ImmunologyStephanie Gatto MPH, Simon Fraser University Mike Gretes Patricia Kretz Catee Lalonde Lara Malks-Jjumba |
Cecily Morgan-Jonker MD Year 3Emma Preston B.Sc. Microbiology and ImmunologyNadine Straka B.Sc. Integrated Science ProgramJordan Tam M.Sc., Resource Management and Environmental Studies Shannon Turvey Shahla Yekta Antonia Tsallas, Librarian |
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.
