UAEM North America
UAEM North America is made up of student members across the U.S. and Canada working to push their universities to lead the way in policies that allow access to essential medicines and to research diseases that will meet the world’s greatest needs.
Join us to become a student member, get in touch as an alumnus, or to get updates from our network.
Our Work
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In May 2021 UAEM North America launched its latest report Clinical Trial Transparency at U.S. Universities: A New Report Measuring Legal Compliance with Clinical Trial Reporting Obligations in 2021 which studies clinical trial reporting data from the top 40 U.S. research institutions (both public and private). And, there is some encouraging news! We have been able to measure significant progress made by many leading universities in this area over the last two years due in part to advocacy by UAEM and our allies in this area. There are some repeat worst offenders however including: the University of Colorado, Denver, University of Washington, New York University Langone Health, University of Cincinnati, and Stanford University.
Successes highlighted in the report include:
The increase in number of research institutions legally compliant under FDAAA (100% of clinical trials reported) from 13 to 17,
The increase in total number of registered clinical trials from 446 to 1516 between February 2019 and February 2021,
The decrease in total number of unreported trials from 138 to 101.
See the latest news from our Clinical Trials Campaigns here.
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Universities have a moral responsibility to manage the public research funding they receive conscientiously and in the best interest of the welfare of the public. However, universities are handing over their findings without ensuring they will be used to make medicines that remain affordable and accessible to the public who funded the research in the first place.
To help universities remedy this, and to ensure public return of public investment, UAEM has developed a policy framework that universities can implement into their licensing policies to improve their responsible knowledge stewardship through socially responsible licensing.
UAEM students around the world have been organizing for access to medicines by changing university policy since 2001. See our policy framework for this work, the Equitable Access Licensing Framework (ETAF), and other key tools for access to medicines.
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A project of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), the University Report Card uses publicly-available data and university self-reported information to evaluate five key questions:
How and in what ways are universities investing in innovative biomedical research that addresses the neglected health needs of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)?
When universities license their medical breakthroughs for commercial development, are they doing so in ways that ensure equitable access for people in low and middle income countries? Will these innovative treatments be made available at affordable prices?
Are universities empowering the next generation of global health leaders by educating them on the crucial impact that academic institutions can have on global health and access to medicines through their biomedical research and licensing activities?
How are universities promoting transparency in clinical trial results and academic medical publications?
Have universities committed to sharing the intellectual property, knowledge and data from their COVID-19 research in a way that makes these innovations globally accessible, particularly to people in LMICs?
The Latest:
Resources
Leadership
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The North America Coordinating Committee is a panel of UAEM student leaders who are responsible for shaping UAEM's work in North America as well as leading key projects throughout the course of the year.
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The UAEM North America Board of Directors advises the direction of the organization, holds fiscal responsibility, and acts as advisors to student-led campaigns. It is our core governing body, and is guided by our bylaws.
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A chapter is the basic unit of UAEM’s organization. It is a group of self-organized students and in some cases, young professionals, primarily based at an academic institution, often with faculty support. Chapters range in size, from more intimate groups of 2 or 3, to larger gatherings of around 30 or more students.
In North America, chapters organize on a national and international level, having virtual and physical meetings to collaborate on activities.
You can find your chapter on our chapter locator tool, here.
UAEM North America is made up of various leadership teams and bodies that serve our mission, vision, and values.
Justin Mendoza, MPH - Executive Director
Before joining UAEM as North American Executive Director, in April 2023, Justin led Partners In Health's efforts on domestic policy and advocacy strategy, where he worked on legislative policy changes like the American Rescue Plan Act and advocated for a rational COVID-19 response. Previously, Justin worked on health care priorities with Families USA and Public Citizen in Washington D.C., focused on lowering drug prices, taking on pharmaceutical patent overreach, expanding health care coverage, and lowering underlying health care costs. Justin holds an MPH in Health Policy from Yale University and a B.S. in biomedical sciences and neuroscience from Central Michigan University. As a student, he led UAEM chapters at both universities and served on the UAEM North America Coordinating Committee and Board of Directors.
UAEM North America Coordinating Committee
The North America Coordinating Committee is a panel of UAEM student and alumni leaders who are responsible for shaping UAEM's work in North America as well as leading key projects throughout the course of the year.
UAEM North America Board of Directors
The UAEM North America Board of Directors advises the direction of the organization, holds fiscal responsibility, and acts as advisors to student-led campaigns. It is our core governing body, and is guided by our bylaws.
UAEM North America Fellows
The UAEM North America CC Fellows are former members of the Coordinating Committee who dedicate time to advising CC projects, serve as speakers on behalf of UAEM, and lend expertise in campaign development to chapters.