Remembering a Hero: Ady Barkan
On Wednesday, November 1, Ady Barkan, world-renowned activist for health care as a human right, co-executive director for Be A Hero, and alumnus of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), died of complications from ALS at 39 years old.
Ady’s many accomplishments are too numerous to fully list, but include testifying for Medicare for All before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate, leading hundreds of activists to fight for the protection of the Affordable Care Act, fighting for better rules at the Fed as a part of the Fed Up campaign, and so much more. You can find an accounting of his great impact in advocacy for human rights and people in this post from his co-director, Jamila Headley, or the one below:
In his law school days, Ady was a member of UAEM at Yale, and a member of the UAEM Board of Directors when he was a recent alumnus.
The UAEM CC at The Sitar, New Haven — with Shayna Strom, Connie Chen, Ami Parekh, Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, Sunny Kishore, Patricia Gabriel, Ady Barkan, Lauren Smith, Robynn Steffen, Michael Steffen, Bucky Fazen, Virginia Zaunbrecher, Sarah Sorscher, Gloria Tavera, Matt Price and Ethan Guillen at Yale University.
He touched the lives of many UAEMers during his time with us, and we wanted to share reflections from those days in his memory:
”Ady always brought clarity of purpose, insight, empathy, and humor to our work at UAEM. UAEMers love a meeting and Ady always brought amazing contributions, making our gatherings exciting and fun. He shines very brightly among the constellation of amazing activists that I had the honor to work with. Watching his passion and leadership grow in the years since has been an inspiration to me personally. And I know many others will be inspired to follow in his footsteps, the path lit by his light, recognizing that to have the just world we seek, we must be the leaders the world needs, just as Ady was throughout his life. Thank you, Ady, for this legacy. The love of the whole UAEM family goes out to his amazing wife Rachael, and their beautiful children.”
Ethan Guillén, Former UAEM Executive Director
“Ady’s activism inspired countless UAEM students, patients and activists, both new and veteran, in his fight and personal journey to ensure health as a human right. While he will be sorely missed there is no doubt that his brave legacy will live on.”
Merith Basey, Former UAEM Executive Director
“Ady faced the battle against systemic health injustice in the same way he faced his battle with his condition: with fearlessness, grit, a keen intellect, and unwavering resolve. His commitment to equitable access to healthcare despite the challenges he faced was an inspiration to myself and to many others in the organization. Our collective hearts from the UAEM family ache from this loss of a true hero and guiding light in the movement.”
Taylor Gilliland, Ph.D., former President of the Board of Directors
“Ady’s life and legacy is a clarion call for all UAEM members and alumni to continue his work of collectively organizing for a future where access - real access - to health care is not a distant fantasy. By training and empowering the next generation of UAEM leaders, we will carry forward his vision of ‘[refusing] to accept the complacency of previous generations’ and making the impossible a reality.”
Reshma Ramachandran, MD, MPP, MHS, President of the Board of Directors
"Ady was shrewd, powerful and loving - a rare combination that enabled him to lead radical change through organizations like UAEM and later shift the national sentiment around healthcare for all. With every fiber of his being, Ady stood for love - putting people at the center of our political struggles. His legacy is with me every day and will continue to empower many people in their commitment to resistance, solidarity and love as we fight for a more humane world."
Gloria Tavera, MD, PhD, Former UAEM Board President
“For decades, Ady demonstrated the power of relentless advocacy driven by compassion and urgency. I continue to be reminded of and infused by his demands for action and refusal of complacency. I believe that he set the highest bar for what one person can do for their community not because he wanted to set an example or inspire, but because his genuine compassion for others’ suffering would not allow him to make any other choice. He loved humanity.”
Paul Park, Former UAEM Board member
“Ady lived as an example of dedication to social justice and equity. His activism was a driving force behind UAEM and the creation of national movements for health access. Ady presented a vision of achieving healthcare for all in our time, with urgency. His voice and now his legacy is an inspiration to us all. We remember Ady as a passionate and dedicated colleague and friend.”
Rachel Belt, Former UAEM Board Member
Former Board President Rachel Kiddell-Monroe and former Board Member Virginia Zaunbrecher wrote about Ady on LinkedIn, you can read their words here.
Justin Mendoza, current Executive Director for UAEM shared that his first memory of Ady was at a UAEM conference. It may have been the same day he recorded the video below, explaining one of UAEM’s older policy proposals. We share it here just to get a small glimpse into Ady’s time with UAEM.
Ady Barkan explains the Statement of Principles and Strategies, a UAEM policy from 2008, to our digital audience.
Ady’s memory and legacy will live on in the work of UAEM’s student leaders and alumni network. We’ll continue to fight for justice and aim to live with the tenacity and courage of our convictions that Ady brought to his work.
We encourage UAEM supporters to give generously to this Go Fund Me, which has been organized to support Ady’s family.
