Biographies
Cassidy Parshall, MSc - Program Manager North America
Cassidy joined UAEM North America as Program Manager in June 2025. Prior to joining UAEM, Cassidy was a Program Associate in the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, where she worked on access to health innovations and led program operations and communication. Previously, Cassidy worked on drug pricing and access to medicines within Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines team. She currently serves on the Board of the Global Surgery Student Alliance. Cassidy received an MSc in Global Health Policy from the University of Edinburgh, where her research focused on access to medicines and intellectual property within the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. She holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Baylor University.
Justin Mendoza, MPH - Executive Director North America
An Access to Medicines advocate since his undergraduate days in 2010, Justin brings 15 years of movement experience as the executive director of UAEM North America. Before joining UAEM North America as 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.