UAEM North America 2025 Conference. The Future of Global Health: Equity Through Innovation
March 21, 2025 - Montréal, Canada
March 21 marked the start of the annual UAEM Conference hosted by the UAEM McGill Chapter in Montréal, Canada. The theme of this year’s conference was The Future of Global Health: Equity Through Innovation. This theme was present throughout all of the conference’s events, panels, discussions and much more. With speakers from all over the world and a discussion on research in addition to panels focused on Indigenous health, Civil Science, AI, legislative lobbying and more, the conference was full of action for all involved.
On Friday, attendees had the opportunity to ease into the event with a Welcome Celebration at the MajesThé Bistro Bar, where the different UAEM chapters all throughout North America had the opportunity to meet, catch up and get to know each other a little better. There, they were welcomed by the Executive Director of UAEM, Justin Mendoza, as well as the President of the McGill Chapter, Amanda Leloup. After an engaging and warm welcome, an alumni panel commenced featuring recent graduates and professionals all who had previously been involved with UAEM in their educational trajectory. During this time, attendees had the opportunity to ask important questions about their work and experiences as well as the importance their time at UAEM had for their careers.
Saturday morning came along and attendees started up bright and early with breakfast right in the heart of the McGill campus. Some also had the option to hike up the famous Mont Royal to catch a peek of the sunrise beforehand. After a delightful breakfast, attendees were welcomed once again and the conference really got to kick off. The first breakout session began, where attendees had the option to attend either the Introduction to Access to Medicines discussion or the AI and Health panel. Afterwards, everyone reconvened for the first featured speaker of the event, Luis Villarroel who is the Director of the Chile-based NGO Innovarte.
“Some individual [pharmaceutical] companies make more money than automakers, telecoms and other industries, even Visa. That tells you that the system is really working well for these companies”. - Luis Villarroel
After an engaging and insightful conversation by Luis, lunch began and so did the Poster Session. During this time, some attendees had the opportunity to showcase their research projects and present them to their fellow peers. Some UAEM members have conducted research in the medical field at their home institutions, many times with support and/or engagement from UAEM itself. After this exciting exhibition showcasing the innovation grown and cultivated at UAEM, the second breakout session began. Here, attendees had the option between the Advocating for Access to Medicines with your Technology Transfer Office discussion or the Indigenous Health panel. Both these options offered insight into important topics related to the work that UAEM does both at the chapter level and the organization level. Soon, a quick break came along which transitioned to the Civic Science: The Next Frontier conversation, which helped break down what Civic Science is and the relevance of it within today’s world of science and technology. Then, the day concluded with the Modern Conversations in Global Access to Medicines panel, which helped solidify many of the topics and themes discussed and explored during the conference.
“Stay informed, social media is a powerful tool. There’s always people sharing their stories and don’t be afraid of sharing your stories. Point out the inequalities that you witness. State how you made a difference and share that expertise…” - Craig Sky, panelist in the Indigenous Health Panel
Sunday brought the last day of the annual conference and began once again with a pleasant breakfast. Then, attendees entered into the last breakout session, which was either Engaging Policymakers in Canada or the United States. These panels allowed for those inside to gain a scoop into the methods to the madness when contacting legislators in either country. Afterwards, the second featured speaker of the event, Dr. Madhukar Pai, Director of McGill Global Health Programs and the Director of the McGill International TB Center. His discussion on the importance of global health equity further solidified many of the conversations and themes brought up throughout the conference.
“Go and work, write to people, write your op-ed’s. Everything that you learned in these last two days, put it to use please because I know it looks very paralyzing now. It would be very worrisome if it was not. I feel that way and yet I am doing what I need to do. I’ve written letters, I’ve had meetings with MPs. Every time you gotta go and make something happen…” -Dr. Madhukar Pai
Afterwards was lunch and awards, which awarded various attendees for their involvement in UAEM or their posters presented earlier on Saturday. Additionally, the McGill Chapter was awarded for their hard work and labor in bringing about the conference. Later on, Justin Mendoza presented about Building One’s Octopus, or network and the importance of being connected to a variety of stakeholders. That conversation was later followed by a conclusion, closing off another impactful conference and sending along the various chapters of UAEM back to their homes.
Conferences such as these help further UAEM’s mission of bringing about global health equity. Bringing together some of the most passionate and brilliant young minds throughout North America has helped continue to combat the challenges that our mission continues to face, especially during these unprecedented times. Times where basic needs for individuals such as medicines all over the world are being taken away under schemes to further divide the world. Nonetheless, UAEM remains committed to resolving the inequitable medicine systems which exist in the world, one step at a time. We hope that you join us.
