ABOUT US
Our North Star aim is where quality and affordable healthcare is accessible to all who need it.
This is our guide, our anchor, our beacon, and inspiration in all that we do.
About Us
Upequity believes that it takes a united effort to truly impact lasting change and is committed to contributing to the collective health equity movement to ensure healthcare is accessible to all who need it, when they need it.
The organization was founded by three health advocate leaders and champions for change with decades of rare disease and public health research experience as well as diverse personal patient and caregiver life experiences.
We explore and advance novel ideas, evidence-based research and incubate emerging entities in their journey to becoming organizations that focus on positive change for underserved populations including women, people of color, LGBTQAI+, the elderly, disabled, rural, and those struggling with limited financial resources who live with rare and serious chronic health conditions.
Our success is defined through our work to advance system and policy changes, eliminate barriers, and produce tangible improvements in the lives of families with rare diseases.
Our Culture
We deeply believe in the importance of building a strong and enduring culture where we value and recognize different perspectives. We personally and organizationally pledge to purposefully bring the following core values to our work:
- Servant Leadership
- Trust
- Innovation
- Results
- Honesty and Integrity
- Inclusion
- Authenticity
Our Why
We exist to challenge the status quo and advance change that helps families with rare and serious diseases live their healthiest, best lives.
We are inspired to meaningfully contribute to the movement to advance health equity in rare diseases and understand that we have a responsibility as well as the unique skills, knowledge and experience to contribute.
Silence is not an option and the time is now.
Our Strategic Pillars
We drive efforts and change with the intent of improving lives. The following strategic pillars center our work efforts:
- Conduct leading patient-centered research that supports the advancement of systems and policies that improve equitable access to healthcare.
- Advance conversations and actions to reduce / eliminate health care disparities.
- Test novel, evidence-based programs and projects that facilitate awareness and education and amplifies the voice of underrepresented patients and families.
- Use technology and innovation to improve the quality of life of underserved populations.
- Collaborate with organizations that share similar health equity related goals and passion to contribute and advance the health equity movement.
These Strategic Pillars focus our approach to achieving our organizational objectives, measures, and outcomes.
To execute on our overall strategy and achieve the mission and vision, Upequity works within a framework to provide direction from high level organizational intentions to achievable outcomes and measures. Upequity takes a cascading approach that navigates both down and up the framework to continually align thinking between what we are doing and what we ultimately want to achieve.