Leaders Enabling Access to Pharmaceuticals (LEAP) Workshop
The IDEA (Innovation + Design Enabling Access) Initiative initially organized a cluster of internship placement opportunities with non-profit organizations, particularly providing practicum experiences for Hopkins’ students pursuing their Master’s degrees in public health. Centered around the theme of “Access to Medicines,” these projects offered an opportunity for students to learn from and network with the other students in the cluster as well as our partners in the various organizations hosting student projects. The practicum & internship cluster on Access to Medicines covers topics ranging from drug pricing to antibiotic resistance. Comprised of projects housed in a network of organizations, this cluster allowed students to gain valuable work experience while seeing how their individual project fits within a network of initiatives that together work to improve access to medicines. Students participating in this cluster had the opportunity to meet regularly with the other students and learn from the inspiring preceptors through regular discussion sessions, lunches and seminars.
To engage a broader range of students, the IDEA Initiative evolved the practicum cluster into a training workshop, Leaders for Enabling Access to Pharmaceuticals (LEAP), hosted at Public Citizen in Washington, DC. The one-day workshop held in 2018 has become a two-day workshop in 2019, co-sponsored by the American Medical Student Association. Open to students, residents and fellows across all schools with a strong interest in public health, this workshop seeks to train and prepare the next generation of leaders to advocate for the public’s interest in access to medicines. The workshop features panels on topics ranging from innovation and access to health technologies and drug pricing to R&D transparency and advocacy tools.
For more information, visit the LEAP Workshop website.
