Merith Basey, MSc
Executive Director, Patients For Affordable Drugs™
Merith’s commitment to health equity began nearly two decades ago working alongside young people living with type 1 diabetes in Ecuador. Her formative grassroots organizing combined with a master’s degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine motivated her to co-found the 100 Campaign in 2012, aimed at reframing the narrative around insulin access as a human rights issue and reducing the barriers to access.
![](https://ahip.imgix.net/headshots/Merith.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5043&fp-y=0.2767&h=320&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=cd0a9e5a685b9f5a592161569967eebc)
Most recently, Merith served for eight years as executive director of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines in North America, an international, student-driven organization that seeks to improve access to and affordability of life-saving medicines researched and developed at universities. In March 2020, she launched the Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 campaign via UAEM and, in conjunction with the Center for Artistic Activism, to advocate for equitable access to COVID tests, treatments, and vaccines.
Merith is a connector, a movement-builder and a creative. She also serves on the Technical Advisory Committee of the ACCISS study addressing the Challenges and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply. She speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese.