A Better Future for Rare Disease
Connecting Voices, Ideas and Action

2026 Michigan Patient Advocacy Forum

May 20, 2026 | 1-5 PM ET | Virtual Event

The 2026 Michigan Patient Advocacy Forum brings together patient advocates, bioscience leaders, policymakers, and healthcare stakeholders to advance one shared goal: ensuring the patient voice is meaningfully integrated across the full continuum of care—from discovery to delivery.

Together, we can elevate patient voices and drive meaningful progress across the healthcare landscape.

Agenda

Patient Voices: Personal Journeys, Lasting Impact
Patients and caregivers share powerful lived experiences that highlight the real-world impact of disease and the critical role of the patient voice in shaping care, policy, and innovation.

Stronger Together: Uniting Michigan’s Rare Disease Community
Leaders from Michigan’s rare disease organizations discuss how collaboration is strengthening advocacy, advancing policy, and improving support and access for patients and families.

The Equity Imperative: Ensuring Every Patient Counts
This session explores how systemic barriers impact underserved communities and outlines strategies to embed equity across healthcare, research, and drug development.

Patients Can’t Wait: Rewriting the Playbook for Developing New Therapies
A fireside chat with Dr. Jeff Coller on advancing patient-centered, collaborative approaches to accelerate the development of therapies—especially for rare diseases.

Who should attend?

The Patient Advocacy Forum is designed to provide an avenue for engagement whose roles are motivated by patient stories. 

• Patients and patient advocates
• Patient advocacy organizations
• Bio-industry leaders
• Government affairs and policy professionals
• Lawmakers and policy staff

Be part of the conversation shaping the future of
patient-centered innovation. Together, we can elevate patient voices and drive meaningful progress across the healthcare landscape.