Intern, Patient Advocacy

Why Join Us?   Be a hero for our rare disease patients   At Ultragenyx, we fundamentally believe that taking real impactful action to care for the needs of patients and our people is always the right thing to do. To achieve this goal, our vision is to lead the future of rare disease medicine. For us, this means going where other biopharma companies won’t go – challenging the status quo and creating a new model that advances our field so more patients and caregivers can benefit from life-changing treatments. We do this by following the science, applying a novel rapid development approach, making innovative medicines at fair and reasonable prices, and creating a collaborative ecosystem to reach patients in ways that are most meaningful for them.    Our commitment and care for patients extends to our people, so culture is an essential cornerstone for Ultragenyx. We remain continuously focused on creating a supportive and inclusive environment of profound learning and growth – so employees can thrive in all areas of their lives, in and outside of work. Ultimately, we want to be an organization where we would be proud for our family, friends and children to work.   If you want to have a meaningful impact, do the best work of your career, and grow a lot, both professionally and personally, come join our team.

Position Summary:

ultraimpact – Make a difference for those who need it most

Patients are at the center of Ultragenyx’s mission to bring to market novel products for the treatment of rare and ultra-rare diseases. The Ultragenyx Patient Advocacy team works to make a difference by supporting patients, caregivers and patient groups and develop productive partnerships and facilitate dialogue with patient partners and patient advocacy organizations to further mutual interests. 

Engagement with patients and patient advocacy groups is a critical success factor for the discovery, development and approval of investigational therapeutic programs in rare and genetically defined diseases. 
Direct patient interaction is required throughout discovery and development to inform trial design and recruitment, and to develop the appropriate partnerships necessary to support the commercialization phase and effectively serve the patient community. Internally, the team is responsible for infusing the patient voice into the everyday operations of the company, informing corporate strategies and key decisions, and nurturing Ultragenyx’s resolute sense of urgency and patient-centric culture. 

The Patient Advocacy team partners closely with the clinical development, discovery, commercial, regulatory, and public affairs functions to inculcate patient insights into Ultragenyx's programs, decision-making and communications. 
The Summer Intern, Patient Advocacy will work with the team to monitor, assess, plan and/or execute patient advocacy strategies and tactics related to pre-clinical, clinical and commercial programs. This position will interface with the Patient Advocacy team and appropriate internal staff from multiple functions to help incorporate the patient perspective into program planning and contribute to successful implementation of patient insights and feedback.  

Please visit www.UltraRareAdvocacy.com to learn more about the Patient Advocacy team’s work and some of the ways we engage with and support patients, families and organizations throughout the rare disease community. Importantly, the Patient Advocacy team serves as a resource to patient communities in the therapeutic areas in which Ultragenyx is involved, as well as to the rare disease community more broadly.  

Work Model:

Remote: Officially documented as working full-time from home, with travel to Ultragenyx's offices or other locations on occasion as needed.

Responsibilities:

• Support strategic initiatives to gather patient insights and identify actionable opportunities to incorporate information into the development and execution of Ultragenyx programs and patient advocacy strategies
• Support development of patient advocacy campaigns across multiple programs and disease areas with a specific focus on patient focused drug development.
• Contribute to and support the development and execution of patient advocacy communication and educational strategies, plans and tactics.
• Support team with the development and dissemination of patient advocacy education and materials.
• Help to develop and manage patient advocacy database.
• Assist in identifying unmet needs and challenges of patient communities across multiple programs and disease areas
• Support team with the implementation, tracking and issuing of agreements and contracts

Requi