Sneha Dave

Sneha Dave is a senior at Indiana University majoring in chronic illness advocacy as well as journalism. She created the Health Advocacy Summit​ and its program of ​Crohn’s and Colitis Young Adults Network​ with major funding from Helmsley Charitable Trust​ and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, to create more support systems for adolescents and young adults with chronic and rare illnesses across the U.S. and internationally. She is proud to have these organizations transparent and independent from the pharmaceutical industry.

Sneha has completed a research fellowship in health policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she is continuing research as an undergraduate. She has also interned at Pfizer Global Headquarters in health economics and outcomes research. Sneha has spoken on Capitol Hill, was featured nationally on C-SPAN, was a past contributor for U.S. News and World Report, and has put in considerable time and effort in D.C. advocating for better access to health care for people with chronic illnesses. She also created and chairs the first disability caucus in Indiana, and has served on the Democratic National Committee Disability Policy Subcommittee and Women’s March Disability Caucus. Sneha was awarded two academic fellowships with the Association of Health Care Journalists. She was previously a national policy fellow and now serves as the youngest director on the board for RespectAbility, a national nonprofit. Sneha was selected in 2018 as one of the most influential teenagers internationally, and in 2020 as the American Association of People with Disabilities Emerging Leader.

Sneha has reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and enjoys climbing, hiking, and reading in her free time. Most of all, she is incredibly grateful for all the people she gets to work with to create more systems for the next generation of patients. She has proudly lived in Indiana for most of her life and is passionate about advocacy for rural communities, women of color with disabilities, as well as for more transparency in the patient advocacy space.