Are you ready to become a Rare Disease Ally?
Apply to be an M4RD Ambassador today…
Our Ambassador Programme is now open to new applications – this is your chance to become an M4RD Ambassador and a rare disease ally!
About the programme
Our ambassador programme enables M4RD to work with the wider rare disease community so we can learn from their expertise and experience.
We currently have two three types of Ambassadors: Patient; Medical Student and Clinical – Check out our team of Ambassadors.
Our Ambassadors promote the work of M4RD and its message wherever possible. They support the M4RD team in their aim to raise awareness of rare disease amongst medical students and doctors in training. This includes:
- providing blog posts and/or videos for M4RD to share on its social media platforms
- providing consultations on our activities from their own unique perspectives
- attending and promoting M4RD events and activities
- identify learning resources for the M4RD website
- promoting the M4RD annual symposium and Rare Disease 101
The benefits of becoming an Ambassador
- Experience working with a professional organisation and opportunities to further connect with stakeholders in the rare disease area.
- A sense of satisfaction and pride for helping to make a valuable difference.
- Positive contribution towards changing/improving medical education or the lives of patients with rare conditions.
- Research and project opportunities.
- Free entry to the M4RD annual symposium.
“The M4RD Ambassador programme engenders a feeling of community amongst a group of highly inspiring, supportive, and like-minded individuals with the common goal of improving medical understanding of rare diseases, through the eye of patients and their families.”
Dr Lauren Ferretti – Clinical M4RD Ambassador
Become an Ambassador
Our work specifically targets doctors early in their careers, including medical students and doctors-in-training. We want to educate them on the common
challenges faced by patients with rare diseases. M4RD was founded by doctors and so we have experienced the medical education system and identified areas where we feel rare disease education could be improved. We also understand the pressures of medical training and can design educational material specific to our target audience.
“An amazing chance to join a family of like minded people, wanting to improve healthcare for the whole rare disease community!”
Dr Grace Knight, Clinical M4RD Ambassador
Want to know more?
Read our [latest blog] to find out what our current cohort of ambassadors have been up to since they joined us in September 2022.
Clinical ambassadors:
- engage with and support doctors in training to encourage their interest in rare diseases and to get involved in M4RD.
- support rare disease events.
- promote the work of M4RD and its message in educational settings, e.g. ward teaching and informal teaching, etc.
- provide basic education in rare disease and promote M4RD’s Rare Disease 101 learning.
Why would you want to be an Ambassador for M4RD ? Well I guess only if you want to represent an incredible organisation that is delivering international impact in innovative, agile and compassionate ways. Only if you want to support an organisation and a team of thinkers and doers who act by partnering with multiple stakeholders and empowering youth, whilst also being fuelled by the imagination, energy and power of young (and sometimes not so young !) people. Only if you want to support an organisation that is serving high unmet global need for 100s of millions of people and families globally. And only if you also want to have some fun with a very serious purpose along the way.” Dr Gareth Baynam, Clinical M4RD Ambassador
Medical student ambassadors:
- engage with and support other medical students to encourage their interest in rare diseases and to get involved in M4RD.
- support rare disease groups and events.
- promote the work of M4RD and its message in educational settings, e.g. lectures, and informal teaching, etc.
- provide basic education in rare disease and promote M4RD’s Rare Disease 101 learning.
Lottie Mercer, Medical Student Ambassador
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to be a student ambassador for M4RD this year and I’ve enjoyed daring fellow medical students at Southampton University to think rare!”
Patient Ambassadors:
As a person living with a rare disease your story is really important for us to hear. It helps us to get our messages across to our target audience appropriately. Our Patient Ambassadors help inform and shape what we do based on their experiences with healthcare.
“I’m grateful for all the knowledge and resources the M4RD team have equipped me with as a Rare Disease advocate, as this will enable me to expand my knowledge on advocacy work I do. Also, I’m glad to have made connections with other ambassadors which has helped in making lifelong rapport.” Aisha Seedat, patient ambassador
Apply now
If you like what we do and you want to help spread the word about rare diseases become an M4RD ambassador and a rare disease ally.
For more details, take a look at the job descriptions here
You can always contact one of the ambassadors for more information, or get in touch with Jo McPherson (patients) or Melissa Clasen (medical students and clinicians).
You can then apply here:
Patient Ambassador Application Form
Medical Student Ambassador Application Form
Clinical Ambassador Application Form
The closing date for applications is 14th July 2023 and induction will take place on the evening of 20th September 2023.
Applications are only open to UK residents.
Tenure
Ambassadors can stay on the programme for a maximum of two years, with recommitment at end of year 1. Ambassadors can then reapply to the programme after 12 months.
