Anna Ball is a second year Master of Public Health student at University of Delaware, studying in Epidemiology and set to graduate in Spring 2024. Anna’s patient advocacy began in the Fall of 2020 with a diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjögren's Syndrome. She is also a strong advocate for mental health due to a childhood diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and an adult diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  

These chronic disease diagnoses spurred Anna into action as a chronic disease advocate independently and through several organizations, such as the Lupus Research Alliance and Lupus Foundation of America. She is a current ambassador for her home state of Delaware for the Chronic Disease Coalition, which aims to educate and advocate for patients rights through several different advocacy platforms. Anna also recently completed a stint as a 2023 Health Policy Scholar for Generation Patient. As part of the first ever cohort, she worked with their Health Policy Lab to represent a critical perspective in the health policy space and who share a keen interest in actively engaging with health policy matters, particularly those related to lowering healthcare costs and the prices of prescription medicine. 

The unique role of being a young adult patient and a future public health professional gives Anna the motivation to help find solutions between public health and patient advocacy.