Generation Patient’s Health Policy Lab aims to ensure that the lived experiences of young adult patients are at the forefront of policy reform.
While these are our three focus areas, we have also engaged in state-based legislative efforts to lower the cost of our life-saving medicines.
Recent in the news!
Our feature in the British Medical Journal on advocating for safer pharmaceutical marketing.
Spotlight on our patent reform priority area in Politico.
A podcast in Medical Marketing and Media highlighting our pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising work!
2024 Health Policy Scholar Rachel Litchman published an op-ed in The Progressive, "Medicaid Unwinding Unfairly Puts Patients at Risk."
Explore our opinion piece in STAT News discussing the role of social media influencers in prescription drug ads.
Health Policy Lab Scholars & Co-Chairs
Our Health Policy Scholars are a group of young adults with chronic and rare conditions who bring invaluable perspectives to the health policy space. In 2023 and 2024, we hosted two cohorts of scholars, equipping a select group of young adult patients each year with the tools and resources to drive purposeful change. In 2025, we are excited to welcome back two of our scholars to serve as co-chairs of our Health Policy Lab! Together, they will help lead efforts to reform the patent system, engage in high-level meetings, and keep our community informed about our policy efforts and ways they can amplify their voices to shape policies that impact young adult patients most.
Keep reading to learn more about our co-chairs!
Peyton Miles
Peyton Miles (she/her) is a 21-year-old native of Lynchburg, Virginia. In her high school years, Peyton distinguished herself as senior class president and a tri-varsity athlete, with aspirations to attend the College of William and Mary. Her trajectory took an unexpected turn on March 4, 2022, following her success as a finalist in the Global Summer Learning Institute's LEADing for Life national business competition. A viral illness left her with a severe, unremitting headache that persists to this day, leading to diagnoses of New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH), Fibromyalgia, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and hypermobility syndrome. Undeterred by these health setbacks, Peyton has channeled her energy into meaningful pursuits. She worked as a part-time research assistant at Echoing Green, a social entrepreneurship company, for over a year, and successfully completed her first college course. As a 2024 Health Policy Scholar, Peyton has made significant strides in healthcare advocacy. She co-authored a peer support paper with Boston Children's Hospital, spoke on a panel explaining the Protecting Patients from Deceptive Drug Ads Online Act, and documented her experience attending a White House Debriefing on the Inflation Reduction Act. Throughout her journey, Peyton has immersed herself in the Generation Patient Community through peer support groups and developed new interests in crafts such as handknitting and woodworking. Her experiences have fueled a passion for making complex healthcare topics more accessible to the public. Looking ahead to her role as a 2025 Health Policy Scholar, Peyton remains committed to advancing patient advocacy and fostering a deeper understanding of healthcare complexities.
Grace Shults
Grace Shults (she/her) is blending academic excellence with personal experience to drive meaningful change in healthcare. A recent graduate of Ohio State University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Social Work, Grace is now set to pursue her Master of Social Work at Case Western Reserve University. Since age 16, Grace has grappled with the long-term effects of Lyme disease, an experience that ignited her passion for healthcare policy reform. Her advocacy work spans several organizations, including Generation Lyme, LymeTV, Center for Lyme Action, and Prescription Justice. Grace's dedication earned her a spot in the Generation Patient Health Policy Scholar Class of 2023 and the Patients Rising Legislative Masterclass in Fall 2022. Grace has served as Treasurer for the OSU chapter of Students Demand Action, a gun policy reform group, and interned with the Ohio Alliance Against Sexual Violence. Her policy chops were further honed during an internship with the Columbus Women's Commission through Mayor Andrew J. Ginther's office. Looking ahead, Grace aims to leverage her unique blend of academic knowledge and lived experience as a social worker focusing on vulnerable populations, including the chronically ill. She's particularly drawn to the complexities between pharmaceutical patents and medication accessibility for chronic illness patients. Grace hopes to contribute to policy solutions that strike a balance between innovation and ensuring affordable treatments, especially for complex conditions like Lyme disease.
Read more about our past Health Policy Scholars here.
Resources for our community
Health policy is complicated. Check out these resources created by our team to help navigate some of these concepts and systems. We will be adding new content to this database on a regular basis. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at admin@generationpatient.org.