--- description: Meet the 2026 Young Adult Advisory Council, a group of young leaders advancing awareness, advocacy, and support for autoimmune disease. title: The Autoimmune Association Announces 2026 Young Adult Advisory Council image: https://autoimmune.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/placeholder.jpg --- [Skip to content](#content) [Donate](https://autoimmune.org/blog/2026-young-adult-advisory-council/?campaign=697841) April 27, 2026 0 Share this article FacebookXLinkedIn # The Autoimmune Association Announces 2026 Young Adult Advisory Council - [Autoimmune Association News](https://autoimmune.org/blog/category/aarda-news/) - [Young Adult Advisory Council](https://autoimmune.org/blog/category/young-adult-advisory-council/) The Autoimmune Association announces the members of its [Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC)](https://autoimmune.org/get-involved/individuals/young-adult-advisory-council/) for the 2026 term. YAAC is a group of passionate young leaders who are helping shape the future of autoimmune disease through awareness, support, and advocacy. The Council brings together young adults from across the U.S. and beyond who are living with or interested in autoimmune disease. Through storytelling, connection, and education, these members ensure the unique needs of young adults are represented and met. “Autoimmune diseases are rising among young people, impacting their education, careers, mental health, and daily life at a critical stage,” said Molly Murray, president and CEO of the Autoimmune Association. “Through the Young Adult Advisory Council, we’re fostering connection, sharing real experiences, and ensuring young adults have the support and information they need, while developing the next generation of leaders in autoimmune advocacy.” The following individuals have been selected for the 2026 term: **Isa Graham Torres** Dalton School New York, NY **Hunter Gurney** Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Parkland, FL **Makenzie Kaput** Plainfield, IL **Aine Kim** River Bluff High School Lexington, SC **Alonna Kolobakken** University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND **Gia Morton** Arizona State University, Business Law Tempe, AZ **Ayat Nayyer** Broken Arrow High School Broken Arrow, OK **Mari Pitts** Austin, TX **Jacelynn Rose** Utah State University Herriman, UT **Sofia Vincent** Saint Louis University Des Plaines, IL **Amélie Wilcox** South Dakota State University Rapid City, SD **Simrah Zaman** University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada Throughout the year, Council members lead and support a range of initiatives designed to reach and empower their peers. They host webinars and educational events to help others better understand how autoimmune disease affects young adults, raise awareness in their schools and local communities, and build a growing network of connection through platforms like Instagram. They are also actively involved in developing resources that help young adults navigate diagnosis, treatment, and daily life. Follow the Young Adult Advisory Council on Instagram at [@autoimmune\_youngadults](https://www.instagram.com/autoimmune_youngadults/) to learn more and stay connected. Resources, tools, and information for young adults living with autoimmune disease can be found at [autoimmune.org/resource-center/education/young-adults/](https://autoimmune.org/resource-center/education/young-adults/). Share this article FacebookXLinkedIn ## Join our email list Receive the latest blog articles, news, and more right to your inbox! 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[Learn More](https://autoimmune.org/resource-center/) ```json {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@graph":[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/2026-young-adult-advisory-council\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org","name":"Autoimmune Association"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/category\/aarda-news\/","name":"Autoimmune Association News"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/2026-young-adult-advisory-council\/","name":"2026 Young Adult Advisory Council Members Announced"}}]}, {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/2026-young-adult-advisory-council\/#BlogPosting","url":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/2026-young-adult-advisory-council\/","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/2026-young-adult-advisory-council\/","headline":"The Autoimmune Association Announces 2026 Young Adult Advisory Council","description":"Meet the 2026 Young Adult Advisory Council, a group of young leaders advancing awareness, advocacy, and support for autoimmune disease.","articleBody":"The Autoimmune Association announces the members of its Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC) for the 2026 term. YAAC is a group of passionate young leaders who are helping shape the future of autoimmune disease through awareness, support, and advocacy. The Council brings together young adults from across the U.S. and beyond who are living with or interested in autoimmune disease. Through storytelling, connection, and education, these members ensure the unique needs of young adults are represented and met. \u201cAutoimmune diseases are rising among young people, impacting their education, careers, mental health, and daily life at a critical stage,\u201d said Molly Murray, president and CEO of the Autoimmune Association. \u201cThrough the Young Adult Advisory Council, we\u2019re fostering connection, sharing real experiences, and ensuring young adults have the support and information they need, while developing the next generation of leaders in autoimmune advocacy.\u201d The following individuals have been selected for the 2026 term: Isa Graham Torres Dalton School New York, NY Hunter Gurney Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Parkland, FL Makenzie Kaput Plainfield, IL Aine Kim River Bluff High School Lexington, SC Alonna Kolobakken University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND Gia Morton Arizona State University, Business Law Tempe, AZ Ayat Nayyer Broken Arrow High School Broken Arrow, OK Mari Pitts Austin, TX Jacelynn Rose Utah State University Herriman, UT Sofia Vincent Saint Louis University Des Plaines, IL Am\u00e9lie Wilcox South Dakota State University Rapid City, SD Simrah Zaman University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada Throughout the year, Council members lead and support a range of initiatives designed to reach and empower their peers. They host webinars and educational events to help others better understand how autoimmune disease affects young adults, raise awareness in their schools and local communities, and build a growing network of connection through platforms like Instagram. They are also actively involved in developing resources that help young adults navigate diagnosis, treatment, and daily life. Follow the Young Adult Advisory Council on Instagram at @autoimmune_youngadults to learn more and stay connected. Resources, tools, and information for young adults living with autoimmune disease can be found at autoimmune.org\/resource-center\/education\/young-adults\/.","datePublished":"2026-04-27T10:17:55-04:00","dateModified":"2026-05-13T11:34:40-04:00","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Autoimmune Association","url":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/about-us\/","sameAs":[],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/70669a23ed731bc2425150828e604d97af2f2091c5569da962b68d3158801569?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"editor":{"@type":"Person","name":"Colleen Kmiecik","url":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/blog\/author\/colleen\/","sameAs":[],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/70669a23ed731bc2425150828e604d97af2f2091c5569da962b68d3158801569?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Autoimmune Association","url":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org","logo":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/logo-horizontal.svg"}}, {"@type":"NGO","@id":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/#ngo","name":"Autoimmune Association","description":"The Autoimmune Association serves autoimmune patients through research, advocacy for healthcare access, and collaboration across autoimmune diseases. Founded in 1991 as the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), it now reaches over 60 countries.","url":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org","address":{"streetAddress":"19176 Hall Road, Suite 130","addressLocality":"Clinton Township","addressRegion":"MI","addressCountry":"US","postalCode":"48038"},"logo":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/logo-horizontal.svg","image":"https:\/\/autoimmune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/logo-horizontal.svg","founder":"Virginia T. Ladd","foundingDate":"1991","knowsAbout":"Autoimmune disease, autoimmune research, patient advocacy","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Autoimmunity","https:\/\/x.com\/AutoimmuneAssoc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/autoimmuneassociation\/"],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactType":"customer service","telephone":"+15867763900","email":"hello@autoimmune.org"},"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","telephone":"+15867763900","email":"hello@autoimmune.org"}]} ```