The Lupus and Allied Diseases Association was founded in 1978 in Utica, NY and is a national non-profit organization led by people with lupus and allied diseases and their loved ones who are dedicated to ensuring that the patient perspective is included and recognized as an equal stakeholder in the healthcare, regulatory and public policy arenas and across the research continuum. It is our goal to improve access to care and quality of life by fostering collaboration among stakeholders and by wielding the patient voice as a catalyst to advance innovative advocacy, education, awareness and biomedical research initiatives that will identify causes, advance better diagnostics, and discover superior treatments, and cures.