Jain briefed journalists in September 2021: Rare Diseases: A Global Challenge.

As the president of the Asia Pacific Alliance of Rare Disease Organsiations (APARDO), Ritu Jain is committed to strengthening and extending the rare disease network in the Asian regions and ensuring that rare diseases remain a priority in their national health care plans.

Ritu is a founder and current President of Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association (DEBRA) Singapore, the Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) patient advocacy and support organization that she helped establish in 2015. She also serves on the Board of DEBRA International and as Regional Ambassador for EB Without Borders – a DEBRA International workstream and on the councils of advocacy organizations, such as Rare Diseases International (RDI) and the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC). In the latter two organizations, she has actively contributed to drafting strategy plans, worked towards organizational objectives and worked towards deeper engagement of patients and patient communities.

In her various roles, Ritu focuses on empowering patients and families, organizing local and regional conferences for capacity building and improved delivery of care and advocating for policy changes. She is also invested in fostering collaboration of local and international clinicians/researchers, as well as pharmaceutical organizations, for enhanced research initiatives and clinical trials for improvement in the quality of lives of individuals living with rare diseases. Ritu’s familiarity with the culture, conditions and challenges of those with rare diseases in Asia makes her a suitable voice within global rare diseases organizations.

Beyond these volunteer roles, Ritu is a sociolinguist and teaches graduate and undergraduate students at a local university. A Ph.D., Ritu’s research interest is in Language Policy and its impact on immigrant minorities in multilingual sites.