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About Us
As an affiliate of Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD), CORDSA raises awareness and funds for rare disorders on and off the U of A campus.
Getting Started
After some time volunteering in health-based student advocacy groups, NORDSA Co-Founder Jessica Wijesundera noticed the lack of advocacy groups catering towards less common, but equally important, medical conditions. Once she discovered the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), she and fellow Co-Founder Divya Shah created the National Organization for Rare Disorders Student Association (NORDSA), a registered affiliate of NORD. NORDSA was established in 2017 to educate and fundraise for rare disorders; over the past 4 years, NORDSA has held a variety of events both on and off the UAlberta campus.
Changing to CORDSA
After spending several years as an affiliate of NORD, the executive team decided to re-align with the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD). The rationale behind this decision was two-fold: First, to become more local and be more focused on issues in Canada rather than the United States; second, CORD is more patient-focused and is directed more toward providing resources and support to individuals affected by rare disease. Consequently, in summer 2021, NORDSA became CORDSA.
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Our mission
Although our name may have changed, our mission has always remained the same. We are passionate about providing support for anyone affected by rare disease (patients, family members, researchers, etc.) and providing them with the resources they need and helping them achieve the life they want. Our main areas of involvement are fundraising for rare disease, as well as educating and informing the public on rare disease.
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