About AHSID

The Association of Hidradenitis Suppurativa & Inflammatory Diseases (AHSID) is a tax-exempt national patient advocacy organization & non-profit that raises awareness about & advocates for Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) & inflammatory disease populations.

Our community members are more than just patients or numbers in a system.

Our network is comprised of people who live full lives and require care and a community that reflects their realities. That is why AHSID is at the forefront of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) research, health equity, diversity, inclusion, awareness, education, art, film, & wellness.

empowering
warriors.

changing
lives.

our mission

We empower individuals with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) & inflammatory diseases to reclaim their lives through holistic resources & personalized care that address physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual challenges. Committed to health equity and policy reform, we advocate for accessible and inclusive care while fostering connection, community, and self-love — helping individuals thrive beyond diagnosis.

our vision

We envision a world where people with Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) & inflammatory diseases are seen, supported, and empowered to live confidently & without shame. With access to personalized care and resources, no one faces HS alone, and everyone can thrive with dignity and pride.

our values

  • health equity

    Ensuring that all individuals, have access to timely, affordable treatments, accurate diagnoses, and culturally sensitive care.

  • holistic care

    Addressing the full spectrum of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs to ensure that all HS warriors receive comprehensive, customizable, and compassionate support.

  • community

    Fostering a safe, inclusive space where individuals can connect, share stories & experiences, and uplift one another.

  • reclamation

    Taking back control over one's health, identity, and well-being, empowering individuals to live fully and confidently.

  • storytelling

    Honoring the power of personal stories and lived experiences to inspire, connect, and bring visibility to the HS community.

  • self-love

    Providing tools, resources, and support for warriors to embrace their bodies and journeys, while rejecting shame & stigma.

our journey

2019

My Gold Lining Documentary

Founder Jasmine IVANNA Espy began producing the first ever documentary on Black women living with HS for her masters thesis in response to the lack of representation of Black bodies and stories in the HS community. Espy conducted a two-city screening tour in Detroit, MI & Culver City, CA.

2020-2022

My Gold Lining, inc.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, founder Jasmine IVANNA Espy (HS advocate & warrior) wanted to go beyond creating platforms to tell her own story & towards creating safe spaces for people like her to exist in their vulnerability & truth without apology or explanation.

We identified a need for an online community resource beyond medical symposiums. We hosted the first HS Awareness Week Virtual Summit for patients and by patients after seeing a lack of community events and conferences centered around educating patients and caregivers. We raised over $7,000 & partnered with seven small businesses & foundations.

Continued to host and grow the HS Awareness Week Virtual Summit to a community of 2,000 + people living with HS, patients, and caregivers across six countries.

2023

ahsid rebrand & expansion

We rebranded to The Association of Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Inflammatory Diseases to realign with our target communities & add more advocacy, health equity, & inclusion efforts into our mission.

We secured our first corporate sponsor shortly after our rebrand and quickly gained three additional corporate sponsors who have supported AHSID’s expansion and the development of new community resources, events, advocacy efforts, and awareness campaigns.

We joined several national and global advocacy groups (The Coalition of Skin Diseases, PeDRA, HS Coalition, HS PAC, and Global Skin) that were fighting to change health policy for people with dermatological conditions.

We created a HS Basics Booklet & a HS Brochure for medical facilities and as a community education resource for HS warriors beyond our summit.

Our founder became the co-chair of the HS Coalition, the first policy-led organization for those experiencing health inequities & disparities in the HS community.

We grew our social media presence, secured corporate sponsors, launched health equity initiatives, & influenced policy changes for people with complex dermatological conditions like HS.

2024

I Reclaim Summit & Health Equity

We rebranded our HS summit to I Reclaim to center patients even more. We expanded it from a virtual summit to the first hybrid in-person/ virtual summit of its kind, raising over $100,000 & partnering with brands from The Lip Bar to Burt’s Bees to Carol’s Daughter to ManukaMed, CLn Skin, & Hibeclense.

We began reshooting & recutting My Gold Lining (film on Black women with HS).

We launched our Ambassador Program.

We began a DEI Mapping Project to uncover how socio-economic inequities influence health access for BIPOC communities & how this impacts HS warriors.

We attended our first Hill Day with CSD, helping to change laws around PBM transparency, Step-Therapy, and The Safe Step Act, HELP Copays Act.

We attended a Global Patient Advocacy summit with the goal of partnering with HS support groups and nonprofits around the globe to address access gaps in the HS community.

We helped to create an HS Fact Sheet with the FDA to increase awareness and curb misinformation.

Our founder was also featured on Fox 2 Detroit, CBS Detroit, Essence, & Ebony.

Our founder was asked to sit on a panel discussing the impacts of the current healthcare system on vulnerable populations, and she also sat on a panel with Dr. Pimple Popper discussing the barriers patients experience when connecting with physicians and seeking treatment for HS.

meet our founder

From blazing trails in multimedia journalism for marginalized communities to emerging as a documentary filmmaker + storyteller to becoming the Founder + CEO of AHSID, Jasmine IVANNA Espy is a living testimony that owning your story is your power.

When Espy was diagnosed with HS, loneliness, shame, and isolation began to settle in. Amid this uncertainty, she knew one thing to be true — she didn’t want anyone else to feel like she did. The more she learned about healing her body, the more tools she gathered to help others do the same. For Jasmine, advocacy means more than being able to speak up for yourself. It means owning your story. It means embracing shame. It means lobbying to ensure people without access to proper care in the medical community have a voice and are extended equity.

Bio written by Imani Mixon

board of directors

Jasmine IVANNA Espy

CEO, Executive Director, Founder

Muriel Espy

Secretary & Instructional Design Consult

Jerome Espy

Treasurer & Public Relations Consult

Martin DeBendetto

Patient Engagement Advisor

Lynn Petukhova

Scientific Advisor

Illustrations by @zeebeearting

advisors

Dr. Erin Martinez

Clinical Social Worker & Sex Therapist

Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi

HS Specialist & Dermatologist

sponsors

our heartfelt appreciation to our exceptional sponsors

Their unwavering support and commitment has propelled our journey towards achieving excellence. With their generous contribution and dedicated partnership, we have been able to enhance the user experience, expand our reach, and provide valuable resources to the HS community. Visit their websites to learn more.