Started in 2014, the International Children's Advisory Network, Inc. (iCAN) is a non-profit 501(c)3 with its headquarters located in Atlanta, Georgia. With chapters on four continents, our members are youth between the ages of ~8 and 18 who are living with chronic, rare, or complex medical conditions. We also welcome children without medical conditions! iCAN gives these youth a platform to share with industry, researchers, and regulators their experiences living with a medical condition, device, drug, or as a kid. iCAN is an official community partner of the FDA and is a part of its Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program (TAP).

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iCAN’s members are kids. Chapters include youth and families who are focused on understanding, communicating, and improving medicine, research, and innovation for children. About 95% of our members have some sort of medical diagnosis, anything from something more common like asthma to the rarest of rare diseases. We, at iCAN, believe that every child deserves to be heard and have made it our mission to empower youth to share their voices and experiences.

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Our youth comment on the design, implementation, and evaluation of research studies, clinical trials, development of devices and drugs, educational materials, and marketing materials. They also share their stories at conferences and with industry and conduct their own research. iCAN focuses on fostering innovation in healthcare, research, and policy by ensuring that the unique perspectives and needs of children are integrated into pediatric healthcare discussions.