Huskies Kickoff Nationwide Push to Erase Medical Debt

Approximately 100 million Americans owe more than $220 billion in medical debt, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

A pressing issue calls for a solution.

"Shred the Debt" is a nationwide campaign spearheaded by the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community in partnership with Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit committed to erasing medical debt.

The World Economic Forum is a global nonprofit with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and committed to serving as a platform for cooperation, joining leaders from business, government, civil society, and academia to shape progress on present-day issues ailing society.

With the mission to "improve the state of the world," Global Shapers are involved in the World Economic Forum's 500 independent hubs with representation in 150 countries and territories. Global Shapers create and oversee projects that are most important to them and their communities.

In late March, 54 Global Shapers from 23 cities convened at the World Economic Forum's San Francisco office from March 27 to 29, marking the nationwide kickoff of the "Shred the Debt" initiative. Last year, over $2 million in medical debt was abolished. This year, hubs across the country have six months to reach their collective goal of $10 million.

For every $1 raised, Undue Medical Debt eliminates $100 of medical debt, and the New Haven hub is working to raise a minimum of $3,500 for a total of $350,000 of medical debt to be abolished.

Since the national campaign kickoff on March 28, U.S. hubs involved have raised over $9,300 toward the goal of $100,000 - to eradicate $10 million of medical debt.

Maryam Izzat '27 (CLAS) is a Global Shaper and incoming impact officer at the New Haven hub - the only one in Connecticut. She and her brother Ali Izzat '28 (BUS) - also a Global Shaper - represented the New Haven hub during the weekend-long conference and were part of building a coordinated national response to the medical debt crisis.

"Being in a room with Shapers from across the country who are all working on the same problem was eye opening. You realize medical debt isn't just a local issue. It's everywhere. Knowing we were the only hub representing Connecticut made the trip feel like real responsibility, not just an opportunity," Maryam Izzat says.

As a rising impact officer, she will track progress on the "Shred the Debt" initiative and other local projects, ensuring data is documented and long-term impacts are measured.

"Shred the Debt" began as a groundbreaking idea from Global Shapers in the Chicago; Sacramento, California; and Oakland, California, hubs, and won the 2025 Innovation Prize to fund the project. This year marks the start of the nationwide mission of purchasing outstanding medical expenses and eliminating debt.

Maryam Izzat is passionate about the initiative because the solution is measurable and observable, she says, "A lot of advocacy work is slow and uncertain, but this campaign has a clear mechanism. You donate, debt gets purchased and canceled. Seeing that working for over 1,600 people makes it hard not to be invested."

The Izzat siblings joined the curator of the New Haven hub Marco Guzman - a 2022 Yale University graduate and current post-baccalaureate student at UConn - in San Francisco. As hub engagement lead, Guzman was also part of the nationwide kickoff team, working to recruit hubs across the United States to join the campaign. Passionate about becoming a doctor and witnessing people steer away from seeking medical care because of immigrant status and financial constraints, he was in the forefront of outreach and recruitment. His efforts and work by other team members across the U.S. resulted in over 30 additional hubs joining the movement to alleviate the financial stress impacting U.S. residents.

Guzman's personal aspiration is for his hub to raise at least $10,000 to eliminate $1 million.

Now as Guzman's term as leader of the New Haven hub comes to an end, Ali Izzat is following in his footsteps.

"I wanted to step into the curator role because it allows me to move from contributing to individual projects to shaping the overall direction and culture of the hub. While being a member gave me valuable experience, at first, I actually felt like I wasn't ready for the role. However, our current curator encouraged me and helped me see that I could take on the responsibility. That support motivated me to step up into a leadership position where I could bring people together, scale impact, and create opportunities for others," Ali Izzat says, adding that the San Francisco convening fundamentally shifted how he views social impact.

"One moment that stood out was seeing how collaboration across different sectors - private, public, and nonprofit - can accelerate change far more effectively than isolated efforts," he says. "It reinforced the idea that impact at scale requires strong partnerships and a shared vision."

Maryam Izzat says the people they reach are those who have no safety net when a health crisis hits, "those who faced a medical crisis with little to no financial support. Reaching them starts with building real partnerships with community organizations that already serve them. That's where awareness becomes action."