MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2025
 

WHAT/WHY:

UCB and HS Connect are set to Make HStory and take over Times Square on October 4, 2025, with one of the boldest health awareness events to date, focused on Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). In a striking and emotional HS Connect runway show, individuals with HS will walk in custom gowns emblazoned with messages like "We’re not dirty" and "We’re not contagious," confronting stigma head-on and fostering empathy and understanding.

Adding to the awareness activation, the ‘Find Us: From Hidden to Heard’ campaign includes a billboard component featuring 15-second looping spots on One Times Square, ensuring millions of people will have eyes on this beyond those attending the live event. To enrich the event, UCB’s Make HStory has crafted what will likely be the world's largest bandage ball—a symbolic representation of the daily physical challenges faced by HS patients. This monumental installation aims to set a Guinness World Record, amplifying visibility for the condition.

“This bold event stands as a testament to UCB’s dedication to breaking down barriers and fostering a deeper understanding of HS,” said Camille Lee, Head of U.S. Immunology at UCB. “Together with HS Connect, people living with HS, and other advocacy and healthcare industry partners, Make HStory and the ’Find Us’ campaign are lighting the path toward greater awareness, acceptance, and hope for all affected by this challenging condition."

Approximately one percent of the population in most studied countries lives with HS,1-2 a painful inflammatory skin condition that often leads to mental health challenges due to its visible symptoms and social stigma.3-6

“Times Square is the world’s most visible stage, and we are using it to give HS patients the platform they deserve,” said Brindley Brooks, Founder and CEO of HS Connect. “By combining live storytelling, cultural spectacle, and the global visibility of the One Times Square screens, we’re rewriting the narrative about HS.”

WHEN: 
Saturday, October 4, 2025

• 7:00-9:00 am ET: Booths open
• 11:00 am ET: Bandage ball construction begins
• 1:00 pm ET: Soft opening and kickoff
• 2:00 pm ET: Acoustic set by Ali Ramsaier, HS Advocate and Patient
• 8:00 pm ET: Runway show kick-off
• 8:05-8:45 pm ET: Runway show

WHERE:
Times Square Programming Space (beneath the One Times Square screens)

WHO: 

• Brindley Brooks, CEO and Founder, HS Connect
• Cristina Curp, COO, HS Connect
• Rhonda Peebles, Vice President and Head of US Dermatology, UCB
• HS Make HStory Makers – Cydney, Liz, Mario, and Leia

For more information on HS, visit makehstory.com.

For more information about the Find Us campaign, visit hsconnect.org.

About Hidradenitis Suppurativa 
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, painful, and potentially debilitating inflammatory skin disease that is associated with systemic manifestations.^1-2 The main symptoms are nodules, abscesses, and pus-discharging draining tunnels (or sinus tracts leading out of the skin) that typically occur in the armpits, groin, and buttocks, but can occur anywhere on the body where there are hair follicles.^1-2 People with HS experience flare-ups of the disease as well as severe pain, which can have a major impact on quality of life.^1-2 HS develops in early adulthood and affects approximately one percent of the population in most studied countries.^1-2

About Make HStory
Make HStory aims to help increase understanding of HS and empower patients to have conversations with their dermatologist about management options. Created in partnership with individuals living with HS and their dermatologists, the campaign features stories of those living with HS, informational videos, and interactive tools and resources for those seeking management options, daily care, and information about the disease. Created as a partner to the Make HStory medical education campaign, Make HStory features robust educational information, downloadable resources, a strong online and streaming service video presence, and social media, including Instagram and Facebook.

For further information, contact UCB:

U.S. Communications
Nicole Herga
T +1.773.960.5349
email Nicole.Herga@ucb.com

References: 

1. Sabat R, Jemec GBE, Matusiak L, et al. Hidradenitis suppurativa. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2020;6(1):18.
2. Jemec GBE. Clinical practice. Hidradenitis suppurativa. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(2):158–64.
3. Lee, Erika Yue, et al. “What is hidradenitis suppurativa?” Can Fam Physician vol. 63,2 (2017): 114-120.
4. Ingram JR. The epidemiology of hidradenitis suppurativa. Br J Dermatol. 2020 Dec;183(6):990-998. doi: 10.1111/bjd.19435. Epub 2020 Sep 3. PMID: 32880911.
5. Sarfo, A, Butt, M and Kirby, J. Periodic worsening, or flare, in hidradenitis suppurativa: the perspective of people with hidradenitis. Br J Dermatol. 2020;182:218-219.
6. Vinkel C, et al. Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Causes, Features, and Current Treatments. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2018 Oct;11(10):17-23. Epub 2018 Oct 1. PMID: 30519375; PMCID: PMC6239161