Advocacy Committee Research Articles

Addressing Trainees’ Concerns through a Resident Advocacy Committee

Addressing Trainees’ Concerns through a Resident Advocacy Committee

Tanning Industry

Tanning Industry

New NASPGHAN Research Agenda to Target the Public

In March 2013, the US federal budget sequestration went into effect. The government-wide mandate imposed a 5% ($1.55 billion) cut in the fiscal year budget for 2013 of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A direct result is that approximately 700 fewer extramural grants will be awarded (1). Because funding success rates were already in decline (Fig. 1) (2), sequestration has only exacerbated the trend.FIGURE 1: The trend for the number of grant applications (blue), awards (green), and success rates (red) at the National Institutes of Health from 1998 to 2012 (2).In the face of diminishing federal funds, what can a professional organization dedicated to pediatric gastroenterology do to help sustain vital research? The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) has taken a proactive and multipronged approach. To augment research funding, the NASPGHAN Foundation offers several competitive grant awards annually to young and established investigators. Grant writing and career development workshops are in place to facilitate more successful extramural grant applications. The annual NASPGHAN meeting, research publications such as the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN), and annual fellow conferences offer a forum to promote the research findings of our members. In addition to these offerings, NASPGHAN leadership decided that an additional platform was necessary to convey to the public and policy makers critical priorities for research in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition. The NASPGHAN Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Agenda was, thus, developed (www.naspghan.org). It is a concise document, written for a lay audience by topic experts from the NASPGHAN membership, which highlights the pressing research needs in our field. The 7 topic areas are inflammatory bowel disease, functional and motility disorders, liver disorders, pancreatic disorders, allergy, intestinal failure and infection, and nutritional disorders. Although far from being exhaustive, we hope the colorful, succinct brochure will serve as a springboard for discussion with legislators, funding agencies, philanthropic organizations, industry, and other professional societies. It may also serve as a useful framework for trainees to identify promising research directions. NASPGHAN has already started using the Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Agenda. In June 2013, members of the research and advocacy committees met federal lawmakers at the US Capitol and members at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. The Agenda was positively received by both bodies. We also look to the JPGN readership as crucial ambassadors of the Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Agenda for the wider community. We hope you will use the Agenda to advocate for the research support needed to advance the diagnosis, care, and treatment of our patients. Suggested uses of the Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Agenda are as follows: Display copies in your clinic waiting area. Share a brochure with department and hospital leaders at a business meeting. Provide a copy to trainees who want broad ideas for research projects. Give copies to your hospital philanthropic foundation. Share copies with patient families who are interested in making a donation to local or national pediatric gastroenterology research initiatives. Share a copy with local, state, and national representatives.

In Reply

We are very pleased to learn of the willingness of the author to volunteer cytopathology expertise in underserved regions of the world. We have 2 opportunities for volunteerism to share with the readers of Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.First, the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) has expanded the charges of the ASC Public Affairs and Advocacy Committee to include an outreach to the cytology community to identify volunteer cytologists willing to support the development and implementation of cervical cancer screening programs in low-resource areas. In addition, opportunities in cytopathology education, including fine-needle aspiration techniques and telecytology, may also be available. If readers are interested in additional information, please contact Elizabeth Jenkins, Executive Director of the ASC, at bjenkins@cytopathology.org.Second, there is an immediate need for volunteer assistance with cervical cytology in Botswana at the National Health Laboratory. For information, please contact Mukendi Kashala Kayembe, MD, through Drucilla J. Roberts, MD, at djroberts@partners.org.

Pediatric news.

Pediatric news.

Will There Be A Good General Surgeon When You Need One?

IntroductionThe Public Policy & Advocacy Committee sponsored the panel on the topic of “Will There Be a General Surgeon When You Need One?” at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the SSAT. SummaryThe panel of experts was convened to formulate recommendations to help general surgeons adapt to the changing landscape which will undoubtedly affect the practice of surgery in the future. The invited speakers were Drs. David Hoyt, Carlos Pellegrini, Kaye M. Reid-Lombardo, and David Rattner. The session was moderated by Drs. Ross Goldberg and Tara Kent. The invited presentations and audience commentary are the basis of this manuscript.

Report of the 2012-2013 Standing Committee on Advocacy: Advocacy Tools and Resources: A Framework for Increasing Member Engagement

According to the Bylaws of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Advocacy Committee: “will advise the Board of Directors on the formation of positions on matters of public policy and on strategies to advance those positions to the public and private sectors on behalf of

The European Lung Corner

This issue of the European Respiratory Journal ( ERJ ) sees the first of a new bimonthly section of articles entitled the European Lung Corner. The European Lung Corner will introduce topics of European Union (EU) affairs relevant to respiratory medicine and science. As you may or may not be aware, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) has an office in Brussels, Belgium, situated in the heart of the European quarter, entirely dedicated to advocacy and raising awareness among the public and policy makers of the burden of respiratory diseases across Europe. In doing so, the EU Affairs Dept works to promote prevention, health research, environmental protection, tobacco control and public health. As the ERS Secretary for EU Affairs, it is my privilege to present the EU Affairs Dept: B. Ward (Head of European Affairs), M. Barry (Policy Officer), T. El Nemr (Advocacy Officer) and N. Kamel (Scientific Officer). Governed by the Advocacy Committee, ERS advocacy in Brussels covers various fields. The current five objectives are to increase EU policymakers’ understanding and awareness of respiratory diseases, identify opportunities for research, strengthen tobacco control, strengthen environmental policy, and raise the profile of the ERS by actively participating in noncommunicable disease (NCD) discussions. At an …

Future directions for the ERS: Presidential plans

The mission of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) is to promote respiratory health and alleviate suffering from respiratory disease and it fulfils this goal by promoting science/research, education and advocacy. Among the Society's activities are a successful annual Congress (attended by approximately 20,000 delegates), research fellowships, grants and seminars and a comprehensive educational programme through the ERS School [1–5]. The educational programme encompasses postgraduate courses during the Congress, courses and seminars on various topics throughout the year across Europe, a website with a wealth of educational modules and interactive materials. Importantly, the ERS School has initiated a training programme called Harmonisation in Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists (HERMES), which sets training standards across Europe, runs examination and certification processes for the European Diplomas in Respiratory Medicine and Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, and allows mobility of European specialists. Furthermore, the ERS has a strong advocacy role through its Advocacy Committee and Brussels office, and through the European Lung Foundation (ELF) – the public voice of the ERS, which links with patients and patient organisations, provides information and listens to and empowers the patients' voices. In a dynamic European and global setting, where health priorities in general (and respiratory medicine in particular) are changing rapidly, the ERS is planning to do even more in order to attract the attention of the media and policymakers and to bring more research funding into respiratory medicine. The ERS is proud to be the first major respiratory medicine society to have agreed and launched a public health Presidential plan, which is now being implemented. A series of ERS Summits has been organised since 2011, when the European Respiratory Roadmap , which set out directions for respiratory medicine and research over the next decade, was approved in Leuven (Belgium) and was then …

Tables of Influence

Tables of Influence

African Maritime Advocacy Committee

African Maritime Advocacy Committee

Title IX Enforcement Continues the Cultural Revolution

Title IX Enforcement Continues the Cultural Revolution

BILI: Building Information Literacy in Ireland

Although information literacy (IL) practice has long been evident in Irish libraries, it was 2008 before the Working Group on Information Literacy (WGIL) published the first Irish national, cross-sector review. In 2012, we built on this research in order to (1) revisit the WGIL case studies and examine how IL was evolving, (2) consider the wider IL context in Ireland, and (3) examine innovations among international bodies supporting IL practice. 
 
 Nine international experts and seventeen Irish experts contributed to interviews and surveys. This article focuses on the Irish findings. Revisiting case studies demonstrated that IL remains a priority for the majority despite the economic recession. Wider themes uncovered include embedding IL in the curriculum and workplace, e-citizenship, continuing professional development and advocacy.
 
 Recommendations centre on a two-tiered approach to IL development: a practitioner-led community of practice that facilitates communication and collaboration, and a high-level advocacy committee that fosters a holistic national strategy.

2012 PPAG Fellows

2012 PPAG Fellows

Report of the 2011-2012 Standing Committee on Advocacy: The Relevance of Excellent Research: Strategies for Impacting Public Policy

Report of the 2011-2012 Standing Committee on Advocacy: The Relevance of Excellent Research: Strategies for Impacting Public Policy

The ACR Resident Advocacy Committee: A New, Nationwide, Grassroots Network

The ACR Resident Advocacy Committee: A New, Nationwide, Grassroots Network

Health Disparities in Endocrine Disorders: Biological, Clinical, and Nonclinical Factors—An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement

The aim was to provide a scholarly review of the published literature on biological, clinical, and nonclinical contributors to race/ethnic and sex disparities in endocrine disorders and to identify current gaps in knowledge as a focus for future research needs. PARTICIPANTS IN DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC STATEMENT: The Endocrine Society's Scientific Statement Task Force (SSTF) selected the leader of the statement development group (S.H.G.). She selected an eight-member writing group with expertise in endocrinology and health disparities, which was approved by the Society. All discussions regarding the scientific statement content occurred via teleconference or written correspondence. No funding was provided to any expert or peer reviewer, and all participants volunteered their time to prepare this Scientific Statement. The primary sources of data on global disease prevalence are from the World Health Organization. A comprehensive literature search of PubMed identified U.S. population-based studies. Search strategies combining Medical Subject Headings terms and keyword terms and phrases defined two concepts: 1) racial, ethnic, and sex differences including specific populations; and 2) the specific endocrine disorder or condition. The search identified systematic reviews, meta-analyses, large cohort and population-based studies, and original studies focusing on the prevalence and determinants of disparities in endocrine disorders. consensus process: The writing group focused on population differences in the highly prevalent endocrine diseases of type 2 diabetes mellitus and related conditions (prediabetes and diabetic complications), gestational diabetes, metabolic syndrome with a focus on obesity and dyslipidemia, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, and vitamin D deficiency. Authors reviewed and synthesized evidence in their areas of expertise. The final statement incorporated responses to several levels of review: 1) comments of the SSTF and the Advocacy and Public Outreach Core Committee; and 2) suggestions offered by the Council and members of The Endocrine Society. Several themes emerged in the statement, including a need for basic science, population-based, translational and health services studies to explore underlying mechanisms contributing to endocrine health disparities. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks have worse outcomes and higher mortality from certain disorders despite having a lower (e.g. macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus and osteoporotic fractures) or similar (e.g. thyroid cancer) incidence of these disorders. Obesity is an important contributor to diabetes risk in minority populations and to sex disparities in thyroid cancer, suggesting that population interventions targeting weight loss may favorably impact a number of endocrine disorders. There are important implications regarding the definition of obesity in different race/ethnic groups, including potential underestimation of disease risk in Asian-Americans and overestimation in non-Hispanic black women. Ethnic-specific cut-points for central obesity should be determined so that clinicians can adequately assess metabolic risk. There is little evidence that genetic differences contribute significantly to race/ethnic disparities in the endocrine disorders examined. Multilevel interventions have reduced disparities in diabetes care, and these successes can be modeled to design similar interventions for other endocrine diseases.

AN IMPERATIVE FOR 2012 AND BEYOND: STEP UP AND ADVOCATE FOR ACADEMIC FAMILY MEDICINE

STFM has the privilege of leading the advocacy effort for the 4 academic family medicine organizations that make up the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM). We lead and staff the Academic Family Medicine Advocacy Committee (AFMAC) which has representatives from the CAFM organizations, as well

Ask for What You Need, Not What You Want

understood things the way we do, he or she would want to help us succeed. In other words, we want to advocate through education. However, what we may be missing is an understanding of the minister’s or CEO’s needs. What the Advocacy Committee has learned is that many key decision-makers require a single question or “ask”. The “ask” should express exactly what we need, like the 2-yearold who needs a toy. The “ask” should require a specific action to be taken and should benefit both the decision-maker and the requester. When decision-makers see that working with us is to their benefit as well as ours, both parties are more likely to get what they want. National and branch volunteers and staff within CSHP are advocating on your behalf—we want to make CSHP the advocate for hospital pharmacists, and we need your trust, assistance, and ideas to ensure that CSHP continues to be the national voice of pharmacists committed to patient care through the advancement of safe, effective medication use in hospitals and other collaborative health care settings. My “ask” to all of you is for your continued support of CSHP advocacy for hospital pharmacists. You show this support through your membership and by volunteering with CSHP at the chapter, branch, and national levels. For this, I thank you, and I am proud to advocate with you.

Report of the 2010-2011 Standing Committee on Advocacy: Leveraging Faculty Engagement to Improve Public Policy

Report of the 2010-2011 Standing Committee on Advocacy: Leveraging Faculty Engagement to Improve Public Policy