Relations Committee Research Articles

Could You Benefit From a Guest Relations Committee?

Could You Benefit From a Guest Relations Committee?

Using Federal, State, and Grassroots Advocacy to Effect Change in Cancer Care Delivery and Patient Outcomes in the United States.

Health policy influences health and well-being for patients with cancer. Advocating for evidence-based health policies that aim to prevent cancer, promote health, and improve efficiencies in the health care system is crucial to improving care delivery and cancer outcomes nationwide. The role of the ASCO's Government Relations Committee (GRC) is to advocate for policies at a federal and state level that promote high-quality and equitable cancer care, and ASCO volunteer engagement is critical for the success of creating, changing, and adopting policies that support patients with cancer and their care team. Cancer care professionals are uniquely positioned to advocate at all levels of government, local, state, and federal and to serve as invaluable resources for lawmakers as they work to implement policy changes. Lawmakers are highly responsive to cancer care providers as most lawmakers have family or friends who have been diagnosed with cancer. Multiple advocacy strategies that are effective and efficient in their approach have been used, making advocating feasible for cancer care professionals' busy schedule. To improve patient care, ASCO's GRC and ASCO volunteers advocate for increased federal funding for research, greater health care access, value in cancer care, and payment reform. ASCO's GRC has many programs in place to support ASCO members interested in engaging in advocacy to improve the quality of care for their patients and the support for cancer care professionals to thrive in the field.

Occupational identity and police officers’ social relations in Ibadan City, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Despite the abundance of studies on the public perception of the Nigeria Police Force and the policing operations of officials of the law enforcement agency, there is a paucity of empirical research on the life and lived experiences of police officers as it concerns their occupational identity. Thus, this study investigated the impact of occupational identity on the social relations of police officers in Ibadan City, Nigeria. Symbolic interactionism theory guided the research, while data were elicited from serving and retired police officers through the combination of in-depth interview, key informant interview and focus group discussion methods. All the respondents affirmed that their work-related experiences in Nigeria over the years have consistently shown that most members of the society typically attached negativity to the police occupation. Nevertheless, there was a consensus amongst them that their involvement in police occupation conferred on them certain benefits in society. Respondents recognised the negative impact of their occupational identity on their social relations and were adopting different measures to mitigate it. There is a need for the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to design a functional roadmap through which the existing police-public gap can be systematically bridged by periodically organising public outreach and social programmes that will be strategically tailored towards systematically bringing together police officials and members of the public in a relaxed non-professional setting.

AGING AND FOREIGN POLICY: EXPERIENCING THE GLOBAL TRACK OF THE HEALTH AND AGING POLICY FELLOWSHIP

Abstract The Health and Aging Policy Fellowship includes a Global Track that provides fellows with the opportunity to shape global policy or U.S. foreign policy for an aging society. The author, a global health expert and 2022-2023 fellow, sought a fellowship placement with a member of Congress with jurisdiction over U.S. global health policy. Although global health is a significant foreign policy priority for the U.S. government, U.S. global health programs do not include dedicated funding for activities designed to benefit older adults or help development partners adapt to population aging. The result is that US-funded programs on issues from infectious disease to health systems strengthening to disaster relief lack a focus on older adults, despite their many links to this growing population. To help address this policy gap, the author secured a fellowship placement with Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the SFRC Subcommittee overseeing the State Department, US Agency for International Development, and bilateral development assistance. With his track record of legislation and oversight on issues such as Medicare, health disparities, medical research, oral health, health systems strengthening, and retirement security, Senator Cardin is well positioned to help integrate the needs of older adults into U.S. development assistance. The author used his fellowship year to help advance the global health-related legislative priorities of Senator Cardin and his Health Team, bringing his expertise and perspective on aging to the policy table while gaining invaluable skills in the policy process.

The 18th Siam Physics Congress (Quantum Era : Together and Beyond; SPC2023)

The 18th Siam Physics Congress (SPC2023) was successfully held during 14–16 June 2023, co-hosted by the Thai Physics Society and the Chiang Mai University. To motivate collaborative academic environment, the congress was organized to be a 100% on-site meeting at the Empress Convention Center in Chiang Mai (Thailand).This year, we had 329 research abstracts submitted for both oral and poster presentations. There were 3 plenary speakers, 17 invited speakers, 110 accepted oral presentations, 187 accepted poster presentations, and 116 full papers submitted for possible publication in all 10 tracks(topics). The scientific program was announced on the SPC2023 website (https://spc2023.science.cmu.ac.th) and also distributed via email to all participants.The opening ceremony was given by the President of Thai Physics Society and the President of Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS). After opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. Junichi Yokoyama (The University of Tokyo, Japan) gave the 1st plenary talk (onsite), Prof. Dr. Jian-Wei Pan (University of Science and Technology of China) gave this 2nd plenary talk (zoom), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tawatchai Onjun (Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology) gave the 3rd plenary talk (onsite), where the size of the audience attending the plenary talks is approximately 500 participants. The oral presentations were arranged into 5 parallel rooms in total of 10 sessions. Each invited speaker was allowed 30-minutes presentation while regular presenter had 15 minutes including questions and answers. The audience-size of each room varied between 30 and 50 people. The poster presentations were held in the poster hall and lasted for 2 hours, which offered extended opportunity to gain insights into the latest research. For full papers, authors of accepted abstracts were invited to submit their full-scale works through the Morressier website for a possible publication in the Journal of Physics : Conference Series.List of Topic, Plenary Speaker, Organizing Institutions, Advisory Committee, Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee, Ceremony Committee, Finance Committee, Registration Committee, Venue and Transportation Committee, Sponsorship and Fundraising Committee, Public Relations Committee, Audio Visual Aid Committee, Sponsors are available in this Pdf.

Decolonizing Religious Studies

Knowing that the working scholar cannot be everywhere at once, The Conference fills in readers on what they may have missed from various academic gatherings. In this issue, we are pleased to share a panel discussion from the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Denver, Colorado. On behalf of the Academic Relations Committee, Peter Valdina (Albion College) moderated a conversation on decolonization and the academic study of religion. The panel brought Bulletin Editor Richard Newton (University of Alabama), Natalie Avalos (University of Colorado) together to discuss the matter from their research expertise in this area. Also participating in the discussion was Jessica Albrecht, PhD. candidate at the University of Heidelberg, among other scholars.

Advocacy 101 for Interventional Cardiologists: A Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions Policy Statement.

Advocacy is a core mission of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI). SCAI advocates on behalf of interventional cardiologists and our patients. This document provides foundational information and a toolkit for grassroots advocacy by interventional cardiologists. The first half of the document summarizes how health care laws are made, how medical devices are approved, and how procedure reimbursement is determined. The second half of the document is a playbook of advocacy strategies: legislative advocacy, judicial advocacy, advocacy with regulators and payors, advocacy in the media, and participation in SCAI advocacy initiatives, such as the Government Relations Committee and SCAI Political Action Committee. Equipped with this toolbox, interventional cardiologists must increase our advocacy activities with government, payors, and industry.

Report of the WFNS Global Relations Committee

Thank you for the opportunity to serve on this committee. It appears the WFNS has assembled an all-star cast of neurosurgeons interested in Global Neurosurgery. I am honored to serve as External Relations Lead. Listed below are a few examples of projects the group is working on that fit with your deliverables (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based). I look forward to learning of other initiatives from the group as we develop synergies moving forward.
 
 
 It was noted that both the WFNS and the ISPN have Education Committees who produce educational courses either virtually or in person in various LMICs several times per year. I have spoken to President Oyesiku and Kenon Arnautovic, the Chair of Chairs, suggesting that rather than having two parallel processes performing the same task, that we consolidate these committees and have the ISPN serve as the Pediatric Neurosurgery Education Committee for the WFNS hence forth. Typically, in the past, the Committee chairs have been ISPN members. Both Nelson and Kenon have voiced agreement to that arrangement. Since the ISPN is already an international society with 530 members from around the globe, this should be acceptable without the ISPN having to “join” the WFNS. The agreement was that if any course produced a financial profit, those monies would be divided equally between the WFNS and the ISPN. To date, the ISPN has underwritten the costs of plane tickets for the speakers at these meetings, although the courses have all been virtual since the COVID pandemic. The local hosts have covered the costs of hotel, meals, etc. once the speakers are on location. To date I am not aware of any of these courses that have generated a financial profit. Obviously, the marketing and presentations at these teaching courses would be co-branded.
 

Civil War Settlers: Scandinavians, Citizenship, and American Empire, 1848–1870

Civil War Settlers: Scandinavians, Citizenship, and American Empire, 1848–1870

The Revue International Anarchiste's World Survey (1924–1925)

The Revue International Anarchiste's World Survey (1924–1925)

How to Increase the Efficiency of Social Enterprises in Russia During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The paper considers the examples of economic activities of social enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is shown that often social enterprises are more effective than common enterprises in their responses to the processes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A model of interaction between different actors enhancing the efficiency of social enterprises in Russia by means of providing the continuous source of cashfrow is provided. At the macro-level of this model it’s necessary to mention such institutions as the Ministry of Finance, because it is engaged in planning and controlling the process of public procurement activities, The Public Relations Committee, as it provides subsidies to nonprofit organizations and social enterprises based on the competition rules and the Public Chamber, as it is engaged in distributing the Presidential Grants to nonprofit organizations and social enterprises. The institutions that provide financial help to social enterprises in the range of 1 to 50 million rubles belong to the meso-level institutions in this model. They consist of the Moscow regional division of the All-Russian Popular Front, the charitable foundation KAF, the fund “Our Future” and the company Unilever. At the micro-level of this model there are two institutions: Impact Hub Moscow and Awesome Foundation. A contact should be set between these organizations to exchange the experience in the area of supporting social entrepreneurs and attracting the micro-grants of Awesome Foundation as the supplementary sources of support for the winners of the competition held by Impact Hub Moscow. This system should be balanced by setting direct contacts between each institution at the respective level so that it could enable these institutions to act effectively at each level of that model. First, we should conclude that these institutions should not act as isolated units. They should be implemented into the system of different actors supporting social enterprises, along with such potential investors as private sector companies and microfinance institutions. Second, these actors should interact in such manner that enables a cooperation between them. Conclusions refer to how these institutions should be arranged to make a system of interconnected units supporting social enterprises at three levels.

2021 AMCA Presidential Address.

2021 AMCA Presidential Address.

The US Congress and the Issue of Beginning the Iraq War: the Kurdish Factor in 2002-2003

The political discussions in the US Congress on the start of the war in Iraq and the fate of the Kurdish minority in this country are being explored. The arguments of supporters and opponents of the war in Iraq are analyzed through the prism of the Kurdish factor based on the transcripts of the US Congress, as well as materials from hearings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It emphasizes the insignificance of the Kurdish issue in the initial period of discussion (the discussion on giving the US President the right to start military operations in Iraq), and the growing interest of legislators in the fate of the Kurdish population in January-March 2003. It is concluded that for the supporters of the invasion the Kurdish factor became the main one and the stake was placed on the need to overthrow Saddam Hussein because of his cruel attitude towards his own people, and in the camp of the opponents of the war the stake is placed on the thesis that the fate of the Kurds was known in 1980s but no one then decided to provide them with military support. The problem of double standards in American foreign policy towards both the Kurds, US allies in the region, and Saddam Hussein was first identified by the US Congress in 2003.

Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy: What to Expect from the New United States President

Joseph Biden came to the oval office with his wealth of experience in government affairs, including as the chair in the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to his campaign promises, the upcoming Biden administration’s foreign policy is aimed at improving the US’ international credibility based on liberal values. This article will further examine his political aspirations, based on the speech, campaign promises, and official statements. The argument is that although the US would be likely to embrace liberal values under his administration, international constraints may limit his ability in foreign policy agenda-setting. In managing its relations with China, for example, the US would be more likely to be driven by its interest rather than its values, particularly by continuing the anti-China coalition with its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy: What to Expect from the New United States President

Joseph Biden came to the oval office with his wealth of experience in government affairs, including as the chair in the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to his campaign promises, the upcoming Biden administration’s foreign policy is aimed at improving the US’ international credibility based on liberal values. This article will further examine his political aspirations, based on the speech, campaign promises, and official statements. The argument is that although the US would be likely to embrace liberal values under his administration, international constraints may limit his ability in foreign policy agenda-setting. In managing its relations with China, for example, the US would be more likely to be driven by its interest rather than its values, particularly by continuing the anti-China coalition with its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

“Strictly on the Level, Like a Flight of Stairs”: Irving Thalberg and Anita Loos as Trickster-Heroes in the Case of Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Archival documents concerning the adaptation of Red-Headed Woman (1932) disclose the "confusion" producer Irving Thalberg and screenwriter Anita Loos created in the minds of the censoring men at the Studio Relations Committee (SRC) and Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA). While others debated propriety versus sexual intrigue, trickster Loos—working closely with Thalberg—wove into the fabric of her story a profound subtext that advocated for social change regarding women through its critique of intersectional issues related to class, gender, and sexuality.

Public Relations and International Affairs Committee Activity Report

Public Relations and International Affairs Committee Activity Report

The impact of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery on National Institutes of Health grant funding for cardiothoracic surgeons

ObjectivesThe American Association for Thoracic Surgery, through its annual meeting, pilot grant funding, Scientific Affairs and Government Relations Committee activity, and academic development programs (Grant Writing Workshop, Clinical Trials Course, Innovation Summit), has aimed to develop the research careers of cardiothoracic surgeons. We hypothesized that American Association for Thoracic Surgery activities have helped increase National Institutes of Health grants awarded to cardiothoracic surgeons. MethodsA database of 1869 academic cardiothoracic surgeons in the United States was created in December 2020. National Institutes of Health grant records from 1985 to 2020 were obtained for each surgeon using National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results. Analyses were normalized to the number of active surgeons per year, based on the year of each surgeon's earliest research publication on Scopus. ResultsA total of 346 cardiothoracic surgeons have received 696 National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than $1.5 billion in funding, with 48 surgeons actively serving as principal investigator of 66 R01 grants in 2020. The prevalence of research grants (7.4 vs 5.6 grants per 100 active surgeons, P < .0001), percentage of surgeons with a research grant (5.3% vs 4.7%, P = .0342), and number of research grants per funded surgeon (1.4 vs 1.2 grants, P < .0001) were significantly greater during the Scientific Affairs and Government Relations era (2003-2020) than the pre–Scientific Affairs and Government Relations era (1985-2002). The incidence of new research grants after surgeon participation in an American Association for Thoracic Surgery academic development program was significantly greater than that in the absence of participation (3.5 vs 1.1 new grants per 100 surgeons per year, P < .0001). ConclusionsThrough dedicated efforts and programs, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery has provided effective support to help increase National Institutes of Health grant funding awarded to cardiothoracic surgeons.

Standardization of Neuroanesthesia Education: Need of the Hour and the Way Forward.

Purpose of ReviewThis review illustrates the evolution and progress with standardization of fellowship education in neuroanesthesiology. It provides a structured discussion around the need for curricula and framework which individual training programs in neuroanesthesiology can use to meet defined educational standards thus meeting criteria for accreditation.Recent FindingsNeuroanesthesiology training has traditionally been heterogenous around the world but international efforts from the community of neuroanesthesiology have culminated in the development of an international council for perioperative training in neuroscience in anesthesiology(ICPNT). This serves not only as an accrediting body but also creates a platform through their neuroanesthesia program relations committee for collaboration and engagement between various training programs internationally, increasing the educational standards of the individual programs and collectively increasing the overall level of standards for neuroanesthesia training. Standardized curriculum and competency-based assessments and milestones would help with narrowing the focus to quality education in neuroanesthesiology.SummaryStructured training around the three pillars of neuroanesthesiology with concomitant accreditation is expected to lead to higher education standards with better patient care. The SNACC created milestones for neuroanesthesiology training during residency and the ICPNT can now use this as a foundation for fellowship training. Having a council to accredit and standardize will likely become indispensable in creating a set path for training in neuroanesthesiology. Additionally, the flexibility built in due to the international nature would allow modified and variable pathways depending upon individual capabilities and interests. The path forward will include widespread adoption of standardization supporting the overarching goal of excellent patient outcomes around the world.

Impact of remote delivery of clinical pharmacy services on health disparities and access to care

AbstractThe use of technology to deliver remote clinical pharmacy services can help broaden the patient reach and improve health‐related outcomes, especially for individuals residing in rural locations. However, it can also promulgate health disparities and inequities, hindering access to care for vulnerable patient populations such as those with a lower socioeconomic or literacy background. This dichotomy of effect requires a thorough examination to create solutions that eliminate inequities. The 2021 American College of Clinical Pharmacy Public and Professional Relations Committee has developed this white paper to examine the potential impact of remote delivery of clinical pharmacy services on health disparities and access to care and proposes solutions and calls to action for clinical pharmacists to address these areas.