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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Persistence Pays Off: 2021 Midyear Advocacy Update

Elizabeth (Blair) Solow, MD  |  

We need a seat at the table. Investing in RheumPAC allows for nonpartisan meetings with lawmakers working on issues that impact rheumatology.

A colossal thank you to the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee members, patient advocates and physician and interprofessional team member advocates for continuing to embrace virtual advocacy and ensuring another year of success. I am also very grateful to the ACR staff in D.C., Lennie McDaniel, JD, director of congressional affairs; Amanda Grimm Wiegrefe, MScHSRA, director of regulatory affairs; and Dan Redinger, manager of advocacy and policy affairs, who work in tandem with our Atlanta office, Adam Cooper, senior director of government affairs; Joseph Cantrell, JD, senior manager of state affairs; and Rachel Myslinski, vice president of practice, advocacy and quality.

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I hope you will enjoy some version of hanami (cherry blossom viewing) this spring.5

Elizabeth (Blair) Solow, MD, chairs the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee and is an assistant professor of medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.

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References

  1. History of the cherry trees. National Park Service. [no date] https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/history-of-the-cherry-trees.htm.
  2. The American College of Rheumatology. https://www.rheumatology.org/Advocacy/Advocates-for-Arthritis.
  3. Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov.
  4. FAQs on sequester: An update for 2020. House Committee on the Budget. 2020 Mar 27. https://budget.house.gov/publications/report/FAQs-on-Sequester-An-Update-for-2020.
  5. National Park Service. 2017 Feb 3. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/hanami.htm.

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