Setting Goals for Future Growth

Perhaps the most personally rewarding aspect of working with the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) is seeing the success that can come from setting lofty goals. First and foremost, the REF is a goal-oriented organization. The staff and volunteers are not only committed to the goal of ensuring the future of rheumatology, but they aspire to reach high and to lead in this effort.

The success of the recently completed Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign is a prime example of the power of this approach, and of the effectiveness of this organization. When the ACR identified a critical need for basic and clinical research in RA that coincided with a glaring gap in funding for research in the field by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the REF set a goal of addressing this need and embarked on a new and bold campaign to raise funds for disease-targeted research. The organization had never attempted a targeted campaign or any fundraising effort close to this size, and some questioned whether it would be possible. Yet, with deliberate and strategic planning, tireless work by a competent and professional development team, and committed volunteer leadership, the campaign surpassed its $30-million goal in its fifth year, as planned. Among the many accomplishments of this program, the research funded by the Within Our Reach campaign has already led to a remarkable $59 million in additional related research grants funded by the NIH.

During the course of the campaign, the REF received a top four-star Charity Navigator designation in recognition of the organization’s outstanding stewardship in channeling more than 90% of all funds raised directly to fund rheumatology training and career development research grants. Another goal of this campaign, established from the outset, was to enhance the fundraising potential of the organization. This goal has also been realized, and the REF now has an experienced and effective development staff in place. Thus, as we look forward to a new fundraising campaign, there is the strong sense in the organization that, at the same time we set the next lofty goal, we are now also engaged in “business as usual,” because this is what we do, and we do it well.

Those of you who attended the recent ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago may have seen the first announcement of our new $60-million campaign, Journey to Cure. This campaign moves the REF forward from our previous fundraising successes and encompasses funding for the REF’s two mission priorities—rheumatology training and career development, and disease-targeted research. Journey to Cure serves as a rallying point to expand these mission priorities on a scale never before achieved.

Through Journey to Cure, the REF will invest directly in activities that advance patient care and accelerate discoveries, providing hope to more than 50 million Americans affected by rheumatic diseases.

To reach these goals, the REF will build on the momentum created by the Within Our Reach campaign by advancing research leading to cures in the most serious of the rheumatic diseases—RA—and other conditions where inflammatory arthritis is a major pathology. At the same time, the REF will continue to support and expand its core grant portfolio that is designed to recruit and train future rheumatologists and rheumatology educators, develop future researchers, and foster the best novel research ideas in each niche of rheumatology.

The Journey to Cure campaign seeks to mobilize people from the patient, pharmaceutical, and rheumatology communities. Forging a path to cure rheumatic disease is a long and multifaceted journey, a road worth traveling because there are still many breakthroughs to be made for our children, grandchildren, and future generations.

As I look forward with excitement and enthusiasm to this new campaign and to my time as REF president, it is clear that our goals cannot be accomplished without a concerted effort from everyone who has a stake in our mission: not just REF leadership and staff, but also our ACR members, our industry partners, researchers, educators, advocacy groups, and patients and families affected by rheumatic diseases.

While the REF will continue to lead the way in helping rheumatologists and healthcare professionals improve the lives of those affected by rheumatic diseases, it must be a collaborative endeavor. A major goal of my presidency is to ensure that everyone who shares these objectives knows about the mission and good work of the REF, and that supporting the REF becomes a priority. With collective enthusiasm, effort, and commitment, we can truly reach the highest goals for our field. Together, we can advance patient care today while accelerating the course of research that will yield tomorrow’s cures.

David I. Daikh, MD, PhD, is president of the ACR REF; associate professor of medicine and director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program at the University of California, San Francisco; and chief of the arthritis section at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.