If you don’t know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else. —Yogi Berra
Why Make a Plan?
The ACR has a long history of strategic planning. As the ACR celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, we prepare to embark on another comprehensive self-assessment to reevaluate our strengths and weaknesses and our successes and challenges, with the goal of identifying those activities that will advance our specialty and provide the most value to our members.
The core strength of the ACR is its people. It is the professional organization for rheumatologists of all stripes, as well as for numerous disciplines of rheumatology health professionals. The collective wisdom of so many diverse talents and perspectives, all serving a common mission, greatly strengthens our organization. Of course this core strength also comes with important challenges. In order to represent such a diverse membership, the volunteer leadership of the ACR must itself be diverse and must commit to learning about and supporting the needs of all of our members, not just a subset. And the ACR must commit to creating a varied and diverse suite of programs and services with the goal of providing the maximum possible benefits for the maximum possible number of members, given the available resources. Moreover, we must have the flexibility to respond to a wide variety of member needs. For example, in recent years the needs of the rheumatology specialty have expanded significantly, requiring more practice support, more focused advocacy efforts, and programs to respond to pending quality-reporting requirements, among others—and the ACR responded to those needs. These challenges underscore the critical importance of disciplined strategic planning.
ACR STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
Antony Rosen, MD, Co-Chair, Johns Hopkins University
Audrey Uknis, MD, Co-Chair, Temple University School of Medicine
Erin Arnold, MD, Illinois Bone and Joint Institution
David Borenstein, MD, Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates
Lenore Buckley, MD, MPH, VCU School of Medicine
Stanley Cohen, MD, St. Paul University Hospital
Leslie Crofford, MD, University of Kentucky
Kathryn Dao, MD, Arthritis Consultation Center Rheumatology
David Daikh, MD, PhD, VA Medical Center – Rheumatology
Pamela Degotardi, PhD, Queens College CUNY Honors
Linda Ehrlich-Jones, PhD, RN, Rehabilitation Institution Chicago
Peter Embi, MD, University of Cincinnati
Joseph Flood, MD, Musculoskeletal Medical Specialists
Richard Furie, MD, North Shore LIJ Health System
Sherine Gabriel, MD, MSc, Mayo Clinic
