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Fellows’ Forum: Why Rheumatology Fellows Should Get Involved with Advocacy

Alexandra Perel-Winkler, MD, & Christopher A. Mecoli, MD  |  Issue: May 2017  |  

You can contact RheumPAC Chair Harry Gewanter or GAC Chair Angus Worthing.

Alexandra Perel-Winkler, MDAlexandra Perel-Winkler, MD, is a second-year fellow at Columbia University who has an interest in the integrative and holistic management of autoimmunity, with a particular interest in ANA-related diseases and quality improvement. She hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, and loves travel, art, nature and international cuisine.

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Christopher A. Mecoli, MDChristopher A. Mecoli, MD, is a third-year rheuma­tology fellow at Johns Hopkins and current chair of the Fellows-in-Training Subcommittee. He is originally from New Jersey and plans to pursue a research career after his fellowship.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Harry Gewanter, Angus Worthing and Doug White for their helpful commentary for this article.

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Advocacy in Minutes

In under five minutes, you can do the following:

  • Visit the Legislative Action Center to learn about current bills and send messages to your lawmakers.
  • Follow ACR on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for news on ACR advocacy efforts, and join the conversation.
  • Email or call your local, state or federal decision maker about an issue you care about.
  • Visit Vote Smart to learn where your senators and representatives stand on issues you care about.

In under 30 minutes, you can …

  • Identify a state or federal legislative issue that is important to you, and find one way that you can weigh in to influence the process.
  • Contact elected officials about specific issues:
    • By phone—Calling your members of Congress is one of the easiest ways to bring the issues of the rheumatology community to their attention. Use the AMA’s Grassroots Hotline at 800-833-6354.
    • By email—You can use the ACR’s Legislative Action Center (site above) to identify your local policy makers, quickly draft a letter and send it to multiple people immediately.
    • By social media—As we have all seen, the current president has made social media a very current way for the government to reach you. We can also gain traction for our advocacy efforts using these methods.

In an hour or more, you can …

  • Meet with policy makers.
  • Attend an ACR advocacy meeting in Washington (if interested, check out Advocates for arthritis to apply for the next meeting).
  • Attend a local city council, county commissioner meeting, state legislative hearing or congressional town hall in your area on an issue that you care about.

Adapted with permission from the AAP Advocacy Guide from the American Association of Pediatrics.

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    I RheumPAC, Do You?

    For many years, the ACR board of directors and Government Affairs Committee have done exemplary work in keeping members abreast of legislative regulatory issues that affect all aspects of rheumatology, including patient and physician/healthcare professional issues, education, and research. Through advocacy, the ACR advances rheumatology and fosters excellence in the care of people with, or at risk for, arthritis and rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. One might say that advocacy is a cornerstone of this organization.