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Pathways

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Volume 5  Issue 3 • March 2016 • Rheumatology Research Foundation

 

A Five Year Roadmap for Improved Care

A map of Rheumatology Research Foundation's strategic plan for improved care of rheumatic diseases.

Patient care is directly impacted by the number of rheumatologists in the field and research advancements that lead to new treatments, preventions and cures. With an alarming number of rheumatologists preparing for retirement and a recent decline in federal research funding, the future of rheumatology faces many obstacles in its continued progress towards improved care. Understanding these challenges, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has prepared a five year strategic plan to complement and expand its existing work to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases.

Last year, the Foundation formed a Strategic Planning Task Force consisting of patients and rheumatology professionals from every aspect of the field, including researchers, rheumatologists, health professionals and the professors who train the next generation of rheumatology experts. Mary Wheatley, IOM, CAE, executive director of the Foundation explains, “We focused on determining what would most benefit rheumatology professionals and the patients they treat. We believe the priorities we laid out – value, treatments and cures - will push forward efforts to provide patients with the access to care and treatment options they need, and the Foundation has shown it can do just that.”

In fiscal year 2016, the Foundation committed nearly $13.2 million  to attract the brightest minds to rheumatology, support education and training opportunities for rheumatology professionals, and encourage research that will lead to major breakthroughs. The Foundation will continue these efforts in order to meet the demands of a growing patient population. Over the next five years, the Foundation will work to increase the number of opportunities for training and mentoring of future rheumatologists.

Treatments have come a long way since the Foundation was established in 1985, but there is still so much to discover. In order to increase treatment options and potential for a cure, the Foundation will expand its scope of funding opportunities to promote new research directions. In addition to finding a cure, rheumatology professionals will be encouraged to identify new ways of administering patient care and demonstrating the value of rheumatology care.

While the Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S., the ultimate goal of finding a cure will require additional support, and so a focus on developing meaningful partnerships will also be a priority. Finding additional funding sources for rheumatology’s most innovative research will always be needed, but also looking for other organizations, institutions and corporations to create mutually beneficial partnerships will bolster the Foundation’s work to improve patient care.

“Over the past few decades, the Foundation has been dedicated to moving the field forward to better serve its patients, and we have been very successful,” says Wheatley. “The additional priorities complement our current work well and are another way for the Foundation to encourage more people to conduct critical research and improve the caregiving process and treatment options for people with rheumatic diseases.”

 

 
Rheumatology Research Foundation "How I Give" logo.

There are many ways to give to the Rheumatology Research Foundation, and all support the Foundation’s work to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases. In this “How I Give” series, we will feature the rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, patients, family, and friends who are essential to the Foundation’s work.  Please visit the ways to give page to learn more about how you can get involved with the Foundation, or share your story by emailing us.


 How I Give: Mary K. Crow, MD

Former ACR President Dr. Mary Crow.Dr. Crow’s bold leadership helped spark an era of extraordinary growth for the Foundation.

Mary K. Crow, MD, served as president of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) from 2005-2006. Under her leadership, ACR donated an unprecedented $5 million to the Rheumatology Research Foundation to help launch its $30 million Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign. The first-ever campaign sparked an era for extraordinary growth in both program and fundraising at the Foundation. Since the initial gift from ACR, the Foundation has attracted an additional $45 million from multiple donors of $5 million or more.

Executive director of the Foundation, Mary Wheatley, IOM, CAE, says, “The Within Our Reach campaign represented a bold leap forward for the Foundation, both in the ambitious goal and in the impact this funding has had in moving the field forward.  Dr. Crow understood the unprecedented opportunity this campaign presented, and the significance of future implications this level of commitment from ACR would mean. Ultimately, ACR’s gift set an example for other donors to follow, and it helped bring the Foundation into a new era of growth and success. This would not have possible without Dr. Crow’s bold vision and leadership.”

Mary K. Crow, MD is physician-in-chief and chair of the department of medicine at Hospital for Special Surgery and is chief of the division of rheumatology at HSS and New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is also director of the autoimmunity and inflammation research program and co-director of the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research at HSS. Dr. Crow holds the Benjamin M. Rosen Chair in Immunology and Inflammation Research at HSS and is the Joseph P. Routh Professor of Rheumatic Diseases in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

This past year, Dr. Crow was inducted onto the Foundation’s Honorary Board of Advisors, an honor reserved for individuals who have made a transformative contribution, either through monetary support and/or act of leadership.

Click here to view a video that highlights Dr. Crow's extraordinary commitment.

 

Give today and help transform the future for millions of people living with rheumatic disease.