RESIDENT CORNER

Resident Guide to Advocacy in

Kelly K. Park, MD, MSL

Many opportunities exist for residents to get the AMA costs $45 for 1 year of resident membership involved in advocacy in dermatology, from national (with a discounted rate for multiyear memberships). to grassroots levels. Residents also should be As a member, you are given the opportunity to cast aware of opportunities to get involved in patient a ballot for the national society advocacy and become familiar with the myriad of that best represents you in the House of Delegates, patient advocacy groups that exist. These groups the AMA’s principlecopy policy-making body.2 The more offer support and education for patients and initi- votes a particular society receives, the more del- ate research efforts for specific dermatologic con- egates from that society are added to the House of ditions that provide support for patients beyond Delegates, meaning more representation for that what can be offered during a standard office visit. specialtynot organization. It is advised that members The value of resident involvement in advocacy choose the society that best represents them: for der- also is discussed. matologists, this most likely would be the American Cutis. 2015;96:E11-E13. Academy of Dermatology (AAD), among other der- Domatology organizations that are candidates (ie, the American College of Mohs Surgery, the American t is never too early (or too late!) to get involved Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and the Society in dermatology advocacy. Residency is an ideal for Investigative Dermatology). This representation Itime to start learning about advocating on behalf is key for a specialty like dermatology, which has a of the specialty of dermatology as well as on behalf relatively smaller number of physicians compared to of our patients. Many opportunities are available for other larger specialties and therefore has less repre- residents to gain experience and become advocates sentation in the House of Delegates. on national and grassrootsCUTIS levels. As residents, par- Additionally, AMA membership grants you ticipating in these efforts can help set a solid founda- access to the entire Journal of the American Medical tion for future involvement in advocacy, regardless of Association network including a subscription to the our ultimate career goals. specialty journal of your choice.

American Medical Association Patient Advocacy The mission of the American Medical Association Patient advocacy groups generally have 3 main goals: (AMA) is “to promote the art and science of medi- education (for patients, patient support networks, cine and the betterment of public health.”1 Joining and the layperson), research, and lobbying for issues that are in the interest of patients and treatment of dermatologic conditions (eg, funding support, regulation of medical devices, etc).3 In dermatology, the number of patient advocacy groups is growing to From the Division of Dermatology, Loyola University Medical Center, represent a myriad of dermatologic conditions, from Maywood, Illinois. common conditions like psoriasis to rare genoderma- The author reports no conflict of interest. Correspondence: Kelly K. Park, MD, MSL, Loyola University toses (Table). As dermatologists in training, it is key Medical Center, 2160 S First Ave, Bldg 54, Room 101, for residents to be involved in patient advocacy and Maywood, IL 60153 ([email protected]). to be aware of the resources that exist for patients to

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access educational information and support for their Select Patient Advocacy Groups respective conditions. These educational materi- als can help provide more comprehensive care for in Dermatology patients and give patients more autonomy in choos- AIM at Melanoma Foundation ing a physician or hospital to manage their care, help (www.aimatmelanoma.org) patients become more knowledgeable about avail- able treatment options, and arm patients with more American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network information to address questions that may arise from (www.acscan.org) laypeople regarding their condition. American Vitiligo Research Foundation In terms of patient education, the resources (www.avrf.org) available to patients include informational websites, Basal Cell Carcinoma Nevus Syndrome Life access to educational materials like pamphlets and Support Network multimedia (eg, videos), and special events; for example, the National Psoriasis Foundation hosts (www.gorlinsyndrome.org) walks for patients and their friends and family to Coalition of Skin Diseases raise money for the organization as well as to pro- (www.coalitionofskindiseases.org) mote psoriasis awareness and give patients an oppor- Dystrophic Research tunity to build a support network. Patient advocacy Association of America groups also help raise funding for research and (www.debra.org) have shown to be influential in research initiatives 3 Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation that are granted funding. Often, these groups also play a political role and take part in lobbying (www.ebkids.org) copy efforts by patients and support groups by working Foundation for & Related Skin Types with politicians to raise awareness or request finan- (www.firstskinfoundation.org) cial support for particular skin diseases. International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid Foundation notThe Society for Investigative Dermatology (www.pemphigus.org) sponsors an application for mobile devices that National Alopecia Areata Foundation can assist residents in referring patients to sup- (www.naaf.org) port and advocacy groups (http://www.skin Doadvocateapp.com). National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (www.skincancerprevention.org) Grassroots Advocacy National Eczema Association Grassroots advocacy in dermatology means that an (www.nationaleczema.org) individual or group of individuals (in this case, a National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias resident or group of residents) is motivated to take (www.nfed.org) action by contacting legislators and other govern- ment officials about gaps in funding and regulation National Organization of VascularCUTIS Anomalies for particular dermatology issues. These efforts often (www.novanews.org) are noticed and taken into consideration by politi- National Psoriasis Foundation cians because it is in their best interest to listen to (www.psoriasis.org) their constituents rather than risk losing support. Nevus Outreach The American Academy of Dermatology (www.nevus.org) Association, the advocacy entity of the AAD, hosts the Dermatology Advocacy Network (www.aad-dan.com Pachyonychia Congenita Project /default.aspx), which is dedicated to helping derma- (www.pachyonychia.org) tologists become advocates. The DAN website helps PHACE Syndrome Community residents easily identify and contact their local, state, (www.phacesyndromecommunity.org) and national legislators to discuss issues or concerns Society related to the dermatology specialty and medicine as a (www.xps.org) whole. For example, tanning bed regulation currently is a priority among dermatologists, and the DAN web- site provides customizable form letters that can be sent electronically to legislators for review. Furthermore, the AAD offers helpful resources and suggestions for dermatologists and dermatology

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residents who want to get involved with grass- care for patients by addressing some of their edu- roots advocacy efforts. The website (www.aad.org cational and supportive needs that perhaps cannot /advocacy) details current AAD advocacy priorities be addressed in a clinic visit alone. Advocacy also as well as specific topics such as Medicare physician gives residents the opportunity to network and meet payment, skin cancer and indoor tanning, drug pricing colleagues and other individuals with similar goals and availability, state policy, and network adequacy, as and interests, which may be beneficial for their these are high-priority issues identified by the AAD future careers. Thus, early involvement in advocacy that would benefit from action by its members. may be a productive and interesting part of derma- tology residency for trainees to be further involved Final Thoughts in the specialty. Many opportunities exist for dermatology residents to get involved in advocacy, from opportunities REFERENCES on the national level with the AMA to patient 1. AMA mission & guiding principles. American Medical advocacy and grassroots efforts. It is important for Association Web site. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub dermatology residents to get involved in advocacy /about-ama.page?. Accessed December 22, 2015. efforts during their training so they may continue to 2. Specialty Society Representation Ballot. American be involved in these efforts as their careers develop. Medical Association Web site. http://www.ama-assn.org Advocacy helps keep the dermatology specialty /ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/the-federation-medicine relevant and maintain its voice in the national /specialty-society-ballot.page. Accessed December 22, 2015. medical arena. It also enhances the dermatology 3. Nijsten T, Bergstresser PR. Patient advocacy groups: let’s resident’s ability to provide comprehensive quality stick together.copy J Invest Dermatol. 2010;130:1757-1759.

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