Abstract
The Ad Hoc Committee on Certification is moving ahead with a practice analysis survey of physicians who have a stake in the practice of breastfeeding medicine. The interpretation of the results of this survey will lay the groundwork for the development of a board certification examination. The establishment of board certification in the United States, and of a comparable credentialing process outside of it, is an essential step in the creation of breastfeeding medicine as an authentic, widely recognized, and highly regarded separate branch of medicine. The Academy owes a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Joan Meek and the Certification Committee she chairs for moving this process forward.
Internationally, ABM continues to make great strides forward. The third European Regional Conference will be held in Torun, Poland, in March 2010. This conference promises to be as exciting and successful as those preceding it, thanks in large measure to the superb organizational skills of Dr. Elien Rouw. Recognizing the importance of its relationship with ABM, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) recently launched a scholarship program that provides for coverage of ABM membership fees for physicians residing in developing nations. The membership committee, led by Drs. Wendy Brodribb and Amy Evans, and the international committee, chaired by Dr. Rouw, developed the guidelines by which the scholarships are to be awarded. For its part, ABM must do more to forge a closer and more effective working relationship with WABA. To that end, Dr. Miriam Labbok has agreed to serve as our WABA representative.
Our protocols continue to be a great source of pride for all ABM members. Recently, Dr. Kathleen Marinelli, the current chairperson of the protocols committee, advised us that the viewing of each of the protocols posted on the National Guidelines Clearinghouse website numbers well into the thousands. The number of viewings for one protocol alone (analgesia and anesthesia for the breastfeeding mother) amounted to over 9,600. Protocol development is clearly labor-intensive, but as these numbers indicate, the effort is unquestionably worthwhile. We remain deeply obliged to the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau for its continued financial support for protocol development.
The commitment of our membership to the Academy's mission of physician education and research in the arena of breastfeeding medicine is clearly demonstrated by the growing number of ABM Fellows. Ten new Fellows were installed at the last international meeting. The Fellowship Committee is now being chaired by Dr. Sheela Geraghty, who so effectively organized and conducted the Fellows' Crosstalk at the last international meeting. In addition to refining the fellowship application process, the Fellowship Committee will identify ways in which the Fellows may derive additional benefits from their association with the Academy, and the means by which they may make significant contributions to its growth and development.
The 2009 international conference was once again highly successful. In spite of the state of the economy, conference registration for 2009 was actually greater than that for 2008. Dr. Michelle Brenner and the Conference Committee she chaired are to be congratulated on putting together a highly memorable event. Planning for the 2010 international conference in San Francisco is already well underway and will be the responsibility of the two co-chairs, Dr. Evans and Dr. Brenner, working closely with ABM Executive Director Karla Rubinger.
In spite of the recession, ABM is closing the year on sound financial footing. As a result of strong conference registration, robust membership retention and recruitment efforts, and grant support for such initiatives as the First Annual Summit on Breastfeeding and protocol development, we can expect to end the fiscal year comfortably in the black.
Looking forward, the committees will be busy with new undertakings. The advocacy committee, chaired by Dr. Alison Steube, our newest board member, will direct its energy toward more efficiently and effectively identifying and responding to the major contemporary issues of public interest bearing on breastfeeding. Rather than simply wait to react to issue as they arise, the Advocacy Committee will take a more proactive stance, anticipating challenges and opportunities in a timely manner so that implementation of a course of action may be more highly effective. The Liaison Committee, now chaired by Dr. Pamela Berens, will review ways by which our representatives to other organizations will conduct themselves in a manner consonant with the best interests of ABM. The Liaison Committee will also ensure that these representatives will report back regularly to the board with updates on organizational activities and the manner in which they have responded to them on behalf of ABM. The Communications Committee is currently working on developing an online newsletter so that ABM members may be kept apprised of important Academy matters. The Committee is also considering the option of creating a Facebook page with Twitter feed. Finally, the Committee is addressing the need to improve and update the ABM website by adding a search tool and committee pages. Dr. Julie Wood will remain as chairperson.
The Ethics Committee, chaired by Dr. Lawrence Gartner, is finalizing a position paper establishing guidelines by which ABM will interact with commercial interests, in a number of domains of action. Responding to concerns raised by the membership at the latest international meeting, the Ethics Committee will incorporate a statement offering guidance on how the Academy should screen, identify, and respond to commercial interests with regard to compliance with the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The Development Committee, chaired by Dr. Arthur Eidelman, will continue to work with our Executive Director, Ms. Rubinger, in securing opportunities by means of which ABM can play a key role in influencing policy makers in the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding. A second summit on breastfeeding is being seriously considered, with the Kellogg Foundation again playing a central role in financial support.
Dr. Anne Eglash will chair the Education Committee. Projects currently under consideration by the Committee include a podcast series on a variety of breastfeeding issues and an initiative to provide physicians with the tools they will need in order to be in compliance with the Joint Commission core measure on exclusive breastfeeding prior to hospital discharge, which will go into effect this spring.
There is more: The board is looking at creating a new strategic plan to succeed the current one, due to expire at the end of 2010. The regional conference subcommittee, now chaired by Dr. Brodribb, will refine existing guidelines by which regional conference organizers will be held accountable to the board of directors for their respective activities. There will now be six issues of Breastfeeding Medicine per year, rather than four. The newly created Governance Committee, chaired by Dr. Debra Bogen, will be responsible not only for the board nomination and election process, but will also serve to assess how well the board is doing its work. It took the first step in this direction by conducting an exhaustive board self-assessment last fall, which will serve as a blueprint for future efforts to improve board operations. The Membership Committee, now chaired by Dr. Kinga Szucs and formerly by Dr. Brodribb, together with the international committee, chaired by Dr. Rouw, is developing a “regional coordinator program” by means of which the Academy may be kept more directly involved with the regional activities of ABM members. It is anticipated that such a network will draw members outside of the United States into a more active involvement with ABM operations, although the term “regional” can apply to localities within the United States as well as outside. Finally, the Finance Committee, headed by our Treasurer, Dr. Nancy Powers, will work closely with Ms. Rubinger on developing a budget for the coming fiscal year, guided by a recently conducted survey of the board dealing with budgetary priorities.
It is clear from this summary of activities that the board has been extremely busy. Dr. Chantry has finished her term as president with an Academy that is vastly different than the Academy she knew when her term began. We offer her our heartfelt thanks.
But there is so much more work to be done, and I am certain that there are many members who are eager, and more than capable, of making a valuable contribution. Your involvement will be deeply appreciated and valued.