Abstract
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That original good idea is now a worldwide group of physician leaders anchored by our management team who, together, run a coordinated program that has systematically grown and developed over the past 8 years. I use this month's President's Corner to update you on the current status of our RNCs and to thank them for their leadership on behalf of ABM.
ABM has seven key committees, two of which are the Membership Committee chaired by Eyla Boies and the International Committee chaired by Elien Rouw. These two key committees work very closely together. To date, the RNCs have been a subcommittee, chaired by Amy Evans, of the Membership Committee. Along with many others, it is these three ABM leaders and our staff who have been instrumental in developing, expanding, and supporting the RNCs.
RNCs are appointed yearly by our key committee chairs, typically between our annual conference and the end of the calendar year. Their roles and responsibilities are as follows:
(1) To set up and maintain a communication network among ABM members in their region. (2) To be a source of information related to ABM for members and the wider community in their region. (3) To disseminate information from ABM to the members in their region. (4) To relay information about issues and problems that arise in their region to the Board of Directors. These may be breastfeeding (content) focused or organization (process) focused. (5) To provide a regular summary of activities from their region to the Board through the RNC Subcommittee of the Membership Committee and the International Committee. (6) To organize opportunities for face-to-face meetings and interaction of members in their regions where appropriate.
Fast forward to 2017 and ABM now has a team of eight RNCs. My personal congratulations and thank you to each of them:
(1) Marnie Rowan lives in Western Australia and represents Australia and New Zealand. (2) Cristina Bernardo lives in the Philippines and represents southeast Asia. (3) Yoo-Mi Chung lives in South Korea and represents Asia. (4) Amal El-Taweel lives in Egypt and represents the Middle East. (5) Rachel Musoke lives in Kenya and represents Africa. (6) Elien Rouw lives in Germany and represents Europe. (7) Ana Parrilla-Rodríquez lives in Puerto Rico and represents Latin America, which includes the Caribbean and South America. (8) Susan Hayward lives in the province of Ontario and represents Canada.
These eight RNCs meet with key committee leaders and the management team quarterly and provide written reports to the Board of Directors twice a year. Here are just three examples of their various initiatives: (1) they communicate regularly with ABM members in their region such as through a quarterly newsletter in Europe, (2) they hold educational events such as a “What Every Physician Needs to Know (WEPNTK)” conference in the Philippines, and (3) they liaise with governments such as in Australia, a country which is currently reviewing its national breastfeeding strategy.
After systematically building the RNCs over several years, Amy Evans stepped down this spring as Chair of the RNC Subcommittee. I would like to formally thank her for her service to ABM in this role, among many others. With this leadership transition, the Board of Directors has made the decision to (1) officially move the RNC Subcommittee from the Membership Committee to the International Committee and (2) to recruit a new RNC for Europe as Elien Rouw's successor in that role.
Amy Evans remains as Chair of the Regional Conference Subcommittee under the Education Committee, which reviews proposals for local and regional conferences, and she is also still a member of both the Membership and International Committees. Approval of regional conferences is particularly important for ABM members outside of the United States, especially those who are considering applying for the ABM designation of Fellow (FABM) which requires participation in three or more ABM conferences for eligibility. 1 Although she will be less directly involved in leading the RNCs, she will still play an integral role in their activities through her various other and ongoing leadership roles.
Starting with a good idea and culminating in our deliberate reorganization of the current RNC leadership, we now have a streamlined infrastructure to effectively support both decentralized initiatives and centralized communication. As evidence, I will share with you the exciting news that preparations for ABM's seventh European Regional Meeting are underway for 2018.
We are hoping to see many, if not most, of our current RNCs at the upcoming 22nd Annual International Meeting being held during November 9–12, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. In addition to providing continuing medical education, one of the many purposes of the conference is to network with our colleagues from around the world. So if you are planning to attend, please make a point of meeting your 2017 RNC in person.
Finally, please consider reaching out to any one of ABM's leaders if you are interested in becoming either an RNC or a member of one of ABM's key committees in the future. The committees are listed on your Membership Application and on our website. And you can always contact any board member, RNC, or staff member directly at