Abstract
Boston Lymphatic Symposium, October 30 to November 6
The Boston Lymphatic Symposium, hosted by the Boston Lymphatic Center, a joint program between the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children's Hospital, teaching affiliates of Harvard Medical School, will be held on October 30, 2021 (Patient Symposium) and November 5–6, 2021 (Clinical Symposium). Visit their website, bostonlymphaticsymposium.org, for more information and to register. The Boston Lymphatic Center is a Comprehensive Center of Excellence and the Symposium is held in partnership with Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN). This year, registrants will receive a unique bonus to the scheduled program: complimentary access to a virtual presentation of the play, Let's Talk Lymphedema. The world premiere of this play by Brian Daniels and directed by Mark Armstrong aired as part of LE&RN's Virtual World Lymphedema Day Celebration, March 6, 2021, with generous support from Juzo. This fall's rebroadcast is made possible through a grant to LE&RN from Fondation Ipsen, under the aegis of Fondation de France.
Centers of Excellence 2021 Lymphatic Summit, November 12–13
On November 12–13, LE&RN will present its second virtual Lymphatic Summit: The Continuum from Evolving Research to State-of-the-Art Lymphatic Management. Registration is open to the entire community, with continuing medical education available for physicians. This 2-day conference will feature the rapidly advancing realm of lymphatic research. For each of the lymphatic diseases discussed, a presentation of state-of-the-art research in that domain will be coupled with an overview of state-of-the-art clinical practice. The event will be organized and hosted by Dr. Stanley Rockson, Stanford University School of Medicine Professor and Chair of the LE&RN Scientific Medical Advisory Council (SMAC). Visit LE&RN's website for more information and to register.
LE&RN Among First CDC Chronic Disease Awareness Awardees
In August 2021, the CDC announced that LE&RN was one of a handful or recipients of its first Chronic Disease Awareness grants. This program was instituted thanks to inclusion in the FY2021 Appropriations Bill for which LE&RN strongly advocated. The 3-year grant will include a subcontract with Stanford University, with Dr. Stanley Rockson the primary investigator for this contract. LE&RN President & CEO William Repicci is the project director and primary investigator on this grant. LE&RN Spokesperson, Kathy Bates, is also central to the proposed campaign to increase awareness among the health care profession, those with lymphedema, and the general public.
NIH Invites LE&RN to Present Live Testimony
On August 5, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins invited LE&RN to present the case for lymphatic research through Zoom. This was part of NIH's examination of how a new Biden administration-proposed research program might best benefit patients. That program is called the Advanced Research Program Agency-Health (ARPA-H). It could transform our field with its proposed dramatic increases in research funding and its goal of finding treatments and cures within 5 years that would otherwise take 50 years. The entire presentation is available for viewing on LE&RN's website.
Patient Advocacy at the American Medical Association
In mid-December 2020, LE&RN President & CEO William Repicci urged constituents to make their voices heard at the American Medical Association (AMA) by emailing their stories to AMA CEO & Executive Vice President, Dr. James Madara. The letters are now available on LE&RN's website at www.lymphaticnetwork.org/news-events/ama-stories.
Centers of Excellence Continue to Expand
The Centers of Excellence Global Oversight Committee is reviewing 20 possible new centers of excellence. There are currently 25 centers of excellence for the treatment and diagnosis of lymphatic diseases. Look for an announcement of new Centers of Excellence on LE&RN's website, social media, and eblasts.
LE&RN Creates Lymphatic Researcher Database for NIH
At NIH's request, LE&RN has created a Lymphatic Researcher Database (https://lymphaticnetwork.org/treating-lymphedema/researchers) to keep NIH informed of the lymphatic research being pursued worldwide. LE&RN now needs all lymphatic researchers to submit information for this webpage by contacting LE&RN at LERN@LymphaticNetwork.org. Research names, institutions, Pub Med weblinks, and brief research descriptions will appear on this page, searchable by name, institution, or topic. All 27 NIH institutes and centers have been provided this weblink. This initiative grew out of the efforts of the Trans-NIH Lymphatics Coordinating Committee.
Online Summit: State-of-the-Art Lymphatic Medicine (2020)
The Centers of Excellence 2020 Summit, State-of-the-Art Lymphatic Medicine is now available for purchase at (https://lymphaticnetwork.org/site/stateoftheart). General registration is $25 and CME registration is available for $75. The Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning designates this activity for a maximum of 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. The online summit features talks by leading authorities in lymphatic medicine and spotlights LE&RN Centers of Excellence. Organized by Dr. Stan Rockson, this recorded event begins with a welcome by LE&RN Spokesperson and Academy Award winner, Kathy Bates.
William Repicci
President and CEO
Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN)