A Word from President Krishna Komanduri, MD
Dear colleagues,
I hope this message finds you well. As I write this, August is fading, as are the memories of time spent away from work with family over the summer. Our four kids are transitioning to three new middle and high schools, so chaos is reigning supreme at our house as we settle into new schedules and routines.
Last month I wrote about the possibility of late Summer stormy weather, and unfortunately my column was a little too prophetic. This weekend, Hurricane Harvey rolled ashore in Corpus Christi, Texas, rapidly intensifying from a mere tropical storm to a devastating hurricane, before evolving into a significant rain and flooding event in the Houston area. I still recall witnessing firsthand the surprising and devastating effects of Tropical Storm Allison in Houston in 2001, and also how the city openly embraced refugees of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. My thoughts are now with our ASBMT colleagues in Houston, their patients, families and communities as they still face the effects of this storm as I write, and as they eventually enter the long phase of recovery from a profound disaster.
With that somber caveat, I want to provide a positive update on the importance of ASBMT advocacy that I highlighted in my previous column. Just as storms can directly threaten any of us, I noted last month that changing financial climates can influence the security and sustainability of our transplant centers. This summer, the ASBMT and its partners became aware of proposed Center for Medicare Services (CMS) changes in reimbursement that had the potential to severely reduce inpatient payments for transplant episodes (by as much as 70% or more).
The ASBMT, the NMDP and many of you quickly and strongly advocated against this change. Earlier this month, we were delighted to hear that our collective voices were heard, and that the proposed policy change would not go into effect. To me, this highlights perfectly the importance of a professional society, which can rapidly mobilize and advocate for the needs of its members, centers and patients. This should also provide some inspiration to those of us growing a little cynical about the power of our collective voice. I’m also happy to report that our ASBMT health policy staff, working with their NMDP colleagues, have organized our first Capitol Hill day next month. We expect that this will further help us to find our political voice to best advocate for all of you.
For me it’s also grant season, which brings into focus the increasingly uncertain climate of research funding. As many ASBMT colleagues tweeted this last month, metrics of NIH funding continue to reach new and increasingly frustrating landmarks. For example, the median age of investigators at the time of funding of their first NIH RO1 grant has now exceeded 46 years—a startling and depressing figure. As someone who sits on a promotion and tenure committee that still holds to conventional views about the importance of NIH funding as a PI for the award of tenure, I’m increasingly concerned that the rift between expectations and reality will lead to an exodus of talented physician-scientists from our academic ranks. I know the stresses felt by many of us with established careers are greatly magnified for the junior investigators who are our future. I urge all of us, with our local and national representatives, to highlight how much more difficult this situation has become. Fortunately, the NIH has broad bipartisan support in Congress, but the challenge is proportionally increasing funding in a climate of fiscal restraint.
This week, I had the pleasure of continuing a new tradition of regular conference calls with the chairs of our ASBMT Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and senior ASBMT leaders. The goal of these calls, and our historical face to face meeting at Tandem, is to increase the crosstalk of our increasingly productive and complex society. We hope to use these interactions to make a better Tandem meeting with an increased focus on our critical scientific plenaries, but also better communication so that members can attend sessions of interest across disciplines and SIG-directed sessions. We hope to dedicate improved infrastructure (e.g., using informatics) to enhance communications within and between SIGs, committees and task forces, so involved members can better assimilate a growing number of parallel initiatives across our Society.
I’ll close with noting that the ASBMT Board of Directors will also convene for its fall meeting in Chicago in early October. The Society will use this opportunity to start our process of self-reflection and strategic planning that we discussed earlier in the year. We are pleased that Michael Boo, JD, who served as the Chief Strategy Officer for the NMDP, will act to facilitate this strategic planning process. While we will formally survey our designated leadership, from the Board of Directors to leaders of our SIGs, committees and task forces, we would also like to hear from our membership at large during this critical look in the mirror. In the coming months, we will tell you how to submit your thoughts on our present and future directions, as it is critical that our goals and directions directly reflect the aspirations and will of our members.
There is much more going on, and I’ll look forward to continuing to update you about our many areas of progress in the coming months. At the midpoint of my term, I will note that it has been a great privilege to serve you thus far, and I look forward to a very productive Fall for the Society.
As always, please feel free to contact me or your other elected representatives directly, as your feedback is essential for our collective success!
All the best,
Krishna
Read the entire September 2017 ASBMT eNews here.