ACR Committee on Collaborative Initiatives

Opportunity Overview

The ACR Committee on Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) has the following open positions. All positions are virtual only.

• ACR Member Chair (1)
• ACR Member-at-Large (2)
• Fellow-in-Training (1)

Eligibility

Please review the volunteer eligibility guidelines based on your member type and industry involvement before submitting a volunteer application.
Volunteer Eligibility Guidelines >

Committee Description

The ACR Committee on Collaborative Initiatives shall concern itself with strategic, collaborative activities including piloting innovative projects that support the ACR mission and advancing health equity. The committee shall review and make recommendations regarding partnerships and funding opportunities to advance these aims. The committee will organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the committee chair responsible for leading the committee in its charge to support global engagement and collaboration in rheumatology education, research, and networking.

Current committee activities and priorities include:

• Leadership Education and Development of Underrepresented Medical Students (Project LEAD) – Engage and educate medical students from underrepresented backgrounds about the field of rheumatology, requirements for rheumatology training and practice
• Federally Funded Initiatives to Address Lupus Health Disparities – Increase the ability of primary care and allied health professionals to identify the signs and symptoms of lupus and increase accurate referrals in efforts to decrease time till diagnosis
• Federally Supported Initiatives to Address Diversification of Clinical Trials Goal – Address the disparate representation of medically underserved groups in lupus clinical trials through developing strategies to increase clinical trial awareness and referrals
• Health Disparities Symposia – Initiatives, programs, and virtual events aimed at bringing together a diverse group of rheumatologists, researchers, principal investigators, allied health professionals, referring physicians, and industry leaders to discuss challenges and strategies related to health disparities

See more COIN project details >

Responsibilities

ACR Member Chair

• Facilitate meetings of the committee and work closely with staff liaison to ensure that the work of the committee is carried out between meetings
• Prepare and present written reports/budgets/project proposals and recommendations for health equity and health disparities and opportunities to the ACR/ARP Board of Directors
• Identify/build/strengthen the ACR/ARP committee collaborations on projects and initiatives related to health disparities and health equity
• Support and serve as a liaison on health equity, health disparities or disease-specific needs of projects, and providing timely feedback for requests for input or insights from the COIN department staff or from other ACR committees regarding projects that intersect with health disparities
• Support current and future initiatives, including Leadership Education and Development of Underrepresented Medical Students (Project LEAD), Health Disparities Symposia, and externally funded initiatives such as Federally Funded Initiatives to Address Lupus Health Disparities and Federally Supported Initiatives to Address Diversification of Clinical Trial and other projects as they develop
• Lead the planning and development of the virtual health disparities symposia every 3 years

Member-at-Large

• Support the committee chair in all aspects of the committee charge
• Actively participate in all meetings and project responsibilities as assigned
• Support and serve as a liaison on health equity, health disparities or disease-specific needs of projects, and providing timely feedback for requests for input or insights from the COIN department staff or from other ACR committees regarding projects that intersect with health disparities
• Serve as subject matter expert or reviewer in COIN department projects or activities as requested
• Other projects and opportunities to address health disparities and advance health equity as they arise

The ACR staff is responsible for the administration and project management of all initiatives and programs.

Time Commitments

ACR Member Chair

Virtual

• Monthly 1-hour calls with committee staff liaison on committee goals
  • 3 full committee meetings per volunteer year (February/March, July/August, October/November), based upon the availability of the chair and a quorum of committee members as determined by availability survey
• The committee may hold an additional 3–5 work group or subcommittee meetings per volunteer year based upon the needs of ongoing projects and programs
• In between meeting emails and as-needed calls to discuss decisions necessary to be taken in between meetings and for communications communicated to the members of the committee
• Participation in quarterly virtual chairs meetings/forums
  • For committee chair, approximately 175–200 hours will be spent on outside work per volunteer year

In-Person

• Participation in ACR governance activities, such as 2 Board of Directors meetings (May/November) held in conjunction with Capitol Hill visits and ACR Convergence
• The committee hosts 1 in-person meeting or social activity for committee members in conjunction with ACR Convergence

Member-at-Large

Virtual

• 3 full virtual committee meetings per volunteer year (February/March, July/August, October/November), based upon the availability of the chair and a quorum of committee members as determined by availability survey
  • The committee may hold an additional 3–5 work group or subcommittee meetings per volunteer year based upon the needs of ongoing projects and programs

In-Person

• The committee hosts 1 in-person meeting or social activity for committee members in conjunction with ACR Convergence

Recommended Qualifications

The ACR Committee on Collaborative Initiatives welcomes all interested volunteers who reflect a diverse cross-section of member career stages, from fellow to retired. The committee mix would benefit from including adult rheumatologists, private practice rheumatologists, including those in rural or medically underserved areas. The committee is vested in achieving geographic, age, and career stage diversity.

Interested participants for this committee should have knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Passion for advancing the field of rheumatology
• Interest in health disparities, health equity, and knowledge or experience of living and/or working with medically underserved populations
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, while being able to be an active listener
• Ability to be a skilled team player by being collaborative, flexible, adaptive, and inclusive to all
• Ability to constantly act professionally with integrity, confidentiality, sound judgment, and emotional intelligence