Community Collaboration: Working Together to Improve Clinical Care

Mike Fischer, MD, MS, Director of NaRCAD | January 2017 Director's Letter

​Tags: Conference, Director's Letter, Training

Growth. Support. Engagement. These words characterized 2016 for NaRCAD, and have us planning for an exciting 2017.  In 2016, we had our most successful and impactful year to date. Our community has grown to over 1000 national and international supporters of clinical outreach education.

​​At #NaRCAD2016, our 4th annual conference on academic detailing, the agenda reflected what’s happening in the field, composed largely of ideas and presentations submitted by you, the members of our network. Keep your eyes open for our Call for Presentations on our NaRCAD Conference Series page— #NaRCAD2017 will be held here in Boston on November 6th & 7th, 2017 and applications for presentations will be accepted starting March 1st.

After this past year’s success, we’re even more committed to providing customized support to individuals, groups, and large organizations working on clinical outreach education.

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In addition to our core training sessions in Boston (our next session is March 30th & 31st), we’re continuing to offer on-site topic-specific trainings, customized workshops, and special educational sessions on the principles and practice of AD.

In addition to providing direct support, we’ve been excited to successfully connect people and programs with each other, allowing for the exchange of ideas and best practices among both national and international experts. We’re proud of our ability to meet our partners where they are, whether they’re starting, expanding, or adapting AD interventions, and this year, we’re looking forward to supporting and improving your work.

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We started this process by sending you our first annual community survey in December, and we thank our many members who responded. (You can still weigh in if you have thoughts, although our raffle is over!) We’ve listened to your insightful suggestions, and we’re already taking action to support your needs.

​This year, we’ll be launching the new COrE (Clinical Outreach Education) Series, exploring AD program development, specific clinical content, and other topics you’ve suggested. Featuring AD experts,  the NaRCAD team, and using both interview and live webinar formats, the COrE Series is a great opportunity for advanced learning, support, and collaboration. Stay tuned for more information!

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We’ll also be increasing engagement opportunities via our Partner Network; we’ll be reaching out individually to learn more about your current work, and we’ll offer an interactive site where you can make your own partner connections with experts working on similar topics. As we grow even more in the coming year, your ideas and reflections remain invaluable.

​You don’t have to wait for us to contact you! We invite you to be in touch with our team and tell us more about your program—what challenges you’ve faced, what successes you’ve experienced, best practices you’d like to share, programs you’d like to know more about, and the resources you need to help you succeed.
-Mike

Biography. Michael Fischer, MD, MS, NaRCAD Director
Dr. Fischer is a general internist, pharmacoepidemiologist, and health services researcher. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard and a clinically active primary care physician and educator at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. With extensive experience in designing and evaluating interventions to improve medication use, he has published numerous studies demonstrating potential gains from improved prescribing. Read more.

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