Eyeworld

18 | EYEWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2019 ASCRS NEWS priorities were met with support, and we hope that this support will translate to action when the time is right. Parag Parekh, MD, chair of the ASCRS Government Relations Committee, described the experience of getting to know your repre- sentatives as a relationship and that the meet- ings that we held were like a first date. These are relationships to cultivate, and I hope to continue to do so through the Fly-In and other advocacy activities in the years to come. Khin Kilgore, MD This year's Fly-In was my first direct engage- ment with the democratic process on the national level as a brand new U.S. citizen. I have found that the legislative process can be a daunting mystery. The legal language is alien, the legal documents are often much longer than a typical scientific article, and there is no handy abstract at the beginning. We read about various policies and issues debated in the news every day, but it can be hard to see how we can affect such a large machine with so many parts. Fortunately, meeting with members of Con- gress and speaking with other physicians who are seasoned advocates helped me get oriented and understand the roles I can play in shaping the process. I learned that we can be as involved as we would like, from telling our members of Congress what is important to us through words, campaign funds, or votes, to running for office. Regardless of our level of involvement, I think it is critical that we make time to learn about the issues salient to our profession, es- pecially if we are still in training or just starting our professional careers, as our paths remain long and malleable. During the Fly-In, we had more autonomy than I had expected to express our thoughts with the members of Congress and their staff, who are much more accessible than I had imag- ined. Though many of us would like both med- icine and policy-making to be evidence-based, anecdotes go a long way to influence practi- tioners in both fields, and I think they are the most important reason for attending the Fly-In. continued from page 17 Contact information Hewitt: suehewitt111@gmail.com Kilgore: khin.kilgore@gmail.com Mamalis: nick.mamalis@hsc.utah.edu Serafano: dserafano@gmail.com Shah: manjool@gmail.com Tipperman: rtipperman@mindspring.com a federal level. While Congress and the federal government don't dictate everything we do as physicians, decisions made at this level have major ramifications on the practice of medicine and access to care. It's never too early to begin to appreciate these relationships and the issues at play. I read up on many of the issues I would be discussing with my Congressional delega- tion from Michigan, but I was surprised by the warmth and sincerity that I was met with when I visited the offices of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Sen. Gary Peters, and Rep. Debbie Dingell. It was incredibly valuable to know that my opinion matters, and that meetings, letters, and phone calls can make a difference. All three meetings were very productive, and I felt that I was not only being heard but that the informa- tion and stories from my practice that I shared with them mattered. The ASCRS legislative Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN, center) meets with Dr. Kilgore (left) and another member of the Alliance of Specialty Medicine. Source (all): ASCRS

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