The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) is focused on success and stepping boldly into the future. AAWC held a Town Hall live webinar on Thursday, September 5th at 7:30 p.m., eastern time, led by AAWC’s Chief Executive Officer, Victoria E. Elliott, RPh, MBA, CAE. This interactive Town Hall provided a review of the association’s 2019 accomplishments, and a preview into the upcoming initiatives that will enable AAWC to reach its full potential as the leading voice in wound care.
Over the course of an hour, Victoria revealed new meeting opportunities, research initiatives, plans for a robust public policy agenda, and a new program to be launched this fall. Lead by AAWC’s core strategic pillars: Education, Public Policy, Infrastructure, and Research, Victoria discussed how each pillar will be strengthened moving forward.
Last fall, AAWC members indicated they desired more initiatives in education, impact on legislation, research to improve the patient care, and an increased AAWC presence. Victoria spoke to the programs and opportunities that will fulfill the needs of our association’s members.
In terms of education, AAWC offers a monthly Journal Club and regional educational programming. This year, AAWC offered a Pressure Ulcer Summit, two Wound Infection Summits, and has scheduled a Lower Extremity Summit that will take place November 2-3, in Sacramento, California. Looking ahead, AAWC will host its 3rd Annual Pressure Ulcer Summit tentatively scheduled for early February, introduce new Summits in 2020, have new journal club offerings, and provide more online professional development opportunities.
AAWC members received additional educational benefits this year, including:
• A complimentary copy of the WoundSourceTM 2019 publication
• Member-only access to Trip Database, an online clinical search engine
• The opportunity for cross-certification in wound care through an ABWH certification conferment
The association is also involved in an international capacity as well. This year, AAWC had its first-ever exhibit booth at the European Wound Management Association’s annual meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden. AAWC is also a supporting society of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies and will be supplementing next year’s WUWHS conference in Abu Dhabi with a panel of AAWC wound care experts and a pre-conference workshop.
AAWC is passionate about its public policy pillar. In 2019 AAWC meet with former representative Jack Kingston, and his staff at Squire Patton Boggs, to discuss how to leverage its position in the wound care arena and mobilize a public policy agenda, especially as it relates to pressure ulcers. Additionally, President-Elect Ruth Bryant met with a number of House and Senate offices to educate lawmakers on the need for increased prevention of pressure ulcers for our nation’s veterans. As a commitment to making meaningful change, AAWC continues to be an active member of the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders.
This year, AAWC has strengthened its infrastructure by partnering with MCI USA. The new management partner brings over 30 years of experience to AAWC with expertise in the medical sector. MCI USA will assist AAWC staff and leadership in efforts to improve member engagement, expand educational initiatives, and strengthen AAWC’s position as the premier voice for wound care professionals. AAWC has also redesigned the board-approved nominations process, yielding numerous new candidates for the 2020 Board of Directors. Elections are scheduled to open on Monday, October 14, 2019.
As science and technology rapidly evolve, AAWC is committed to investing in research initiatives that will benefit members. AAWC is working to create a research agenda based on identified gaps in summits, a toolkit for developing a clinical question, a three-part education series on research project development and a task force to solidify a global common data set. Research work will also continue on the development of the Pressure Ulcer Description Tool.
Towards the conclusion of the meeting, Victoria announced plans for a new membership recognition opportunity: the AAWC Fellowship Program. This unique designation will be of great value for AAWC members where credentialing holds specific importance in career work.
AAWC’s future is brighter than ever before. The Town Hall confirms that plans are set in motion to have a strong finish to 2019 and an even brighter beginning to 2020. An AAWC membership holds incredible power, value, and commitment to outstanding patient care and best practices in the wound care space. The coming months and years are only the beginning of the incredible difference AAWC will make as the premiere voice of wound care.
AAWC members can access the full September 11, 2019, Virtual Town Hall recording by clicking here.