Peter J. Lindbloom, PA-C, MPAS, RDMS, FCCM

In January, during the 34th annual Convocation of Fellows, held in San Francisco, PA Lindbloom was accepted as a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine. The American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) honors individuals whose achievements and contributions demonstrate personal commitment to critical care excellence. Fellow of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) is a prestigious credential that demonstrates personal commitment to critical care excellence.

ACCM is committed to fostering the highest goals of multi-professional critical care, honoring individuals whose achievements and contributions demonstrate personal commitment to these goals, promoting a forum for the development of collaborative practice among the specialties and professions providing critical care, and providing SCCM with a consultative body possessing recognized expertise in the practice of critical care.

MAPA Congratulates Becky Ness on her appointment to NKF Advisory Board

Becky Ness, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, FNKF was recently appointed to National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Her term of service is January 2023 thru December 2024.

The NKF Scientific Advisory Board is composed of leaders from multiple disciplines from within NKFs major medial initiatives. Chaired by the NKF president the SAB is responsible for directing, and advocating for, NKFs major medical programs. Responsibilities include:

• Contributing ideas for new projects with an emphasis on patient-centered outcomes
• Making connections with other experts, societies, government agencies and potential founders as needed
• Reviewing and approving documents and educational material submitted/created by NKF staff and volunteers to assure accuracy and validity along with a non-biased nature of the content.
• Consulting with NKF leadership on NKF research programs and policies
• Providing input/advice on current NKF professional education activities

Currently the SAB is working on a guidance document for CKD aimed at improving equity in CKD. This is being done in collaboration with the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Health Equity and Access Division along with a transplant for all initiative and working closely with the legislative affairs team from NKF on advancing kidney related legislation especially that focused on living donors.

PA Ness will conclude her two-year term as Chair of the Advanced Practice Council of the NKF in April and will serve as Immediate Past Chair thru spring of 2025.

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Increasing Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases Among Refugees and Migrants Was Presented Virtually via Zoom on March 8, 2023

Organized by the Health and Migration Program and the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at the World Health Organization and a variety of partners, the webinar was designed to

• shed light on the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among refugees and migrants
• discuss major risk factors
• present the findings of the first WHO World report on the health of refugees and migrants
• showcase positive examples from various countries in tackling NCDs among refugee and migrant populations.

NCDs constitute the major burden of disease for all populations, including refugees and migrants. The increasing prevalence of NCDs in refugees and migrants is associated with a range of social and environmental factors, new lifestyles, and the impact of behavioral determinants such as use of tobacco and alcohol, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, ageing, social exclusion, low levels of health literacy and limited access to health care.

Sex and gender are often an important determinant of NCDs. To mark International Women’s Day, specific challenges that some NCDs pose for women refugees and migrants was presented by Brittany Strelow, DMSc, P.A.-C., MS, and Danielle O’Laughlin, PA-C, MS from the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences and Community Internal Medicine. Their presentation Barriers to cervical cancer screening among immigrants is available to view on the recorded webinar beginning at the one-hour mark.