News

On Wednesday, May 27, 2020 ImproveCareNow announced the decision to transition their in-person Fall Community Conference to a Live Online event. The decision was made jointly by the ImproveCareNow Directors and the Community Conference Planning Team, in consideration of the continued uncertain circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The ImproveCareNow Board of Directors has announced that Kristin M. Howe, DC, MHA has accepted the position of Executive Director of ImproveCareNow. Dr. Howe will begin her new position on June 1, 2020 and will be working closely with ImproveCareNow Co-founder and Executive Network Director, Richard Colletti, MD as he prepares to step down later in July.

The ImproveCareNow Board of Directors has announced that Howard Baron, MD, a member and Secretary-Treasurer of the Board, has accepted the additional, newly created position of Transition Director. Dr. Baron will serve for one year, during the transition of a new ImproveCareNow Clinical Director and an ImproveCareNow Executive Director.

The ImproveCareNow Board of Directors announced today that Shehzad Saeed, MD, FAAP, AGAF has accepted the position of Clinical Director of ImproveCareNow. Dr. Saeed will begin his new duties on May 1, 2020, to begin onboarding to the role with ImproveCareNow Co-founder and Executive Network Director, Dr. Richard B. Colletti.

On Friday, March 6, 2020 ImproveCareNow Executive Directors, Dr. Richard Colletti and Dr. Peter Margolis, announced the decision to move the in-person Community Conference scheduled for April 2-4, to a Live Online Community Conference on April 3.

ImproveCareNow has had enormous success since it began 13 years ago, including increasing remission rates for thousands of youth with IBD, transforming how pediatric IBD care is being provided, enlightening and exciting clinicians and other care providers, and engaging patients and parents in a shared purpose and work. We are pleased to share our ImproveCareNow Annual Update, which includes highlights and achievements from 2019 and plans for our continued work to improve health, care and costs for young people with IBD in 2020 and beyond.

ImproveCareNow Co-Founder, Dr. Richard B. Colletti has announced that he will step down from his role as President and Executive Network Director of ImproveCareNow, in June 2020. To facilitate a smooth leadership transition and the continued momentum of ImproveCareNow, a Leadership Search Committee has assembled with representation from all ImproveCareNow stakeholder groups. The Committee has released detailed job descriptions and opened recruitment for a .4 FTE (16 hrs or 2 days/week) ImproveCareNow Clinical Director and a full-time ImproveCareNow Executive Director.  

We believe that many of the most innovative and potentially high-impact ideas for improving pediatric IBD care are likely to come from those living with the condition daily. Because of this, ImproveCareNow has continued to support innovative project ideas through the ImproveCareNow Patient and Parent Innovation Fund. The awardees for year three of this program have now been announced!

On October 21, 2019, the National Academy of Medicine announced the election of 90 regular members and 10 international members. Peter Margolis, MD, PhD, Scientific Director for ImproveCareNow, was among those elected. 

Dr. Margolis is the Co-Director of the James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati. His work encompasses the application and study of quality improvement methods in a broad range of areas including primary and sub-specialty care, communities and public health settings to improve the health outcomes of children, families and communities.

ImproveCareNow has officially endorsed the 2020 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress, a partnership of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).