Join me (Fionna) and my fellow PAC members, Christian and Shira for our conversation with the hosts of the NASPGHAN podcast, Bowel Sounds, Dr. Temara Hajjat and Dr. Jason Silverman. We discuss what we wish providers knew from the patient perspective and uncover what providers wish patients knew. 

Hello everyone - it's Fionna from the Patient Advisory Council communications team. I'm excited to share that after a bit of a break the PAC is back with an exciting new episode of our imPACt podcast where we chat about a commonly used, but often not discussed, IBD nutritional therapy.

Christian Lawson is a former co-chair of the Patient Advisory Council (PAC) and a current improver and member of the ICN Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Christian was nominated by fellow improver, Lisa Pitch, and was awarded the James A. Stockman Lectureship through The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Foundation. On October 10, 2021, Christian spoke during the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, sharing his experiences as a young Black patient navigating the chronic illness health care system.

Christian is co-chair of the Patient Advisory Council and a young black man living with Crohn's disease. He delivered a powerful #IgniteTalk at our Fall 2020 Live Online Community Conference. Read a written version of Christian’s Ignite Talk below:

Hi, it’s Christian – co-chair of the PAC! I’m really excited to let you know that the PAC is once again offering ICN gear in our online shop. This year, we’ve added some new hoodies and sweaters in gray, black and white. And you’ll find some other fan favorites: t-shirts, coffee mugs, pillows, and more! To get your ICN gear, please visit: https://teespring.com/stores/2020-icn-store

Dear Improvers,

Hi, it’s Christian – co-chair of the PAC! I’m super excited to share that the PAC has selected a design for a new t-shirt, inspired by our work with ImproveCareNow. We call it the "My ICN Home" shirt. The concept for this shirt actually came from Spring 2018 Community Conference, and I can remember flying home after the conference, visualizing a design in my head. Here we are, one year later, and I finally brought that design to life and my fellow PAC members selected it as the design for our 2019 t-shirt! 

I have been part of the PAC since August 2016. Getting started, I never knew that joining the PAC would be so life-changing for me. I never dreamed of being a part of something as innovative as I believe ImproveCareNow is. From my perspective, no other healthcare network has accomplished so much as ImproveCareNow. As a patient, it allows me to boast on those accomplishments, and it motivates me to work harder in doing my part to grow the network. Wait, but what is my role? The patient’s role?

Recently, we completed Social Media Week leading up to the Spring 2018 ImproveCareNow Community Conference. PAC Social Media Week is a time before a Community Conference, when we like to engage ICN members and the IBD Community and generate enthusiasm by sharing a personal and highly-focused series of quotes, pictures and stories. In the past, we’ve addressed questions like "What is your IBD story?" "What or who motivates you to keep on fighting?" and "How do you/or the PAC raise awareness for IBD?" This year we focused on the core values of ImproveCareNow. With the help of PAC members, we were able to compose a post for each day, sharing a core value and what it means to them.

Here are some #ICNCC18S PAC Social Media Week highlights:

As I look ahead to my graduation from high school, I want to reflect on my IBD journey. Join me for a trip down memory lane. In 2008, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Since then I have tried several different medications and treatments; I have been in and out of more doctors’ offices, hospitals rooms, and clinics than I care to count. At one point, I began to believe that Remission would never come for me. My future, free from illness, seemed so far away and unachievable; I felt hopeless.

https://flic.kr/ps/3hiKuq

On January 24, the PAC hosted our first ever Twitter chat. We invited the whole ImproveCareNow community, as well as our Social Media followers to join us for an hour so we could chat about Surgery & IBD. In case you missed it, here are some event highlights.