The RESOLVE Report
April 2007
A bi-monthly update from RESOLVE Executive Director, Barbara Collura

Dear Friends:

As you may know, in early April I assumed the role of Executive Director of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. I am thrilled to be leading this organization in such an important time in its history. I look forward to continuing to carry out our mission to provide education, support and advocacy for the millions of American women and men facing infertility as we strengthen our voice, increase our outreach and establish our regional structure.
      Following is a brief summary of our accomplishments during the first quarter of 2007.

Local Support
RESOLVE high-touch events provided outstanding support and unbiased information—key components of the RESOLVE mission—in the following ways:

• 238 support groups. Professional- and peer-led support groups were attended by more than 1,660 women and men struggling with infertility.
• 34 educational events. Workshops, conferences and informational sessions provided more than 600 attendees information on wide-ranging family building topics including adoption, egg and embryo donation, emotional aspects of infertility and others.

To find a RESOLVE support group or event in your area, follow this link.

Public Awareness
RESOLVE headquarters staff, board members and the speaker’s bureau contributed to more than 25 major print and broadcast news stories in the first quarter of 2007. Outlets included: 

• ABC News
• Atlanta Journal & Constitution
• Bloomberg Press
• Los Angeles Times
• New York Daily News
• People Magazine
• Redbook Magazine
• Self Magazine
• Today Show
• US News & World Report
• WebMD
• Working Mother Magazine

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
I recently attended the Friends of NICHD annual meeting where members were briefed on NICHD priorities in the 2008 budget.  In the areas of infertility, a key program in 2008 is research and work on fertility preservation, specifically egg freezing and thawing.  NICHD is proposing a 6.7% increase over the FY2007 budget.

Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR)
I also recently attended the annual CAMR meeting.  CAMR supports the expansion of federally funded embryonic stem cell research.  At the meeting, CAMR members received a legislative update and heard from Story C. Landis, PhD, Director, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke who spoke on the NIH efforts to support stem cell research.  Dr. Landis also chairs the NIH Stem Cell Task Force.  RESOLVE alerted its constituents through our online “Action Alert” system when the Senate was expected to vote on the stem cell bill.

Collaborative for Health and the Environment (CHE)
RESOLVE attended the USCF-CHE Summit which was held January 28-30 on the theme “Environmental Challenges to Reproductive Health and Fertility.” It was attended by more than 400 leading researchers, patient advocates, government officials and health care providers, and co-sponsored by UCSF’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences led by Dr. Linda Giudice, a member of RESOLVE’s Physician Advisory Council and CHE, of which RESOLVE is an active member.
      The conference highlighted the many animal studies and more limited but increasing number of human studies that have revealed measurable impacts of various toxic chemicals found in everyday products like solvents, cleansers, plastics, cosmetics, medications, herbicides and insecticides; heavy metals like lead, mercury and manganese; and cigarette smoke on fetal loss, infertility, semen quality and motility, hormonal alterations and genetic malfunctions.

State Level Advocacy
RESOLVE has been alerted to pending legislation in several states including New Hampshire, Indiana and Maryland where RESOLVE has either posted online Action Alerts, notified constituents in the affected states via email, or advised members in those states on how to respond to the legislation.
      RESOLVE was disappointed that legislation was defeated in New Hampshire that would mandate insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

For more information on state and federal advocacy, follow this link.

I look forward to speaking with and meeting many of you and dialoguing on how together we can continue to meet the growing needs of the infertility community. I welcome your comments and questions, and I thank you for your support of RESOLVE.

Sincerely,

Barb

Barbara Collura
Executive Director
bcollura@resolve.org