Summary Report of 2011 Council Strategy Retreat

On May 29-31, 2011, the IPITA Council gathered together for the purpose of discussing the short-term goals and long-term objectives of the society and to address challenges that the Council has identified as critical to maintaining relevance and success of the society.  We discussed the focused purpose of our society, relationship with TTS, accomplishments of the past year, and work left to be completed.  This gathering also served as our annual Council meeting.

The main purpose of the strategic retreat was to articulate the society’s mission and set the prioritized objectives for the Council’s work agenda for the coming years.  In addition to organizing a biennial scientific congress summarizing the state of the clinical and research activity of pancreas and islet transplantation, IPITA’s overall goal is to advocate for funding and trial support for clinical and basic science research to advance knowledge these fields and to advocate for improved patient access to pancreas and islet transplantation. Our overall mission is:

• To become the main body that represents the international community on whole pancreas and islet transplantation, including on issues related to pancreas donation / allocation and reimbursement for islet transplantation.
• To deliver and diffuse the IPITA scientific and educational mission into the international community and to facilitate the dissemination of new scientific knowledge to its members
• To become the pre-eminent international advocacy group for promoting policies and regulations in support of pancreas and islet transplantation
• To officially represent the fields of whole pancreas and islet transplantation at the highest levels globally
• To facilitate establishing and to endorse policies that increase patient access to pancreas and islet transplantation
• To engage diabetologists/endocrinologists and helping them promote pancreas and islet transplantation as transplant diabetologists
• To bridge the perceived (and at times real) division between whole pancreas and islet transplant communities

To fulfill this mission, the Council desires to increase the membership, especially of young investigators, endocrinologists, and transplant allied personnel. We also aim to undertake activities to enhance industry and foundational sponsorship and philanthropy as well as activities that stimulate opportunities for collaborative research.  The short-term objectives, and the activities Council proposes to undertake to address these goals, are as follows:

Objective: Increase membership by offering value that make it worthwhile to become members, especially activities beyond our biennial congress; Increase the fraction of paying members; Increase number of young investigator members and members from developing countries; Stimulate membership of clinicians, scientists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the fields of beta cell transplantation.

Strategy/Methods:

1. Develop novel formats to Congress to enhance attractiveness
2. Develop additional educational and scientific activities such as webinars, consortia for clinical trials, workshops, courses, e-learning, etc. (i.e. added value between meetings)
3. Develop mechanisms for increasing the fraction of paying members, which might include but not be limited to establishing automatic dues deduction system or other revised dues payment mechanism and by providing and actively promoting added value to members
4. Continue membership drive targeting pancreas transplant surgeons in Europe and US
5. Target diabetologists, healthcare professionals by enlisting regional liaison ambassadors
6. Q2 monthly President’s newsletter
7. Set up membership category for allied healthcare membership- dues, bylaws, etc.
8. Continue to encourage and support young investigators to enter and be productive

in clinical and basic science research in our field.

Objective: Establish a long-term relationship between IPITA and major foundations and/or pharmaceutical sponsors to be able to more consistently and reliably garner sponsorship, and develop enhanced philanthropic support mechanisms

Strategy/Methods:

1. Offering extra-Congress sponsoring opportunities (other educational activities, newsletter, etc...) partnering with pharmaceutical companies and foundations
2. Offer philanthropic opportunities on website and establish senior philanthropy chairperson
3. Engage transplant pioneers in philanthropic support
4. Develop a database (spreadsheet) of pharmaceutical and foundation contacts and actively engage these partners in conversation about IPITA’s mission

Objective: Encourage affiliations between IPITA group members and promote scientific exchanges in order to stimulate innovative, collaborative research and multicenter clinical trials; Develop research partnerships with funding agencies, such as ADA, JDRF, NIDDK, CIHR, MRC, DRWF, DFG-BMBF, EU, IDF, MIUR, etc. and promote research agenda including clinical trial consortia

Strategy/Methods:

1. Engage funding agencies in dialogue on research goals; help develop specific funding opportunity announcements
2. Organize workshops to stimulate development of study consortia and/or multicenter trials
3. Biennial or annual research/critical issues meeting (i.e. other than biennial congress)

Objective: Promote patient access to beta cell replacement therapies for diabetes, including pancreas and islet transplantation and function as the main international advocacy group for promoting policies and regulations in support of pancreas and islet transplantation; Advocate for more funding for clinical islet transplantation; Engage diabetologists/endocrinologists and helping them promote pancreas and islet transplantation as transplant diabetologists

Strategy/Methods:

1)  Provide patient information for website, including lists of active pancreas and islet
transplant centers

1. Gather data and hold workshop on pancreas allocation, utilization and

reimbursement for islet transplant.
3)   Liaise with FDA, UNOS, etc.

1. Enhance exchange of information and dialogue with endocrinologists/diabetologists regarding the current success and status of pancreas and islet transplantation
2. Develop scientific session(s) at biennial congress dealing with some non-transplant related, more general topics of diabetes care, such as monitoring, closed loop systems, artificial pancreas, pumps, etc.

The objectives and strategies put forth in this document represent a distilled compilation of the thoughtful and fruitful discussions contributed to by the entire IPITA Council. IPITA wishes to thank all of the past and present Council members for their hard work and time donated to this endeavor.  This document represents IPITA’s strategic roadmap for the coming years; it also outlines the hard work that lays ahead that we as a Council, with your help as a member, will undertake presently.

It should also be noted that we view this as a working document which can and should be continually reassessed, reprioritized and revised on an ongoing basis. We would certainly welcome any feedback, comments, or suggestions about the objectives and strategies for achieving those goals.  We also welcome your active participation in achieving these goals and objectives. If you should have comments or suggestions, please contact Paul Johnson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Jon Odorico at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .