Neuro-oncologist encourages colleagues to make time for advocacy work
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Key takeaways:
- When like-minded oncologists band together, collaboration creates change that affects patients across the country.
- Many ways to get involved in advocacy work don’t involve going to Capitol Hill.
Ashley Sumrall, MD, FACP, has had a passion for fighting for patients outside of the exam room for as long as she can remember.
That passion has guided her to advocate for patients with cancer not only locally in North Carolina, but has taken her to Washington, D.C., to speak with senators and representatives on Capitol Hill.
“I first took a leap into advocacy work while pregnant with my first child,” Sumrall, section chief of neuro-oncology at Levine Cancer Institute, associate professor of medicine for the internal medicine residency program and the hematology/oncology fellowship program at Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center, as well as a Healio Women in Oncology Peer Perspective board member, said during an interview. “In residency, I ran for office in my state’s medical organization. On the way to the annual conference where the election was being held, I went into preterm labor and was hospitalized — but I won.”
Years later, Sumrall got involved in advocacy work for ASCO, which she credits in strengthening her passion for advocacy.
“When I became more involved with ASCO several years ago, they provided outstanding training and support that made me feel more empowered,” she said. “The team from ASCO equips individuals to feel more confident — a big part of advocacy is knowing what you are getting yourself into and then feeling confident enough to go out and share your story.”
Health care in America
It is no secret that health care in America faces many obstacles, according to Sumrall.
“As oncologists, we are dealing with obstacles on a daily basis, including prior authorization paperwork for health insurance, and other barriers to care that are outside of the exam room,” she said. “It only takes a small amount of experience in trying to prescribe a medicine for someone who can’t receive it either due to insurance or supply issues for us to advocate for it.”
Sumrall said when like-minded oncologists band together, collaboration creates change that can positively affect patients across the country.
“In turn, while collaborating with each other on this work, it can fight burnout because we bond with our colleagues through this work that we are doing together,” she said. “We have a tangible goal. We may not achieve everything that we want to achieve, but if we get one or two of our ‘asks,’ it feels wonderful. It is another way to encourage us to stay the course and keep working toward our goal.”
One way oncologists can advocate together is through ASCO ACT Network, which provides an online “advocacy toolkit” and hosts an advocacy summit in May where oncologists and patient advocates meet with leaders on Capitol Hill.
“There are also grassroots advocacy groups where individuals can meet up with their local senators or representatives,” she said. “Going in person to speak with them or with their legislative aides allows you to form relationships with them, which can be very helpful.”
Sumrall is also involved in ASCO’s Government Relations Committee.
“One of the fun ways to become more involved in ASCO is to participate in some of the committees,” she said. “We get to learn more about the business and policy side of medicine. We are going to continue to see government influence health care for years to come, so I encourage others to educate themselves about it.”
The AMA has an advocacy day and offers other initiatives as well.
“I recently became involved with the AMA and participated in the House of Delegates in June. It was my first time to attend this meeting. It was interesting to learn about the parliamentary procedure used to conduct business. This was a very different process from what I am used to,” Sumrall said. “We create and vote on policies that impact patients with cancer and other conditions. It is something that I’m really looking forward to participating in more in the future.”
Addressing misconceptions
Sumrall said certain misconceptions about advocacy work sometimes prevent others from getting involved.
“One of the most common misconceptions I hear from colleagues is that they don’t have the time to do these things, but I encourage them to make the time,” she said. “If you want to get involved at the state level, that could include making phone calls, sending letters or perhaps taking an afternoon off for advocacy work, which can all directly impact the care in your state — it’s that easy.”
There are also many ways to get involved in advocacy work that do not involve going to Capitol Hill, Sumrall continued.
“Many times, people will pigeonhole advocacy as being involved in federal policy or physically traveling to Washington, D.C., but there are state-level initiatives to get involved in, which is how I started. There are organizational initiatives to get involved in and there are opportunities to get involved with national groups such as ASCO or ASH. Advocacy work can come in many different shapes and forms,” she said. “To get involved on a more national level, the time commitment is minimal for most of these projects. For example, you can choose to send emails from home or make phone calls or go in person with a group. You can certainly carve out time to do it if it feels important to you.”
Another misconception is that advocacy work does not make a difference, according to Sumrall.
“Most people find that once they involve themselves in advocacy work, there are tangible results that encourage them to keep going. Individuals tend to ask why they would even get involved if nothing is going to happen, but we do change things,” she said. “If you really care about your patients, you will do this for them. While that may come off as harsh, the hours that we spend in the office working on paperwork with prior authorizations, on the phone doing peer to peer reviews, and doing different things to ensure that our patients receive excellent care, we can also direct toward proactively fighting for our patients.”
For more information:
Ashley Sumrall, MD, FACP, can be reached at ashley.sumrall@atriumhealth.org.
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