NSAC Subcommittees

The following subcommittees work in collaboration with staff members of the Foundation’s research department.

Grants Council

Grants Council members include the Council chair and co-chair and the chairs of the Senior Research Awards, Research Fellowship and Career Development Awards, Clinical Research Awards, Ad Hoc Conflict, and Litwin IBD Pioneers grants review committees. The Council discusses and prioritizes all applications that receive a fundable priority score from the review committees and submits the final recommendations for funding to the National Board of Trustees (NBOT) for their approval. Awards are made based on the priority ranking of the application and the availability of funds. The Grants Council is also charged by the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and the NSAC chair from time-to-time to make recommendations on granting policies and procedures for discussion by the NSAC Cabinet.

Senior Research Awards Committee 

The charge of this committee is to review the Senior Research Awards applications submitted semi-annually to the Foundation for funding. The committee includes academic researchers and patient/caregiver stakeholder reviewers. The committee recommends applications for funding to the Grants Council for final prioritization and recommendation to the Foundation’s National Board of Trustees.

Research Fellowship and Career Development Awards Committee 

The charge of this committee is to review Research Fellowship and Career Development Awards applications, submitted semi-annually to the Foundation for funding. The committee also reviews Student Fellowship Awards and other award opportunities relevant to young investigators. Academic researchers and patient/caregiver stakeholders serve as reviewers. The committee recommends applications for funding to the Grants Council for final prioritization and recommendation to the Foundation’s National Board of Trustees.

Clinical Research Awards Committee

The charge of this committee is to review the applications for Senior Research Awards that relate to clinical research, which are submitted annually to the Foundation for funding. The committee includes academic researchers and patient/caregiver stakeholder reviewers. The committee recommends applications for funding to the Grants Council for final prioritization and recommendation to the Foundation’s National Board of Trustees.

Litwin IBD Pioneers

The charge of this committee is to review the Litwin IBD Pioneers applications, submitted semi-annually to the Foundation for funding. Preference is given to high-risk/high-reward proposals with strong potential for clinical applicability in the near future. The committee includes academic researchers and patient/caregiver stakeholder reviewers. The committee recommends applications for funding to the Grants Council for final prioritization and recommendation to the Foundation’s National Board of Trustees.

Ad Hoc Conflict Review Committee 

The charge of this committee is to review all investigator-initiated applications submitted by members of the other review committees or applications submitted by their trainees in order to mitigate against conflict of interest issues. The committee reviews these applications semi-annually following the timeline of the other research review committees. The committee includes academic researchers and patient/caregiver stakeholder reviewers. The committee recommends applications for funding to the Grants Council for final prioritization and recommendation to the Foundation’s National Board of Trustees.

These committees work collaboratively with the Foundation’s staff to support educational initiatives for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

ESA Council 

The NSAC Chair will select the chair and co-chair for the ESA Council. This Council is comprised of the chairs and co-chairs from the NSAC ESA committees. The ESA Council convenes twice-annually and ad hoc as needed to ensure alignment to the strategic plan and to address priority questions raised by Foundation staff and leadership and ESA committees. In addition, the ESA Council reviews and reconciles guidelines and programs that cut across the focus areas (adult, pediatric, and professional, including nursing and advanced practice, education) ensuring consistency of messaging, reducing duplication of effort, and resolving any differences using evidence-based approaches.  

Nurse & Advanced Practice Committee

The Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to identify educational needs for the IBD nursing and advanced practice provider community. The Committee reviews all educational information and programs for these audiences, including IBD nurses, NPs, and PAs. For certain programs, the Committee takes the lead in developing the content for the program.

Professional Education Committee

The Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to identify educational needs for the IBD professional community, with an emphasis on educational programs that highlight the importance of acknowledging the patient voice in decision making and care needs. The Committee reviews all educational information and programs for these audiences. For certain programs, the committee takes the lead in developing the curriculum for the program.

REACH-IBD Committee (Rising Educators Academics and Clinicians Helping IBD)

The REACH-IBD Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to identify educational needs for the physicians and researchers early in their career. The REACH-IBD Committee defines early career as 7-years post training. The Committee takes the lead in developing the content for the program in conjunction with the Foundation. 

Patient Education Committee

The Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to identify the educational needs of adults living with IBD and supports Foundation staff in the development of resources to address those needs through a framework that includes the patient perspective. The Committee reviews all national education content created for this audience.

Pediatric Affairs Committee

The Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to identify the educational needs of children and adolescents living with IBD, as well as their families, and supports Foundation staff in the development of resources to address those needs. Through a framework that includes the patient and parent/caregiver perspective, the Committee reviews all national education content developed for these audiences and supports the Foundation’s efforts related to Camp Oasis. 

Professional engagement committees focus on a number of areas that are critical to increasing diversity and inclusion, guiding advocacy priorities, and furthering our reach and engagement among healthcare professionals.

Diversity & Inclusion Committee (new)

This committee advises the NSAC Chair on issues of diversity and inclusion. The Diversity & Inclusion Committee promotes gender diversity, practice diversity, and ethnic and racial diversity within the makeup of the NSAC and works to create an inclusive environment across the NSAC Cabinet and Committees. The Diversity & Inclusion Committee assists in reporting diversity and inclusion metrics regarding NSAC members, planning the NSAC application and awareness process, and ensuring progress toward the aspirational goal of increasing NSAC diversity to reflect the national IBD population.

Government and Industry Affairs Committee

This committee advises Foundation staff and National Board of Trustees Advocacy Committee on patient advocacy issues including medical research, healthcare access, and the cost of care. The Committee informs the Foundation’s policy position statements and advocacy action items, and supports Foundation outreach to legislatures, government agencies, and third-party payers. In addition, the Committee helps to disseminate information to both lay and professional members regarding advocacy initiatives aimed to improve patient access to care. On occasion, the Committee provides input on industry issues relevant to consumers.

Professional Membership Committee

The Committee works in partnership with Foundation staff to provide strategic direction on the Foundation's professional membership program, including identification of IBD professional resources and benefits to support and expand the membership. The Committee provides input on the professional member e-newsletter, meets as needed to discuss improvements to the membership benefits and engagement tactics, and addresses ad hoc membership issues.