eNewsletter January 2015

e-Newsletter - January 2015

Advancing the Prevention, Early Diagnosis, and

Treatment of Life-Threatening Blood Clots

The Year Ahead

As 2015 kicks off, NBCA extends its wishes to you for a very happy and healthy New Year. We're looking forward to an exciting year of new projects and new programs. With a renewed emphasis on raising awareness about blood clots, we will implement a number of new initiatives aimed at providing important information to the general public, as well as select groups of people who are at increased risk for life-threatening blood clots.

Chief among these programs in 2015 is a new NBCA public awareness campaign planned as part of our new cooperative agreement or collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program will involve a dynamic online or digital media campaign that will reach millions of people with information about blood clot risks and blood clot signs and symptoms. You can look for this public awareness campaign to roll out this coming March, Blood Clot Awareness Month.

Also, working with the Alexandra L. Rowan Memorial Foundation, NBCA will focus squarely this year on the information needs of young women. We will be unveiling an important new program about blood clot risks and women's health, namely the use of estrogen-based birth control pills, in conjunction with National Women's Health Week in mid May.

As these important activities unfold, NBCA will continue to share important information with you through its website and social media channels. We also are pleased to announce that our newly reformatted e-Newsletter will now be published monthly. If you have feedback that you would like to share with us as these programs unfold, please drop us a line at [email protected].

New Year,

Same Resolutions?

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology says that 45 percent of people in the U.S. usually make New Year's resolutions, but only eight percent achieve success.

If you need some extra motivation to keep yourself on track just several weeks into the New Year, click on the pictures below for information about the blood clots risks associated with smoking and obesity, both of which make it into the top-10 list of resolutions every year.

A Look Back at 2014

In 2014, our volunteer base continued to grow, and with that came our best year yet for volunteer-led fundraising events. There were nine Stop the Clot events across the country last year, each one of them a great success. Our athletes, as always, amazed us with their ability to add fundraising to their already demanding training programs for marathons, triathlons, and other impressive feats of stamina and strength. Golf tournaments, shopping nights, fundraising pages...there is no end to the creativity and drive of the people who support us. Together, they raised more than $200,000 for NBCA, and we are most grateful to them.

Last August, we welcomed our new CEO, Randy Fenninger, who continues to build on the momentum our organization created in the past year. Randy and the NBCA staff remain focused on fostering awareness and engaged patients, while raising the funds needed to meet these commitments to our community.

We look forward to the year ahead, and to working with you to make 2015 another great year for NBCA.

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NBCA Welcomes New MASAB Chair

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael B. Streiff, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, as the new Chair of NBCA's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MASAB), effective January 1, 2015.

Michael B. Streiff, MD, FACP

"I'm honored to serve NBCA in this capacity," Dr. Streiff says, "and to work with the organization's medical and lay leadership to help patients and healthcare professionals alike better recognize the impact of blood clots."

Read more about Dr. Streiff's appointment here.

NBCA extends its appreciation to outgoing Chair, Gary Raskob, PhD, for his past commitment and service to MASAB.

Community Connection

Patient Perspectives.

Against the Odds, Appreciating Life...

Larry Jacquez is a family man whose life has been changed by his 11-year battle with blood clots.

Read his story here.

24 Hours on a Treadmill, #tread24

NBCA Board member and marathoner Eric O'Connor is once again on the run for NBCA, but this time he's out to set some exciting new records as he attempts to #tread24.

Read more about his exciting new fundraising initiative here.

Walk to Stop the Clot Los Angeles

We are excited to announce the second annual Walk to Stop the Clot Los Angeles. Click here for more information, to register or to make a donation. Our thanks to volunteer Alison Sneag for organizing this event again this year.