FDAAA’s Awareness-Building Work Group Targets Current FDA Employees

by Vanee Komolprasert, Ph.D. and Debra Lewis, O.D.
FDAAA Associate Member Liaisons

Since the founding of the FDAAA, there’s been a keen interest in attracting FDA employees to the organization’s ranks as associate members. While current FDA employees comprise roughly one fourth of FDAAA’s total membership, there are literally thousands more who might benefit from joining. After all, today’s employees are the promise of tomorrow’s FDAAA.

Just as important, having a strong, well-represented associate member component can only help to ensure that FDAAA is faithful to its commitment of service to the FDA. Having “inside” perspective on how and where association members can serve the Agency is an essential part of an FDAAA-FDA dialogue.

Yet enrolling new associates hasn’t been easy. Our organization’s name is often interpreted to mean that membership is open only to alumni. Some current FDA employees wonder how they or the agency can benefit from signing up with FDAAA, especially if they live and work outside the Washington, DC area.

These intersecting interests and difficulties have given rise to the formation of an employee- based work group whose purposes are to: (1) create an awareness that FDA employees are eligible for FDAAA membership; (2) increase participation in FDAAA by current FDA employees in order to leverage their expertise and knowledge; (3) “brand” FDAAA; (4) develop relevant messages for FDA employees; and (5) design and implement a public relations campaign throughout the Agency to encourage membership in FDAAA.

Led by Vanee Komolprasert from CFSAN, the work group has cross-cutting representation: Len Valenti (retired from OC), Erica Keys (also retired from OC), Chingju Sheu (CFSAN), Kimberly Holden (OC), Dano Murphy (CBER), William Allaben (NCTR), Don Marlowe (OC), Bonnie Markovitz (CDRH), Linda Grassie (retired from CVM), Li-Shan Hsieh (CDER), Juan Jimenez (ORA), Gregory Holt (ORA), Abu Khan (CFSAN), Ting Eng Ong (CDER), and Debra Lewis (OC). Thus far, the group has developed campaign strategies that focus on communication channels and employee benefits of joining FDAAA.

Also, FDAAA’s promotional flyer was recast to include five reasons why alumni and employees alike should join FDAAA. This information was “test marketed” at an FDA Diversity Fair in November 2006 as part of an FDAAA display at the event. In December 2006, Kimberly Holden, FDA’s assistant commissioner for management (operations), represented the work group at a monthly meeting of FDA’s leadership to raise their awareness of the group’s efforts and enlist their support. In March 2007, the work group crafted a short welcoming message to foster even stronger working ties between employees and alumni. And, an FDAAA campaign poster has been drafted for the PR campaign due to kick off in spring 2007.

In addition to the work group’s activities, associate members have continued to explore new opportunities for FDA and FDAAA to work together. These include, for example, consultations with associate member liaisons when FDA seeks speakers on an issue or information is needed on specific issues. Associate members also bring forward creative ideas and produce positive results for FDA.

If you’re interested in joining FDAAA as an associate member or serving on the work group, please contact either Vanee Komolprasert at 301-436-1217 or vanee.komolprasert@fda.hhs.gov or Debra Lewis at 301-827-0059 or debra.lewis@fda.hhs.gov.

Work group members (left to right): Bonnie Markovitz, Debra Lewis, Ting Eng Ong and Vanee Komolprasert at the FDAAA luncheon March 9, 2007.	Work group members (left to right): Gregory Holt, Linda Grassie and Erica Keys.