ISHIB Insider

President's Corner

John M. Flack, MD, MPH

After nearly a decade of service to ISHIB, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kermit Payne has resigned effective March 14, 2003. We owe Mr. Payne tremendous gratitude for his long service to the organization. Please join me in wishing Mr. Payne all the best as he undertakes new challenges in his post-ISHIB professional life. He has certainly left his mark on ISHIB.

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher T. Fitzpatrick, the current ISHIB Director of Marketing and Development, has accepted the position of interim Chief Executive Officer. We have every confidence in the leadership abilities and strategic perceptiveness that Mr. Fitzpatrick brings to the position.

We are entering uncharted waters as an organization. Amidst turbulence in the waters are tantalizing opportunities disguised as menacing whitecaps. As we make this transition, I ask that each and every member of the ISHIB family extend encouragement and offer support to Mr. Fitzpatrick as well as the entire ISHIB staff. We are truly fortunate to have an outstanding staff that is dedicated to the principles and ideals that ISHIB represents.

Over the next few weeks, I will convene a search committee to begin the task of identifying outstanding candidates for the permanent position of ISHIB Chief Executive Officer. However, I fully believe that we are in very capable hands in the interim.

ISHIB, in conjunction with the nation's leading medical experts, has developed the first-ever guidelines for treating high blood pressure in African Americans. The recommendations, "Management of High Blood Pressure in African Americans" were published in the March 10 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine. The guidelines urge health care providers to manage high blood pressure in Blacks in 3 important new ways:

Many African Americans will need to begin antihypertensive therapy as combination therapy in order to successfully lower their blood pressure.
A lower blood pressure goal of 130/80 mm Hg is recommended for African Americans with comorbid conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes.
African Americans with diabetes should receive medications that have been shown to slow the progression of kidney disease, such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, as part of their combination therapy.

For a copy of the full news release surrounding the publication of these exciting guidelines, click here. For the full text of the paper, visit the Archives of Internal Medicine website.

Ethnicity & Disease is the official journal of ISHIB. Subscribe today.

	Volume 2, Number 3 March 2003
President's Corner John M. Flack, MD, MPH After nearly a decade of service to ISHIB, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kermit Payne has resigned effective March 14, 2003. We owe Mr. Payne tremendous gratitude for his long service to the organization. Please join me in wishing Mr. Payne all the best as he undertakes new challenges in his post-ISHIB professional life. He has certainly left his mark on ISHIB. I am pleased to announce that Mr. Christopher T. Fitzpatrick, the current ISHIB Director of Marketing and Development, has accepted the position of interim Chief Executive Officer. We have every confidence in the leadership abilities and strategic perceptiveness that Mr. Fitzpatrick brings to the position. We are entering uncharted waters as an organization. Amidst turbulence in the waters are tantalizing opportunities disguised as menacing whitecaps. As we make this transition, I ask that each and every member of the ISHIB family extend encouragement and offer support to Mr. Fitzpatrick as well as the entire ISHIB staff. We are truly fortunate to have an outstanding staff that is dedicated to the principles and ideals that ISHIB represents. Over the next few weeks, I will convene a search committee to begin the task of identifying outstanding candidates for the permanent position of ISHIB Chief Executive Officer. However, I fully believe that we are in very capable hands in the interim.	ISHIB Links About ISHIB Programs Information for Patients Information for Healthcare Professionals Research To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a blank email to insider@ishib.org.
Landmark Guidelines Raise Bar for Treating Blacks with Hypertension ISHIB, in conjunction with the nation's leading medical experts, has developed the first-ever guidelines for treating high blood pressure in African Americans. The recommendations, "Management of High Blood Pressure in African Americans" were published in the March 10 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine. The guidelines urge health care providers to manage high blood pressure in Blacks in 3 important new ways: Many African Americans will need to begin antihypertensive therapy as combination therapy in order to successfully lower their blood pressure. A lower blood pressure goal of 130/80 mm Hg is recommended for African Americans with comorbid conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. African Americans with diabetes should receive medications that have been shown to slow the progression of kidney disease, such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, as part of their combination therapy. For a copy of the full news release surrounding the publication of these exciting guidelines, click here. For the full text of the paper, visit the Archives of Internal Medicine website.	Ethnicity & Disease is the official journal of ISHIB. Subscribe today.
Kermit Guion Payne: Organizer, Planner, Doer, Visionary C. Alicia Georges, EdD, RN ISHIB Board of Trustees Dedicated to the cause of reducing hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases in all populations around the world, Kermit Payne devoted the last 9 years of his professional career to being the Chief Executive Officer of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks. Mr. Payne is renown in the association management field. He has served on a number of committees of the American Society of Association Executives, bringing his forthrightness and visionary approach to this organization and others, such as the American Heart Association, Rebecca Lee Society of Women in Medicine, Leonidas Berry Society on Digestive Diseases, and AIDS advocacy groups. Mr. Payne brought passion and a view of inclusiveness to his position. He fostered the interdisciplinary approach to health solutions by encouraging participation of all levels of health care professionals. He quickly gained the respect of all who have worked with him in the numerous projects done by ISHIB. The physicians, nurses, dietitians, social workers, pharmaceutical executives, and policy makers knew that his primary commitment was always to see the mission and goals of ISHIB fulfilled. We know that he has decided to move on, but the work that he has done speaks for his commitment to the organization and its goals.
WHL Art Competition The World Hypertension League (WHL) is sponsoring an international art competition to promote community awareness of hypertension and obesity through art. The competition will help educate the public about the risk factors, consequences, and need for prevention, detection, and management of high blood pressure and obesity. The competition will be carried out in 2 phases: a national competition within each country represented by WHL membership, and an international competition of the top 3 selections from each national competition. The winner of the international competition will be announced August 15, 2003; winners will receive a monetary prize and be featured in the WHL Newsletter. Deadline for submissions is June 15, 2003. Complete instructions may be found at www.mco.edu/whl; questions on the art competition may be directed to whlsec@mco.edu.	Prescriptions for Health show topics for February: 3/12: Making the Most of Your Doctor's Visit 3/19: Overweight Children 3/26: General Skin Care 4/2: The Asthma Epidemic Tune in to WCLK - 91.9 FM in Atlanta Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. www.wclk.com
Nursing Shortage - a Public Health Crisis The National Black Nurses Foundation (NBNF) convened its second Gloria Smith Summit on Nursing Care in Washington, D.C. February 5-7, 2003. Held during the annual NBNF Legislative Day on Capitol Hill, various luminaries discussed the significance of the nurse shortage and its effect on the provision of health care in this country. Dr. C. Alicia Georges, Secretary-Treasurer of ISHIB and Chairperson of NBNF, convened the Gloria Smith Summit. Dr. Smith, retired from the Kellogg Foundation, spoke to the advisory committee and provided the keynote for the working group. This meeting is the second in a series of three convened to provide recommendations on methods to address the nurse shortage.
Member Spotlight: C. Venkata S. Ram, MD C. Venkata S. Ram, MD, MACP, FACC is an internationally respected expert on the treatment of hypertension, with more than 220 publications on the subject. For more than 2 decades, Dr. Ram's work has explored the mechanisms of action of various antihypertensive drugs. In addition to expertise in clinical research and medical practice, Dr. Ram is considered a uniquely skilled communicator of scientific advances and is a highly sought-after public and professional speaker in the field. Not long ago, Dr. Ram was inducted as the youngest Master of the American College of Physicians for his lifelong contributions to the principles and practice of medicine and for being a superb role model for the medical profession. Dr. Ram has been a valued member of ISHIB since 1988, Dr. Ram was appointed to the ISHIB Board of Trustees in 2001, and will serve as the scientific co-chair for ISHIB2004. ISHIB congratulates Dr. Ram on his efforts toward eliminating health disparities in ethnic populations. His accomplishments are an inspiration to ISHIB members, practitioners, and researchers working to improve the health and life expectancy of all populations.	C. Venkata S. Ram, MD, MACP, FACC; Medical Director, Texas Blood Pressure Institute; Director of Medical Education and Research, Dallas Nephrology Associates; Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
ISHIB is pleased to welcome the following new members: Satya Ahuja, MD; Chicago, Ill. - Theresa Antoine; Atlanta, Ga - Daniel Baugh, MD; Nashville, Tenn. - Leslie Bayne, MD; Montreal, Quebec - Harold Daniel, PhD; Washington, D.C. - Lark Galloway-Gilliam, MPA; Los Angeles, Calif. - Darlene Jenkins, MPH, DrPH, RD; Sarasota, Fla. - Wasique Mirza, MD; Clarks Summit, Pa. - Andre Neita; Buffalo, N.Y. - Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, MS; New York, N.Y. - Ellen Pinkrah; Orange, N.J. - Orwilda Pitts, LVN; Los Angeles, Calif. - Daniel Sarpong, PhD; Jackson, Miss. - Akwasi Yeboah, PharmD; Stone Mountain, Ga.