Patient Outreach & Advocacy (POA) Committee

The Patient Outreach & Advocacy Committee (POA) aims to curate patient-forward and patient-centric IBD content that elevates  disease state education with the goals of

1. Dispelling myths & misinformation
2. Shattering stigma with open forum discussion
3. Garner patient insights to advocate for improved care in coordination with other committees of SAIA.

POA also seeks to improve access to IBD therapies globally by working together with relevant stakeholders.

IBDesis is an integral part of POA.

The committee hosts regular patient education programs on a variety of topics related to IBD. Each program features a collaborative panel of patients & multidisciplinary healthcare providers. The patient education curriculum is designed by the committee’s patient advocates and clinicians.

Learn more about our patient education programs via the buttons below.

In addition to patient education, POA hosts regular virtual patient meetups to enable IBD patients and their caregivers to meet one another, discuss their concerns, and gain much needed support through one another’s IBD journeys.

Improving access to advanced therapies globally is a key goal of SAIA & the POA committee is working towards this. Greater access to IBD therapies opens up more options to treat refractory disease, prevent complications, surgery, morbidity, and mortality. Crucially, this project opens up opportunities for SAIA to work closely with important stakeholders to advance inclusivity in clinical trials in regions with rapidly increasing rates of IBD.