Welcome to DC!
Genetics Day on the Hill 2009 was held on Thursday, July 16 at the Reserve Officers Association (ROA) on Capitol Hill.
The event began at 8:30 AM. Nadine Channaoui (front) was one of four Genetic Alliance interns who guided participants from the conference hotel to the event location.
Registration opens
Group leaders met earlier in the morning for a brief group leader training. Past group leaders shared strategies for success in communicating with Hill offices, and we collaborated on how best to deliver our message. Andria Cornell and Diane Baker from Genetic Alliance led the training.
Prior to the start of the program, participants enjoyed a continental breakfast while catching up with colleagues and meeting their small group members.
Upon registration, Genetics Day participants are placed into small groups based upon geographic region. At breakfast, participants sat in their small groups and reviewed the issues that we would bring to the Hill later in the day.
As participants file in, New York and Massachusetts constituents meet and discuss the plan for the day. Our primary message during Genetics Day included communicating key principles in healthcare reform. NY and MA constituents share their stories and why health reform is important to them.
The primary sponsor for Genetics Day was Shire Human Genetic Therapies. Joff Masukawa, Senior Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, provided a welcome address to start the event.
Sharon Terry, Genetic Alliance President and CEO, welcomes participants and sets the tone for an exciting and action-packed event.
Andria Cornell, Advocacy and Health Policy Coordinator, gives participants a tour of their packets. Let's get started!
We had two Virginia groups at Genetics Day on the Hill--we covered a lot of ground in that state!
Participants get to work, preparing personal stories from their communities to flesh out our principles for health reform. In addition to the collective message on reform, Genetics Day participants selected additional topics to discuss with Congressional offices, including public access, a registry for genetic tests, health information technology, and more.
Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin constituents share their stories and thoughts on reform.
Tennessee, Texas, and Maryland constituents
Pennsylvania constituents collaborate and prepare to leave for their first three appointments with Congressional offices, before returning to the Reserve Officers Association for lunch.
Oregon and Maryland constituents prepare for their upcoming meetings.
Our DC group met with Congressional offices from all over the country. Here, interns from American Society of Human Genetics, FasterCures, and Genetic Alliance, and Lex from CMTC pose outside of the office of Senator Daniel Inouye from Hawaii before going in for their meeting.
Constituents from Utah and Colorado pose outside of a Congressional office after a successful morning meeting.
One of the Oregon constituents met her Representative, Congressman David Wu, during her group's morning visits.
Participants returned to the Reserve Officers Association for lunch and to share their experiences from their first three morning meetings.
Massachusetts constituents reflect upon their morning meetings.
Participants share tips and reflect with the larger group how Congressional staffers have responded to our collective message.
Participants begin to wrap up their conversations and head to their second set of three appointments in the afternoon.
In between visits, group members stop to take in the scenery. Groups moved between the House and Senate sides of Capitol Hill, and along the walk are the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, and many other historical buildings.
Our Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio constituents stop outside of a Senate Office Building for a group photo. We had 18 small groups navigate Capitol Hill on Genetics Day--each with six appointments! And that doesn't include the offices where we dropped off materials...
A member of the Oregon group gets up during a meeting to take a photo of group members during an appointment with a Health LA. Group leaders from the event, as well as Genetic Alliance staff, followed up with all Congressional offices visited during Genetics Day.
The Utah/Colorado group poses for a picture with a Health LA.
At the conclusion of the event, Congressman Patrick Kennedy joined us for our debrief at the Reserve Officers Association to give an update on the healthcare reform process and the role of genetics in the future of health.
One of our summer interns Jackie Malasky guides participants to the US Capitol for our group photo.
Genetics Day participants gather in front of the US Capitol to pose for a group photo.
Genetic Alliance had 10 interns this summer, all of whom played a central role in planning our annual events. Thank you GA interns!
At the end of Genetics Day, over 150 offices heard our collective voice for principles in health reform. We educated Congressional staff members on issues facing the genetics community, engaged in lively discussion, and formed new partnerships with Hill offices. Thank you to all who attended, and we look forward to another productive and action-packed event next year!
