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The Value of Collaboration:
IOM’s Role as a Convener
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has a singular capacity to bring together
various stakeholders to work together on health problems of shared inter-
est. Through both its ongoing roundtables, sometimes called forums, and
through unique partnerships, the IOM shapes the conversation around
health and health care. Partnerships with outside organizations bring com-
plementary strengths and enable the IOM to amplify the size and character
of its audience and the impact of its work. The IOM has pursued a number
of such new opportunities with outside organizations in recent years.
HBO Obesity Project
In association with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the IOM has entered
into an innovative collaboration with HBO Documentary Films aimed at
helping to slow, arrest, and reverse the disturbing trend toward obesity
in our country. The collaboration, titled The Weight of the Nation, is part
of IOM’s continuing commitment to ameliorate the nation’s obesity epi-
demic. The IOM’s work in this area began with the landmark 2005 study,
Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. The expected spring
2012 publication Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention will add to
this considerable body of work. The Weight of the Nation is expected to
generate unprecedented national impact through the production, airing,
and dissemination of five documentary films in 2012, along with com-
panion publications, a video-rich website and social network presence,
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140 INFORMING THE FUTURE: Critical Issues in Health
and the free distribution of 40,000 screening kits to enable communities
to screen the film locally.
The Health Data Initiative
The Health Data Initiative, launched by the IOM and the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) in June 2010, is a public-private collab-
oration that encourages innovators to use health data to help power appli-
cations and services that can improve health and health care. Last year’s
launch, attended by 350 stakeholders, featured new “apps” that demon-
strated highly innovative ways to employ community-level health data to
improve health. This year the IOM and HHS enlarged the program, with
a second meeting held in June 2011. The forum, held at the Natcher Con-
ference Center at the NIH, was attended by more than 550 participants
from information technology firms, healthcare delivery systems, academia,
business, social sectors, public health communities, and all levels of gov-
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, addresses the
Health Data Initiative Forum, June 9, 2011.
SOURCE: The National Academies.
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The Value of Collaboration
ernment. It also was webcast nationally to more than 350 individuals and
viewed by another 250 people at 10 satellite locations. The forum included
an extensive “expo” and highlighted the work of nearly 50 companies and
other organizations as well as the winning apps from the Collegiate Chal-
lenge, a national contest for college students to design a health app.
Forums, roundtables, and symposia
In the role of partner and convener, the IOM serves as a neutral meeting
place where diverse groups of people can come together to share informa-
tion and advance knowledge. Although creating common ground can occur
through formal committees with specific objectives and areas of study, it
often takes place through forums, roundtables, and symposia that provide
opportunities for serendipitous discovery, mutual exchange, and critical,
cross-disciplinary thinking.
The IOM holds symposia, sometimes called summits or workshops,
to foster awareness or focus attention on important issues, or to help
broaden awareness about a recently released IOM report. In July 2010,
for example, the IOM held a 2-day public workshop on emerging research
needs for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (commonly referred to as the WIC Program), in response to a
request from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. In another example,
the IOM assembled thought leaders in October 2010 to examine the critical
needs and gaps in understanding prevention, amelioration, and resolution
of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.
Forums and roundtables offer a different approach, by drawing
together an array of stakeholders interested in a broad area of health sci-
ence or public policy for a long-term, dialogue. Members of forums and
roundtables typically include experts from the scientific and practice com-
munities; leaders from government, academia, and industry; and represen-
tatives of consumer and public interest groups, among others.
These gatherings are intended to illuminate issues through discus-
sion and debate across sectors and institutions rather than to resolve a
particular issue or make specific, actionable recommendations. Bringing
together these individuals can create the shared knowledge, trust, and
understanding necessary to foster progress in the most contentious areas
of health and science policy.
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Food Forum
Since 1993, the Food Forum of the Food and Nutrition Board has engaged
scientists, administrators, and policy makers from academia, government,
industry, and public sectors on an ongoing basis to
discuss problems and issues related to food, food
safety, and regulation, as well as identifying possi-
ble approaches for addressing those problems and
issues. The dialogue established during meetings
deals with emerging issues in the broad areas of food
science, food safety, and nutrition, including tech-
nologies and regulations. Most recently, the forum
has held workshops on diverse issues including the
safety of imported foods and the effect that techno-
logical advances in the food system could have on
obesity.
Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation
The Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation, created in
2005 by the Board on Health Sciences Policy, provides an opportunity for
leaders from government, academia, industry, and
other stakeholder groups to discuss ongoing and
emerging issues in pharmacology. The forum brings
ongoing attention and visibility to important issues
in drug development; explores new approaches for
resolving problem areas; helps define the scope of
the field and thus sets the stage for future policy
action; provides a catalyst for collaboration on top-
ics where there is synergy among potential partners;
and elevates the general understanding of drug dis-
covery, development, and translation among the
research, public policy, and broader communities.
The forum recently has considered a vast array of
issues, ranging from drug regulation and regulatory
decision making to medical countermeasures dur-
ing public health emergencies. In addition, the forum is collaborating with
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the NIH
to develop a series of international meetings on multidrug-resistant tubercu-
losis. Meetings in Russia and South Africa took place in 2010, and a meeting
took place in India in April 2011.
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The Value of Collaboration
Forum on Global Violence Prevention
Violence—for example, child abuse, intimate partner violence, elder abuse,
sexual violence, gang violence, and suicide—is a major public health problem
worldwide. In 2001, violence accounted for 45 mil-
lion disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost, with
low- and middle-income countries bearing the
largest burden. But violence can be prevented. The
IOM’s Forum on Global Violence Prevention, estab-
lished in 2010, works to reduce violence worldwide
by promoting research on both protective and risk
factors and encouraging evidence-based preven-
tion efforts. The forum aims to facilitate dialogue
and exchange by bringing together experts from all
areas of violence prevention, including behavioral
scientists, policy makers, criminal justice profes-
sionals, social service providers, economists, legal
experts, journalists, philanthropists, faith-based
organizations, and corporate social responsibility
officers. Recent workshops have explored the social and economic costs of
violence as well as violence against women and children.
Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for
Catastrophic Events
The Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic
Events, established in 2007, focuses on strengthening the nation’s medical
and public health preparedness for acts of terror-
ism or natural disasters by improving communi-
cation and the coordination of activities among
federal, state, and local government agencies
as well as private-sector groups. Most recently,
the forum held workshops that considered the
2009 H1N1 pandemic vaccination campaign,
examined medical and public health prepared-
ness and response in rural and frontier settings,
and, in a workshop cosponsored with the Forum
on Drug Discovery, Development, and Transla-
tion, discussed methods to improve how medi-
cal countermeasures are developed, tested, and
approved.
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144 INFORMING THE FUTURE: Critical Issues in Health
Forum on Microbial Threats
The Forum on Microbial Threats—formerly called the Forum on Emerging
Infections, which was established in 1996—consid-
ers issues related to the prevention, detection, and
management of infectious diseases. The forum’s
membership includes individuals from a range
of disciplines and organizations in the public and
private sectors, including the public health, medi-
cal, pharmaceutical, veterinarian, plant pathol-
ogy, academic science, agricultural, national secu-
rity, and environmental communities. In recent
years, forum dialogues have illuminated priorities
in infectious disease research and public health
policy; the use of new scientific and policy tools;
and opportunities for more effective collaboration
between the private and the public sectors. Recent
workshops have focused on the science and policy
implications of neglected tropical diseases, the recent emergence of multi-
drug-resistant “superbugs,” and the threat of fungal diseases.
Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders
Established in 2006, the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disor-
ders brings together leaders from private-sector sponsors and users of bio-
medical and clinical research, federal agencies sponsoring and regulating
research, private foundations, the academic community, and public and con-
sumer groups. The forum focuses on building part-
nerships to understand the brain and nervous system
and disorders in their structure and function, as well
as sharing effective clinical prevention and treatment
strategies. The forum concentrates on six main areas:
nervous system disorders, mental illness and addic-
tion, the genetics of nervous system disorders, cog-
nition and behavior, modeling and imaging, and ethi-
cal and social issues. Recent workshops have focused
on a diverse array of topics, including the implica-
tions of recent cutbacks by top pharmaceutical com-
panies in drug development for central nervous sys-
tem disorders, and growth opportunities for the field,
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The Value of Collaboration
including Representative Patrick Kennedy’s “moon shot” effort to increase the
funding and coordination of neuroscience research.
National Cancer Policy Forum
The National Cancer Policy Forum was established in 2005 to succeed
the National Cancer Policy Board, which was formed in 1997. The forum
considers a range of issues in science, clinical medicine, public health, and
public policy relevant to the goals of preventing,
palliating, and curing cancer. Its objectives are to
identify emerging high-priority policy issues in the
nation’s effort to combat cancer and to examine
those issues through convening activities that pro-
mote discussion about potential opportunities for
action. These activities inform stakeholders about
critical policy issues through published reports,
and they often provide input for planning formal
IOM consensus committee studies. The forum has
held recent workshops on patient-centered cancer
treatment planning and on technological advances
in cancer research and care delivery.
Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research,
and Medicine
Established in 1998, the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences,
Research, and Medicine brings together stakeholders from government,
academia, industry, and environmental groups to discuss sensitive and dif-
ficult issues related to environmental health. Since its inception, the round-
table has focused on the state of environmental health science, research
gaps, and policy implications. The roundtable has moved toward an increas-
ingly global perspective in its discussions on nanotechnology, the inter-
relationship between trade and health, and corporate social responsibil-
ity in environmental health. It is currently examining issues of domestic
and international importance such as climate change, sustainable drinking
water, transportation-related energy use, and environmental health decision
making.
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Roundtable on Health Literacy
The Roundtable on Health Literacy was created in 2004, in response to the
IOM report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, which found
that nearly half of all American adults—90 million
people—have difficulty understanding and using
health information. The roundtable’s mission is to
support the evolution of the field of health literacy
by translating research findings to practical strate-
gies that can be implemented. To achieve this mis-
sion, the roundtable brings together leaders from
academia, industry, government, foundations, and
patient and consumer groups who have an inter-
est and role in improving health literacy to dis-
cuss challenges facing health literacy practice and
research, and to identify approaches to promote
health literacy through mechanisms and partner-
ships in both the public and private sectors. Recent
workshops have included a discussion on the Food and Drug Administra-
tion’s Safe Use Initiative as well as a workshop to discuss how research and
information technology can help improve health literacy.
Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the
Elimination of Health Disparities
The Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of
Health Disparities focuses on issues related to the
visibility of racial and ethnic disparities in health and
health care as a national problem, the development
of programs and strategies to reduce disparities, and
the need to encourage new leadership in a variety
of fields. Roundtable members include experts from
the health and social sciences, industry, and the
community. Recent roundtable workshops included
a discussion of the factors that influence life expec-
tancy in the United States and a workshop on the
effects of healthcare reform and the need for a more
diverse healthcare workforce to serve the expected
influx of patients from underserved communities of
color.
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The Value of Collaboration
Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health
The Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health
brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, founda-
tions, and associations who have a mutual interest
in the translation of genomic-based research. The
mission of the roundtable is to advance the field of
genomics and improve the translation of research
findings to health care, education, and policy.
Translating genomic innovations involves many
disciplines, and it takes place within different eco-
nomic, social, and cultural contexts, necessitating
a need for increased communication and under-
standing across these fields. The ramifications of
genomic innovations extend to clinical utility, eco-
nomic implications, equal access, and public per-
spectives. The roundtable fosters dialogue across
sectors and institutions and fosters collaboration
among stakeholders.
Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care
The Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care, established in
2006 as the Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, provides a trusted
venue for national leaders in health care to work
cooperatively toward their common commitment
to effective, innovative health care that consis-
tently adds value to patients and society. Members
include clinicians, patients, healthcare organiza-
tions, employers, manufacturers, insurers, health
information technologists, researchers, and policy
makers. As leaders in their fields, roundtable
members work with their colleagues to identify
and engage the key challenges and opportunities
for achieving better outcomes and greater value
in health care. They then marshal the energy and
resources of their respective sectors to work for
sustained public-private cooperation.
The work of the roundtable is conducted through two types of activ-
ities. The first type is accelerating understanding and progress toward
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148 INFORMING THE FUTURE: Critical Issues in Health
the roundtable’s vision of a learning health system, in which science,
informatics, incentives, and culture are aligned for continuous improve-
ment and innovation—with best practices seamlessly embedded in the
delivery process and new knowledge captured as an integral by-product
of the delivery experience. The second type of activity is the fostering of
cooperative projects through the work of five stakeholder innovation col-
laboratives focused on (1) best clinical practices, (2) communication of
medical evidence, (3) clinical effectiveness research, (4) health information
technology, and (5) incentives for value in health care.
