Philanthropy in Action

• In a continued effort to make health law professions more accessible to all, AHLA hosted our first Masters of Law advisory panel. This is part of AHLA’s strategic effort to understand the content needs of health law professionals who do not have law degrees and learn how we can best support these individuals.
• We were able to open doors, improve skills, and provide resources to over 950 registrants of Health Law Week 2021. The week consisted of programming, networking, and exploring entry points into the industry. All events were free and open to the public—including seven informative sessions, two virtual career fairs, and over eight individual networking events.
• To keep students and young professionals engaged and connected this summer, AHLA co-sponsored American University Washington College of Law’s Summer Speaker Series. This series covered the latest legal developments in health care fraud and abuse, medical device regulation, and digital health and even offered one CLE credit hour for each event in applicable states.

New Statement of Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility

Kerry B. Hoggard, Vice President of Membership

The Association has taken an important step forward in AHLA’s diversity and inclusion journey. As AHLA continues to reflect, plan, and act in a more open, welcoming, and accessible way, the Board of Directors recently approved a new, more comprehensive statement of Commitment that seeks to leverage and celebrate diversity; identify and eliminate barriers to meaningful participation; and actively practice inclusion. These values are critical strategies to ensure that all members can participate equally in the many riches that AHLA offers in its programs, and educational and leadership opportunities. Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility—also known as IDEA—are integral to our self-understanding and embrace of a vibrant health law community. We also acknowledge that AHLA is not just an organization dedicated to educating and connecting the health law community, but also serves as an example to other organizations across the country.

Thank you for your role and contribution in ensuring that AHLA remains an impactful leader in this space. To learn more about AHLA’s efforts, the Association will be holding a virtual town hall meeting this fall. More details will be forthcoming and we hope you will join us. Our goal is to engage stakeholders in the health law community on AHLA’s IDEA action plan, solicit feedback, and review AHLA’s annual report.

I invite you to review our updated statement of statement of Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility and celebrate how you have played a role in AHLA’s growth.

Impact Story: AHLA's Young Professional Council

Established in 2010, the Young Professionals Council (YPC) offers leadership and networking opportunities for young health law professionals, serves the interest of AHLA Young Professional members, and provides guidance on building a community for the next generations of health law professionals through social media, membership, and networking activities.

Lindsay Holmes (Amazon.com, Inc.) has served as Co-Chair and Chair of the YPC, as the Young Professionals Delegate to the AHLA Board of Directors, and most recently, joined the AHLA Development and Advancement Council (DAC). Lindsay shares about how her experience with AHLA has furthered her career and inspired her to serve on this Council:

Lindsay Holmes: My AHLA Story
Young Professional Delegate 2020-21

I’m excited to join AHLA’s integral DAC after experiencing firsthand the impact AHLA can have on a young professional. Since becoming an active AHLA member in 2015, I’ve been honored to serve in several volunteer and leadership roles for the Association. In these positions, I’ve gained invaluable education and resources for my health law practice and countless connections and friendships along the way.

Each year, my colleagues and I look forward to convening for AHLA’s Annual Meeting. And despite being virtual, this year was no different. The Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to catch up with friends that live far away and the space to truly focus on learning. This year’s virtual meeting reminded me just how valuable the relationships I have built through this organization are. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see my colleagues in person, but I still enjoyed watching many of them present in virtual sessions and engage in lively debates using the chat feature. Thought it is not the same, it did make me even more excited to be back in person soon.

From years of membership and servicing in many different roles in AHLA, it has become clear to me that the time and energy you put into AHLA you get back tenfold through unmatched education and camaraderie. The DAC ensures AHLA benefits from a strong, stable, and growing revenue stream to sustain its many programs and initiatives, and it is important to me to further those goals. In joining the DAC, I aim to ensure others have access to the same AHLA resources that I’ve had. Membership in this organization has made me a better healthcare lawyer and through programs like Annual Meeting, I’ve made connections that will last a lifetime. I hope to inspire others to reflect on their own experience within AHLA and use it as motivation to learn more about the Association’s philanthropic goals and give back.

Gifts Anyone Can Afford

• Are you looking for ways to support the causes you care about?
• Are you looking for ways to save on your taxes this year through charitable giving?
• Would you like to avoid capital gains tax on the sale of appreciated assets?
• Are you interested in ideas to help you plan and save for the future?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, a planned gift can help you achieve your goals.

AHLA has partnered with Crescendo Interactive Inc., an industry leader and the largest provider of gift planning resources. AHLA members and their families now have access to a variety of tools and resources to help them achieve their financial and charitable goals. Resources include free estate planning guides, will planners, tax benefit calculators, and more.