Advisory Board

Purpose

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide strategic guidance to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the NCPA’s activities. The members serve as advisors to the NCPA and assist with supporting and defining the appropriate future programmatic direction of the NCPA. Guided by its Advisory Committee, the NCPA will operate a clearinghouse for information dissemination, a technical assistance and training unit, and a data and evaluation unit to provide national leadership to the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureauon improving access to comprehensive, coordinated health care for children and youth with epilepsy in rural and medically underserved areas.

Members
The Advisory Committee has 14 members. The committee will represent the diversity of the target audience and the targeted geographic areas. At a minimum, the committee

includes at least two parents of children with epilepsy, one youth, one PCP, one RN, one Pediatric Neurologist, one Title V Director, one member from the Epilepsy Foundation’s Hispanic Council, one affiliate expert from Phase I, one representative from CDC, one representative each from Family Voices and Medical Home, one representative from NICHQ, and the HRSA Project officer.

The NCPA Advisory Committee members include:

• Paul Levisohn, MD, Pediatric Neurologist, Chairperson
• Javier Aceves, MD, Primary Care Provider
• Jennifer Bertram, Parent Partner
• Christy Blakley, National Organization Partner
• Liza Gundell, Epilepsy Foundation Affiliate Partner
• Dale Hesdorffer, PhD, Epidemiologist
• Charlie Homer, PhD, National Organization Partner
• Lynda Honberg, Federal Project Director
• Ernestine Jackson, Parent Partner
• Jamie Laurie, Youth Member
• Deanna McPherson, Federal Project Officer
• Chuck Onufer, Primary Care Provider
• Patricia Price, Federal Partner
• Blanca Vazquez, Primary Care Provider
  
  

  Roles and Responsibilities
  The Advisory Committee will address issues or areas of interest for the NCPA in a time-sensitive, product-driven manner. Members work with the NCPA staff to guide the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the NCPA’s activities. The specific roles and responsibilities of the committee members include some or all of the following:

• Serve on the Advisory Committee for the three year period of PhaseII of Project Access.

• Work with the NCPA staff to plan, implement, and evaluate NCPA activities in completing the deliverables outlined for NCPA.

• Participate in an initial face-to-face meeting at the beginning of each project year to review progress and provide feedback regarding the previous project year, and begin planning for the new project year.

• Collaborate in developing a work plan at the beginning of each project year to address the information gaps revealed in the grantees’ needs assessment surveys.

• Participate in an Advisory Committee conference call once every year to discuss challenges and progress, planning and coordination of activities, partnership opportunities, and communication/outreach with internal and external stakeholders.

• Review issues referred to the committee and provide recommendations.

• Conduct presentations at relevant national conferences on behalf of the NCPA to promote the work and products of Project Access.

• Serve as a spokesperson for interviews and media outreach.Promote the mission of NCPA and the work of the committee.

• Recommend topics for policy briefs, issue papers, fact sheets, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Review draft white papers and make recommendations.

• Contribute to NCPA publications to educate health care professionals and the general public about the work being conducted and findings of Project Access. Review and provide feedback on the development and distribution of educational materials reflective of the target population.

• Collaborate in developing an evaluation plan for the NCPA. Define baseline information and outcome measures.