Alopecia All-Stars a Success!

Ron and Allyson Saca raised over $28,000 in their 100 Holes of Golf challenge.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in our Alopecia All-Star awareness and fundraising campaign.  We received more community videos than during any previous Alopecia Areata Awareness Month!  We love hearing your stories.  Check out all the videos at the link above.

September may have ended, but the Alopecia All-Star fundraising and donations continue!!  To date more than $177,500 has been raised because of your hard work! We wish to extend congratulations to Ron and Allyson Saca who held this month’s most successful fundraiser, their 100 Holes of Golf challenge, which raised over $28,000!

It is not too late to send a reminder to friends and family letting them know they can still donate.  Most people need at least 3 reminders before they give!  People give to people, but they need to be asked and reminded – now is the time!.

If your company has a matching gift program don’t forget to submit your personal donation for a match.   

Exciting Treatment Development News

Movement continues towards the development and approval of new treatments for alopecia areata! Two of NAAF’s Industry Partners, Pfizer and Concert Pharmaceuticals, made significant announcements in September.

Pfizer announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its filing for a New Drug Application for ritlecitinib for the treatment of alopecia areata in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older. A decision from the FDA is expected in the second quarter of 2023. If approved, ritlecitinib would be the first approved treatment for patients aged 12 to under 18.  You can read Pfizer’s announcement here. 

Also in September, Concert Pharmaceuticals announced positive data from a Phase 3 trial of its investigational medication, CTP-543, in alopecia areata. Concert’s findings were reported at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Milan, Italy. In the clinical trial, patients treated with Concert’s drug achieved significant hair regrowth compared to patients treated with a placebo. According to their press release, Concert plans to file a New Drug Application with the FDA in the first half of 2023. Read Concert’s press release here. 
  

New Research Funding Opportunity from
NAAF and PeDRA

NAAF is proud to be collaborating with the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) on a new grant opportunity for research explorations focused on pediatric alopecia areata (AA). The 2022 Pediatric Alopecia Areata Challenge Grant will award up to $50,000 to stimulate scientists to establish or sustain research programs focused on pediatric AA and advance novel insights into pediatric AA. Investigators with innovative research ideas are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2022.  View the RFP and application here.  

2022 Travel Grant Applications Now Open

With the return of in person conferences, NAAF is pleased to announce that applications for Travel Grants have reopened. Travel Grants help early career researchers cover the cost of attending a scientific conference or meeting to present research related to alopecia areata. Travel Grants are awarded on a rolling basis.  To learn more and download an application, visit www.naaf.org/grants.

Interested in email updates on Grants from NAAF?   Add your email address to our grants interest list to receive announcements. Send your name and email address to Lisa Anderson at lisa@naaf.org.

New Webinar:  Pediatric Alopecia Areata
 Treatment Options for Children

NAAF is hosting its next live webinar, Pediatric Alopecia Areata: Treatment Options for Children on Wednesday, October 12th at 7:00pm ET/ 6:00pm CT/ 4:00pm PT.

Join pediatric dermatologist Brittany Craiglow, MD, for a presentation on alopecia areata in children, including current treatment options and navigating treatment conversations with healthcare providers. Dr. Craiglow is Associate Professor Adjunct – Dermatology, at Yale School of Medicine. Register today!

This webinar is part of NAAF’s You Are Not Alone, Education and Empowerment Webinar Series, supported by Eli Lilly and Company.

NAAF Advocates Return to Capitol Hill

After 3 long years, NAAF’s patient advocates, better known as the Legislative Liaisons and Legislative Mentors, were at last able to return for in-person meetings with the offices of their congressional representatives and senators in Washington, DC.  On September 21, eight patient advocates met with the offices of 15 lawmakers on The Hill.  In addition, NAAF advocates participated in a day of meetings with lawmakers as part of the American Academy of Dermatology Association’s legislative conference.  Finally, NAAF advocates attended legislative meetings as they participated in the Coalition of Skin Diseases’ first annual Hill Day.  That’s three days of advocating for the alopecia areata community in just one week.  We couldn’t ask for a better return to The Hill, and plan on coming back even bigger and better in 2023!    

To learn more about NAAF’s legislative advocacy programs, please contact Gary Sherwood at gary@naaf.org.   

Back to School Support

Now that school is in session, bullying may be one of your concerns, especially since kids with alopecia areata are frequent targets of bullying. But you are not alone! NAAF has created a free education and empowerment webinar series to help our community members navigate life with alopecia areata, and one of our most important webinars is about bullying and how to stand up to it safely.

Subscribe to our National Alopecia Areata Foundation YouTube channel, to find this particular webinar, along with many more! 

Laura Maciag Joins NAAF Staff

We are pleased to announce that Laura Maciag has accepted a position as NAAF’s new Chief Operating Officer.  Laura comes to us after serving 18 years in a variety of capacities at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), most recently as National Director, Chapter Operations.  Prior to working at JDRF, Laura was Director of Regional Development for Case Western Reserve University and Manager of Corporate Support for the Cleveland Orchestra.  Laura holds a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Organizations from Case Western Reserve, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Miami University.  She makes her home in Charlotte, North Carolina.