2 min read December 2021 — Michael Annichine, CEO of Magee-Women’s Research Institute & Foundation, believes that problems for people can’t be solved without people becoming invested and communities participating in the solutions. In an interview with Invest:, he highlighted the recent achievements of the Institute in HIV research, the permanent innovations in fundraising that have been implemented and his positive outlook for the Institute, the Foundation and the Pittsburgh region.
What are Magee’s recent achievements?
We have a few achievements that are on the horizon, with impactful breakthroughs in cancer research that will be game changers, particularly for breast and gynecological cancers. We have a project that we are working on with Rand, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University and the Richard King Mellon Foundation to use Allegheny County as a test case to harness the power of data to combine and deploy medical and community intervention strategies in a precise and personalized way to reduce infant and maternal mortality numbers. These models will not only move the needle locally but can be utilized nationally especially as it relates to Black and Brown communities where mortality and morbidity rates are significantly greater than in white communities.
We are having real success creating impact in these areas, including an increased emphasis on workforce development. We know that healthcare outcomes are improved when patients and care givers share common bonds, so its critical for us to provide a diverse environment where our patients of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations feel welcome. There is a degree of social impact that goes along with being the nation’s largest Research Institute focused on Women’s Health and Reproductive Biology. Our role is to set the standard for the rest of the field.
We have also stopped the spread of HIV by 30% in clinical trials by developing a female-controlled delivery method for HIV drugs (antiretrovirals); these trials included 10,000 women. It provides discreet delivery when condoms are unavailable or in cultures or situations where they can’t be negotiated. It is a vaginal ring or film that can be inserted by the woman, protecting herself against HIV. HIV remains a problem in the United States and around the world because current solutions don’t meet all the needs of those most affected by it. Our goal is to work with communities to develop solutions with them and not for them, so they can easily be deployed with local resources.
How does registration for your events compare between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic levels?
Our attendance is not as robust for various reasons. We’ve had to put measures in place to limit the number of people in the room. We cannot measure the exact ratio between our attendance amid the pandemic and before the pandemic as we have placed restrictions on ourselves that aren’t tied to CDC guidelines. I do believe there is still energy and enthusiasm at each of our events, especially among those who continue to support the causes where we actively work to create change.
What innovations have you utilized to maintain engagement in the community?
We changed our fundraising mechanisms dramatically. Fundraising used to be high-touch and face-to-face but we’ve transferred some of our fundraising operations to digital platforms to deliver our message to a larger audience. We’ve focused more on partner development and channel access to create a one-to-many approach versus a one-on-one approach. We work with many partners who allow us to engage with their workforce and their consumer base to engage the community in a different way. We’ve also created a Talk to a Scientist platform. It’s a pre-recorded Zoom session that covers a series of topics regarding women’s health, which is followed by a live Q&A. This will allow us to scale and create events around topical themes. These will remain a part of our operations as we move forward. We received great feedback that these new mechanisms were positive and helpful. Our donation levels are around the same as they were prior to the pandemic, making 2021 a successful year.
What is your outlook for Magee and Pittsburgh for the near future?
We will experience a great amount of growth in the next several years. We’ve taken the time to prepare for this growth and have actively worked to refine our messaging, ensuring that it resonates with those we need to reach. Our goal is to become a household name. When thinking of women’s health, you should think of us because we’re impacting communities around the globe. The more that we’re able to raise, the more women and children we are able to help, the more communities we can impact and the more lives we can improve.
I would like to see a greater focus on what the regional assets can do for the Pittsburgh community. By utilizing these assets, and creating conversations that the region wants to have, we will all grow together in a meaningful and deliberate manner. At the end of the day, I’m most excited about improving lives. Our research will continue to expand, our innovations will continue to progress, and we will create better outcomes for people both today and for generations to come.
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