Social Prescribing USA Co-founder, Dr. Alan Siegel, has transitioned into the new Executive Director for Social Prescribing USA. He will be posting monthly reflections. His first is below:
Director’s Cut
I want to thank everyone for their amazing work around the country and the globe to advance social prescribing. It is a great honor to be leading Social Prescribing USA as we help drive this growth in the U.S. and beyond.
After participating in the CISP conference, we are feeling great enthusiasm for the potential for social prescribing in the United States. As we were told by our successful neighbors ‘down under’ in Australia, we have a lot of levers here that are already in play – the critical work of the surgeon general on loneliness, 40+ pilots going on around the country with results of most of them coming out in the next 2 months, Art Pharmacy’s successful model, especially with its partnerships with Mass Cultural and Stanford, grants from the NEA to NJPAC for its groundbreaking partnership with Horizon Blue Cross, and now Medi-caid being used in more creative ways that support social determinants and ones that honor the traditions of our native American population. We are also exploring having a pilot at Kaiser, where I have recently joined. As we look towards 2025, we want to both have our own summits and collaborate on conferences to bring our stakeholders together. This includes a strategic planning summit in the Spring, collaborating for a conference in the Fall, with a full Social Prescribing USA conference in 2026.
I want to congratulate Dan Morse, our founding executive director, on his recent career transition. Dan is stepping into a new role with us as a strategic partner and trusted advisor at Social Prescribing USA (SP USA), as I am taking over as executive director. We couldn’t be happier, as our entire team recognizes the significance of having a doctor at the helm.
Dan will continue to play a crucial role helping the organization expand social prescribing efforts across the United States. Thank you, Dan, for your dedication and hard work in organizing this movement! Under Dan’s leadership, Social Prescribing USA helped the practice emerge further as a powerful grassroots movement in 2020, uniting over 400 experts and launching pioneering pilot programs nationwide. He was instrumental in organizing the inaugural U.S. social prescribing summits at Harvard, Columbia, and the NY Fed, bringing together esteemed leaders from across the country.. Dan also served as the lead author of the Global Developments in Social Prescribing report, published by the British Medical Journal, showcasing the movement’s global progress.
Thank you for doing the things you love, the things that keep you healthy, and for bringing these gifts to others who need them.
Alan Siegel, M.D,
Executive Director & co-founder, Social Prescribing USA