The Research Advocate January 2011

In This Issue of The Research Advocate

Charlie Rose to Receive 2011 Rosenfeld Award

Emmy award-winning journalist Charlie Rose, executive editor and anchor of the "Charlie Rose" television show, has been named the recipient of Research!America's 2011 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion for raising public awareness about science through his in-depth coverage of research issues, including the 13-part Science Series and the Charlie Rose Brain Series.

Rose will be honored at the 2011 Advocacy Awards event Tuesday, March 15, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

"Charlie Rose" airs weeknights on PBS and Bloomberg Television. Rose's nightly, one-hour interviews have included specials on research-related issues such as the importance of scientific research, the study of the human brain, the mapping of the human genome and the latest advances in cancer research. Rose is also a contributing correspondent for the CBS News program "60 Minutes."

Other 2011 Advocacy Award recipients include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; inventor and physicist Dean Kamen; Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, MD; and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. See this month's insert for details.

Continuing Resolution Passed for Research Funding

On December 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee released an omnibus spending bill for FY2011 that included a $750 million increase for the National Institutes of Health, for a total of $31.8 billion in funding. However, three days later, the bill was withdrawn due to lack of support. In its place, the committee released a longer-term continuing resolution (C.R.) that would provide funding through March 4. In this version of the bill, funding for the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality would remain at the enacted levels from FY2010. The prospect of a prolonged C.R. poses a major challenge for the NIH and NSF, as both agencies received significant increases in FY2009 from stimulus investments and will face a diminished capacity for supporting new scientists under flat budgets.

The C.R. passed through both houses a week later, and consideration for FY2011 appropriations will be left to the 112th Congress. New members of the 112th Congress have voiced concerns over spending in Washington, and many have pledged to reduce government spending.

Obama Signs America COMPETES Act

On December 21, the House agreed to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act, which would keep several science-related agencies on the path toward annual funding increases.

America COMPETES passed the House by a 228-130 vote, four days after the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. The legislation, first authorized in 2007, follows the recommendations of the National Academies and their Gathering Storm report, introduced in 2005 and updated in 2010.

The reauthorization bill puts NSF, the Department of Energy's Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on a path toward increased funding authority for investment in basic research over the coming fiscal years. The total budgetary authority for the bill was $45 billion.

President Barack Obama signed the bill January 4.

R&D Tax Credit Extended

The R&D tax credit was part of the recently passed tax-cut deal, signed into law December 17 by President Obama. The law provides a seamless extension of the tax credit for two years for companies that undertake significant investment in research.

Obey Honored with Hill Reception

Several advocacy groups, including Research!America, hosted a Capitol Hill reception for outgoing House Appropriations Chair Rep. David Obey (D-WI).

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin, PhD, spoke at the event, along with Obey. Also in attendance were several other Members of Congress, congressional staffers and representatives from advocacy groups, including Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley.

Obey was a key proponent of research during his tenure in the House and the 2010 recipient of Research!America's Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy.

CPH Update

The Campaign for Public Health has long advocated for a prevention fund, beginning with Capitol Hill brainstorming sessions in 2008 that brought together nearly 80 groups and several dozen congressional staff members to discuss public health's role in any pending health reform measure.

In October 2009, CPH organized a letter from some of the nation's top health leaders. This letter strongly encouraged Congress to include strong prevention-focused provisions in the final health reform measure. The Prevention and Public Health Fund was signed into law in March 2010 as part of the larger health reform bill. Still, both sides of the aisle have eyed redirecting the Prevention Fund as a way to offset other legislative initiatives not pertaining to prevention.

Today, CPH has begun reaching out to allies in public health to build support for defending this important funding stream. To safeguard the fund, CPH is circulating a letter to secure a bipartisan delegation of signatories from senior leaders in health. CPH's goal is to have congressional leaders pledge to oppose efforts that would cut or divert dollars away from the fund. A copy of the letter can be found at www.FundCDC.org.

These are hard times for the CDC and other federal disease control and prevention programs. The fund's resources should be used as intended—to address the many preventable health issues facing our population-not to supplant existing dollars. The funds were meant to go the extra mile, not fill a gap created by massive cuts to prevention.

Stem Cell Supporters, Critics Await Court's Ruling

A ruling in the court case challenging federally funded embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) could come any day.

On December 6, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments on an appeal to allow federal ESCR funding to continue. Department of Justice lawyers argued that federally-funded ESCR does not violate the 1995 Dickey-Wicker Amendment because researchers at the National Institutes of Health do not pay fees for the derivation of embryonic stem cells.

A judgment is also outstanding on the underlying case, Sherley v. Sebelius, in which Judge Royce C. Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction August 23 halting federally funded ESCR. The government's appeal led to a lifting of the injunction, which allowed research to continue while a decision is pending. Regardless of Lamberth's decision, many expect the case to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

2010 America's Health Rankings Released

United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention released the 2010 edition of the America's Health Rankings report. It finds that the obesity epidemic continues to grow and is likely to become the nation's biggest health challenge. Tobacco use, described in the report as the nation's biggest health challenge in 20 years, has decreased in the past year but remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S.

As other challenges, the report cites increases in the past year in children living in poverty, in Americans living without health insurance and in the prevalence of diabetes. As improvements, it cites declines in infectious diseases, infant mortality, cardiovascular deaths, premature deaths, occupational fatalities and preventable hospitalizations, and improvements in air quality.

UHF, APHA and PFP have been tracking and ranking health issues state by state and identifying national health trends for 21 years.

SMRB Favors Consolidation of NIH Addiction Research

The Scientific Management Review Board of the National Institutes of Health recommended the formation of a new, combined institute to handle all of NIH's substance use, abuse and addiction-related (SUAA) research. The panel recommended the dissolution of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of the consolidation process.

A task force, headed by NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, PhD, and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Director Stephen I. Katz, MD, PhD, will determine which NIH programs involve SUAA research and recommend whether those programs could be moved into the new institute.

Advocacy & Action

Final decisions about the president's FY2012 budget recommendations are being made now, making it a critical time to take action. Cuts to the entire federal budget have been proposed—including NIH. Please remind the president and recently confirmed White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew that a robust investment in science is critical to creating jobs, improving health, encouraging innovation and revitalizing the economy.

Take action now. Urge President Obama to maintain his commitment to "restore science to its rightful place" by proposing $35 billion in NIH funding in FY2012. Visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy.

Member Spotlight: The Greater Akron Chamber

The Greater Akron Chamber represents more than 1,700 companies in Medina, Portage and Summit counties in northeast Ohio. While the region built its commerce on rubber and tire production, it has transformed itself into a world-class center for research and development.

As the Akron Chamber's president and CEO, Dan Colantone has the opportunity to participate, in a leadership role, as Akron continues to change. One of the chamber's top priorities is supporting the work of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron. The institute is working to pioneer the next generation of life-enhancing and life-saving innovation that will transform Akron and the surrounding region into a model for biomedical discovery and enterprise.

"We are well-positioned to become well-known for innovation and commercialization at the intersection of biomaterials and medicine," Colantone said.

And as the community grows, the chamber will be there to attract and retain business, promote legislation and regulations enhancing the business climate, provide workforce and leadership training, and add value to member businesses through a variety of programs and services.

Colantone annually visits Washington, DC, to advocate for investment in economic development priorities in the Akron region. Two years ago, the trip resulted in $1 million in funding for the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron.

A membership with Research!America also helps further the chamber's goals.

"The advocacy role of Research!America is very important as we work toward increasing investment in medical research, which ultimately helps the greater Akron region," Colantone said.

Visit http://www.greaterakronchamber.org/ for more information.

Research!America Adds Value for Our Members

Research!America stands on a reputation of innovative advocacy that generates results serving our mission and the interests of our members:

We lead the way in ensuring research is positioned as part of the solution to our nation's economic and health challenges.
Our annual National Health Research Forum brings together top leaders from throughout the research community to discuss the state of health and medical research and where the field is headed. See this month's insert for details.
Research!America's briefings on Capitol Hill help us showcase to lawmakers and their staff the importance of keeping funding for health research a top priority. Our most recent congressional briefing brought together four experts who demonstrated that global health research and development is an economic driver for local economies.
America Speaks, our annual recap of a year's worth of polling, provides data that allows our members to supplement their advocacy with proof of public support.

President's Message

Twenty-two years ago, when Research!America was launched, people were terrified of HIV/AIDS. Today, because of the nation's investment in research coupled with advocates' determination to force policy change and boost resources, HIV/AIDS has become a chronic disease. While a vaccine is elusive, no one questions the progress made.

Research!America is all about progress, advancing the components of successful advocacy for research: the science case, the economic case, the public expectation case. In 1989, public opinion polling wasn't yet used to make the case for research. Research!America started doing so, channeling Abraham Lincoln: "Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed."

Today, no one questions the need to make the economic case for research. Through an award made by Research!America, Gene Garfield inspired a cadre of economists to dig in to the evidence. Our website is a trove of information on the economic value of research, how it creates jobs and fuels economic progress.

Research has always been a game-changer. For health and economic reasons, we can't afford to let up on the mission that our founders embraced: Research is vital to the nation and must be supported as a priority.

Stakeholders in research have a challenging year ahead. With the passion our founders summoned in 1989, we're committed to world-class, game-changing advocacy for the world-class research that the citizens of this nation aspire to and that our scientists are poised to deliver.

Media Matters

Research Funding in 2011

Research!America board member Alan Leshner, PhD, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and executive publisher of Science, wrote a powerful editorial in Science (Nov. 26) calling on the science community to advocate now to ensure that research is spared from funding cuts in 2011: "... this is not a time for reticence, complacency or helplessness." Of the proposed 5% to 10% cuts, he warns, "the consequences would be severe."

During the final debate about extended tax cuts, David Leonhardt, New York Times "Economic Scene" columnist, wrote about uses for potential revenue from expiring tax cuts on incomes above $250,000. He said the taxes could have generated $60 billion, enough to triple federal funding for medical research. Leonhardt recently moderated Research!America's Garfield Economic Impact Award event.

Advocacy Award-Winner Pat Furlong Profiled

Pat Furlong, founding president and CEO of the advocacy organization Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), was profiled in The New Yorker. She created PPMD because there were no effective treatments and few clinical trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which affected her two sons. Under Furlong's leadership, PPMD helped pass the Muscular Dystrophy CARE Act of 2001, which provided significant funding for research on the disease. Furlong was the recipient of the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award at Research!America's 2008 Advocacy Awards.

An Interview with Geneticist James Watson

James Watson, PhD, former director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, one of the nation's leading cancer research institutes, was interviewed in The Wall Street Journal. Watson, who received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the molecular structure of DNA, expressed optimism that we will know all the genetic causes of the major cancers within a few years.

Global Health Events and Illinois Poll Coverage

Global Health Magazine's blog wrote about Research!America's recent gathering of leaders to discuss the impact of global health R&D in Illinois. The article cited findings from our Illinois state poll, released at a Hill briefing, and quoted Research!America's chair, former Illinois Congressman John Edward Porter, urging the audience to make the case that global health R&D is "important for the future growth of the economy and for creating good jobs, not just any job." An article about the event also appeared in the ONE Campaign blog.

Public Health Thank You Day Coverage

Research!America, the Campaign for Public Health and CPH Foundation, APHA, ASPH, ASTHO, NACCHO and NAHH celebrated Public Health Thank You Day the Monday before Thanksgiving. Articles about the commemorative day appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Northwest Signal (Napoleon, OH), Community Word (Peoria, IL), Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX), El Paso Times (TX), Northwest Herald (McHenry County, IL) and Zionsville Times-Sentinel (IN). Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of APHA and a Research!America board member, discussed Public Health Thank You Day in a podcast for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Global Health R&D Advocacy

Research!America's new Illinois state poll and economic impact fact sheet illustrate the importance of U.S. global health R&D investment and its local health and economic benefits-issues that matter greatly to Illinois's residents. According to the poll, 92% believe it is important for Illinois to be a leader in health research and development, and 82% agree that Americans benefit from our investment in global health research.

Released in coordination with a December 7 salon roundtable dinner hosted by Research!America around the theme "Global Health R&D in Illinois: Generating Jobs and Hope," these resources demonstrate U.S. global health R&D investment as an economic driver for states. Following the dinner, Research!America shared these messages in a congressional briefing, "Global Health R&D: An Economic Driver in Your State," held in cooperation with the offices of Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and global health R&D community members including the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the University of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Tuberculosis Research and the Washington Global Health Alliance. Staffers from 11 congressional offices from both sides of the aisle listened to speakers from Illinois industry and academia discuss collaborative efforts in global health R&D, its local economic impact and the return from U.S. investment.

Upcoming Research!America Events

See details about our 2011 National Health Research Forum and Advocacy Awards.

Principal Partners

Special Thanks to New and Renewing Research!America Alliance Members

New Members
Endo Pharmaceuticals
Health Affairs

New International Associate
Research!Sweden

Renewing Members
American Association of Anatomists
American Diabetes Association
American Geriatrics Society
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Buck Institute for Age Research
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Merck & Co, Inc.
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry
University of Maryland, Baltimore

Not yet a member? Join Research!America today at www.researchamerica.org/become_member.

Download the entire January 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.

Research! America

Polls & Publications