The Research Advocate July-August 2009

In This Issue of The Research Advocate

HHS Secretary Sebelius Meets with Research!America

Research!America hosted a dinner on July 16 to welcome Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to Washington.

In addition to many Research!America board and emeritus directors, guests included Francis Collins, MD, PhD, the president's nominee to direct the National Institutes of Health; Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, NIH acting director; Arden Bement Jr., PhD, National Science Foundation director; and Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality director.

Sebelius opened her remarks saying, "Science is BACK at the Department of Health and Human Services. This president is very committed to science as the basis we use when making decisions, the central theme to be guided by, not politics or personal preferences."

She added, "The principle that science should guide the way is important to health reform — knowing what works and what doesn't."

She also noted the contribution research can make to our national and local economies: "The $10.5 billion for NIH in the Recovery Act was enormous recognition that research is a pathway toward prosperity in America."

Read more from the Secretary's remarks, and learn more about what Research!America is doing to ensure research is considered in health reform at www.researchamerica.org/sebelius. Back to top.

Forum Highlights 'Recovery Through Discovery'

Woolley, Tauzin, Gephardt, Begala The Council for American Medical Innovation and the Aspen Institute recently hosted the Best and Brightest Forum on Medical Innovation. Panelists, including Research!America President Mary Woolley and board member The Hon. Billy Tauzin, discussed the challenges facing medical innovation and proposed solutions.

Woolley said President Obama needs to make higher national priorities of innovation and research to improve health. The panelists determined that the visibility of science and medical innovation in the eyes of the public needs to be elevated to the levels of the Apollo program.

Sen. Arlen Specter (PA) delivered the keynote address, saying growth in life sciences and medicine can help the economy recover and prosper. "It is critical to both our nation's health and economy that Congress actively supports medical research and innovation," Specter said. Back to top.

Policy Update: Research Policy Heats Up

Congress and the Administration have been busy with research funding, the nomination of the next NIH director and new stem cell guidelines.

The House of Representatives approved $31.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health in FY 2010, a 3% increase and $500 million more than President Obama's budget request. Appropriations Chair David Obey (WI) said the bill "reject[s] the Administration's targeted funding approach and ensur[es] that all institutes and centers receive funding to offset biomedical research inflation." In a discouraging move for research, the House passed by voice vote an amendment offered by Rep. Darrell Issa (CA) that rescinds funding for three currently funded, peer-reviewed NIH grants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also fared better in the House bill than in the President's request; the increase for core public health programs would be $68 million rather than $38 million. However, the funding recommendation for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality remained the same at $372 million.

The Senate is expected to begin consideration of its Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill soon.

The House also passed its bill that funds the National Science Foundation, providing $6.9 billion for the agency. The Senate Appropriations Committee bill provides about $20 million less. Both funding levels are smaller than Obama's $7 billion budget request.

The process of determining research funding in FY 2010 is far from over, and Research!America continues to advocate for robust increases, including 10% for NIH. Visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy for the latest updates on research funding and to take action.

President Obama nominated Francis Collins, MD, PhD, to be the next NIH director. The confirmation hearing for Collins, the former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute is expected soon. If confirmed, Collins would oversee the expansion of NIH funding for stem cell research. On July 6 and ahead of schedule, the agency released the final guidelines for stem cell research as directed by President Obama. Back to top.

Blumenthal on Health IT

David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the Department of Health and Human Services, spoke at a congressional briefing on June 24 about the impact health information technology (HIT) funding could have on public health.

The Campaign for Public Health worked in tandem with the Congressional Study Group on Public Health to orchestrate the gathering. More than 80 Hill staff, non-profit groups, companies and public health leaders learned how this $45 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provision would create incentives for adoption and standards for meaningful use of HIT.

"[HIT] should make it easier for the clinical side and the public health side to work together as never before," Blumenthal said.

See www.fundcdc.org for more. Back to top.

Briefing: NIH Research and the Recovery Act

Anthony S. Fauci, MD Research!America co-sponsored a June 1 Capitol Hill briefing with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, the first in a series of briefings on how the National Institutes of Health will spend the $10.4 billion provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke about programs and opportunities that are involved in the distribution of the $1.1 billion provided for NIAID.

The short-term goal of the recovery spending is to stimulate the economy and create and preserve jobs, Fauci explained. The research done in the next two years, however, will have longer-reaching effects on science.

NIAID will participate in NIH-wide programs that will award grants that approach some of the biggest scientific problems of our time, such as stopping HIV. Fauci also addressed the H1N1 flu virus, calling research and preparation of a flu vaccine "a very good way of using [recovery act] funds."

Fauci spoke about the economic impact of research, citing the example of a robust research lab with grant funding. "[Research] has a compound, domino effect of stimulating the economy," he said. Back to top.

IOM Global Health Report Released

The release of the Institute of Medicine report, "The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the Public and Private Sectors," came at the same time that the world was being introduced to the H1N1, or swine flu, virus in June. This convergence is one more reminder of how global health is America's health.

The report commends President Obama's new Global Health Initiative. However, we can and must do more to advance the well-being and prosperity of people within and beyond our national borders through intensified and committed attention to global health research.

As the report points out, this is an investment in not only the health of developing countries but also in America, and if we act in the global interest, long-term diplomatic, economic and security benefits for the U.S. will follow. Find the report at www.iom.edu/?ID=67183. Back to top.

Urge Congress to Respond to Your Congress-Your Health

The decisions made by Congress during the health reform debate this summer will have long-lasting effects on the health of all Americans, so it is more important than ever for our elected officials to tell us where they stand.

Research!America and our partners have invited all members of the 111th Congress to complete a brief questionnaire about research and other issues that affect our health.

Visit www.yourcongressyourhealth.org to find out if your senators and representative have responded. Results from a public opinion poll asking many of the same questions are also available on the site.

Become a fan of Your Congress-Your Health on Facebook to connect with others interested in these issues and to receive messages about updates to the site. E-mail spropst@researchamerica.org if your organization would like to be a partner.

Download this month's newsletter insert (PDF) to see our partners to date and some poll findings. Back to top.

New Advocacy Tool: Porter's Principles

Research!America board chair, The Honorable John Edward Porter, is a strong leader in the research advocacy community. With health reform a top congressional priority, there is no better time to follow Porter's example and insist that Congress include research as part of the discussion.

Reach out to your delegation using Porter's Principles for having a successful meeting in your representative or senator's office and advocacy messages for making research to improve health a higher national priority. Download this resource (PDF). Back to top.

Sign the Declaration for Greater Research Funding!

Fauci, Crow, Varmus Join Research!America and support Rock Stars of Science, a campaign created by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation in partnership with GQ magazine. Rock S.O.S brings rock stars together with some of the nation's leading medical researchers to advocate for greater research funding and bridge the recognition gap for scientists among the public. The campaign was sparked by a Research!America poll finding that most Americans cannot name a living scientist.

Visit www.rockstarsofscience.org to sign the Rock S.O.S Declaration urging stronger research funding and nominate a "rock star of science" to make the public more aware of scientists' outstanding work. The signatures will be delivered to Congress at a fall Capitol Hill briefing to show the public's support for science. Back to top.

Spotlight: Rogers Society Ambassadors

Paul G. Rogers Society Ambassadors, premier advocates for U.S.-funded global health research, are renowned in our nation's academic settings.

Keith Norris, MD, has been named interim president of the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, which ranks among the top NIH-funded institutions and is rated one of the top 50 private universities in research in the U.S.

Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, has joined Stony Brook University as its fifth president. As vice chancellor for research at Washington University, Stanley substantially advanced the research enterprise.

Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN, associate director of The Johns Hopkins University's Center for Global Health and School of Nursing professor, has been named a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing for 2009. Glass joins a cadre of nurses who are leaders in research, education, management and practice. Back to top.

Research!America's Work Honored

Research!America has recently received awards in two international communications competitions. The 2008 Your Candidates-Your Health initiative received an Award of Excellence in the 15th Annual Communicator Awards and a gold Hermes Creative Award. Our Poll Data Summary, Volume 9, was honored with a platinum Hermes Creative Award, the competition's highest honor. Back to top.

Senior Director of Development and Membership Named

Research!America welcomes Mary McGowan as senior director of development and membership. McGowan brings a broad background in partnership programs, event management and advocacy training. She has held key positions at the American Academy of Pediatrics and was chief executive officer of the Allergy and Asthma Network. At Mothers of Asthmatics, she led a turnaround in generating new revenue through membership and development. Back to top.

Research!America Welcomes Four Interns

Research!America welcomes science policy interns Matt Hanzlik, Ilse Peterson and Takao Yamada and Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research intern Garrett Heilman.

Hanzlik is a senior at the University of Minnesota studying public/non-profit management and entrepreneurial management. He is the national advocacy and government affairs chair of the Student Society for Stem Cell Research.

Peterson recently graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in chemistry, history and Asian studies and has studied in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Hungary and Sweden.

Yamada is a second-year student at Georgetown University Law Center studying health and criminal law. He has worked in pharmaceutical/government affairs and owns a restaurant in Philadelphia.

A recent graduate of the University of Puget Sound, Heilman majored in politics and government. He worked at the World Trade Center Tacoma and was ranked nationally as a top 10 debater. Back to top.

Media Matters

Global Health Research Advocacy

Research!America's Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research Ambassador Cyril Enwonwu, ScD, PhD, MDS, professor of biomedical sciences and director of International Research Initiatives at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, wrote an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun on malnutrition in the U.S. and abroad. He wrote that the U.S. needs to invest in global health research to understand the full range of the malnutrition spectrum. Rogers Society Ambassador Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, the Anna D. Wolf Chair and professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, wrote about her research to help prevent violence against women in a Baltimore Sun oped: "Women - especially women of color - are dying from domestic homicide at alarming rates, whether in Botswana or Baltimore. We can prevent this. Investing in U.S. global health research affords us the opportunity to do just that and to save the lives of women everywhere."

A Sacramento Bee editorial mentioned Mary Woolley, Research!America president, and a recent Research!America poll that found that more than 90% of Californians feel Americans have a responsibility to treat diseases that affect people in other countries and most Californians believe the U.S. should invest in global health research. Back to top.

FY2010 Research Funding

Stacie Propst, PhD, Research!America vice president of policy and outreach, was quoted in Science News magazine on FY2010 appropriations funding for research. She explained that without the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, projected spending for the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality could remain essentially flat in FY2010. Research!America is advocating for at least a 10% increase for the NIH budget in FY2010 and significant funding increases for CDC, AHRQ and the National Science Foundation.

Propst was also quoted in Scientific American about the new NIH Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases program. She said that the $120 million allocated over five years is "meant as seed money to spark investment by others." Back to top.

On Comparative Effectiveness Research

David Leonhardt, "Economic Scene" writer for The New York Times, wrote a column on the importance of comparative effectiveness research. He said it should be an integral part of health care reform because it prevents the unnecessary costs that come from overspending on some medical treatments and under-spending on others. Back to top.

Unscientific America Cites Poll Data

Sheril Kirshenbaum, marine biologist at Duke University, science journalist, Science Debate 2008 co-founder and a member of Research!America's New Voices for Research community, and Chris Mooney, visiting associate in the Center for Collaborative History at Princeton University, best-selling author and Science Debate 2008 co-founder, co-authored a new book, Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future. It extensively references the pre-election poll commissioned by Research!America and Science Debate 2008. See www.unscientificamerica.com. Back to top.

New on the Web

Porter's Principles are Research!America board chair The Hon. John Edward Porter's tips for meetings with members of Congress. Download the resource (PDF).

The American Public Health Association, a Research!America member, launched a legislative action center to encourage public health advocacy at http://capwiz.com/apha/home.

Research!America member the American Association for the Advancement of Science created a booklet on non-research career options for scientists, available at http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/tools_tips/outreach/away_from_the_bench_booklet.

The Kaiser Family Foundation launched Kaiser Health News at www.kaiserhealthnews.org. Back to top.

Did You Know?

Carolyn Clancy, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, is the 2009 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. She is being honored for her lifelong achievements and contributions to the field of health services research. See www.aupha.org.

The National Science Foundation released the first in a series of short videos called Science Nation, which examine breakthroughs and future discoveries. Upcoming topics include artificial retina, biofuels and nanofibers. Episodes will be released every Monday and will be featured on www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/index.jsp.

Jeffrey L. Sturchio, PhD, has been named president and CEO of the Global Health Council, a Research!America member. Sturchio was a longtime leader at Merck & Co. whose work led to programs treating more than 100,000 AIDS patients in Botswana and protecting millions of Africans from river blindness. Sturchio succeeds Nils Daulaire, MD, MPH, who led the council for a decade.

Former NIH director and Research!America board member Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, has joined the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.

Joe Feczko, MD, a Research!America board member, has been appointed to the United Kingdom Government's Technology Strategy Board.

Research!America President Mary Woolley presented state poll data at "Global Health, California and the World" at the University of California Center at Sacramento.

Woolley spoke about Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research Ambassadors' advocacy to the 2009 graduates of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, a Research!America member.

Research!America remembers our emeritus director Daniel C. Tosteson, MD, who died in May at age 84. Tosteson was a former dean at Harvard Medical School. Back to top.

President's Message

Mary Woolley The summer of health reform is upon us. Congressional hearings, White House negotiations, think tank reports, town hall meetings, talk show saturation, advertising and plenty of hyperbolic rhetoric. All this attention is strangely lacking a key ingredient - discussion of research. If research isn't considered in reform, how will we keep our system on a path to better health for all Americans through discovery and application of new and more effective preventions, treatments and cures? How will we keep our nation competitive economically without innovation? And how will we design a better, smarter, more cost effective health care delivery system without a sustained commitment to learning what works and what doesn't?

As HHS Secretary Sebelius said at a recent dinner Research!America hosted, "The principle that science should guide the way is important to health reform." The Secretary also spoke of the economic impact of research. For anyone skeptical of that impact, the recent study by Ken Manton, et al, in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences should be an eye-opener.

Another is the data Research!America and our partners are gathering from Congress and the public on health reform and research issues - available at www.yourcongressyourhealth.org. August is a perfect time to talk to your elected representatives when they are home during recess. See our newly released Porter's Principles for suggestions, including timely messages. We can help you prepare for a conversation by sharing the experience of other stakeholders who share our vision that research is the key to smarter health care and stronger economic growth. Back to top.

Members Take Action: Howard University College of Dentistry

The Howard University College of Dentistry's strategic plan has a research goal to become a repository of research data for its African-American and Hispanic patients and to perform clinical research, translational research and clinical trials with these patients as a service to our community.

One focus of the Howard University College of Dentistry is to eliminate oral health disparities. There are also several ongoing research studies related to oral cancer outcomes.

"Our research is geared toward identifying some of the areas where the largest oral health care disparities occur, particularly with African Americans, and then working toward eliminating those disparities," said Leo E. Rouse, DDS, FACD, dean of the College.

The College also promotes dental research to students. "We strive to promote the possibility of choosing a career in dental research as part of our pipeline program for underserved minority and underprivileged students in elementary school, high school and college," Rouse said. "This same energy ensures that a pipeline of minority researchers also applies to our dental, dental hygiene students, and junior and mid-career faculty."

The College has been a loyal Research!America member since 1997. "Research!America publications help bring an increased awareness of the health disparities that exist in our country and are a particularly heavy burden in our underserved African-American communities, not just in oral health but other diseases as well," Rouse said. "By making people aware, we can make them understand how important it is for them to be involved in research so we can address some of our most intractable health problems."

For more information, see www.dentistry.howard.edu. Back to top.

Spotlight: Member of Congress

Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT) is a longtime champion of research to improve health. As an original cosponsor of The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, Hatch worked for the past seven years to remove restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research. Referring to President Obama's executive order to lift the Bush-era restrictions on stem cell research, Hatch said, "It also is gratifying ... to overturn the ban, which has hampered our scientists from making progress to the fullest extent possible in this promising field of research that may hold the key to curing so many of the world's most deadly and debilitating diseases."

Hatch is former chair and current member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He authored legislation to create the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases and promotes funding for National Institutes of Health programs that cross traditional disciplines and boundaries. Another of his legacies to the health community is the Drug Price Competition and Patient Term Extension Act of 1984, known as the Hatch-Waxman Act. Hatch received Research!America's 2007 Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy. Back to top.

Download the entire July-August 2009 Research Advocate .

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The Research Advocate July-August 2009

In This Issue of The Research Advocate

From Washington

From Research!America

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