In This Issue of The Research Advocate
From Washington
House, Senate Release NIH Funding Levels
Alliance for a Stronger FDA Ad Targets Lawmakers
Milken Institute: U.S. Research Leadership at Risk
NIH Announces Medical Research Scholars Program
From Research!America
2012 Advocacy Award Recipients Named
U.S. Investment in Health Research Report Released
Research!America Hosts Thought Leaders Assembly
Advocacy & Action
Global Health R&D Advocacy
Regular Features
Member Spotlight: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
President's Message
Special Thanks to New and Renewing Research!America Alliance Members
In the News
Download the entire October 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.
2012 Advocacy Award Recipients Named
The Food Allergy Initiative; long-time research advocate Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (h.c.); Emmy Award-winning journalist and physician Sanjay Gupta, MD; business strategist, entrepreneur and patient advocate Scott Johnson; and medical informatics pioneer Donald A.B. Lindberg, MD, have been named recipients of Research!America's 2012 Advocacy Awards.
The Advocacy Awards event will take place on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
The Food Allergy Initiative will receive Research!America's 2012 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award for its campaigns that have led to a significant increase in federal research funding for food allergies and the passage of federal and state food allergy management legislation. The organization will also be honored for its successful efforts to educate the public about food allergies. FAI Executive Director Mary Jane Marchisotto will accept the award on behalf of the organization.
Foti, CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research, will be honored with Research!America's 2012 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership. In her 30-year tenure, she has carved out a leadership role for AACR in the science policy arena through her effective and tireless advocacy for federal research funding.
Gupta, the Emmy Award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN, will be honored with Research!America's 2012 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion for highlighting the importance of medical and health research and adding clarity and context to research-related issues through his reporting on international health and medical news.
Johnson, president and founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation, will receive Research!America's 2012 Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award for his leadership in founding MRF, implementing a new model at MRF to more rapidly deliver treatments to patients with chronic diseases, and raising the visibility of research for neurological diseases.
Lindberg, director of the National Library of Medicine and founding director of the NLM's National Coordination Office for High Performance Computing and Communications, will receive Research!America's 2012 Builders of Science Award for pioneering the application of computer technology to health care and life science research, helping to revolutionize the field of medicine.
Visit Research!America's Advocacy Awards page for more details.
House, Senate Release NIH Funding Levels
The fiscal environment is highly volatile, and funding for all discretionary programs, including health research, continues to be at great risk.
On September 20, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) released its 2012 funding level for the National Institutes of Health. NIH funding was cut by $190 million, or 0.6%, from FY11 levels. A day later, the full Senate Appropriations Committee convened; Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced an amendment to restore NIH funding, but the amendment did not pass.
The House LHHS subcommittee released its funding levels September 29, increasing NIH funding by $1 billion over FY11 levels. One crucial difference: The Senate allocated $20 million for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, while the House provides no funding for the initiative. The House is expected to vote on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through November 18 at levels that are agreed to in August's Budget Control Act-funding levels that are nearly identical to those enacted in FY11.
In a recent Senate appropriations subcommittee markup, funding for the National Science Foundation was cut by 2.4% ($162 million) from FY11 levels. The House earlier released a bill that flat-funded NSF.
The supercommittee is also continuing its work on deficit reduction with a deadline of October 14 to unveil recommendations. If these do not pass both Houses of Congress by December 23, deep discretionary spending cuts will be triggered beginning in January 2013.
The recent NIH cuts proposed by the Senate show that policy makers need to hear from advocates. Protecting these programs requires that we step up our advocacy efforts. Make sure Congress understands that medical research matters to Americans and that cutting research funding is the wrong medicine for this country. Learn what you can do.
White House Initiatives
On September 16, President Barack Obama signed the America Invents Act, a major overhaul of the U.S. patent system. Among its key provisions, the legislation enables the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to hire more staff to help reduce the significant backlog in patent applications.
At the same time, the White House announced several initiatives aimed at moving ideas from the lab into the marketplace. The administration has developed a Bioeconomy Blueprint that will outline how biological research can enhance our nation's competiveness. The focus will be on strategic R&D investments, reforms to facilitate commercialization, easing regulatory burdens on innovators and enhancing workforce development for scientists and engineers.
The White House will also be working with the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities on a commercialization initiative. The goal is to enhance university-industry collaboration in order to foster entrepreneurship and economic development.
CPH Foundation
The CPH Foundation has announced the winners of its 2011 Unsung Heroes of Public Health: Luis Garcia, PsyD, a psychologist in the Los Angeles area, won The Rock in the Pond Award; Lynn Silver, MD, MPH, of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, won The Wavemaker Award; and Liz Szabo, medical news reporter for USA Today, won the inaugural Excellence in Media Award.
Marjorie Lunsford, a rural area family nurse practitioner in Tennessee, was named an honorable mention for The Rock in the Pond award.
The awardees will be honored at a reception in Washington, DC, on October 26. For more information on the winners and the reception, visit www.cphfoundation.org.
U.S. Investment in Health Research Report Released
U.S. spending on health research increased slightly in 2010, according to a new analysis from Research!America.
The annual U.S. Investment in Health Research Report found that the $140.5 billion spent on health research last year is about a 1% increase from 2009. However, that amount lags the 2.8% increase in the cost of conducting health research.
Among the top sectors funding research, results were mixed. Industry research increased 2.9% to $76.5 billion, largely fueled by the pharmaceutical industry's 14.6% increase in research spending. Federally funded research, however, decreased by a substantial $550 million.
Alliance for a Stronger FDA Ad Targets Lawmakers
In the days before a Senate appropriations subcommittee began marking up FY12 funding, the Alliance for a Stronger FDA and 75 other organizations reminded the subcommittee of the importance of full funding for the Food and Drug Administration.
An ad produced by the Alliance noted that the FDA regulates products that comprise more than 20% of U.S. consumer spending, and in science-based industries that are key to our nation's growth and prosperity.
A wide range of groups, including Research!America and several of its members, signed on in support of the ad. See the ad at http://strengthenfda.org/.
Milken Institute: U.S. Research Leadership at Risk
The U.S. remains the world leader in biomedical research, clinical testing and manufacturing, but other countries-established and up-and-coming-are gaining quickly, according to a new report from The Milken Institute.
The report offers seven steps policy makers can take to keep America at the front: increase and make permanent R&D tax incentives; cut corporate tax rates to match the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average; enhance support for emerging fields; provide adequate resources for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration; leverage existing strengths in medical devices; build human capital; and promote and expand the role of universities.
The report, funded in part by the Council for American Medical Innovation, is online at www.milkeninstitute.org.
Research!America Hosts Thought Leaders Assembly
With support from the United Health Foundation, Research!America brought together members of its Board of Directors and other thought leaders for a discussion of challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for researchers, research institutions and research advocates.
The consensus of the participants is that research performed by both the public and private sector is at a crossroads. With declining federal funding and increasing regulatory costs, and congressional ambivalence concerning both, it is critical to mobilize all stakeholders-researchers, patients and the public alike-to fight for research.
Panelists believe that there is a critical lack of public knowledge about the National Institutes of Health and how the agency is funded-even among health professionals. The panel also believed that the Department of Defense will have an increasingly large role in health research as veterans age and current service members return from conflicts abroad.
NIH Announces Medical Research Scholars Program
The National Institutes of Health will accept 40 promising students in its new Medical Research Scholars Program. Medical and dental students will get the chance to join researchers in NIH's basic research labs and in clinical and translational studies at the NIH Clinical Center. Applications for 2012 are accepted through January.
The program is made possible by a partnership with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, a grant from Pfizer and contributions from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. All are Research!America members.
NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, said, "The program will offer a broad range of exceptional research opportunities, exposure to cutting edge technology and critical policy issues for promising students."
Member Spotlight: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) aims to educate the public and health care professionals about prevention, treatment and research of influenza, meningitis and a host of other infectious diseases and conditions.
Public outreach is a major facet of the work of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and those efforts have paid off. NFID's annual news conference on influenza and pneumococcal disease immunization, for instance, has raised awareness of the importance of prevention.
"It's clear the message has gone to the public-via the media, principally-and the messages are sinking in," said William Schaffner, MD, NFID's president and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Schaffner added that many members of the public are now conditioned to seek the flu shot without waiting for instruction from their physician. Further, increasing numbers are immunized at non-traditional locations, like their workplace or a neighborhood pharmacy.
Another major NFID program is continuing medical education, including several courses hosted annually by NFID and its partners for medical professionals, both online and at live events. A three-day course in November will address clinical vaccinology.
For NFID, membership in Research!America helps supplement the reach of its own programs.
"The things we do well as a member-we're a small foundation-we're able to work with the whole spectrum of professional societies in context with Research!America," Schaffner said.
For more, visit www.nfid.org.
President's Message
The Nobel Prizes have been announced. Will policy makers be talking about their pride in the American recipients? If the recent past is any indication, the answer is no. These most prestigious awards are not well recognized by Americans, thus not much noted by our elected representatives. Indeed, most Americans cannot name a living scientist. Every member of the research community should take this opportunity to make a phone call, send an email or write a letter to the editor to call attention to the awards and the importance of maintaining strong support of science in this country. Doing so, you put a human face-yours-on science.
Advocacy makes a difference in good times and bad-and can make a huge difference in unpredictable times. So much is changing before our eyes: Predictable processes and timetables have been thrown to the wind; gauntlets are thrown down daily by political leaders; the supercommittee's legislated charge is being rhetorically co-opted; in the midst of Congress' markups and continuing resolutions are dire economic indicators and market swings and polls showing low regard for the processes and people of our government. This is a time when advocates can be heard and can have-if organized and on message-more impact than in times of "regular order."
Research!America is determined to have an impact. Please stay connected: Keep informed via my now-weekly letters; get involved via one or more of our initiatives. We are navigating uncharted waters; we need more hands on deck and more wind beneath our sails. Your help is vital!
Advocacy & Action
Congress Needs to Hear Your Voice
The budget deal for FY11 reduced the National Institutes of Health budget by more than $300 million. The NIH director has reported that grant funding rates are at an all-time low.
Congress is considering budget proposals that place 2012 funding for NIH, CDC and other health research agencies at great risk. Let them know that NIH is critical to our nation's health, competitiveness and economic vitality.
Our nation needs robust support for health research now more than ever.
Send a message to your Members of Congress, and pass this alert on to others who will speak out in support of health research. Visit our advocacy page to learn more.
Our federal budget will continue to be a critical issue, and we need every willing voice to send our message loud and clear to our elected officials in Washington. Act now to support research.
Media Matters
Coverage of U.S. Investment Report
Highlights of Research!America's new 2010 U.S. Investment in Health Research report were covered by United Press International, The Burrill Report, BIO's blog BIOtechNow, The Pharma Letter, Surgical Products, Cardiovascular Business and Healthcare Technology Management. Research!America's chair, former Congressman John Edward Porter, and Research!America's CEO, Mary Woolley, were quoted on the importance of increasing the U.S. investment in health research to lower health care costs, improve the quality of care and boost the U.S. economy.
Spotlight on Health Services Research
Herbert Pardes, MD, then-president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and a Research!America board member; Peter Fine, president and CEO of Banner Health; and Nick Turkal, MD, president and CEO of Aurora Health Care, authored a guest post in The Hill's Congress Blog on the key role the federal government plays in supporting the health care system and health services research.
In The Hill's Healthwatch blog, Carolyn Clancy, MD, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality director, said AHRQ has been working for decades to improve patient safety but that the broader health care system has only recently started to move toward a more effective, safer model, based on evidence. She noted that the Affordable Care Act and other policies aimed at improving the health care system may trigger breakthroughs in patient care.
9/11 and Research
On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, several newspapers and magazines, including the Boston Globe, Slate and Scientific American, reflected on changes in scientific research since 2001. They praised the public and private research sectors for significant strides in biodefense and infectious diseases but stressed that attention should be given to all areas of scientific research.
The Arts of Neuroscientists
The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives launched an online series featuring neuroscientists who pursue artistic activities outside the lab. The first article profiles Rudy Tanzi, PhD, a talented musician and a professor of child neurology at Harvard Medical School. Tanzi mentions his performance with National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, and Aerosmith's Joe Perry at the 2009 Rock Stars of Science event organized by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation and Research!America.
The New Research Philanthropists
Bloomberg News reported that the research philanthropy model is changing. Benefactors like Bill and Melinda Gates, founders of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Garen and Shari Staglin, founders of the International Mental Health Research Organization, are now taking a direct role in early drug research and staying involved throughout the research process.
Global Health R&D Advocacy
Thirty years after the virus that would become known as HIV was first identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first bipartisan congressional HIV/AIDS caucus was officially launched on September 15 on Capitol Hill. The caucus, chaired by Reps. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Trent Franks (R-AZ), has 59 members from both sides of the aisle. Its mission is to protect federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs both in the U.S. and globally.
The launch event featured presentations from several Members of Congress and representatives from UNAIDS, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, World Vision and others. Speakers emphasized the value of public-private partnerships and bipartisan support for research and innovation.
To learn more about global health R&D and the cutting-edge HIV/AIDS research happening around the U.S., visit www.researchamerica.org/global_health.
Special Thanks to Renewing Research!America Alliance Members
New Members
Booz Allen Hamilton
Renewing members
American Dental Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs
Baylor College of Medicine
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Case Western Reserve University
FasterCures
Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
The Genetics Society of America
Harvard Medical School
Heat Transfer Research, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
Kidney Cancer Association
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Medical College of Wisconsin
New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of University of Southern California
Purdue Pharma, L.P.
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
University of Maryland, Baltimore
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Van Andel Research Institute
Yale University School of Medicine
Not yet a member? Join Research!America today at www.researchamerica.org/become_member.
Download the entire October 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.