Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion
WASHINGTON—March 13, 2008—California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been selected as Research!America's 2008 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion recipient. He is being recognized for his demonstrated commitment to cutting-edge medical and health research and for his leadership to provide better health care for all Californians.
The Governor endorsed and personally campaigned for Proposition 71, an initiative to fund stem cell research in California at a time when the federal government was restricting this research. In 2004, this proposition enabled the establishment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine with an authorization of up to $3 billion over 10 years. More recently, just one day after President Bush vetoed legislation that would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, Gov. Schwarzenegger authorized $150 million in loans to CIRM, quadrupling the amount of money available in the state to begin research on stem cells.
Gov. Schwarzenegger led efforts to rebuild the state's healthcare system, supporting increased overall spending by nearly $8 billion. In addition, he's brought health stakeholders together to work collaboratively toward a new model of quality healthcare for Californians, and supported funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. He also signed legislation as part of a collaborative effort between the Governor's office and the Legislature to help hospitals continue to provide medical care to California's most vulnerable residents.
Research!America's 2008 awards will be presented March 18 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. The other 2008 recipients are amfAR, The Foundation for Aids Research; William H. Foege, MD, MPH, renowned public health advocate and researcher; Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy; Richard A. Lerner, president, The Scripps Research Institute; and Pat Furlong, president and chief executive officer, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
Recipients of Research!America's Advocacy Awards are leading advocates for medical, health and scientific research. Those previously recognized with Research!America's Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion include Mike Wallace, Sam Donaldson, Michael J. Fox, Scott Hamilton and Marlo Thomas.
Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Its advocacy awards program was established in 1996 to honor outstanding advocates for research. For more information, visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.
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