Senior Capitol Hill Staffer Joins Leading Medical Research Advocacy Group
WASHINGTON, DC-February 18, 2011-Eleanor "Ellie" Dehoney, long-time legislative director to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), has been named vice president of public policy and programs at Research!America, the nation's largest nonprofit alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. She begins her new role March 28.
Dehoney will be responsible for leading Research!America's advocacy initiatives, policy and legislative outreach in support of medical, health and scientific research, including global health research. She will serve on the organization's management team and participate in partnership development and coalition representation.
"Ellie's considerable experience on Capitol Hill, her strong reputation for working across the aisle and with the full range of stakeholders in research-academic, industry, government and nonprofit-all will be tremendous assets for Research!America," said Mary Woolley, Research!America president and CEO. "She brings deep expertise in and a passion for health and research, and we very much look forward to having her join us to help us put science and health research at the forefront of America's policy agenda."
As legislative director for Brown in the Senate and earlier in the House of Representatives, Dehoney has played an instrumental role in garnering bipartisan support for important legislation, including research funding, the Cures Acceleration Network at the National Institutes of Health, support for global health research, Food and Drug Administration reform and health care reform. Earlier, she served as then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's legislative assistant for health policy.
Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Dehoney was a lead analyst in the Department of Health and Human Services, where she reviewed pending health legislation and developed health policy options for the administration. She also brings an understanding of academic and private sectors from experience at the University of North Carolina Hospitals and at Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, where her roles included corporate planning, industry research and communications.
Dehoney earned her M.S. in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her B.A. from The College of William & Mary.
"I am excited about joining the Research!America team," said Dehoney. "Research is not only the best weapon we have in the fight against disease and disability, it is the key to securing America's continued competitiveness in the global economy. I look forward to focusing my energies on Research!America's already considerable efforts toward advancing medical, health and scientific research."
Research!America is the nation's largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations that represent the voices of 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org.