Researchers can learn how to advocate for research to improve health. Advocacy is the right of every citizen.
Advocacy Resources
Use these tools to advocate for research to improve health.
Tell Congress What You Think
Find e-mail tools and sample messages to urge your elected officials to support medical research.
Public Opinion
Research!America has been gauging public opinion on health-related research since 1992.
Publications
Research!America produces a number of publications, including a monthly newsletter, annual report, brochures, articles and advertisements.
Issue Reports
Research!America has developed two series of one-page reports to highlight the benefits of research to improve health.
Public Health Toolkit and Advertisements
As part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Prevention Research Institute, Research!America and our partners created a series of print ads
highlighting the day-to-day benefits that prevention and public health
research delivers to Americans.
Research Takes Cents Messages
Research!America's signature Research Takes Cents
messages compare selected American leisure spending to the costs associated with
conducting research.
Then-Now-Imagine Messages
Our Then-Now-Imagine
messages describe the state of a condition or disease years ago (then), how
research has improved the situation (now) and what further research
might bring in the future (imagine).
U.S. Investment in Health Research
Research!America
tracks how much the public and private sectors in the U.S. spend on
health research in annual estimates.
Other ideas for taking action:
Practice talking about your work in three sentences or less
Use messages that work:
Use everyday language
Help others imagine the health benefits your research could produce
Talk about the benefits your research brings to the local economy
Tell personal stories about the research done in your lab or institution; help others get to know the people behind research in their community
Make it impossible to say:
“I’ve never heard of NIH…
“I’ve never heard of CDC…
“I can’t name a research institution…
“I can’t name a researcher”
Make it impossible to ignore research
Let your elected officials know about research done in their district
Write letters to the editor of the local paper about research in your community
Offer to speak to local business and community groups