All employees of Research!America member organizations are eligible to join alliance member meetings. If your organization is not a Research!America member and you’re interested in more information about the alliance, email the development and membership team.
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 2:00 PM EDT
New Public Health Horizons: the evolving science of wastewater Intelligence
Join Research!America on for a conversation with Edwin Oh, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Among his diverse areas of expertise, Dr. Oh is breaking new ground in wastewater surveillance and analysis as a means of minimizing the toll of infectious diseases and other public health threats. We’ve asked Dr. Oh to discuss the impact, potential, and limitations of wastewater “intelligence.” (We’ll also sneak in a question or two about how a neurogenetics expert found his way into wastewater analysis). We hope you’ll join us on the 17th with your questions and comments!
Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Rural Health Disparities: What will it take to make progress?
Rural Americans face a range of alarming health disparities compared to their urban counterparts. Some grim examples: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rural Americans are more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, unintentional injury, and stroke than those living in urban areas. What role can research play in addressing these disparities? What has research already revealed about the known causes of rural health disparities, and what innovative strategies are being deployed to address those causes?
Leading rural health experts from the University of Illinois Rockford, Dr. Brianna Sheppard and Dr. Heidi Olson, joined us to discuss.
Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
The September 30th end of Fiscal Year 2023 is fast approaching. What’s possible, probable, and probably not in the cards as R&D relevant funding and policy priorities hang in the balance? If your organization is a Research!America alliance member, join us for a candid, off-the record conversation with two highly respected Capitol Hill Veterans, Cheryl Jaeger and Jane Loewenson. Cheryl and Jane have agreed to walk us through the good, the bad, and the ugly as Congress considers issues bearing on the pace, reach, and sustainability of medical and public health progress.
Email Jacqueline at jlagoy@researchamerica.org for the member-only registration link.
Date: Thursday, September 7, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
Our world is more connected than ever before. Our communities lie at our fingertips, from Twitter to Instagram to TikTok, but does interconnectedness have its drawbacks? What does it mean to grow up in a world where your community is online?
Dr. Mitch Prinstein, Chief Science Officer at the American Psychological Association, joined us to discuss how social media is affecting our youth. He shared insights from APA’s recent report about social media and adolescents and APA’s priorities in the area of adolescent mental health. Watch his presentation and view his slides.
Date: Thursday, August 24, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Date: Wednesday, August 23, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
What is NIH’s Role in Securing the Research Workforce?
Jon R. Lorsch, PhD, Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH joined us to provide an update on the Institute’s role in bringing about more sustainable and inclusive career paths for early career researchers across medical and health research engineering disciplines. View the slides and watch the recording.
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Bill Novelli, Founder of the Business for Impact Center at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business joined Research!America to discuss the art and science of effective R&D advocacy. Bill Novelli co-founded the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, and is the author of “Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World.” Our own Mary Woolley, President and CEO of Research!America, also joined the conversation. Mary and Bill looked at successful, and not so successful, avenues to greater support for public and private sector-fueled R&D.
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 2:30 PM EDT
How is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helping to better protect the U.S. from public health threats? Dan Jernigan, MD, MPH, Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the CDC, joined us to discuss the new vision for NCEZID and how the Center is incorporating innovation into its mission. This includes advanced molecular detection, how wastewater surveillance is critical to monitoring disease outbreaks, and how the CDC is tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Watch the recording.
Note: During the presentation, a second malaria case in Texas is mentioned. This case has not been classified as a locally acquired. The latest data on locally acquired malaria can be found at CDC’s website.
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
If your organization is a member of Research!America, join us on for a discussion with Paul Kim, Principal at Kendall Square Policy Strategies LLC, for an update on where we are in the process to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Signed into law in 2006, this legislation that has dramatically bolstered our nations multi-agency biodefense infrastructure and reauthorization remains critical to our continued preparedness for known and unknown biosecurity threats. This is a members-only, off-the-record discussion. Email Jacqueline at jlagoy@researchamerica.org for the member-only registration link.
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
Congressional veteran Mary Dee Beal, Principal at KDCR Partners, joined us for a closed-door discussion for an update on where we are in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process following the signing of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023 11:30 AM EDT
Date: Monday, June 12, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
We held an off-the-record conversation with James Lucier of Capital Alpha Partners about the implications of the debt deal for research, public health, and public-private R&D partnerships. What is the outlook for funding for NIH and other research and public health agencies? What does the deal mean for pandemic preparedness? What can advocates do to help shape the answers to those questions? Does the deal affect other legislative efforts, like reauthorization of PAHPA.
Date: Thursday, June 8, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
More than 6.7 million individuals in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is growing rapidly. Each day that passes without effective treatments brings tragic consequences for patients and their loved ones. As the debate over coverage for new Alzheimer’s drugs continues, Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, joined us to discuss the challenging path that led to these medicines, the state of the science now, and hope for the future. Watch the recording and view his slides.
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Neil Vora, MD, a physician with Conservation International, joined us to discuss his work in addressing pandemic prevention. His work focuses on the link between human health and the health of the planet – particularly as it relates to the increasing threat of viruses that can ‘spillover’ from animals to humans – and how policy can be used to prevent future pandemics. View his slides and watch the recording.
Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
More than 27,000 individuals – many of them luminaries in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) — have signed an open letter by the Future of Life Institute calling for a pause in the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. Given the widespread implications of AI for research and health (and virtually everything else), key signatory, Vincent Conitzer, PhD, joined us for an alliance discussion on the concerns that prompted this letter and its many supporters. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at FDA, joined us for a members-only alliance discussion to discuss efforts to shape a robust, cost- and time-efficient regulatory review pathway for advances in gene therapy. Offering unimagined hope for the treatment and cure of rare childhood diseases and other treatment-elusive health threats, gene therapy is one of the most promising, and challenging, areas of focus for 21st century science. This was a members-only, off-the-record discussion.
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Steven Grossman, Executive Director of Alliance for a Stronger FDA, joined us to discuss all things FDA, including recent developments bearing on FDA’s role in the R&D ecosystem and the President’s FY 24 budget. Watch the recording.
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Gary Gibbons, MD, Director of the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, joined us for a Zoom conversation about where we stand in the fight against sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD affects over 20 million people worldwide, including nearly 100,000 in the U.S. alone. Progress against this disease has been tragically slow. However, recent advances offer renewed hope. Dr. Gibbons shared his perspective on the path that has brought us here and what the future may bring, against a health threat that heightens health disparities and has for far too long has eluded medical progress. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Sara Maskornick, Democratic Staff Director of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children & Families, joined us for a closed-door, alliance member-only meeting to provide an update on the Senate’s efforts to develop and secure passage of legislation to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Signed into law in 2006, PAHPA dramatically bolstered our nation’s multi-agency biodefense infrastructure. In the lingering wake of COVID-19 and with other biosecurity threats emerging, the need to revisit and reauthorize the law has never been more important. This was a members-only, off-the-record discussion.
Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
John Crowley, Chairman and CEO, Amicus Therapeutics, joined us to discuss the personal journey that led to his remarkable impact on progress against rare diseases, and the path to dramatically faster progress going forward. Watch the recording.
Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services joined us to discuss the status of the Inflation Reduction Act implementation and how CMS is incorporating external input, along with other facets of this complex and consequential implementation process. This was a members-only, off-the-record discussion.
Date: Monday, April 24, 2023 3:00 PM EDT
Rebecca Cunningham, MD, Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan, joined us to discuss the role of research in addressing firearm injury as the individual and societal toll of this deadly public health threat grows. Watch the recording and view her slides.
Date: Monday, April 17, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 2:00 PM EDT
Research is only as good as the data informing it. Mary Pittman, President and CEO, Public Health Institute (PHI) joined us for a discussion focused on what good data really looks like in the context of public health research; tools and approaches to make data more precise; and how social determinants of health and other community-informed measures provide critical context to make public health data—and the research that comes from it—more meaningful and actionable. Watch the recording and view the slides.
Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Tish Hevel, CEO of The Brain Donor Project, joined us for a discussion on brain donation. In concert with the NeuroBioBank of the National Institutes of Health, The Brain Donor Project is the leading organization working to increase awareness and facilitate brain donation in pursuit of faster neurological scientific breakthroughs. Tish helped illuminate the process of brain donation, dispel the myths surrounding it, and shared how the Brain Donor Project can help you and your loved ones be the brain behind the breakthrough. Watch the recording and view the slides.
Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), joined us for a candid conversation about the opioid crisis. Where are we on the arduous path to ending this crisis? How is public and private sector-fueled research contributing? Your participation added value to a conversation focused on a battle our nation and the global community can, and must, win. Watch the recording and view the slides.
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
Date: Monday, March 13, 2023 12:00 PM EDT
Emily Holubowich, VP of Federal Advocacy at the American Heart Association, joined us for a close-door discussion on the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request. She also discussed the outlook for FY24 appropriations generally, in what can only be described as an indescribable federal funding environment. This was a members-only, off-the-record discussion.
Date: Monday, March 6, 2023 1:00 PM EST
We were joined by Caroline Montojo, PhD, President of the Dana Foundation. Dr. Montojo discussed highlights from the 2022 national survey we commissioned in partnership with the Dana Foundation, on brain health and brain health research. Additionally, she shed light on the Foundation’s vision for a future in which brain science benefits from and reflects society. Watch the recording and view the slides.
Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 12:00 PM EST
What are FDA’s 2023 priorities under the new drug and medical device user fee bills? What exactly was included about clinical trial diversity in December’s Omnibus legislation? FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation and International Affairs, Andi Fristedt, joined us to share an inside look at key issues impacting patients, researchers, and industry. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 1:00 PM EST
Debi Brooks, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation – recipient of our 2023 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award – joined us to discuss their critical work in Parkinson’s Disease research the foundation is doing and their unique vantage on patient engagement. Watch the recording.
Date: Monday, February 6, 2023 12:00 PM EST
If your organization is a member of Research!America, join us for a closed door discussion with congressional and executive branch veterans from both sides of the aisle, Julie Hershey Carr and Lisa Kountoupes. This was a members-only, off-the-record discussion.
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023 11:00 AM EST
Dr. Helene Gayle, President of Spelman College and recipient of Research!America’s 2023 Geoffrey Beene Foundation Builders of Science Award, joined us for an alliance discussion. Dr. Gayle has contributed in profoundly important ways to addressing the social determinants that impact health and the inequities that compromise it. Watch this thought- and action-inspiring conversation between Dr. Gayle and Research!America Board Member Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath.
Date: Monday, January 30, 2023 2:30 PM EST
Hip Hop Public Health Executive Director and CEO, Lori Rose Benson, and President and Founder, Dr. Olajide Williams, of Hip Hop Public Health, joined us for a special alliance discussion. Through Hip Hop Public Health‘s pioneering Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model, youth develop essential health literacy knowledge and skills, and serve as intergenerational advocates for themselves, their families and their communities. Hip Hop Public Health is the recipient of Research!America’s 2023 Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award. Watch the recording.
Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 1:30 PM EST
Dr. Margaret Hamburg. Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, an internationally recognized leader in public health, medicine, and biomedical research and innovation, joined us for an alliance discussion. She has served in numerous leadership roles including Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, National Academy of Medicine Foreign Secretary, President/Chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Vice President/Senior Scientist at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (DHHS), New York City Health Commissioner, and Assistant Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Dr. Hamburg is the recipient of the Research!America’s 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Public Health Award. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 1:30 PM EST
Pamela Davis, MD, PhD, Arline H. & Curtis F. Garvin Research Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine recipient of Research!America’s 2023 Herbert Pardes Family Award for National Leadership in Advocacy for Research was joined by her colleague, Heidi Gullett, MD, MPH, for a discussion on the vital role of the community–as planners, participants and advocates–within the research team. Watch the recording.
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2023 4:00 PM EST
Dr. James Crowe, Director of the Vaccine Center and Ann Scott Carell Professor of Pediatrics, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and winner of Research!America’s 2023 Building the Foundation Award, joined us to discuss the significance of public-private partnership in the response to COVID-19 and in achieving fast-paced progress against other deadly and debilitating health threats. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2022 2:30 PM EST
Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, co-directors of Hiding in Plain Sight, Youth Mental Illness and winners of Research!America’s 2023 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion Award joined us for a conversation. Watch the recording.
Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2022 4:00 PM EST
Research!America’s 2023 Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award honorees Heywood Fralin, Chairman of Retirement Unlimited, Inc. and Michael J. Friedlander, PhD, Vice President of Health Sciences and Technology at Virginia Tech and Executive Director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC joined us for a conversation on the innovative partnership model of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and it’s impact on the research ecosystem. Watch the recording.
Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2022 2:30 PM EST
Emily Holubowich, VP of Federal Advocacy at the American Heart Association, joined us to provide an update on the legislative outlook as we approach the end of the 117th Congress. Watch the recording.
Date: Monday, November 21, 2022 2:30 PM EST
In recognition of Public Health Thank You Day, Sarah Despres, Counselor for Public Health and Science at The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joined us for an off-the-record conversation on all things public health.
