This week, communities across the country are celebrating National Public Health Week (NPHW) led by the American Public Health Association (APHA). This annual observance recognizes the invaluable work of public health professionals in keeping our communities healthy and safe. As we lift up the contributions of our public health officials, we are also reminded of the importance of continuing to improve existing health systems and rebuild where there are shortcomings. This year, the NPHW theme, “Building Bridges to Better Health,” invites everyone to join in support of public health at a time when widespread recognition is greatly needed. The COVID-19 pandemic has both illuminated and...

On March 26, a national day to speak out against AAPI hate, Research!America stands strongly with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to #StopAsianHate. Racism and violence have no place in our society. This is, once again, a time for us all to recommit to community. It’s also a time for listening and reflecting. See the resources below from Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, and San Francisco State for ways to get involved. Resources Collaboratory Against Hate - Research and Action Center - Led by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh the center will bring together the collective expertise to better understand and combat hatred based on...

Dear Research Advocate, Advocacy Then and Now: This letter marks #500 since I began this weekly conversation with you. In the first letter, I spoke out against the Budget Control Act and the severe funding caps it would (and did) impose on strategic imperatives like research. You joined with us to help secure modifications to those budget caps to enable funding increases for NIH and other research agencies. Advocacy works. Now, hundreds of letters later, the FY22 budget cycle is about to begin: reports are that President Biden will release the first details of his FY22 budget request next week, to be followed by a more detailed budget later this spring. It was heartening to hear the...

Dear Research Advocate, The Senate HELP Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings this week to review the Biden Administration’s pandemic response and ongoing COVID-19 vaccine distribution with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, NIH NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, HHS Chief Scientific Officer for the COVID Response Dr. David Kessler, and FDA CBER Director Dr. Peter Marks. In their testimonies, the Administration officials underscored how utilizing past scientific discoveries in combination with new partnerships led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics at a record pace. They also spoke to concerns regarding equitable vaccine distribution, and how...