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Research!America is dedicated to ensuring a strong public and private sector investment in research to improve health at a level warranted by scientific opportunity and supported by public opinion. Member organizations and others share their perspectives on a wide variety of topics relating to public and private sector research and innovation, and public health. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of Research!America.

Recent Blog Posts

Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: A research setback and research accelerators

By Mary Woolley on June 6, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, In a recent weekly letter, I mentioned that advocacy in support of fetal tissue research continued to be critical, despite the apparent lull in an Administration effort to evaluate how to curtail/replace this avenue of research. Apparent is the operative word. Yesterday, the Administration announced that an NIH fetal tissue research-related contract with UCSF will not be renewed; intramural researchers at NIH will no longer be able to procure fetal tissue for research; and another layer of review will be imposed on all those seeking federal funding for fetal tissue research. Read our statement , an Axios article, and, most importantly, contact Eric Anthony ( eanthony...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Kudos to young scientists

By Mary Woolley on May 30, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, At our recent jam-packed Alliance Member Meeting we heard from Grace Graham, Health Policy Director for Senate HELP Committee Chairman Alexander (R-TN), and Andi Fristedt, Deputy Health Policy Director for Ranking Member Murray (D-WA). Grace and Andi encouraged input on bipartisan draft legislation that covers a range of healthcare and public health issues, including increasing efficiency and reducing costs, confronting rising maternal mortality rates, and addressing vaccine hesitancy. The authors of the bill are taking comments until June 5. Experts joined us at the University of San Francisco’s Mission Bay Campus for a spirited evening of conversation about the use...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: The public context of research

By Mary Woolley on May 23, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, Peter McPherson, President of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has authored a timely op-ed in USA Today arguing that China’s determination to secure global economic leadership is not only reflected in its trade practices, but also in its robust investments in R&D. Meanwhile, our nation shows disturbing signs of allowing R&D to falter, ceding global economic competitiveness in the process. Surveys commissioned by Research!America tell us that fewer than 4 in 10 Americans say they have confidence that the U.S. will maintain our global standing in science and innovation. But as McPherson notes, we still have advantages and still have...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: We are all Patients

By Mary Woolley on May 16, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, Today, the House Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee released its Fiscal Year 2020 funding bill, which they will consider tomorrow. The good news is that the bill contains the largest increase in funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in several years; the bad news is we can’t get there from here unless we #RaisetheCaps. On that subject, President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell have met to discuss the importance of a caps deal; according to news reports , the President was receptive. It is critical for stakeholders to reinforce the need for a deal now, while both the President and Congress are focused on it. If...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: The research environment

By Mary Woolley on May 9, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill. While there is great news in the bill, it must be considered in the grim context of the across the board cuts that will happen if Congress does not act to raise the budget caps. Our statement addresses both the good and bad news. The bill, which Congressional leadership is expected to bring to the House floor in June, includes more than $8.25 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over $41 billion for the National Institutes of Health, and $358 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and...
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Spring 2019: The Research Advocate

By Research!America on May 8, 2019
The Spring 2019 Research Advocate is now online! Highlights from this month include: Research!America celebrates its 30th anniversary at the Advocacy Awards Dinner The launch of the Raise the Caps campaign Research!America's new mission statement Johnson & Johnson announces a partnership with the National Academy of Medicine The 30th annual Research!America meeting of members Full table of contents: Research!America Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Advocacy Awards Dinner Looking Back at Accomplishments of the Past and Potential for the Future: Research!America’s 30th Annual Meeting of Members President's Letter Research!America Launches Raise The Caps Campaign Mary Woolley Inspires Young...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Leadership matters

By Mary Woolley on May 2, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, The House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee markup of Fiscal Year 2020 spending priorities on Tuesday featured lots of good news. You can watch the subcommittee’s deliberations here and find draft text of the bill here . The next stop is consideration by the full Appropriations Committee on May 8, 2019. Some highlights: $41.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health, an increase of $2 billion above last year; $8.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $921 million above the 2019 enacted level, including new funding for efforts to support modernization of public health data systems (for example, to track and prevent the spread of...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Opportunities and Imperatives

By Mary Woolley on April 25, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, I am very pleased to announce that Research!America’s 2020 Advocacy Awards nominations are now open! Act now to nominate those you want to recognize for outstanding advocacy leadership on behalf of scientific, medical, or public health research. The awards will be presented at our dinner next March. When members of Congress return to Washington, D.C. next week, the House will begin considering Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills, with the Labor-HHS Subcommittee scheduled to mark up their bill on April 30. Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has released a new report explaining why our nation needs a well-resourced public health system (which pivots on a well-...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Public Health at the Forefront

By Mary Wooley on April 18, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, Congress is officially out of session this week, but because negotiations to determine whether budget caps are raised are continuing, advocacy must continue as well. More than fifty organizations signed on to an AAAS-led letter to Congressional leaders asking them to prioritize federal research investments, raise the budget caps, and provide sustainable and robust investments for scientific research in Fiscal Year 2020. Now it’s time for more individual hands on this deck. Sign the Raise the Caps petition here . One of the concerns Members of Congress are likely hearing about back home is a disease once declared eliminated -- measles. More than 500 cases have been...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Then and Now

By Mary Woolley on April 11, 2019
Dear Research Advocate, This letter is my 400th, having started this journey in July 2011. Over the years I have received a wealth of high-content feedback, including strong disagreement from time to time. Our exchanges have helped refine Research!America’s advocacy and heighten our impact. It has been, and continues to be, a true privilege to share and discuss advocacy and public engagement topics with you over the years. Thank you for the opportunity!! Ironically, my first weekly letter in July 2011 concerned the threat posed by the possible passage of the Budget Control Act (BCA), the same law that set in motion a dramatic across-the-board budget cut and set up nearly a decade’s worth of...
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Luck shouldn't play a role in why I'm alive.
Laurie MacCaskill, a seven-year pancreatic cancer survivor