Not long after the passage of the omnibus, rumors began to circulate that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Donald Trump were discussing possible cuts, or rescissions, to non-defense discretionary funding. Though multiple reports suggest Congress is unlikely to accept any proposed rescissions package, the law requires the proposed funding to be impounded for 45 days, essentially freezing related activities at agencies facing potential cuts. Given that FY18 funding wasn’t resolved until nearly half the fiscal year had passed, further delays simply set the stage for needless operational challenges and missed opportunities. Research!America joined the science advocacy community in encouraging individuals to speak out against triggering a rescissions process.

In addition to monitoring developments with respect to FY18 appropriations, we continue to advocate for robust budget growth in FY19. Based on the deal to raise the caps, there is only an additional $5 billion over FY18 levels available for increases in non-defense discretionary spending in FY19.  Securing the funding NIH, CDC, FDA, AHRQ, NSF and other science agencies need to advance our nation’s strategic objectives will require difficult budget tradeoffs.  We are working to make the case that FY19 increases for medical, scientific and public health research needs to be a top national priority, and that the funding needed to advance the respective missions and objectives of these key agencies should be prominent in any long-term strategy aimed at securing our nation’s future health, fiscal and homeland security, and prosperity.

The Senate HELP Committee has produced bipartisan legislation to address the opioid epidemic and is in the process of assessing the nature and scope of potential amendments should the bill move to the Senate floor. On the House side, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee has also been drafting a package of opioid-related legislation that they hope to bring to the floor by Memorial Day.

At the request of the Senate HELP Committee, Research!America drafted two letters recommending that NIH and FDA provide technical assistance before pursuing Senate passage of H.R. 70. This legislation -- intended to ensure the integrity of advisory committees -- unfortunately contains language that could compromise peer review and advisory committee processes at agencies like NIH, NSF and FDA. Reportedly the bill is now on hold pending further review.

President Trump is expected to deliver his first major speech on the topic of drug pricing this month. In a midterm election year, it is unlikely that Congress will act on any proposed legislation. Although details of the president’s proposal are unknown, we will continue to make the case that reducing health spending and increasing access to high quality, affordable health care without compromising desperately needed medical progress requires a systems approach, one that balances the many interwoven health care cost variables that influence spending.

Nearly one in four households include someone who suffers from migraine, however few effective treatments are available for patients. A panel of experts discussed the current state of migraine research, funding, and need for patient involvement during a webinar titled “What are the Barriers in Advancing Migraine Research?” on April 11 hosted by Research!America.

 “Our voices are important,” said patient advocate Katie Golden who emphasized the need for patient centricity in migraine research. “Ask patients about the outcomes that are important to us. I believe that everybody throughout the entire process, whether you’re a researcher or scientist or salesperson of a drug, needs to be connected to the patient story and who they are ultimately trying to help.”

Dr. Robert Shapiro, Department of Neurological Sciences, Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, said migraine is the least funded of the most burdensome diseases. He called for an aggressive recruitment of investigators to study migraine. Dr. Michael Oshinsky, program director, pain and migraine, National Institute of Neurological Disorders, described current funding opportunities for researchers at the NIH including the HEAL initiative, which aims to understand the origins of chronic pain.

To view a recording of the webinar, supported in part by Amgen, click here.  

How do you convey nursing research and interventions that resonate with policymakers, media and the public on social media? Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHU SON) students, scholars and faculty participated in Research!America’s “Maximizing Nursing Research and Digital Storytelling” workshop held at JHU SON on April 26. Research!America Vice President of Communications Suzanne Ffolkes and Director of Communications Anna Briseño shared effective techniques for storytelling on social media and digital platforms such as blogs and podcasts.

During the half-day workshop, attendees participated in a Twitter chat focused on how nursing and public health researchers can play a role in preventing and treating opioid misuse and addiction. The Twitter chat, #opioidcaretalk, was facilitated by JHU SON Dean Dr. Patricia Davidson. The American Public Health Association joined the interactive discussion which generated more than 7 million Twitter impressions. “I think it’s a really great platform for disseminating information,” said Rebecca Piasecki, a Ph.D. student who studies critical care. “It was great to learn about that…methods and tips and tools to make that dissemination more effective and reach more people.” 

Participant Safiyyah Okoye, a JHU SON Ph.D. student whose research focuses on improving healthcare for people with complex health and social needs, said that the Twitter chat helped her navigate the nuances of hashtags, handles, and responses. A key takeaway for participant Kelly Robinson, a JHU SON Ph.D. student who studies maternal health outcomes for homeless women, was that social media can be a valuable tool for networking in the field and increasing the visibility of research making it part of “a conversation that is more regularly discussed.”

Communicating the health and economic impact of nursing and health research to decision-makers is essential to assure increased investments from the public and private sector. University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies hosted a workshop facilitated by Research!America Vice President of Communications Suzanne Ffolkes on Monday, April 23 for faculty interested in learning more about effective communications for different audiences. Attendees agreed that creating a narrative about research that resonates with non-scientists is key to building relationships and generating public support. They recognize that the social and economic benefits of health research, ranging from HIV treatment and prevention, domestic violence interventions, studies on the social determinants of depression and the cardiometabolic consequences of cannabis use, should be shared with potential funders.

Urge Congress to Support Funding for Research

Congress recently completed an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018 (FY18) that included meaningful and crucially important budget increases for our nation’s science and health agencies. The president signed the legislation into law on March 23, 2018.

The Trump Administration and House majority leadership are reportedly considering whether to pursue retroactive cuts to the new appropriations law that would target non-defense discretionary spending. Such an effort, if successful, could mean cuts to NIH, FDA, CDC, NSF, AHRQ and other agencies leveraging research to speed medical and public health progress.

Take action now: http://bit.ly/2w9B1nr.