We go to press with cautious optimism about the success of relentless advocacy for research and innovation, at least as that pertains to actions taken in the last few days by the House of Representatives to assure that achieving medical progress remains a high national priority. While we are deeply grateful that the National Institutes of Health is slated for an increase in support, other agencies critical to achieving better health and maintaining global competitiveness are being cut. (Read more elsewhere in this newsletter.) 

Meanwhile, states are taking counterproductive actions to push science out of schools. Our Chair Emeritus, former Congressman John Edward Porter, provides some straight talk on this matter in a July 13 letter to the editor in The Washington Post. To quote in part: “What is taught as science in classrooms is important. If we expect to compete globally, students must be able to differentiate science from issues cloaked in the mantle of science.” As stakeholders in a healthy, prosperous future for our children and grandchildren, we can’t afford to avert our gaze or outsource advocacy right now. It’s up to every one of us to speak out. Your congressional representatives will be in their home districts in just a few weeks, providing the perfect opportunity for you to make a visit and let them know what your priorities are!