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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: Advocacy, Curiosity, Trust

By Mary Woolley on September 1, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, The Labor Day holiday is upon us, a brief reprieve before a month during which several key, R&D-relevant bills will – or won’t – pass Congress. Your advocacy can help determine the fate of those bills. On The Hill: Among those must-pass bills: the reauthorization of PDUFA and the SBIR/STTR programs. If these bills don’t pass, these programs end. Will History Repeat Itself?: Year after year, Congress fails to complete the annual appropriations process by the September 30 deadline (although clearly it is not seen as one). The result? Federal agencies like NIH, FDA, CDC, NSF, AHRQ, and now ARPA-H are tethered, through continuing resolutions (“CRs”), to months and...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Seizing Opportunity

By Mary Woolley on August 25, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, An article in Science last week carried the worrisome headline, “ China rises to first place in most cited papers .” While there is long-standing disagreement as to how research rankings are compiled and what they mean, the study cited and resulting headline are part of a broader trend. Bottom line, there is no denying China’s determination to become the global leader in science, and it has made massive gains in the 21st century. Celebrating the enactment of the CHIPS and Science Act is not enough: the Act is a blueprint – Congress must still fund much of it, so as to make the promised and necessary investments a reality... On The Hill: …which brings us to the...
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Alliance Discussion with Dr. Daniel Bausch: An Update on the Monkeypox Outbreak

By Leanna Kalinowski, Science Communications Intern, Research!America on August 24, 2022
In an August 3, 2022, alliance discussion, Daniel Bausch, MD, MPH&TM, President, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, discussed the monkeypox outbreak and the U.S. response. Some of Dr. Bausch’s insights: On mode of transmission: “It’s not an easy virus to catch. You catch it by having close contact physical contact with the person for the most part, perhaps in the early phases of the disease. There may be some transmission from a person who can be coughing, but only if you have direct and prolonged contact. [It is] so much harder to catch monkeypox virus than it is to catch COVID-19 with just normal, day to day interactions.” On variants and mutations: “SARS-CoV-2 is a...
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Building a Science Policy Group Q&A: Laurie Zabala

By on August 16, 2022
Laurie Zabala is a Science Communications Intern at Research!America and a Spring 2022 graduate of Georgetown University’s M.S. Integrative Neuroscience program. While at Georgetown, she conducted research on Alzheimer’s Disease and supplemented her biomedical degree with science policy electives and activities. 1. How did your interest in science policy develop? By happy accident! Ever since elementary school, I’ve had a foot in two worlds – the humanities and the sciences. After I earned a master’s degree in international relations, I wanted to pursue a neuroscience degree. My search for a neuroscience master’s program helped me discover science policy. I soon realized science policy was...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Joining and Cultivating R&D Champions

By Mary Woolley on August 11, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, On Tuesday, President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act into law. I had the privilege of joining dozens of champions for advancing science and technology (including my STAC co-chairs Keith Yamamoto and Sudip Parikh and my Research!America colleague Jenny Luray) at the White House signing ceremony. Statements from Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and White House OSTP Acting Director Alondra Nelson , PhD, are among the many highlighting the significance of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen S&T innovation and America’s role as a global research leader. But, as Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant...
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CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Diversity Initiatives Summary

By Jasmine George, PhD, Science Policy Fellow, Research!America on August 11, 2022
President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 on August 9. The bipartisan legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 64-33 and the House by a vote of 243-187. The final legislation was several years in the making. Among the many key provisions, the bill establishes several important diversity initiatives under the National Science Foundation (NSF). Some of the items below will require new funding through the annual appropriations process. ​ NSF Chief Diversity Officer : The bill codifies the Chief Diversity Officer position at the NSF to provide guidance and to lead the agency’s strategic planning to broaden diverse participation of individuals and institutions in NSF-funded...
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Alliance Discussion with Randall Rutta: The National Health Council’s Vision for Patient Centricity

By Leanna Kalinowski, Science Communications Intern, Research!America on August 10, 2022
In a July 27, 2022, alliance discussion, Randall (Randy) Rutta, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Council (NHC), discussed his work with NHC, the organization's vision for patient centricity, the future of the Prescription Drug User Fee Acts (PDUFA), and how advocates can advance the goal of maximum patient engagement. Some of Rutta’s insights: On “meaningful patient engagement”: “We’ve heard [meaningful patient engagement] referred to as direct relationships and partnerships that are bi-directional, reciprocal, and continuous. That truly embracing the patient and the lived experience they have – their dreams and aspirations not just for their health, but for their life – is...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Then. Now. Imagine.

By Mary Woolley on August 4, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, As monkeypox cases rise across the nation and around the globe, the U.S. response is intensifying. Today, the President declared a public health emergency , and earlier this week he established a new monkeypox coordination team . ICYMI : Yesterday, we had the privilege of hosting Daniel Bausch, MD, President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and Senior Director of Emerging Threats and Global Health Security at FIND , for a thought-provoking assessment of the monkeypox threat. ( Watch the recording .) What We Don’t Know Will Hurt Us: As Dr. Bausch made clear, gaps in research focused on the viral family of which monkeypox is part remain a key...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: YOU DID IT!

By Mary Woolley on July 28, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, Sometimes advocates achieve a milestone so significant that the only thing to do is… take some well-deserved credit! The Science & Technology Action Committee (STAC), of which Research!America is a co-founder, and many other advocacy groups worked together to press for legislation addressing dangerous vulnerabilities in our nation’s science and technology capacity. This week, both the House and Senate passed The CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346), which is authorizing legislation, with strong bipartisan support. Read the Research!America and STAC statements. The funding authorized in H.R. 4346 still must be appropriated to translate this bill into action(s). In...
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Mary Woolley's Weekly Letter: Advocacy Works! U.S. Innovation Bill Making Progress

By Mary Woolley on July 21, 2022
Dear Research Advocate, On The Hill: As you’ll recall, l ast week it appeared the Senate was on the verge of shelving months of bipartisan work on a comprehensive package to strengthen U.S. innovation and competitiveness. The very good news is that earlier this week, the Senate voted 64-34 to proceed on a scaled-down yet still robust version of USICA ( S.1260 , H.R.4561 ). This version includes many provisions important to the research and higher education communities. While the Senate still must vote on final passage (as must the House), optimism is warranted, but nothing can be taken for granted. Advocacy continues to be essential. Read more about the importance of a comprehensive bill to...
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Luck shouldn't play a role in why I'm alive.
Laurie MacCaskill, a seven-year pancreatic cancer survivor