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2023: Progress Together

The great strength of Research!America is our 300+ member organizations and you – the individuals who are part of those organizations. Together, we help ensure a future in which our most pressing health challenges are met with robust research investment and resolve. With you, we will continue to push the pace of medical and public health progress to deliver better health for all.

You brought about change in 2023. Together, we worked to:

Celebration, Inspiration, Engagement, Insights

Advocacy Awards

Our 2023 Advocacy Awards celebrated 13 honorees for contributions to medical and public health research and for leadership in advocacy including:

  • U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Todd Young (R-IN)
  • Former Acting NIH Director Larry Tabak, DDS, PhD
  • Spelman College President Helene Gayle, MD, MPH
  • Flagship Pioneering Founder and CEO Noubar Afeyan, PhD

Keeping a Pulse on Public Opinion

Surveys

Our America Speaks!: Poll Data Summary, Volume 23, released in April, serves as a resource for elected officials, outreach, and advocacy. We continued to assess public sentiment about science and research through three surveys this year:

  • Our annual survey in January 2023 found that nearly six in 10 Americans support greater taxpayer support of science and technology.
  • In partnership with Emory University, we surveyed Georgians’ views on maternal health and maternal mortality and released results at a symposium in Georgia. Results show that nine in 10 Georgians agree research is important to understand and address maternal mortality risks.
  • In partnership with the Association of Clinical Research Organizations, we commissioned a national survey on clinical trials and clinical research. An actionable takeaway: A large majority (87%) of respondents agree that health care professionals should discuss clinical trials with patients as part of their standard of care.

Engaging with Experts and Stakeholders

National Health Research Forum

The 2023 National Health Research Forum hosted thought-provoking discussions on topics such as the Future of Research and Innovation, Reimagining Clinical Trials, Public-Private Partnerships, Chips and Science, AI, Combatting Misinformation, Bolstering our Research Workforce, and Patient Empowerment.

  • 60 speakers, including 16 high-ranking government officials.
  • Speakers included Former Acting NIH Director Larry Tabak, DDS, PhD; NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, PhD; FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD; AHRQ Director Robert Valdez, PhD, MHSA; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Director Diana Bianchi, MD; PCORI Executive Director Nakela Cook, MD, MPH; Sanofi Chief Medical Officer Dietmar Berger, MD, PhD; and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s COO Russ Paulsen, MA.

2023 Discovery | Innovation | Health Prize

Research!America presented the first-ever $200,000 Discovery | Innovation | Health Prize, generously supported by Pfizer, to Nevan Krogan, PhD, director of UCSF’s Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), for his trailblazing efforts to address future pandemic threats.

Alliance Discussion

To help keep our members informed in real time of research progress and the policy landscape, we held 53 alliance discussions. Exceptional leaders from government, academia, and industry discussed timely topics, such as FDA regulation, advances in mental health research, health-focused artificial intelligence (AI), and antimicrobial resistance.

Empowering Early Career Scientists and Building Science Trust

Civic Engagement Microgrant Program

2023 was our 6th year empowering early-career science civic engagement through competitive microgrants with support from the Rita Allen Foundation. The program is highly competitive with 20 grants funded out of 68 applications from across the country.

Visualizing the Landscape of Training Initiatives for Scientists

In partnership with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, we released a report, “Visualizing the Landscape of Training Initiatives for Scientists in Public Engagement in the United States,” which offers a detailed overview of the scope of training initiatives for scientists in public engagement. Notably, the report includes an interactive dashboard that provides a dynamic window into these important and developing programs across the U.S.

We also helped to launch and lead the Coalition for Trust in Health and Science which comprises 90 organizations (and growing) and aims for all people to have equitable access to accurate, understandable, and relevant information to make personally appropriate health choices and decisions.

Early Career Summit

We held our 3rd Early Career Summit in virtual weekly sessions in June over the noon hour for early career scientists to learn more about civic engagement, science communication, science policy, and career development.

Campaigns/Advocacy

Public Health Thank You Day

For 18 years, Research!America has organized an effort to say “thank you” to our public health workforce the Monday before Thanksgiving.

  • On November 20, the bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Public Health Caucus, co-sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 78 recognizing Public Health Thank You Day.
  • We had ~1,000 tweets and involvement by more than 60 state and local health departments from 27 different states.

Science and Technology Action Committee

The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), an initiative that brings together non-profit, academic, foundation and corporate leaders with Research!America in a leading role, continued to make the case for a far bolder approach to bolstering our nation’s R&D capacity. STAC actively promoted the importance of funding science and technology throughout the year, culminating in the December release of the State of Science in America report, which incorporates the input of a broad range of scientific experts and sectors of the workforce on the importance of developing and funding a national strategy on science and technology. The report features findings from a national survey of Americans working in five sectors, revealing considerable concern about the loss of U.S. leadership in R&D, strong bipartisan support for greater government investment, and widespread acknowledgement of the critical role science and technology play in our society.

 

 

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