Honoring Research Advocates
It was an honor and a pleasure to gather last evening for the 2025 Advocacy Awards at the National Academy of Sciences, the 29th year Research!America has celebrated advocates for research. We heard from inspiring leaders from across the research and development ecosystem. In these uncharted times, it was especially welcome to take a moment, step back, and honor those who continue to make a difference. Our honorees participated in two insightful panel discussions, one on trust in science, and a second on the role of advocacy in ensuring medical and health research continue to meet the needs of society. A theme emerged around the need for advocates to listen carefully to the people and the communities that science works in and for. Former NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, M.D. said, “only human-to-human direct contact establishes trust.” Several panelists (honorees all!) emphasized the importance of investing more in our early career researchers and those still younger who may want to become researchers – they are our future!
Grateful thanks to our host, the National Academy of Medicine and its President, Victor Dzau, M.D.; our panel moderators, Julie Gerberding, M.D. and Elias Zerhouni, M.D.; all of our generous sponsors; and our amazing benefactors, who made the event possible.
Don’t miss the awards events next year on March 11, 2026. Later this spring we will open the awards nominations process – so start thinking about whom you feel should next be celebrated! Meanwhile, check photo highlights of this year’s event here and watch for the recordings of this year’s program in next week’s letter!
Federal Update:
Fiscal Year 2025 Funding: The House passed an FY25 continuing resolution (CR) on Tuesday by a vote of 217-213. In general, the bill would extend funding for the remaining 6 months of FY25 at FY24 levels. As I write this, the bill’s prospects in the Senate are unclear, as it needs 60 votes for passage. There are varying reports on whether there will be enough Democrats who will join Republicans when the Senate votes on the CR on Friday. (The current CR expires at midnight Friday.) If the bill passes, the president is expected to sign it, and funding will be in place for the rest of FY25. If it does not pass, it’s likely there will be a government shutdown. Stay tuned!
Slower Progress for Service Members…and all of us: One very negative development in the CR is the 60% cut in funding for the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). While the CDMRP sometimes flies under the radar, its contributions to the care of wounded warriors and to research on disabling and deadly diseases are enormous. We are proud to be a member of the Defense Health Research Consortium and will work to restore and increase this impactful funding.
Also on the Hill, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) voted this morning to confirm the nomination of Martin Makary, M.D., to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration by a vote of 14-9 and Jay Bhattacharaya, M.D., to be Director of the National Institutes of Health on a 12-11 vote. The full Senate is expected to vote on the nominations in the near future.
And, in a surprise move, the Trump Administration pulled the nomination of former Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D., to lead the CDC this morning, just hours before his scheduled confirmation hearing. More news to come.
RIFs: Today is the deadline for federal agencies to submit reduction in force (RIF) and reorganization plans to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) under President Trump’s “Implementing The Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative” executive order. (See this OMB/OPM memo for more information on the agency requirements). Watch your emails and this space for a joint advocacy initiative.
5 Years Ago….and some surprising findings: On March 11, 2020, we cancelled our annual awards event with two days’ notice following the WHO’s declaration on the COVID-19 pandemic. That was the week that COVID hit us all hard, with families all over the world facing immense losses in the next several months. We all scrambled; while lives were lost, vaccines saved many many lives worldwide.
Findings from two questions on our annual commissioned public opinion survey about attitudes now on the pandemic may surprise you: 56% of Americans say COVID-19 improved their understanding of how health research works while 33% said the pandemic made them more confused about how research works. (The rest were unsure.) The survey also found that 58% of respondents say their trust in doctors and scientists improved as a result of the disease, while 16% of respondents said their trust in doctors decreased, and 19% said their trust in scientists decreased. (The remaining reported no change.) While these findings may surprise you, they also demonstrate there is more work to do as researchers and advocates (and all of you who are both!) work to better convey how research works for everyone.
Member-only Meetings:
Advocacy 101: Want to advocate for research but don’t know where to start? Research!America members are invited to join us on Tuesday, March 18, at noon ET for a member-only advocacy training on Zoom designed to equip you to engage policymakers and effectively communicate the value of research.
Policy & Law: Join us for an alliance member-only meeting over Zoom on Thursday, March 27, from noon – 1 P.M. ET, featuring Georgetown Law Professor David Super. We’ve asked David to discuss the administrative, statutory, and regulatory implications of recent Executive Branch actions affecting medical and health research.
To RSVP for either event, email Jacqueline Lagoy.
Heart Disease Discussion: By 2050, 61% of the U.S. population is projected to develop some form of cardiovascular disease, and diet plays a role in the conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, such as diabetes and hypertension. Join us on Thursday, April 3, at noon ET for an engaging discussion with Dr. Christina Economos, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Dr. Economos will share insights on the challenges and opportunities of food-based nutritional interventions to improve health. Register now.
Your Support: Research!America’s all-out efforts to ensure our nation continues to fight for scientific, medical, and public health progress take tremendous resources – your donations help support our work during these unprecedented times with RIFs, budget clawbacks and policy changes. Please consider donating today to help us sustain and grow our activities and our impact.
Stand for Science: Finally, a shout out to the determined early career scientists who organized the 100+ rallies last week to Stand for Science.