Research!America to Honor Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Kay Granger
Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Kay Granger (R-TX-12) have each been selected to receive the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy for their extraordinary contributions to strengthening our nation’s research capabilities and impact. They will be honored at Research!America’s 2022 Advocacy Awards.
The Awards program will be held virtually at 4 p.m. ET on March 16, 2022; registration is free and open to all.
“Representatives DeLauro and Granger richly deserve this recognition,” said Research!America Board Chair Susan Dentzer. “As congressional leaders in advancing health research, they have been instrumental in working to fuel faster medical progress, including by assuring the growth of the National Institutes of Health budget. They have also been front and center in assuring funding for the research and public health response to COVID-19.”
Congresswoman DeLauro has been an outspoken advocate for NIH throughout her three decades in office. A 36-year ovarian cancer survivor, she is also a passionate champion for women’s health issues, particularly around cancers. Beyond her rock-solid support for medical and health research, Congresswoman DeLauro is a stalwart advocate for public health readiness and capacity.
In 2011, Representative DeLauro was named Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-Ed) Appropriations Subcommittee and in January 2021, she became Chair of the full House Appropriations Committee, while also serving as Chair of the LHHS-Ed Subcommittee, where she oversees our nation’s investments in health, education, and employment.
“I am honored to receive the Edwin C. Whitehead Award from Research!America. It is critical for us to work together to strengthen our public health infrastructure, advance pandemic preparedness efforts, and support life-saving research that benefits everyone,” said Rep. DeLauro. “We are making progress against deadly and debilitating health threats, but we must prioritize public health and medical research so we can reach lifesaving, groundbreaking results at a faster rate. I will continue to fight for the resources needed to achieve better health, and health care, for all.”
Congresswoman Granger has served in Congress since 1997 and is a long-time supporter of NIH and a member of the Public Health Caucus, the Coalition for Autism Research and Education, the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, and the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition. She has served as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2019.
A strong advocate for prevention, Congresswoman Granger has worked to address childhood obesity and promote early detection of cancers such as colorectal cancer.
“I am honored to accept the Edwin C. Whitehead Award. Ensuring our nation continues to lead in the research arena is critical for driving faster medical progress and ensuring our competitiveness in the global economy.” said Rep. Granger. “Our health, prosperity, and security as a nation are tied to the strength of our public and private sector research ecosystem.”
2022 Advocacy Awards
Now in its 26th year, Research!America’s annual Advocacy Awards program honors outstanding individuals and organizations in advocacy for medical, health, and scientific research. The Edwin C. Whitehead Award, named in honor of Research!America founder Edwin C. “Jack” Whitehead, recognizes exemplary leaders, particularly those in public office, who have demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing medical and health research as a national priority and who galvanize others in support of science. The Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy is generously supported by the Whitehead Charitable Foundation and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
“Representatives DeLauro and Granger were champions for life-saving medical and public health progress long before COVID-19 opened our eyes as a nation and global community to the significance of that progress. We are thrilled to honor and celebrate their decades of steadfast leadership and service,” said Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley.
Research!America has previously-announced the other 2022 Advocacy Award honorees: Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, will receive the John Edward Porter Legacy Award generously supported by Ann Lurie; France A. Córdova, PhD, will receive the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Builders of Science Award; Neal F. Lane, PhD, will receive the Herbert Pardes Family Award for National Leadership in Advocacy for Research; Jed Manocherian will receive the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award; the Alliance for Aging Research will receive the Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award; and Walter Isaacson will receive the Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion.
The suite of Outstanding Achievement in Public Health Awards generously supported by Johnson & Johnson honor the following: Matthew Meyers, Bill Novelli, and Vivian W. Pinn, MD, who will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Public Health Award; Christopher Murray, MD, DPhil, who will receive the Building the Foundation Award; Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, who will receive the Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award; Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), which will receive the Rapid Translation Award.
For a full list of 2022 awardees, visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.
Contact Tim Haynes, Senior Director of Communications, at 571-482-2737 or [email protected] with press inquiries.
About Research!America
Research!America is a non-profit medical and health research advocacy alliance which advocates for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all. Visit www.researchamerica.org.