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Anticipating Changes

With a new administration, we are on the cusp of new leadership at the NIH. I talked with Politico recently about the short, but impactful tenure of NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, commenting that Dr. Bertagnolli was “fiercely devoted to making sure that NIH is serving everyone and that everyone’s heard.” In March, Monica will receive the Meeting the Moment for Public Health Award during Research!America’s Advocacy Awards event (registration link included) on March 12 in Washington, D.C.

Dario Gil tapped: Former Research!America board member and current member of The Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), Dario Gil, Ph.D., has been tapped by President-Elect Trump to be undersecretary of science and innovation at the Department of Energy. During President Trump’s first term Dario, senior vice president and director, IBM Research, was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and chaired a subcommittee. We congratulate Dario on his selection.

On the Hill: This week, ahead of Monday’s presidential inauguration, Congress has been finalizing committee and subcommittee assignments, an important step in organizing its work for the year. Research!America has created a resource with a list of these key assignments. The Senate has also started hearings for presidential nominees, though no dates are set yet for HHS nominees.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick on Fiscal Year 2025 funding. The continuing resolution (CR) that keeps the government operating at FY24 funding levels is set to expire on March 14. Research!America is urging Congress to finalize FY25 appropriations by that date—or sooner – and provide robust federal research funding. Delays and reliance on continuing resolutions (CRs) stall progress on lifesaving breakthroughs.

Take a minute now to urge your representatives in the House and Senate to champion accelerated efforts to 1) finalize FY25 appropriations; and 2) ensure the final legislation fuels faster medical and public health progress. Use this editable email, which will be sent directly to members of your Congressional delegation!

Strategy Session: We invite you to connect and help us all prepare for 2025 and 2026 advocacy at our next alliance member-only strategy session, taking place via Zoom on Jan. 23 at noon ET. We will be joined by Mary Dee Beal and Leslie Zelenko from KDCR Partners to provide a D.C. update, and to resume the 2025 policy and advocacy strategy session that got off to such a productive start during last month’s meeting. If you are with a Research!America alliance member organization, email Jacqueline Lagoy for the link. If your organization is interested in learning more about alliance membership, email Kristen Furlong.

Spotlight on a Board Member: I highly recommend this STAT News profile of Research!America board member Kafui Dzirasa, M.D., Ph.D. The piece captures how he discovered his life’s purpose as well as his groundbreaking work as a Howard Hughes Research Institute (HHMI) researcher at Duke University. He is relentless in his determination to conquer mental illness by striving to “re-tune” the brain. He is also an extraordinary mentor and research advocate.

Connect With a Public Health Champion: Join us on Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. ET for a discussion with Dr. Alfred Sommer, Dean Emeritus, University Distinguished Service Professor, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and recipient of Research!America’s 2025 Outstanding Achievement in Public Health Award. In conversation with fellow Bloomberg School professor Dr. Scott Zeger, Dr. Sommer will share insights from his storied career – from his lifesaving work as a physician-scientist making the connection between Vitamin A deficiency and childhood mortality to his leadership as dean of the Bloomberg School. We hope you can join and participate in this special discussion. Register here.

The Road to Progress: The long and winding road to scientific, medical, and public health progress is not always clear – leading policymakers and the public at times to take progress for granted. Storytelling is one of the most important tools advocates can use to raise awareness and cultivate support. It would be difficult to find an advocate more adept at conveying the twists, turns, and societal significance of the medical discovery R&D journey than Doug Lowenstein. A former journalist and the parent of a daughter with type 1 diabetes (T1D), Doug has an extensive background in health policy, and has recently been writing extraordinary articles focused on the roller coaster path that characterizes so much of the breakthrough drug discovery and development journey. I commend to you his article on teplizumab, the first-ever approved immune therapy for type 1 diabetes, as well as another terrific piece on the development of the artificial pancreas.

If you have ideas for other stories that exemplify the rough and tumble journey from discovery to delivery, get in touch with Doug here.

MLK Day: This coming Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is a good time to reflect on the role each of us can take in helping others. I’m reminded of Dr. King’s Good Samaritan sermon in which he spoke of the powerful call: “I heard a voice saying DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS.” I suggest we all take time to think about how the work we are doing is helping others.

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