Research!America to Honor Reps. Lucas and Lofgren for their Support of Research
Arlington, VA – Research!America announced today that Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) 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 advancing medical progress. They will be honored at 2025 Advocacy Awards on March 12 in Washington, D.C.
“Reps. Lucas and Lofgren are true champions of the American science and technology enterprise and what we can accomplish on behalf of all Americans,” said Research!America Board Chair Sudip Parikh, PhD. “Their leadership has been critical to making research a higher priority for Congress.”
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.
“Reps. Lucas and Lofgren actively promote research and innovation in Congress,” said Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley. “Exemplifying the power of bipartisanship, their work and their example will help ensure the U.S. is a world leader in medical and health research and science and technology.”
Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) has served in Congress since 1994. He has served as Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and as a member on the Financial Services Committee and Agriculture Committee.
As the Ranking Member and then Chair of the House Science Committee, Congressman Lucas been a leader working on a bipartisan basis to promote U.S. innovation. He championed legislation with then-House Science Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) that formed the basis of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.
He has also been a leader in highlighting the risk to the U.S. from rising competition from China. He introduced the Securing American Leadership in Science Technology Act (SALSTA), which would double funding for basic research over 10 years and build the STEM workforce. He has cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation that promote medical and health research ranging from increased funding for cancer, infectious disease, and muscular dystrophy research. He cosponsored the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2008, which created a new funding stream for pediatric cancer research and the Rare Diseases Act of 2002, which established the Office of Rare Diseases at the NIH. He also cosponsored the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments (MD CARE) Act, which expanded muscular dystrophy research at NIH.
“Throughout my time in Congress I’ve spent many hours speaking with researchers and scientists, nationwide, to learn about their needs and their work to create solutions to today’s problems. So I understand the importance of investments in science funding and the mission we’re supporting here today.”
In accepting the award, he cited research conducted at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation that led to a new sepsis treatment.
Like Rep. Lucas, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) has served 15 terms in Congress, having been first elected in 1994. Rep. Lofgren serves as the Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee. Throughout her tenure, she has consistently demonstrated her commitment to advancing scientific and medical research.
Congresswoman Lofgren has displayed strong support for funding across research agencies. She cosponsored the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act, and her support of the CHIPS and Science Act helped ensure passage of that landmark legislation in 2022. She has also consistently pushed for fully funding the science portion of the CHIPS and Science Act in annual appropriations legislation and has been a vocal champion for the National Institutes of Health.
Beyond advocating for increased funding, Congresswoman Lofgren is clearly committed to health-focused research. She is a vocal champion for the National Institutes of Health and has lent her strong support to research in such areas as autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Tourette Syndrome.
“I’m honored to have been selected to receive this award,” Rep. Lofgren said. “As the Ranking Member of the House Science Committee, my colleagues and I work tirelessly to foster scientific advancement and cultivate the nation’s STEM pipeline in all topics, including biomedical research. These efforts are often unanimously bipartisan—a testament that everyone can rally behind federal research and agree that our premiere agencies are critical for the health, security, and prosperity of Americans from every corner of the nation. We must fight to ensure that our scientific enterprise remains resilient, diverse, and unafraid to further our understanding of human health and the world around us.
“We are privileged to have researchers across the United States, including in our federal workforce, who dedicate their talents to find cures and discoveries,” she said. “It is my deepest hope these efforts can continue. I will always stand behind this enterprise. Thank you, Research!America, for this award.”
2025 Advocacy Awards
Now in its 29th year, Research!America’s annual Advocacy Awards program honors outstanding individuals and organizations in advocacy for medical, health, and scientific research. To see the full list of 2025 Advocacy Award honorees and the benefactors whose generous support make this upcoming event possible, please visit our site.
Contact Glenn O’Neal, Senior Director of Communications, at 571-482-2737 or [email protected] with press inquiries.