Research!America to Honor Senator Richard Shelby and Congresswoman Nita Lowey for Championing Research and Innovation
Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) and Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY 17) have each been selected to receive the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy for their pivotal roles in improving the lives of Americans through health research. They will be honored at Research!America’s Advocacy Awards Dinner on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
“Congresswoman Lowey and Senator Shelby’s respective imprint on the health and scientific capacity of our nation is truly inspiring,” said Research!America Chair, the Honorable Michael N. Castle. “Their crucial contribution to increasing medical progress by bolstering funding for the National Institutes of Health and their respective efforts to address deadly and debilitating health threats have demonstrated their unflagging commitment to the power of research to create better health for all. It will be a true honor to have the Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees together on one stage.”
Senator Shelby has served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations since 2017. As Chairman and throughout his tenure in the Senate, he has made investment in fast-paced medical progress a top priority. Senator Shelby has played a pivotal role in securing funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which supports the broad array of science and engineering disciplines contributing to U.S. R&D leadership.
“It is an honor to receive the esteemed Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy,” said Senator Shelby. “I have long believed that we must prioritize our nation’s health needs by funding biomedical research and organizations such as the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, and others. Investments in modern medicine are essential to spur innovation for the next generation of treatments, and I will continue work with my colleagues to provide our researchers with the necessary support to develop cutting-edge discoveries and potential cures,” said Senator Shelby.
Congresswoman Lowey became Chair of the House Appropriations Committee beginning in January with the current Congress, the first woman from either party to do so. She has leveraged her tenure on the Appropriations Committee to advocate successfully for medical and public health research. As a leader in women’s health, she authored the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act to increase research on the links between breast cancer and the environment. Congresswoman Lowey also worked to ensure clinical trials at National Institutes of Health included females to understand gender differences in benefits and risks of medications and treatments. She is a strong supporter of the Center for Disease Control’s WISEWOMAN services that screen women for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death among women.
Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is currently serving her sixteenth term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988.
“I am honored to receive this award from Research!America, one of America’s most important voices for medical, health and scientific research,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “If we are to not only achieve better health outcomes but to save lives across the country and around the world, this research must be a permanent national priority. That means smart, ongoing investments in cutting-edge research to discover and develop the most effective ways to prevent, treat and solve pressing health challenges. As an Appropriator, I have always fought to secure and increase federal funding for medical and public health research, and now, as House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, I look forward to working with Chairman Shelby and committee members in both the House and Senate to continue this critical work,” said Congresswoman Lowey.
Research!America’s 2019 Advocacy Awards dinner honors outstanding individuals and organizations in advocacy for medical, health and scientific research. The 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.
Other 2019 Research!America Advocacy Award honorees are The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Dr. Susan Hockfield, President Emerita of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Professor of Neuroscience and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research; Dr. David R. Williams, Professor of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of African American Studies and Sociology, Harvard University; Denny Sanford, health care philanthropist, supporter of Sanford Health and the Sanford Research Institute; Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, physician, oncologist, and author; and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
About Research!America’s Advocacy Awards Dinner
The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards program was established in 1996 by the Board of Directors to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health and scientific research. Recognized individuals and organizations are those whose extraordinary leadership efforts have been effective in advancing our nation’s commitment to medical, health and other scientific research. This year the awards event will take place on March 13, 2019, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.
About Research!America
Research!America is the nation’s largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations representing 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org.