2007 Public Affairs Committee Report
Public Affairs Committee members visit Capitol Hill during EB
Since EB was held in Washington, DC this year, there was the unique
opportunity for Public Affairs Committee (PAC) members to visit their
Members of Congress and talk about a number of issues, including research
funding and the use of animals in research. APS staff distributed talking
points and other materials to facilitate scheduling of meetings. As a
result, 15 APS members went on at least 20 meetings on Capitol Hill. Members
of Congress from Washington, Alabama, Nebraska, North Carolina, Iowa,
Georgia, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin were visited. Several Public
Affairs committee members were among those who made visits.
Center for Scientific Review Open Houses
As the NIH examines the peer review process, the Center for Scientific
Review is holding a series of open house workshops that focus on integrated
review group (IRG) alignment. Each open house examines several IRGs roughly
grouped by topic. The strategy of the PAC has been to gather information
from APS sections in the form of a survey. The first open house was held in
March, and information was collected from the CNS and NCAR sections.
The survey is in the process of being reworked by the PAC in response to
feedback received. The next open house reviews the following IRGs: digestive
sciences, musculoskeletal, oral and skin sciences, renal and urological
sciences and endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition and reproductive sciences.
To gather information, the revised survey will be sent to the following
sections and groups: gastrointestinal and liver, environmental and exercise,
renal, water and electrolyte homeostasis, endocrinology and metabolism,
epithelial transport and muscle biology.
Coalition activities 2006-2007
The APS continues to be involved in a coalition of groups that comes
together to sponsor polling on attitudes about evolution and science
education. The data resulting from those polls has been compiled in a Policy
Forum piece that has been submitted for publication in Science. A
decision on publication is currently pending, but editors at Science
have previously indicated interest in publishing the results of the polling.
APS will appear as a member of the coalition, which collectively authors the
Policy Forum piece.
Experimental Biology 2007
In addition to the Capitol Hill Day activities outlined above, the PAC
sponsored a symposium entitled, “Human Subject Research Ethics: Issues for
going from bench to bedside.” The symposium was chaired by Virginia
Miller and myself, and featured speakers from both industry and academia.
A joint public affairs session was held featuring NIH director Elias
Zerhouni and former Congressman John Porter. Discussion focused on the
realities of the budget situation at the NIH, as well as how scientists can
become better advocates for science.
Experimental Biology 2008
Jane Reckelhoff has agreed to chair next year’s public affairs symposium
entitled, “ What every scientist needs to know about ethical issues in
biomedical research.”
Michael A. Portman, Chair
Public Affairs Committee
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