Over the past year the APS Science Policy Committee has continued to advocate for strong support for federally funded research. This included visits to Capitol Hill during the 2011 Experimental Biology meeting where the committee sponsored a symposium about how to become involved in advocacy. The committee has also been closely following efforts at the NIH to foster translational research with the goal of highlighting the important role of physiology.
Enhancing communication with the NIH
With a stagnant budget and increasing numbers of grant applications, the NIH is under significant pressure to do more with fewer resources. In response to those pressures, the NIH has instituted many changes, including the “Enhancing Peer Review” efforts and the proposed creation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Many in the scientific community have raised concerns about these changes but received minimal response from the NIH.
The APS Science Policy Committee (SPC) is working to increase communication with the NIH so that we can better raise concerns on behalf of our members. Last year members of the APS Executive Cabinet had a series of meetings with NIH officials, and NIH Chief of Staff (now Deputy Director) Kathy Hudson met with the SPC. Going forward we will continue to seek opportunities for constructive interaction with officials at the NIH.
Translational Research
The SPC has been closely following efforts to foster translational research so that we can highlight the important role that physiology plays in filling in the gaps between basic and clinical research. Last fall when Dr. Hudson spoke to the committee about the need to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research, she outlined some of NIH’s plans to address the problem. Members of the Science Policy Committee emphasized that physiology has an important role to play in translational research, particularly with the APS membership’s expertise in integrative physiology and whole animal research. Discussion centered on identifying and focusing resources on those areas that are most in need of investment on the continuum between basic research and clinical application. Committee members also raised concerns about how to train the next generation of researchers to effectively carry out this mission, and the need to ensure that peer review accurately identifies and assesses proposals that focus on translational research. Dr. Hudson indicated that the NIH would look to the APS and others for nominations to the Board of the Cures Acceleration Network. We subsequently provided some recommendations to the NIH.
With respect to the proposal to create a National Center for Advancing Translational Science, the committee wrote a letter outlining concerns about this structural change, specifically with regard to changes in the Comparative Medicine and Animal Facilities programs. The Animal Care and Experimentation Committee also provided input into this letter.
Upon the recommendation of Council, an ad hoc committee of APS members in industry has been formed to include in future discussions about translational research efforts.
- NCATS Letter
A letter outlining APS concerns about the creation of NCATS and the dissolution of NCRR was sent to the NIH on January 3, 2011.
- Recommendations for CAN and NCATS Boards
APS sent a letter on June 3, 2011 recommending physiologists for the NIH to consider for the boards of the Cures Acceleration Network and NCATS.
Advocacy
The APS sent letters in support of the FY 2012 budgets for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Medical and Prosthetic Research Program at the VA to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. In addition, in January 2011 an email alert was sent urging all APS members to contact their Members of Congress with a message in support of research funding.
On Tuesday, March 15, 2011 APS President Peter Wagner, Past President Gary Sieck, President-elect Joey Granger and I met with several Congressional offices to discuss funding for biomedical research, the humane use of animals in research and publications access. The meetings took place at a critical point in the appropriations process, as Members of Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown and complete spending bills for the remainder of FY 2011. In a challenging fiscal climate that is focused on cutting federal spending, we were assured that investment in research is a priority for many Members of Congress, but that no federal programs will be exempt from consideration as Congress seeks to achieve long-term deficit reduction.
We thanked Members of Congress for supporting federally funded research and emphasized the need for predictable, sustainable budget increases to allow scientists to capitalize on decades of federal investment in research. We also stressed the important role that federal funding plays in training the next generation of researchers and expressed concern that dwindling funding and dismal success rates may discourage young scientists from pursuing academic careers.
In the Senate we met with staff in the offices of Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL), Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Al Franken (D-MN). On the House side, we met with Representative Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and with staff for Representative Susan Davis (D-CA).
Because EB 2011 was held in Washington, DC, some members of the SPC and ACE committees were able to spend a day visiting Members of Congress on Capitol Hill. Fourteen APS members visited a total of 19 offices to discuss federal research funding recommendations for FY 2012 and issues related to the humane use of animals in research.
Also at EB 2011, the SPC held a symposium entitled “How to be an Advocate: a Workshop for Early Career Scientists.” The session was chaired by JR Haywood and Bill Talman, and it featured Jennifer Zeitzer, Director of Legislative Relations for FASEB. The first part of the symposium Zeitzer gave a talk aimed at helping participants understand the federal appropriations process and how they could become involved as advocates. During the second part, participants were divided into small groups to role play Congressional meetings with the help of SPC members. The session was well attended with approximately 50 participants.
During the SPC’s meeting at EB, those who had participated in the Hill visits gave summaries of their meetings. With the retirement of Senator Arlen Specter, a committed advocate for the NIH, the committee has been working to identify potential new champions in Congress. Representatives Tim Walz (MN) and Brian Bilbray (CA) and Senators Richard Shelby (AL) and Bob Casey (PA) were identified as potential champions for the NIH based on their public statements of support for the agency. Sen. Shelby, who recently became the senior Republican member of the Senate Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations subcommittee, has made several public statements indicating his support of the NIH in recent months. My interactions with his staff both in Washington and Birmingham have been very positive. We will continue working to establish relationships with these offices and encouraging them to support the NIH. The SPC also recommended that the APS work on making the case for research funding with fiscal conservatives and members of the Tea Party, possibly by identifying APS members who reside in key Congressional districts.
To maximize our effectiveness by collaborating with other organizations, the APS participates in these advocacy coalitions:
- Ad Hoc Group For Medical Research. APS supports the Ad Hoc Group, which is recommending $35 billion for NIH in FY 2012.
- Coalition for Science Funding. APS supports the CNSF recommendations for the National Science Foundation.
- Friends of VA. APS supports the Friends of VA’s recommendations for VA medical and prosthetic research.