NIH Director Describes Perilous Times During Senate Hearing

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

Yesterday, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations to testify on behalf of the Fiscal Year 2014 President’s Budget Request (PBR) for the agency. He was accompanied by the directors of NIAID, NHLBI, NIA, NINDS, and NCI. The FY14 PBR contains $31.331 billion for NIH, representing a 1.5% increase over FY12, and a 7.4% increase over what is likely to be the final FY13 budget after the sequester is applied.

Dr. Collins spoke of “perilous times” within the biomedical research community, explaining that if the reductions associated with the Budget Control Act of 2011 are allowed to continue, NIH will lose $19 billion over the course of the 10-year period covered by the legislation. He stated that 703 fewer research project grants will be funded in FY13 as compared with FY12, while describing major increases in biomedical research being made around the globe. Continue reading →

Posted in FY14 Appropriations, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health | Leave a comment

NIH Provides Additional Details on FY13 Reductions

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

The NIH has released tables that capture the types of grants that will be cut in FY13 -largely resulting from the sequestration order issued on March 1st. The document provides details at the overall NIH levels as well as those of the individual institutes and centers. For the NIDCR, research projects grants drop from 619 to 549 or by 8.3%. NIDCR does appear to have been able to preserve its commitment to training, as the number of training grants will be essentially unchanged -dropping from 256 to 255. The final NIDCR budget for Fiscal Year 2013 will be roughly $387,003, a reduction of 5.7% from the FY13 level of $410,332. Additional details on the NIH/NIDCR operating plan for 2013 will be available in the next few days.

NIH FY13 Mechanism Table

Posted in National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health | Leave a comment

AADR Members Take to the Hill

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

Rep. Jack Kingston addresses Advocacy Day participants

Yesterday, oral health scientists and students participated in the 2013 AADR-ADEA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Members of the associations joined to conduct 84 meetings in House and Senate offices, covering more than 20 states in the process. The participants carried a message of the need to replace the March 1st budget sequestration order and increase investments in biomedical research. More specifically, the group called on Members of Congress to support a Fiscal Year 2014 NIH appropriation of $32 billion. In recent weeks, the FY14 funding recommendation for NIH has been promoted by many health and research associations, as well as drawn bipartisan support in Congress. However, the figure remains a reach in the current budget environment.

During a morning briefing session that preceded Congressional visits, Rep Jack Kingston (R-GA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations expressed support for the important work carried out with federal investments in NIH. He also communicated a desire to see better prioritization of NIH grant investments, and told that group the he viewed the $32 billion figure as slightly out of reach in the coming year. Nonetheless, his presence and the totality of remarks given demonstrated a considerable interest in oral health and research.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) provided closing remarks during the morning session. He explained the need for a “Grand Bargain” on the budget, one that would get the deficit under control while making important investments in areas that grow the economy and are good for the public, such as biomedical research.

Initial reports from Advocacy Day participants indicated considerable support on both sides of the aisle for oral health research and education. Participants were encouraged to keep up their advocacy efforts, so that oral health remains a part of the budget dialogue in the months ahead.

Photo Index of the AADR-ADEA Advocacy Day

NIDCR PowerPoint Presentation

Posted in Dental Student News, FY14 Appropriations, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, On the Hill | Leave a comment

AADR Selects Univ. of Maryland Student for Gert Quigley Fellowship

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

UMD, School of Dentistry

AADR is pleased to announce that Sarah Uehara from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry has been selected to serve as the 2013-14 Gert Quigley Public Policy Fellow.

Sarah hails from Maui, Hawaii and graduated from Princeton University in 2009 with an AB in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduating, she worked as a Princeton Project 55 Public Health Fellow in New York City for a year. She then earned her Masters in Health Management Systems at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2012 before entering the Class of 2016 at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Continue reading →

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President’s FY14 Budget Proposes Flat Funding of NIH

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

Today, President Obama released his much anticipated budget request for Fiscal Year 2014. The President’s Budget Request (PBR) contained $31.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health or a 1.5% increase over the Fiscal Year 2012 level. The administration uses FY12 as a baseline, given that the FY13 budget was set at the FY12 level for the entire year. Reductions of roughly 5.1% will be taken from the FY12/FY13 budget level in most cases. The PBR largely ignores sequestration, as most numbers provided for FY13 are at the pre-sequestration level. In the administration’s funding plan, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research is provided $411.5 million or 0.4% more than the FY12 level. The PBR states that it will support 9,400 new and competing grants, an increase of roughly 8%. The increase will be funded largely by reducing continuation awards by 1%, reducing inflationary increases to grants, and reducing the size of awards. Continue reading →

Posted in FY14 Appropriations, Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gert Quigley Public Policy Fellowship Deadline Extended

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

An initial review of applicants has begun. Students interested in applying should communicate an intent to apply to Jonathan Nurse, AADR Director of Government Affairs, as soon as possible.

Application Due Date: April 8, 2013

Application Form

Materials submitted on your behalf (letter of recommendation, approval) are due by April 5, 2013. Please note that a list of two references can be provided in lieu of a letter of recommendation.

Purpose- The public policy fellowship provides a unique learning experience both in Washington, DC and through grassroots efforts at the participant’s local university or institution. This fellowship is designed to familiarize dental school, Ph.D., or dual degree students with the federal legislative process as it relates to basic and translational dental and craniofacial research, as well as research on the oral health care delivery system. Continue reading →

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Advocacy Day Registration Deadline this Friday

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

Members of the oral health research community are strongly encouraged to register today for the AADR/ADEA Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, which will take place on April 17, 2013 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration closes this Friday, March 29. The one-day program will begin with a morning session that features an update on the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research from its Director, Dr. Martha Somerman, as well as remarks from some key Members of Congress. The afternoon portion of the event will include participant visits with their Members of Congress.

The need for AADR member participation in Advocacy Day has increased in recent days. On March 1st, a budget sequestration order was issued, which set severe reductions to federal agencies into motion. NIH will lose $1.6 billion as a result of the action; driving its historically low grant success rate further down. NIH/NIDCR grantees, as well as those supported by other federal research agencies, should expect to be directly impacted by the budget sequestration order. In the next several weeks, a flurry of proposals will be offered to undue the impacts of sequestration for certain communities. If federal investments in oral health research are to be preserved this year, it is imperative that each Member of Congress hear directly from their constituents who are training and/or working within the field. Face-to-face meetings provide the best opportunities to impact the budget development process.

Registration is complimentary! To register, email your RSVP to AADR Director of Government Affairs Jonathan Nurse at jnurse@aadronline.org. Additional details can also be found at: www.aadronline.org/AdvocacyDay. If you have already registered for Advocacy Day, please accept our sincere thanks and expect to receive additional information in the days ahead.

Posted in FY14 Appropriations, National Institutes of Health, The White House | Leave a comment

Bipartisan Effort Underway to Boost NIH for FY 2014

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Jonathan Nurse

Congressmen David McKinley (R-WV) and Ed Markey (D-MA) have called for increasing NIH funding to $32B in FY 2014, which would repair much of the damage done to biomedical research by the budget sequestration order issued on March 1st. Members of the oral health research community are asked to urge their representatives in the House to support this bipartisan effort.

The stakes for research have never been higher. We know that research is a critical national investment that will save and improve lives while growing our economy. Make sure your representatives get the message by visiting the AADR Action Center. Remember to share this alert on Facebook and with everyone in your network.

AADR Action Center

McKinley-Markey “Dear Colleague Letter”

Posted in FY14 Appropriations, National Institutes of Health, On the Hill | Leave a comment

FY14 Budget Resolution Passes Senate Along with Moran NIH Amendment

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Waseem Khaleel

Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), a member of the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, introduced an amendment to Senator Murray’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2014, to increase NIH funding by $1.4 billion.  Senator Moran stated that, adjusted for inflation, the NIH budget in Fiscal Year 2012 was $3.6 billion less than Fiscal Year 2003, when NIH funding was at its highest. The graph below shows that NIH funding in constant dollars, i.e. after adjusting for inflation, has constantly decreased over the years. Note that this graph does not account for the sequestration cuts that cost the NIH more than $1.6 billion or -5.1% over the next six months. Voting on the budget resolution began over the weekend. The budget resolution and Senator Moran’s amendment passed. However, given that the Senate budget resolution is dramatically different from what was passed by the House, additional pressure will be needed to preserve the content of the Moran amendment in the House.

 

Posted in FY13 Appropriations, FY14 Appropriations, National Institutes of Health | Leave a comment

Senator Murray Seeks $55 billion More for Non-Defense Programs

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Waseem Khaleel

Senate Budget Chair, Patty Murray (D-WA), released her budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2014, which starts on October 1st. This Senate resolution is a sharp contrast to the budget resolution released by the House Budget Chairman, Paul Ryan (R-WI). While both resolutions have requested $966 billion for discretionary spending, Senator Murray requested $497 billion for defense, and $469 billion for non-defense (non-defense covers education, NIH, FDA, CDC, and others). Representative Ryan requested $522 billion for defense and $414 billion for non-defense. This means that the difference in allocations for non-defense between the two resolutions is $55 billion, or 13% more than what Ryan’s budget requested for non-defense. The House and Senate will likely proceed on with the FY14 appropriations process without agreeing on top-line budget numbers, instead opting to assign budget allocations to agencies and programs within their respective top-line caps. At the end of the process, we are likely to see appropriations bills produced with dramatically different numbers — between House and Senate versions — for agencies such as NIH and NSF.

Posted in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FY14 Appropriations, National Institutes of Health | Leave a comment