APA Services joined 300 advocates from approximately 40 states for the annual Rally for Medical Researchopens in new window on Capitol Hill on September 14, 2023. In collaboration with more than 350 organizations participating in the rally, APA Services once again sponsored the high-profile science advocacy day in support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which aims to urge Congress to sustain efforts to make funding medical research a continued national priority in fiscal year (FY) 2024.
Rally advocates thanked Congress for providing the NIH with the $2.5 billion increase in funding in FY 2023 and $17 billion over the last 8 years. They conveyed deep appreciation for the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan bill that attempts to safeguard that momentum and reverses the cuts proposed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee.
Calling on Congress to provide the highest possible funding increase in FY 2024, advocates urged Congress to provide at least $49.2 billion included in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bill. Advocates further urged Congress to avoid relying on continuing resolutions, which lead to disruptions to science and research funding, and to complete its work on the FY 2024 spending bills as quickly as possible.
APA advocates and members, Jermaine Jones, PhD, of Columbia University, and Jeanette Ickovics, PhD, of Yale University, took part on APA’s behalf. Jones, chair of APA’s Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA), noted that “it was great seeing so many researchers from various disciplines coming together to support NIH.” He noted that in each of his meetings, advocates “received a warm welcome from the congressional representatives. They all seemed to understand how important NIH is to the nation’s health.”
Ickovics, the incoming BSA chair, noted that “APA Services’ presence at the Rally for Medical Research is essential—APA Services broadens the discourse to include psychological science and prevention. Emphasis is needed on the critical importance of mental health, including the National Institute on Mental Health’s research priorities in suicide prevention, genomics, mental health disparities, and global mental health.” Advocates, said Ickovics, described the significance of NIH research across the scientific continuum. “We also highlighted the need to invest in young and diverse scientists to accelerate innovations in health and healthcare.”
APA Chief Science Officer Mitch Prinstein, PhD, expressed APA Services’ gratitude for Congress’ steadfast support for NIH and psychological science. Reflecting on the continued need to increase NIH funding dedicated to youth mental health research, Prinstein stressed that the “current youth mental health crisis is bigger than we have ever experienced, requiring new knowledge and solutions. Long before covid-19, suicide was the second most common cause of death among adolescents.” He added that since the pandemic, the emotional and behavioral symptoms of millions of young people have grown more serious, given the widespread disruption of routines, grief and loss, and shortages of treatment. “Increased investment in psychological and behavioral research supported by the NIH is required to create a significant research initiative for youth to ensure that efforts to prevent, treat, and recover from mental health problems are built on the best science,” he concluded.
APA members Kevin B. Freeman, PhD, of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Melvin Rouse Jr., PhD, of the University of Puget Sound, who attended for the first time last year, are seen in this year’s rally highlight videoopens in new window.
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.