May is Contact-the-Candidates Month!
The candidates for President are in Indiana and North Carolina today, campaigning in two of the final presidential primaries. In these
states and others, they tell the stories of the people they meet on the campaign trail, using the experiences, hopes, and concerns of
diverse Americans to illustrate policy positions. FASEB is working to ensure that the experiences and perspectives of scientists are part
of the discussion.
In the final six months of the race to the White House, FASEB is kicking off an effort to organize scientists across the country to write
to the candidates about the importance of investment in biomedical research. The
call to action, posted on the FASEB website, implores
scientists to “stand up for medical research” and provides users with an easy-to-use web tool that enables them to send personalized
emails to each of the candidates.
Campaign staff highly value correspondence from voters—and scientists are uniquely qualified to discuss the issues related to federal
funding for biomedical research. In issuing the
call to action, FASEB hopes to mobilize the scientific community to take advantage of this
unique opportunity to communicate with future policy-makers.
To take action, please click
here.
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To Scientists And Citizens: What Does NIH Funding Mean To You?
The scientific community is well aware that it is a difficult time for biomedical research funding. Now is the time to make sure that our
Presidential candidates know that, too. FASEB is looking for your help to illustrate the importance of NIH funding not only to the health
of our nation, but to scientists like you, working in labs across the country. Often it is these personal stories of individual Americans
that resonate with those running for office.
How has the downward trend in NIH funding affected you or your lab? Are you spending more time filling out grant applications than on
research discovery? Have you reached a promising point in your research, only to have difficulty getting the next step funded? Do you want
to share your story with the Presidential candidates?
FASEB is collecting vignettes from scientists to be featured in upcoming materials in support of our
ScienceCures.org effort to raise the
profile of biomedical research funding in the 2008 Presidential election. If you are interested in sharing your experiences, please
contact Carrie Wolinetz, Ph.D., FASEB’s
Director of Scientific Affairs and Public
Relations.
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Spotlight on ScienceCures.org
 The web portal for FASEB’s advocacy activities surrounding Campaign 2008 is
ScienceCures.org. At the website, users can visit the
Action
Center to get involved by supporting research as a domestic priority in 2008. Through the
Action Center, scientists and supporters can
contact the candidates, write to their local news media, view FASEB YouTube content, and even register to vote. The site also features
interactive tools that scientists can use to educate policymakers and the public about NIH and federally funded biomedical research.
The page “Working for Cures” includes state-by-state information on NIH funding, local economic impact of federal research dollars, and
biomedical breakthroughs at local research institutions. The website also showcases FASEB
initiatives to
provide resources to the candidates and mobilize the scientific community.
To learn more about ScienceCures and how you can get involved in raising the profile of biomedical research in Campaign 2008,
please visit
ScienceCures.org.
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Convention Update
The Democratic National Committee and the Republic National Committee are gearing up for the conventions, where the nominees of each party
will be determined and the platforms composed. The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado, August 25-28, 2008. For
more information about the DNC convention, click
here. The Republican National Convention will be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota,
September 1-4, 2008. For more information about GOP convention, click
here.
Stay tuned for FASEB updates on the conventions and opportunities to speak out for biomedical research.
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BACK TO MAY 6, 2008
WASHINGTON UPDATE
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