Sylvester Researcher Rallies for Increased Medical Research Funding

Barry I. Hudson, Ph.D., a researcher at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor of cell biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, attended the Rally for Medical Research held this fall in Washington, D.C. The event, organized by the American Association for Cancer Research, included more than 300 national organizations that came together to call on policymakers to provide additional funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research.

“I was fortunate to attend and represent the University of Miami research community,” said Dr. Hudson, whose participation in the rally was sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. “I’m a research grantee of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and they encourage our engagement in advocacy for breast cancer research.”

In addition to participating in the rally, Dr. Hudson attended a reception on Capitol Hill and met with policymakers, including U.S. Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Hudson said the aim of the meetings was to urge all members of Congress to complete work on the FY2019 appropriations bill that covers the NIH budget, which included a Senate-passed funding level of $39.1 billion (a $2 billion increase) for the NIH in FY 2019.

“As scientists, we always talk about issues with the level of NIH funding, so this was an opportunity to do something about this,” Dr. Hudson said. “As advocates for breast cancer survivors, we had a chance to personally tell our representatives of the importance of funding scientific and health care research.”

Tags: American Association for Cancer Research, Dr. Barry Hudson, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center