News
Spring Filled With Advocacy Activities and Events for AACI
As April transitioned to May, AACI participated in several government relations and advocacy activities to address the ongoing crisis in cancer research funding and other public policy issues impacting AACI cancer centers.
On Tuesday, April 29, AACI hosted its spring Government Relations Forum at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, in New York City. The meeting drew over 20 attendees, representing 16 AACI cancer centers and sustaining members. This included representatives from American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA); and special guests from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), who shared key policy updates.
The following day, Barry P. Sleckman, MD, PhD, director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, delivered impassioned testimony as part of a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, "Biomedical Research: Keeping America's Edge in Innovation."
Dr. Sleckman’s testimony closed with a powerful statement on the critical importance of clinical trials, in which he shared a photo of nine patients for whom cancer clinical trials were a last hope in their cancer journeys. "These patients are here today thanks to new experimental treatments they received on these trials," said Dr. Sleckman. "Take a good look at them. They are young and old, male and female, Black and white. But most importantly, they are all healthy, happy and cancer free – some for over a decade. Patients like these are why we do what we do. And none of it would be possible without the support of the federal government."
Watch the Full Hearing | Read Dr. Sleckman’s Testimony
On May 1, AACI Executive Director Jennifer W. Pegher joined AACI President Robert A. Winn, MD, director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NCI. They met with the teams of House Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA); Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA); Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME); and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS). Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, MD, director of WVU Cancer Institute, joined Pegher and Dr. Winn in a conversation with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
The above activities are among AACI’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the challenges that cancer centers face amid massive funding cuts and policy changes that impact cancer research and care. These also include a letter to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, signed by directors of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, opposing changes to established grant review processes, and an op-ed published in The ASCO Post. Co-authored by Pegher and AACI Communications and External Relations Manager Emily E. Stimmel, the op-ed focused on the issue of capping reimbursement for indirect costs of cancer research.
Read "Is This the End of Cancer Research as We Know It?" in The ASCO Post
These activities are captured in AACI's Defending Cancer Research, a digest of news stories, video content, and other materials shared twice monthly with AACI members. We are continuing to collect stories for the digest and to share with legislators at future meetings.
Read the Latest Issue of Defending Cancer Research | View Past Issues in the AACI Press Room
On May 22, AACI will host its annual joint Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Over 140 advocates have registered for this year's event. Preceding Hill Day, during a reception on the evening of May 21, Sen. Collins and Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) will be honored with the Cancer Research Ally Award.