March 23, 2001
Cooper Testifies in Support of Increased Funding for NIH and Other Health Programs
Testifying March 20 before the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, AAMC Council of Academic Societies Chair Terrance Cooper, Ph.D., spoke in support of increased funding for five programs that play critical roles in assisting medical schools and teaching hospitals to fulfill their missions of education, research, and patient care. He provided the subcommittee with the AAMC's FY 2002 funding recommendations for the National Institutes of Health, Title VII and VIII health professions education funding, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Health Service Corps, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Cooper, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, College of Medicine, told the subcommittee "If America is to sustain its lead in translating science into better health, its commitment to medical research must be maintained. The human genome is largely done, but the more challenging task of employing this treasure-trove in the service of mankind is just beginning."
He said the AAMC supports the FY 2002 recommendation of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding, which calls for an increase of $3.4 billion as the fourth installment toward the bipartisan goal of doubling the NIH budget by FY 2003. He noted these additional funds will sustain and enhance peer-reviewed, investigator-initiated basic research and will provide opportunities for new investigators and for research in areas of biomedical science that historically have been underfunded. He said the AAMC also supports additional funding for continued expansion of clinical research and clinical research training opportunities, including the newly expanded clinical research loan repayment program.
Noting that "the financial pressures of today pose a serious threat to the research capacity of America's medical schools and teaching hospitals, particularly for clinical research," Dr. Cooper urged the subcommittee to provide increased funding for the NIH's National Center for Research Resources to support "resources that are critical to maintain a productive and cost-effective research environment." He cited NCRR's General Clinical Research Centers and Shared Instrumentation Grants as two examples of successful programs where additional resources are needed to achieve continued progress in medical research.
Turning to health professions, Dr. Cooper thanked the subcommittee for increasing funding for the Title VII and VIII education and training programs in FY 2001. He noted the AAMC is disappointed with President Bush's proposal to reduce the funding for these programs "that provide an essential and stable infrastructure for the training and education of health professionals." The AAMC joins the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition to support a FY 2002 appropriation of at least $440 million for health professions education programs.
Dr. Cooper told the subcommittee the AAMC supports an FY 2002 funding level of at least $400 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which sponsors health services research "designed to improve the quality of health care, decrease health care costs and provide access to essential health care services by translating research into measurable improvements in the health care system."
Dr. Cooper also testified in support of at least $169 million in FY 2002 for the National Health Service Corps for additional scholarships and loan repayment contracts to allow increased access to health care in underserved areas by developing new delivery sites and a larger number of clinicians providing care, and at least $5 billion in FY 2002 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to sustain the agency's network of successful programs in illness and injury prevention and health promotion.
Information: Dave Moore, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.
