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Contact: Media Relations Officer, (202) 828-0975.
AAMC Supports Continued Effort to Double NIH Budget by 2003
Washington, D.C., March 16, 1999 --The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) strongly supports the continued effort to double the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) budget by 2003. The AAMC endorses a 15 percent increase for NIH in FY 2000, which will allow for last year's momentum to be carried over and the goal of doubling to remain on track.
Increased funding for medical research is essential to push the boundaries of science and ultimately improve patient care for all Americans. Opportunities abound in the basic and clinical sciences. Strong support for NIH will allow for greater scientific exploration and advancement in the areas of genetic medicine, the biology of brain disorders, and therapeutics development, while also expanding access to clinical research for all communities as new discoveries move from the bench to the bedside. In addition, the AAMC believes that our nation's future progress in the medical sciences will be assured as long as the commitment to the maintenance and creation of cutting-edge research facilities and the training of new scientists remain top priorities.
The nation has benefitted tremendously from NIH's stewardship of the medical research enterprise. Doubling the NIH budget will allow for these benefits to continue and ensure that we are maximizing our scientific opportunities well into the next century.
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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including 74 Veterans Administration medical centers; 87 academic and professional societies representing nearly 88,000 faculty members; and the nation's 67,000 medical students and 102,000 residents.
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