Washington, D.C., October 29, 2003 - Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., released the following statement today, regarding recent controversy over certain National Institutes of Health-funded grants:

"AAMC is deeply concerned about news reports implying that some 200 NIH-funded research grants on controversial, but critically important public health issues, largely dealing with sexual behaviors, are being subjected to extraordinary scrutiny as a result of pressure from either members of congress or private advocacy groups. While congressional oversight of the merit review process plays an essential role in ensuring appropriate accountability for the nation's investment in scientific research, the integrity of the oversight processes themselves should never be compromised by intrusion of extraneous sectarian or ideological issues.

The Association deplores all efforts to subject the NIH research portfolio and individual research grants to ideological litmus tests. The American public must demand that the most scientifically rigorous and relevant research addressing vital public health concerns be funded without regard to the sectarian or ideological views of political parties or other special interest groups - regardless of where they reside on the ideological spectrum.

In recent conversations with Dr. Elias Zerhouni and other NIH senior officials about this matter, we have reaffirmed our strong support of the NIH peer review system and its ability to identify and promote the highest quality of original, creative research. AAMC remains convinced that Dr. Zerhouni, the leaders of the 27 NIH institutes and centers, and the senior administrative and scientific staff of the NIH, are faithfully defending the integrity of the NIH peer review system and will not tolerate any ideological distortion of the values that have made NIH the most respected of government agencies and the most trusted biomedical research enterprise in the world."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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