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  • Collection

    Medical Research Funding and Regulation

    Federal investment in medical research and the biomedical research workforce is a national priority and the beginning of hope for patients suffering from serious illnesses like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and Parkinson’s disease.

    Medical schools and teaching hospitals conduct nearly 55% of all extramural research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These institutions also partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct veteran-focused research, and with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to bring that all this research to patients and their communities.   

    The AAMC is committed to securing sustained, predictable growth in funding for biomedical research and to ensuring that all research is conducted in accordance with the highest ethical and scientific standards and meets all applicable regulations, while also working to those regulations do not stifle scientific discovery.  

    Our Research Issues

    Medical science professionals working in a laboratory

    We work to ensure that our members' perspectives are incorporated into federal legislation and regulation on issues such as implementation & dissemination research, health care delivery research, community & population research, and more.

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    The Benefits of Medical Research

    The Value of NIH-Funded Research at Medical Schools and Teaching Hospitals

    Download the infographic illustrating how NIH-funded research leads to better health and economic growth.
     

    Lawrence S. B. Goldstein, PhD
    New restrictions put fetal tissue research in the balance

    Fetal tissue has led to vital biomedical research advances, but new restrictions may severely curb both its use and scientific progress.

    • September 24, 2019
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    Can we kill superbugs before they kill us?

    More than 10 million people a year could die from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, warns a United Nations report.

    • August 27, 2019
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    Ketamine: Hope for the suffering

    A researcher behind a groundbreaking depression treatment talks about the early days of research, the medication’s limitations, and its effects on depression.

    • April 9, 2019
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    Helping paralyzed patients walk again

    From Iron Man-like suits to implanted electrical stimulators, scientific breakthroughs hold out new hope for people with spinal cord injuries.

    • January 8, 2019
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    Celebrating Thirty Years of FOVA

    Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers work together with medical schools and teaching hospitals to tackle timely issues.

    • October 4, 2018
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    Celebrating Biomedical Research

    The AAMC, with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research and other organizations, held an event on Capitol Hill to celebrate NIH-supported biomedical innovation.

    • June 21, 2018
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    Bench to Bedside Podcast: Gene Sequencing Enables Rare Diagnosis in Twins

    A genetic disease prevented Noah and Alexis Beery from having a typical childhood, but that changed when genomic sequencing led to a diagnosis.

    • February 28, 2017

    Facilities and Administrative (F&A) or Indirect Costs

    Illustration of data financial graphs or diagrams, information data statistic. Laptop and infographics isometric vector illustration on ultraviolet background.
    To disclose or not to disclose: That is just one of the questions

    The AAMC’s Heather Pierce, JD, takes a deep dive into conflict of interest and Convey®, an innovative tool that streamlines research-funding disclosures.

    • February 19, 2019
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    The Hidden and Vital Costs of Doing Science

    F&A (Facilities and Administrative) costs are foundational—they pay for costs an institution incurs because of the research conducted. 

    • May 30, 2017

     

    Understanding the Real Costs of Research

    The ins and outs of funding life-saving medical research explained in less than 6 minutes.

    Costs of Research

    Download an infographic describing what Facilities and Administrative costs cover, and what they don’t.

    Research-focused Coalitions

    Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research

    The Ad Hoc Group, convened by the AAMC, is a collation of more than 300 organizations that support enhancing the federal investment in biomedical research conducted and funded by the NIH. 

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    Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research

    FOVA was founded over 30 years ago to ensure that America's veterans receive high-quality health care. Today, FOVA is a diverse coalition representing national academic, medical, and scientific societies; voluntary health and patient advocacy groups; and veteran-focused associations. 

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    Understand the Issues & the Policies

    Find out why sustained federal investment in medical resarch is crucial to improving health and health care.

    Data & Reports

    Resources on topics related to medical research funding and regulation.

    More Data & Reports

    Advocacy-Related News & Insights

    AAMC, AAU, and APLU Statement on HHS Limits on Fetal Tissue Research

    Learn more about the AAMC, AAU, and APLU statement on HHS limits on fetal tissue research.

    • June 5, 2019
    AAMC Signs Community Letter to Appropriators Advocating for CDC REACH Funding

    The AAMC signed a public health community letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership advocating for $76 million in funding

    • March 15, 2019
    Scientists Call for International Moratorium on Heritable Gene Editing in Humans

    A commentary by an international group of leading scientists and ethicists calls for a “global moratorium on all clinical uses of human germline editing."

    • March 15, 2019
    AAMC Statement on President’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal

    AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s FY 2020 budget request.

    • March 11, 2019
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