JULY 2023 MEMBER UPDATE

AAAS has urged the U.S. Senate to swiftly confirm Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, President Biden’s nominee to serve as the next director of the National Institutes of Health – a position that has been vacant for too long. As an accomplished physician-scientist with clinical and data science expertise, along with personal experience as a cancer patient, Dr. Bertagnolli has the credentials to bring new vision and vital perspective to the expanding biomedical and innovation ecosystem. We are living in a golden age of biomedical research, much of which has been catalyzed by decades of investment in the NIH. Now, we stand at a crossroads where biomedical science is under attack and where the leadership of a permanent NIH director will be critical to informing the conversation and building on our progress.

Over the past few months, AAAS has partnered with the scientific and policy communities to galvanize support and encourage a confirmation hearing for Dr. Bertagnolli, including:

• Issuing a statement applauding Dr. Bertagnolli’s nomination
• Leading a multi-society letter to the Senate signed by 115 organizations in support of the nomination
• Providing our perspectives via AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh to national publications such as Roll Call, POLITICO and News from Science
• Engaging with Members of Congress and Administration officials to underscore the urgency

AWARDS, NOMINATIONS & OPPORTUNITIES