Lobbying congress to make cancer funding a priority: What scientists can do

Abstract

I never thought that one day I would go to Washington, D.C. and lobby for increased NIH funding and for the importance of cancer research, but that’s exactly what I did on April 25 and 26, 2006. I always assumed someone else would do it if it was necessary or that things would just get better on their own. Well, I’ve been waiting about 3 years for the funding situation to improve and it just hasn’t happened and so it is clear more efforts are needed by many more people. With a flat budget that is not even keeping up with inflation, and with very few grants currently being renewed or funded at a time when so many promising breakthroughs are occurring, scientists need to get actively involved in reaching out to those that make the decisions that will ultimately affect us for years to come. I always assumed that because cancer is so deadly and so prevalent that it is obvious funding is needed and should be sustained until impact on the long-term survival of most patients is achieved. I had the opportunity as...