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Skin Disease Research Day
Skin Disease Research Day (SDRD) was established in 2004 as a collaboration between the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA), the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) and the Coalition for Skin Diseases (CSD) in an effort to raise congressional awareness about the burden of skin disease and to promote the benefits of supporting medical research. This event joins medical professionals, researchers, advocacy groups and patients from across the country to represent a wide-variety of skin diseases.
On Wednesday, February 4, 2009, the participants of SDRD met to prepare for the visits with Congress. Speakers discussed the importance of promoting federal support for medical research, building relationships with policy makers, and educating our members of congress about the burdens of skin disease. John Hedstrom, the Director of Legislative Policy and Political Affairs and Elizabeth Schoonover, Assistant Director of Congressional Policy for the AADA discussed the current political climate regarding health care, current funding, and future directions. In summary, he noted the critical timing of making a significant and positive impact on the new administration and establishing a greater awareness for the governments support for the progress of medical research. Robert Carter, MD, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, gave insight about the current challenges researchers face and expressed concern for young researchers and the future of our nation’s progress in medical research given the existing NIH (National Institutes of Health) budget. Finally, during dinner, Mary Wooley, the President and CEO of Research!America, presented interesting data from Public Opinion Polls indicating that Americans as a whole support a commitment to medical research, but lack awareness about the National Institutes of Health.
In short, the bad news is what lies behind us: In the past 5 years there has not been an increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After adjusting for inflation, this effectively translates to a decrease in funding for research. Under a smaller budget, the NIH can fund fewer projects, which means that more research proposals are being rejected. This funding climate not only leaves many qualified research proposals unfunded, it also discourages young scientists from committing to such a risky and competitive field when they are so vulnerable. By discouraging young scientists we generate a void in the future of our education and will fail to advance in our ability to treat diseases. Unfortunately, the United States would also lose a competitive advantage in the field of medical research. With regard to research specifically concerning skin diseases, "THE 21st Century Cancer ALERT (Access to Life-saving Early detection, Research, and Treatment) Act" proposed by Senators Ted Kennedy and Kay Bailey Hutchinson has removed the inclusion of Skin Cancer, the most common form of cancer. In, "The Burden of Skin Disease", a study commissioned by the AAD and SID and published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, 2006, the financial impact of skin diseases was estimated to be valued at $38.6 billion per year in medical services and lost productivity.
The good news is what potentially lies ahead: President Obama promised to double funding for the NIH over 10 years as well as double the funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) over the course of five years during his campaign. In November 2008, Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, issued a health reform white paper urging immediate attention and action to improve health care funding. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have proposed spending bills to increase the NIH budget by a total of $2.52 billion, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by $233 million for the FY 2009 Appropriations Bill. Moreover, the Economic Stimulus Plan provides another opportunity for increased funding towards research. It is critical to acknowledge research as a resource that supplies jobs, profit, and strengthens our working force. "In Your Own Backyard- How NIH funding Helps Your State's Economy" by Families USA, July 2008, reports that every dollar spent on research funding generates two dollars in economic growth. Also noted in that report, seven jobs are created for every grant given.
On Thursday, February 5, 2009, after an informative talk given by Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) on the perilous state of the current and future budgets and how this will impact spending, the SDRD participants were assembled in groups according to each person’s home state to meet with their own members of Congress. Our collective message explained why Skin Disease Research is important, citing that 80 million Americans (one third) are affected by over 3,000 types of skin diseases. Participants were asked to urge Congress members to "support President Obama's commitment to double funding for the National Institutes of Health over ten years, double funding for the National Cancer Institute over five years, and increase the NIAMS budget by a proportional amount" and to "Include NIH Research funding in the stimulus package." Participants were then asked to promptly follow up with the Congressional member or their staff with a short letter summarizing who we were and what we had asked them to do. In addition, after the visits that day, each group completed a meeting summary for the AADA so further contact of each member could also be pursued by the Washington DC office. Any advocates for skin disease research who were not able to attend but would still like to be heard by their Congress members can write their Congress members.
To find your legislator's contact information, check these sites.
United States Senate - http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
United States House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Helpful information for writing to your Congress members can be found here: http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa020199.htm
Coalition of Skin Diseases, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 404, Washington, DC 20008-2369, (202) 243-0115
This site was made possible by a generous grant from Vaseline Skin Fund
