Dear Aging and Health Care Program Members:
Please review the announcement below, which describes a letter to the
director of NIH urging him not to eliminate NIH funding of behavioral
science research from the NIH budget. The letter was drafted by
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who is seeking co-signatures from
other members of the House. Signatures must obtained by July 30. If
you would like to support this initiative, you should contact members of
your state delegation in the House of Representatives before that date.
Regards, --Joan Stillwell
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Mary Jo Hoeksema and Juliane Baron* <paaapc_at_crosslink.net
<mailto:paaapc_at_crosslink.net>>
Date: Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 2:47 PM
Subject: Urge your U.S. Representative to Sign Letter to NIH Director In
Support of Behavioral, Social and Economic Research
To: mbo_at_umich.edu <mailto:mbo_at_umich.edu>
*Population Association of America and
Association of Population Centers
*
*ACTION ALERT
TELL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO SIGN THE ROYBAL-ALLARD "DEAR COLLEAGUE"
LETTER SUPPORTING NIH FUNDED BEHAVIORAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH
*
DC building facades
Population Association of America/
Association of Population Centers
Office of Government & Public Affairs
1701 K Street NW, Suite 1150
Washington, DC 20006
202-341-7283 <tel:202-341-7283>
paaapc_at_popassoc.org <mailto:paaapc_at_popassoc.org>
<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101902182503&ea=mbo%40umich.edu&a=1114275857601>
Today, July 24, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) circulated a
"Dear Colleague" letter to the members of the U.S. House of
Representatives. The letter, which is addressed to Dr. Francis Collins,
Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH), reinforces that NIH
support of behavioral and social science, especially economics research,
is a key component of the agency's mission.
At a time when some members of Congress may be questioning NIH support
of these disciplines, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard wants Dr. Collins to
know that many members understand and support the agency's investment in
these areas.
*We need you to tell your U.S. Representative to sign the letter.*
REQUESTED RESPONSE
*Please e-mail or call your representative in the U.S. House of
Representatives to urge him or her to sign the Roybal-Allard "Dear
Colleague" letter to Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director, regarding the
agency's support of behavioral, social and economics research. *
*The deadline for signatures is July 30. *
Below is a sample message:
I am Dr. ___, your constituent and a population scientist who works at
____________. I receive support from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) to conduct research on (amount and/or type of research support
your institution receives. If you or your institution do *not *directly
receive NIH funding, you may emphasize how you, your colleagues, and
students benefit from NIH support of large-scale data sets, such as the
Health and Retirement Study and National Study of Adolescent Health, to
conduct your own research and research training).
I am concerned about critical comments and questions some members of
Congress have expressed recently about NIH support of behavioral/social
science research-- economics research in particular. I am concerned that
these comments could affect adversely the agency's ability to fund these
disciplines in the future-despite the clear mandate that NIH has in its
mission statement. NIH support of economics related research is
essential if we are to understand the role that socio-economic status,
savings, retirement, and income play in the development and progression
of disease and disability.
To reinforce how economics research and behavioral and social science
research overall are essential components of the NIH mission,
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter
on July 24. The "Dear Colleague" letter is directed at NIH Director Dr.
Francis Collins and conveys support for NIH investment in the behavioral
and social sciences--economics research in particular.
*The deadline for signatures is July 30, 2013. Responses should be sent
to Dr. Debbie Jessup, Legislative Director, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard
(Debbie.Jessup_at_mail.house.gov <mailto:Debbie.Jessup_at_mail.house.gov>).*
I urge you to show your support for NIH support of behavioral/social
science research, and economics research in particular, by signing this
important letter.
Thank you for your consideration of my request.
*Contact Information
*
* If you do not know who your representative is in the U.S. House of
Representatives, you may look it at:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001wLjXfXOtey9m9-6k19AOR6byFruX-TtU9AG5g4eEw0OaE-vaQt9u8vMPZD1Cjo4SkqX6piUPm10ZiPyBM_6vldw5LJmtrzrGGTfcbDtF1YWu0gxsJdApCyupq7yX3xATYCfiyZ8G97JnOJ0wMEXELQ==>.
* We encourage you to use your member's web-based contact form when
sending your request. These forms are usually found on each member's
home page under "Contact."
**
T
*
Text of Roybal-Allard "Dear Colleague" Letter
*
The Honorable Francis Collins
Director
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Dear Dr. Collins:
It has come to our attention that there have been recent discussions
about the relevance of economics research within the scope of the
mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We are writing to
affirm our belief that the NIH should sustain its crucial support for
behavioral, and social science research, including economics. Support
for these areas of research is consistent with the NIH mission to
"enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and
disability."
As you know, scientific discovery requires support of basic, applied,
and translational research across a range of academic disciplines,
including the behavioral and social sciences. The underlying causes of
diseases anddisabilities are complex. Many factors, including genetic,
social, biological, environmental, and behavioral, must be understood
and unraveled to fully appreciate how these conditions occur and can be
prevented and treated effectively across different populations. The
social sciences are instrumental to this progress, and researchers from
economics, psychology, sociology, demography, history, geography,
communications and political science, have all made contributions that
build our collective knowledge on the determinants of health and provide
the foundation for future policy action.
To date, NIH support of behavioral and social science research has
yielded important scientific advances. In particular, the agency's
support of economics research has generated a number of findings that
address some of the most pressing issues in health research including,
how to promote healthy behaviors, stem the onset of chronic conditions,
improve the productivity of medical care, and understand how
socio-economic factors interact with communities to perpetuate health
disparities among population groups. In some instances this research has
also generated significant cost savings, such as the NIH funded study
which led to changes in the pharmacy benefit system and eliminated $100
million annual costs without generating adverse health effects.
NIH funded economics research also has global implications. For
example, James Heckman, a Nobel Prize winning, NIH-funded economist,
demonstrated that early interventions in the cognitive and
socio-emotional development of disadvantaged children have much higher
economic returns than interventions that occur later in life. This
research has improved the health of children around the world.
We applaud you for fulfilling your agency's mission by supporting high
quality scientific interdisciplinary behavioral and social science
research, and encourage you to remain steadfast in your support of
social science research. Social sciences, economics in particular, have
always been an important pillar of knowledge in our effort to improve
national and global health. We thank you for your dedicated efforts and
look forward to our ongoing collaborations as we work together to
eliminate health disparities and improve the health and well being of
every member of this great country.
Forward this email
<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=hd5zhhcab&m=1101902182503&ea=mbo%40umich.edu&a=1114275857601>
<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001oO3WPVQi2L0-z9IMy52PHZS8P7_jQyVe&t=0014ZMlSWHSLlk3VNnyeeouKA%3D%3D&llr=hd5zhhcab>
<http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=TEM_Holi_207>
This email was sent to mbo_at_umich.edu <mailto:mbo_at_umich.edu> by
paaapc_at_crosslink.net <mailto:paaapc_at_crosslink.net> |
Update Profile/Email Address
<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&mse=001oO3WPVQi2L0-z9IMy52PHZS8P7_jQyVe&t=0014ZMlSWHSLlk3VNnyeeouKA%3D%3D&llr=hd5zhhcab>
| Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe
<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001oO3WPVQi2L0-z9IMy52PHZS8P7_jQyVe&t=0014ZMlSWHSLlk3VNnyeeouKA%3D%3D&llr=hd5zhhcab>
| Privacy Policy <http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>.
The Population Association of America| 8630 Fenton Street| Suite 722|
Silver Spring| MD| 20910
Received on Fri Jul 26 2013 - 11:58:37 EDT
