Researchers Thank Congress for FY2018 NIH/NEI Funding Increases, Urge Sustained Increase for FY2019

James Jorkasky and David Epstein in front of the NAEVR Central Booth in the Honolulu Convention Center

Once again, the NAEVR Central Booth served as the “Town Hall” for vision research funding advocacy and education, and NAEVR wishes to thank the hundreds of ARVO members who stopped by.

Many visitors contacted Congress thanking them for the $3 billion and $41 million, respective, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Eye Institute (NEI) funding increases in Fiscal Year (2018), while urging sustained increases in the FY2019 appropriations process [NAEVR has requested a base NIH funding increase of $2 billion and NEI funding at $800 million.] Other visitors wanted to speak about the April 26 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) preliminary notice announced at NAEVR’s April 30 Defense Related Vision Research Opportunities session about the funding mechanisms that the Department of Defense (DOD) will use in its FY2018 Program Announcement for the Vision Research Program (VRP), expected in July.

Cynthia Grosskreutz, MD, PhD (Vice President & Global Head of Ophthalmology, Novartis Inst for Biomedical Research) contacts Congress	Jeff Todd, JD (Prevent Blindness) and NEI Director Paul Sieving, MD, PhD
ARVO President-elect Dan Stamer, PhD (Duke University) with NAEVR’s James Jorkasky	Left to right: Kira Baldonado (Prevent Blindness), Dean VanNasdale, OD, PhD (Ohio State University College of Optometry), and Torrey DeKeyser (EyeSight Foundation of Alabama)

 

NAEVR’s James Jorkasky was honored to be included in the faculty of the May 1 ARVO Advocacy and Outreach Committee Workshop, which brought together global experts on advocacy and education. “While cautioning that I was not there to export ‘U.S.-style advocacy,’ I shared with attendees the top-line messaging that NAEVR is using on Capitol Hill to demonstrate the value of past funding increases at NIH/NEI, including Patient Impact, Treatments and Therapies, Commercialized Technologies, Burden of Eye Disease (Incidence and Cost), and Next Generation of Scientists. I learned a great deal about strategies and challenges throughout the world, and greatly respect the efforts of my international colleagues.”

 

Left to right: Masayo Takahashi, MD, PhD (RIKEN, Center for Developmental Biology), advocacy in Japan; Jose-Alain Sahel, MD (University of Pittsburgh), advocacy in France and European Union; Avril Daly (Retina International), advocacy in Europe; NAEVR’s James Jorkasky, US advocacy; co-moderator Juliana Sallum, MD (UNIFESP); Dorairajan Balasubramanian, PhD (LV Prasad Eye Institute), advocacy in India; and co-moderator Juliet Moncaster, PhD (Boston University)