Senator Cassidy Releases New Proposals to Modernize NIH
Published June 10, 2024
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy OME Advocate Osteopathic Recognition Osteopathic Representation Osteopathic Research
- On May 9, 2024, Senator Cassidy, MD (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a white paper discussing proposals to strengthen the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and biomedical research in the United States.
- These proposals are based on the responses to a Request for Information from September 2023. View AACOM’s October 2023 submission.
- Sen. Cassidy emphasized a need for a balanced research portfolio, with the most common extramural grant (R01) trending towards applied research versus early-stage basic research since 2018.
- Other recommendations include having more “generalist” researchers rather than subject matter experts as part of the peer review process due to a potentially greater openness to “scientific vision and potential impact.”
- The white paper discussed a need to improve efficiency in the NIH, such as ensuring the newly approved NIH-wide primary care clinical trial network avoids using redundant research infrastructure.
- AACOM will continue working with Senator Cassidy and other Members of Congress to address disparities in NIH funding for osteopathic medicine.