On September 30, 2024, a bipartisan, bicameral group of 37 Members of Congress sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, calling for the elimination of longstanding disparities in NIH funding for and representation from osteopathic medicine.
This important effort was spearheaded by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and John Boozman (R-AR), and Representatives Julia Letlow (R-LA) and Susie Lee (D-NV) in collaboration with AACOM as part of Advocacy Day 2024.
The letter highlights the importance of osteopathic medical research, stating:
Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COMs) are integral to our nation’s research infrastructure and are well-positioned to play a greater role in NIH clinical research ... NIH is missing significant opportunities to collaborate with COMs and osteopathic medical education to advance research in primary care, address health disparities in rural and underserved communities, strengthen nonpharmacological treatments and invest in other vital medical areas. The letter concludes by urging the NIH to “establish a plan to increase osteopathic research funding and representation across the NIH enterprise” along with six core action items that should be included in the plan. “For far too long, the NIH has overlooked the critical role that osteopathic medicine plays in improving healthcare outcomes across this country,” said AACOM President and CEO Robert A. Cain, DO. “Osteopathic physicians bring a unique, holistic perspective to patient care, yet we remain underfunded and underrepresented. We are deeply grateful to the Members of Congress who are standing with us to address these inequities. It's time for the NIH to recognize and support the full value that osteopathic medicine brings to our nation’s healthcare." Despite educating a quarter of all medical students, osteopathic medical schools receive only 0.1 percent of NIH grant funding, compared to 42 percent for MD schools. Compounding this underfunding is the underrepresentation of osteopathic physicians within NIH leadership and advisory roles. Although DOs comprise 11 percent of the physician workforce, only two osteopathic physicians serve on NIH national advisory councils, compared with 213 MDs, and there are almost no DOs among the NIH's 3,233 study section reviewers. The letter builds on years of congressional advocacy, including AACOM-requested report language in appropriations bills from fiscal years (FYs) 2022 through 2025 and a similar bicameral, bipartisan letter sent by 26 lawmakers in July 2022. To learn more about the NIH letter, read AACOM’s press release here. |
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