In a new op-ed published in USA Today, AAMC Chief Health Care Officer Jonathan Jaffery, MD, underscores the devastating impact of proposed cuts to NIH indirect costs (also referred to as facilities and administration costs) on medical research and patient care.
His wife’s own recent breast cancer diagnosis led him to revisit how NIH-funded research has revolutionized treatments and lead to dramatic improvements in survival rates and quality of life for patients with breast cancer and other diseases like childhood leukemia.
Jaffery discusses how, through these proposed cuts, similar future advancements are now at risk. They threaten to halt clinical trials, stifle basic research, and jeopardize future medical breakthroughs – a matter of critical importance to the mission of all our institutions. The cuts could have far-reaching consequences beyond just scientific innovation, impacting jobs, and costing the lives of patients relying on existing clinical trials or those who may need them in the future to survive.
Jaffery's personal experience underscores the urgency of this issue, reminding us that continued investment in biomedical research is essential for saving lives and improving health care for all.
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Penny Schnarrs
(she/her)
Director of Community Relations and Strategy
Association of American Medical Colleges
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