Recent news
November 2010
Science and research are crucial to improving health worldwide, former assistant surgeon general writes in opinion piece
November 29, 2010 -- “Research is medicine's field of dreams from which we harvest new findings about the causes, treatment, and prevention of disease,” Susan Blumenthal, director of the Health and Medicine Program at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and former assistant surgeon general, writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece. More “has been learned about health and disease in the past 50 years than in the entire history of medicine,” Blumenthal writes, adding that by “generating new knowledge and fueling innovation, science provides solutions to national and global health challenges.” According to Blumenthal, “scientific breakthroughs and improvements in US and global health don't just happen. They are the result of sustained investments in research at” the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Science Foundation (NSF), and “other federal agencies in the United States and in countries around the world as well as in the private sector.”
Blumenthal adds that “we must do more. Increased investments are needed to foster innovative, collaborative global health research initiatives for health systems strengthening in nations to promote their independence, to increase access to lifesaving treatment, to scale up prevention, and to deliver better and more coordinated care as well.” Blumenthal also discusses the Rock Stars of Science campaign, which aims to “make science rock as a career choice for American youth—and for adults to better understand how science—and the policies linked to it—affect their lives and our future.” She concludes that it is “up to the American people and policymakers to provide a resounding chorus of support to accelerate research progress so that America can become the healthiest nation in a healthier world.” See the links below for more details.
