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Advocacy Committee

Become an Advocate for Science in Your Own Community!

Over the past several years the U.S. federal deficit and priorities on national security, defense spending and other national needs have resulted in dramatic cuts in U.S. medical research funding.  Now more than ever, it’s imperative that each of us become effective research advocates in our own communities.  Advocating for more research funding starts locally.  Let your local leaders know the significant role scientific research plays in your community — the importance of research, possibilities of discovery, economic value to the region/country, etc.  Your chosen profession and livelihood depend on effective advocacy! 

You don’t have to visit Washington, DC, to have your voice heard!  Plan a visit to your representative’s home office.  Speak at a meeting of your Rotary Club or other local business and professional leadership organizations.  Invite them to visit your lab or institution to learn firsthand about the importance of the research carried out  in their own backyard.  A large majority of the public supports increased research funding. It’s our responsibility as scientists to remind them why scientific research is important and should be a priority.

The ASBMR staff can support you with your visits and presentations.  Contact ASBMR at (202) 367-1161 or by e-mail at asbmr@asbmr.org to learn how you can become an advocate for science in your community.

The following are tools you can use in your advocacy endeavors to stress the importance of bone and mineral research funding.  These materials were compiled by the ASBMR Advocacy and Science Policy Committees and recently disseminated or presented at the ASBMR 28th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. 

• Funding Cuts and the Politics of Science: Be an Advocate for Bone Research Funding
• Imagine:  Future Medical Advances in Bone Research That Can Be Achieved With Continued Research Funding
• Why Invest in Bone Research?  Osteoporosis

The following are PowerPoint slides from the ASBMR 28th Annual Meeting.

• Slides from NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH in the Post Doubling Era: Realities and Strategies for the Future
• Slides from FASEB Director of Legislative Relations on Sunday, September 17, 2006, Funding Cuts and the Politics of Science: The Future of NIH and Biomedical Research

Women in Bone and Mineral Research Committee

The following are PowerPoint slides from the ASBMR Women in Bone and Mineral Research Committee's event, held on Sunday, September 25, 2005, at the ASBMR 27th Annual Meeting.

The XX Files: Increasing the Visability of Women Scientists - Slides from Sandra K. Masur, Ph.D

Other Item of Interest to Women in Science

The following is the Agenda and PowerPoint slides from The National Academies' "Convocation on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academe: Biological, Social, and Organizational Contributions to Science and Engineering Success."

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/womeninacademe/Convocation%20Agenda.html

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