AAMC, Medical Research Leaders Visit Capitol Hill

Medical research leaders from AAMC-member institutions participated in an AAMC-led briefing and met with lawmakers and congressional staff on Capitol Hill on June 4 to describe how robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) improves health and yields other benefits. The Capitol Hill briefing titled "Academic Medicine: Making a Healthier Nation through Medical Research" discussed strategies for ensuring a robust research enterprise that delivers treatments and cures for patients and communities nationwide. Briefing attendees learned how medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic health systems drive lifesaving medical research supported by federal agencies, including the NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Following the briefing, the medical research leaders held more than 30 meetings with Republican and Democratic member offices in both the House of Representatives and Senate and urged lawmakers to provide the AAMC-supported Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research-recommended funding level of at least $51.3 billion for the NIH in fiscal year (FY) 2026, as well as ensure FY 2025 funding is allocated in a timely manner [refer to Washington Highlights, April 11].

Further, they emphasized the importance of NIH-supported medical research and shared examples of groundbreaking NIH-funded extramural medical research taking place at medical schools and academic health systems and highlighted how NIH funding improves local and regional economies and secures U.S. global leadership in science and technology. During the meetings, the medical research leaders were able to elevate the unique medical research contributions of academic medicine to the patients and communities their institutions serve.