A Day on the Hill: My Science Advocacy Experience
By Michael F. Jarvis, PhD, FBPhS, FASPET
As part of the ASPET Council meeting last November, I had the opportunity to join members of the ASPET staff and Council for a visit with House and Senate legislators on Capitol Hill. This was a great chance to communicate ASPET’s vision and mission and discuss ongoing Society activities with policy makers.
My team visited the offices of Congressmen Mike Quigley (IL) and Chuy Garcia (IL) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL). Key discussion topics included the value of pharmacology as an integrative science and its scientific impact on healthcare advances, the need for robust and sustained funding of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and the importance of animal research in biomedical science. All these conversations were highly interactive and illustrate the value of ASPET’s engagement to inform and collaborate with members of Congress to shape key policy decisions affecting biomedical science and the professional lives of researchers and healthcare providers. I was also impressed by the openness of these members of Congress for future interaction with ASPET and other research-based associations to provide our collective scientific perspective and expertise on complex biomedical issues and questions.
Advocacy is a key pillar of ASPET’s 2023–2027 Strategic Plan. ASPET members generate cutting-edge science that directly impacts the evolution of disease interventions. ASPET’s advocacy efforts leverage the insights our members provide to help policy makers craft effective legislation that ensures a robust and rigorous biomedical science ecosystem. Additionally, ASPET’s advocacy also elevates the visibility of our Society and its role in advancing the science and profession of pharmacology.
On a personal level, I was delighted to participate in the ASPET Capitol Hill Day and to have the opportunity to interact with these congressional leaders and their respective staff. I encourage our membership to actively participate in ASPET’s advocacy initiatives as these interactions are an important component of ASPET’s support of our membership and science.
As ASPET 2024 approaches, be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the ASPET Capitol Hill Day taking place before the Annual Meeting on May 15, 2024. Indicate your interest when you register for ASPET 2024.
Dr. Michael F. Jarvis currently serves as the ASPET Past-President. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pharmacology Research & Perspectives and has been an ASPET member since 1992.