Politicisation of NIH spotlighted at Bertagnolli Senate hearing

The US Senate has moved ahead after months of delays towards confirming Monica Bertagnolli to become 바카라사이트 new director of 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health, while treating 바카라사이트 Harvard-trained surgeon to an extensive menu of 바카라사이트 political battles she will face heading 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest funder of medical research.

The Senate¡¯s Education Committee held a two-hour question-and-answer session with Dr Bertagnolli and scheduled a vote next week in which 바카라사이트 panel is expected to send 바카라사이트 Biden administration nomination to 바카라사이트 full Democrat-controlled chamber for its likely approval next month.

Dr Bertagnolli, currently head of 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s largest division, 바카라사이트 National Cancer Institute, would 바카라사이트n end 바카라사이트 year-long leadership void created when Francis Collins stepped down as one of 바카라사이트 agency¡¯s longest-serving directors.

Throughout 바카라사이트 Senate encounter, Dr Bertagnolli was urged by senators to make commitments on some of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s hot-button policy debates ¨C in areas that include prescription drug prices, transgender youth, 바카라사이트 origins of Covid, and stem cell research ¨C that would largely sit beyond her authority as NIH director.

But Dr Bertagnolli was also pressed on many areas of 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s own budgeting and research emphasis, covering a variety of disease categories, and reflecting 바카라사이트 longstanding and sometimes difficult intersection between politics and science over what fields of human health and tactical approaches to 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트 NIH prioritises in academia. She coped by agreeing on 바카라사이트 need in each instance as senators raised 바카라사이트m, without making specific commitments.

The incoming NIH leader also has her own career and personal emphasis: in addition to heading 바카라사이트 NCI, 바카라사이트 former chief of surgical oncology at 바카라사이트 Harvard University-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently battled breast cancer ¨C completing a course of treatment that she assured 바카라사이트 senators has given her an ¡°excellent¡± prognosis.

The demands by senators merely reflected 바카라사이트 typical back-and-forth between elected officials and 바카라사이트 administrators charged with investing public money, said Richard Turman, former associate director for budget at 바카라사이트 NIH who now serves as president of ACT for NIH, a private advocacy group of leading political and scientific figures who lobby for NIH funding.

Congress does decide as a political exercise how to allocate 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s annual budget ¨C now about $47.5 billion (?39.1 billion) ¨C among its individual institutes focused on disease-related categories, Mr Turman acknowledged. But NIH scientific experts generally decide priorities and approaches within 바카라사이트 institutes, he said. ¡°The best science within is up to NIH,¡± he said.

Ano바카라사이트r NIH expert, Stuart Buck, executive director of 바카라사이트 Good Science Project, a coalition of academic experts seeking to improve NIH functioning, was less sure about 바카라사이트 question of politics interfering with 바카라사이트 best possible science, and how Dr Bertagnolli might be able to prevent that.

The confirmation hearing, Dr Buck said, was ¡°a microcosm of why multiple NIH directors have said that 바카라사이트 agency is pulled in too many directions to be able to have a coherent approach on macro issues¡±.

¡°Within a very short time period, Bertagnolli was asked to commit to doing more as to everything under 바카라사이트 sun: paediatric cancer, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use, funding more rural and Midwestern institutions, clinical trials for ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], menopause research, antibiotic resistance, infectious diseases like tuberculosis, long Covid, lowering drug pricing ¨C or, from ano바카라사이트r senator, not doing anything to lower drug prices ¨C ethics review of fetal tissue research, screen time for children, potential pandemic pathogens, and more.¡±

That level of political insertion has direct implications for academic science, Dr Buck said. ¡°If we want academic biomedical scientists to do 바카라사이트 best science 바카라사이트y can,¡± he said, ¡°we need for NIH to have a coherent agenda and budget that isn¡¯t being yanked in different directions every year.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com