2009-10-15

Senate Finance Committee Passes Health Reform Measure With One Republican Vote
The Senate Finance Committee approved health reform legislation with a vote of 14 to 9, with only one Republican on the Committee, Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), supporting the bill. The legislation would reshape the American health-care system by providing subsidies to help millions of people buy insurance but would not include a government-run health insurance option. Read more.

Senate Plans to Address Medicare Physician Payment Fix Outside of Health Reform Bill
Senate Democratic leaders have announced that the Senate will likely begin debate on a stand-alone physician payment measure (S 1776) next week. The announcement reflects a change in plans for the larger health reform measure, which originally included a provision to provide a short-term increase in Medicare payments to physicians. Read more.

President Obama Announces $5 Billion in NIH Research Grants Funded Through Recovery Act
During a recent speech at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), President Barack Obama announced that the NIH has awarded more than 12,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded grants since September 1, 2009. These grants total more than $5 billion and represent the “single largest boost to biomedical research in history.” Read more.

Congress Passes Short-Term Funding for NIH
Although federal fiscal year (FY) 2010 began on October 1, most of the annual appropriations bills remain unfinished. As a result, Congress was forced to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to continue to fund the NIH and other federal programs at current levels through October 31, 2009. President Obama signed the CR into law on October 1. Read more.

NHLBI Awards $170 Million to Fund Stem Cell Research
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded $170 million to be paid over seven years to 18 teams of research scientists to develop the high-potential field of stem and progenitor cell tools and therapies. Read more.

NIH Announces Expansion of Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network
NIH announced today a second phase of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network including funds for 19 research consortia. Read more.

ASH Members Awarded Membership to IOM
The Institute of Medicine has announced the election of 65 new members, including seven ASH members. Read more.

Last Chance to Nominate a Colleague for an ASH Honorific Award
The nomination cycle for the Society’s highest honors, the Honorific Awards, closes Monday, November 2. These awards recognize significant contributions to the field of hematology made by individual ASH members. ASH members are encouraged to nominate a fellow colleague for one of five following awards: the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, William Dameshek Prize, Henry M. Stratton Medal, E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize, and Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize. Read more.

Register Today for the National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health
ASH, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Blood Disorders; the Health Resources and Services Administration; and NHLBI, are hosting the first National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health on March 9-11, 2010, in Atlanta, GA. The purpose of this conference is to serve as the catalyst for developing a nationally recognized public health framework for promoting the health of and improving outcomes among people at risk for or affected by a non-malignant blood disorder. To learn more and register today, visit the conference Web site.

NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases October 2009 Newsletter
The NIH Office of Extramural Research has released its October 2009 newsletter, which includes information on new and restructured applications, forms and instructions resulting from NIH’s Enhancing Peer Review Initiative, as well as reminders about ARRA and other reporting deadlines.