NCI Director von Eschenbach Hails the “Vital Contribution” of ASH in Address at Annual Meeting
National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., emphasized the “vital contribution” that ASH is making by helping NCI and the broader cancer research community deepen its knowledge of the etiology, prevention, and treatment of blood cancers during his Presidential Symposium presentation at the annual meeting in San Diego. Dr. von Eschenbach recognized that ASH is an important partner in his “2015 Challenge Goal” that seeks to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer by the year 2015. He said that NCI is committed to gaining a fuller understanding of the etiology of blood cancers, and developing new prevention and treatment approaches based on this knowledge. Last November, the Society's leadership held a very productive meeting with Director von Eschenbach. On a regular basis, the Society's leadership meets with the directors of NCI, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute on Aging to discuss hematology research issues in their Institutes and learn about new opportunities for collaboration between our Society and the National Institutes of Health.
Low Expectations for NIH Funding in FY 2005
It appears increasingly likely that Congressional appropriators will not provide significant increases for biomedical research in the new fiscal 2005 funding cycle. The current budget crunch on domestic discretionary spending combined with the after effects of the five-year effort that doubled the NIH budget are both contributing to Administration and congressional pressure to keep NIH funding below the levels advocated by the research community. With ongoing military commitments around the world and more emphasis on homeland security programs, many discretionary funding programs are not receiving the same level of support that they previously enjoyed. Policymakers expect that the federal government will continue to try to rein in most domestic discretionary programs in FY 2005. At press time, policymakers were predicting that the Bush Administration would propose a 2-3 percent increase in NIH funding for FY 2005. ASH will redouble its NIH advocacy and grassroots efforts on Capitol Hill in the FY 2005 budget debate. The Society wants to ensure that there is adequate funding for hematologic research and that progress made in basic research findings at NIH is translated into new treatments. For current information about FY 2005 budget debate and NIH funding, please visit the ASH Web site.
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