American Federation for
Medical Research

NEWS

MIDWESTERN REGION Edition

I am always pleased, and a bit surprised, when I hear a colleague reminisce of having their first formal oral presentation at a regional AFMR meeting. It is a reminder of how, for more than seventy years, the AFMR has influenced the lives of so many medical researchers. There are several current deans, department chairs, program directors, and researchers whose careers have been shaped by their participation in the AFMR. However, there is a general perception that societies such as the AFMR no longer have relevance to the physician-scientist. I believe this opinion to mostly be a byproduct of the growth of subspecialty societies over the last several years. But the AFMR does several things very well and continues to provide a unique value to physician-scientists. It is one of the few remaining multi-disciplinary organizations representing investigators in all areas of biomedical and patient-oriented research. Scholarship, Advocacy, Career Development, Leadership – these are the core missions of the AFMR. What does this mean for you?

As the leaves change colors and the crisp cooler air of the fall replaces the warmth of summer days in the mid-west, we await the decisions that the American public will make on political representation in November. At this time, it is not clear what the NIH budget will be, but it is clear that there is a public outspokenness on government spending. It is times like these that the AFMR and sister organizations that advocate for the importance of biomedical research must make their impact to continue to impress upon our elected leaders and the public the importance of biomedical research on public health and well-being. The AFMR continues to advocate for biomedical research, the importance of physician scientists in biomedical research, and the career development of young investigators to feed the pipeline that has made biomedical research the success it has been in the USA. The AFMR by becoming a member of FASEB has a greater ability than ever to enhance these efforts. I encourage all of you to continue in your advocacy for research and mentoring of the next

Public Policy Update The AFMR has taken recent steps toward advancing its public policy agenda by partnering with FASEB and with Research!America. Here are a few:    FASEB provided comments to the Department of Health and Human Services on proposed changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule.    The AFMR identified priorities for future investment in biomedical research that were forwarded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by FASEB.    Congress has recessed without passing the FY2011 funding bills for NIH and other

Journal of Investigative Medicine The Journal of Investigative Medicine publishes work of broad interest to academic physicians and research scientists in areas pertaining to clinical and biomedical research. Recent JIM Manuscripts Volume 58, number 7 contained a collection of manuscripts detailing the work presented in the AFMR-sponsored Symposium “Regenerative Medicine in the 21st Century” at the Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, California (April 2010). This collection of

1. Submit an abstract to your AFMR Regional Meeting.
2. Learn about and influence important public policy issues.
3. Apply for a Research Day Award to be presented at your institution’s college or departmental research day.
4. Obtain information regarding career development, research and training opportunities, funding sources, and grant development at AFMR Career Connections.
5. Submit a proposal for a symposium at the 2012 Experimental Biology meeting.