Council for American Medical Innovation National Launch
Thursday, March 19, 2009
National Press Club
On March 19, 2009, the Council for American Medical Innovation launched as a new coalition bringing together leaders in research, medicine, patient advocacy, academia, education, labor and business. The Council will be a working partnership that will urge Congress to adopt a national policy agenda that encourages medical innovation and discoveries in the life sciences.
As part of the public announcement of the Council, several of the Council’s top advisors met at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., for a panel discussion on the importance of American medical innovation to the economy and to patients in need of a cure for cancer and other life-threatening conditions.
The panel was moderated by Dick Gephardt, former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, and featured:
- Dr. Edward Benz, CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Marc Boutin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, National Health Council
- Dr. Francis Collins, Former Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
- Billy Tauzin, President and CEO, PhRMA
Congressman Gephardt opened with an overview of the Council for American Medical Innovation, and the panelists discussed the myriad of reasons for the formation of this new coalition. Speakers emphasized the importance of medical innovation for patients in search of new cures and treatments; the economic benefit of a renewed emphasis on innovation; and the importance of policies that encourage scientific discovery, ensure a pipeline of students in STEM education, and secure stable, sustained funding for scientific research. The speakers agreed that no area is more important to future of country and health of our citizens than a focus on innovation.
Following the event, CQ Healthbeat News ran a story titled, "New Coalition Launches Campaign for More Scientific and Medical Investment," (subscription required), and The Washington Times wrote about the Council’s launch in a story about titled, "The Health Care Budget."
