Rebecca Osthus, PhD

A career in science may take many shapes and happen in many professional settings, including within industry, academia, government and nonprofit sectors. Here, APS staff member Rebecca Osthus, PhD, discusses her work advocating for the needs of researchers and the discipline.

What do you do? Describe your work to help audiences in different sectors understand your role.

My job at APS is to help our members understand what is happening in the federal government, how it affects their work, and how they can be engaged in policy and advocacy as members of the scientific community. On the other side of the coin, I help congressional offices and agency officials understand the perspective of the working scientist, and how decisions made at the federal level affect researchers in labs and classrooms all over the country.

Give it context. Why is your work important? How does it contribute to other efforts?

Working scientists often don’t have the time or opportunity to be meaningfully engaged in science policy and advocacy because research is already a full-time job. Sometimes we can provide opportunities for researchers to engage in the political process quickly and easily so that they can make their voices heard at key moments, and other times we speak on behalf of the society through the work of the policy committees and APS leadership. One area that is critically important for physiology is the ability for researchers to use animal models in their work. APS is one of few scientific societies that actively advocate for the humane use of animals in research. As animal rights activists continually work to restrict the use of animals, APS helps Congress and agency officials understand why this critical tool is still essential to advancing scientific knowledge.

How did you find your way to your current role?

I went to graduate school at a time when it felt like science was frequently under attack from political forces at the local, state and national levels. I wanted to find a way to use my science background to engage in these debates so that the voice of the scientific community wasn’t lost in the clamor. After I completed my degree I took my time looking for policy positions and was fortunate to find a role as a science policy analyst at APS.

What outside of your job or science inspires you? What would you be doing if not science?

It’s hard to imagine my life without science. At the moment I am inspired by the need for better mental health care in this country, and would like to play a role in increasing the understanding that mental health disorders are as real and deserving of health care as physical disorders.

Rebecca Osthus, PhD, is the Director for Government Relations and Science Policy for the American Physiological Society.