Advocacy Articles

In response to the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health request for information on an agency-wide strategic plan for research on the health of women, the APS Women in Physiology Committee developed a response that highlights emerging research needs and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women in the scientific workplace.

APS advocates urged members of Congress to support robust funding for biomedical research in FY 2022 and also to provide additional funding for researchers whose work was disrupted by pandemic-related closures. In addition, they noted APS’s support for legislation to broaden participation in the scientific workforce.

On March 1, 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a request for information “Inviting Comments and Suggestions to Advance and Strengthen Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Biomedical Research Workforce and Advance Health Disparities and Health Equity Research.” APS submitted comments prepared with input from the APS committees on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Women in Physiology; and Science Policy.

H.R. 204, the STEM Opportunities Act, would put in place a number of policies, programs, and initiatives aimed at broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM education and careers.

APS is pleased to endorse H.R. 144, the Supporting Early-career Researchers Act. The bill would authorize $250 million of funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support early career researchers and prevent attrition due to coronavirus-related disruptions.

The FY 2021 funding bills adopted at the end of last year included several instances of language on animal research. These measures will be in place for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021.

APS asked NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) to clarify the requirement for institutions to ensure that IACUC protocols correspond to the animal work proposed in funded grants.

APS asked NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare to clarify the requirement for institutions to ensure that IACUC protocols correspond to the animal work proposed in funded grants.

The American Physiological Society told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that its plan to curtail the length of F-1 and J-1 visas would harm the US scientific enterprise by discouraging talented individuals from studying here.

The American Physiological Society told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that its plan to curtail the length of F-1 and J-1 visas would harm the US scientific enterprise by discouraging talented individuals from studying here.

A September 22, 2020 Executive Order issued by President Trump banned the use of federal funds for training that promotes concepts considered divisive. APS responds in a letter calling on the administration to rescind the new restrictions because they are written broadly and are likely to have a chilling effect on diversity and inclusion across federal government agencies and among federal grantees.

APS thanks Congressman George Butterfield (D-NC) and Congressman David McKinley (R-WV) for their efforts to include emergency funding for the National Science Foundation in the next COVID-relief package.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a proposal to limit the length of F-1 and J-1 student visas. These visas are currently issued for the duration of a course of study. The proposed rule would only allow 2- or 4-year visas. Comments on the rule are due October 26, 2020. See the APS website for more information.

APS is pleased to endorse H.R. 8044, the Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act. The emergency funding H.R. 8044 provides for early-career investigators will ensure continuity at a time when maintaining funding is a primary concern for researchers.

APS submitted comments in response to an NIH Request for Information on Enhancing Rigor, Transparency, and Translatability to Improve Biomedical Research Involving Animal Models (NOT-OD-20-130). These suggestions will go to a Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the Director that has been asked to recommend steps the agency can take to improve research quality.

APS wrote a letter to Congressional leadership urging that supplemental funds for National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation be included in a coronavirus economic relief package.

On January 17, 2020 the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a request for comments on a set of draft desirable characteristics of repositories for managing and sharing data resulting from federally-funded research. As the government seeks to make more data available through deposition in repositories, APS offered comments on how those repositories should operate. Earlier this year APS also provided input on the NIH draft plan for data management and sharing.

The fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget proposed by President Trump on February 10, 2020 would cut funding for research at the NIH, NSF and VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program.

On November 6, 2019 the National Institutes of Health issued a request for information on a draft policy for data management and sharing. While APS shares NIH’s goal of increasing access to data and promoting good data management practices, the draft policy raised concerns about the need to develop new tools and resources to handle the varied types of data generated by physiologists. The APS response highlights the need to address these issues, as well as additional costs and administrative burden.

On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law two packages of appropriations legislation to fund the federal government. The legislation included additional resources federal research programs at the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the Medical and Prosthetic Research Program at the VA and NASA.