Saturday, April 5, 2008
10:30 am
San Diego
Sponsored by the Public Policy Committee and the Nutritional Sciences Council
Panel Discussion
Program Chair: Susan Hutson, PhD
Chair-elect of the Nutritional Sciences Council and PPC member
Chair, Dept. of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Moderator: Patsy M. Brannon, PhD
Chair, Nutritional Sciences Council
Professor and Director of Dietetics, Cornell University
Opening remarks by ASN President Joanne R. Lupton, PhD
Panelists: Dr. Elizabeth Wilder
Acting Associate Director of the NIH Office of
Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI) and
Acting Director of its Strategic Coordination in the
Office of the NIH Director
Dr. Griffin Rodgers
Director, National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disorders
The Honorable John Edward Porter
Former U.S. Representative from Illinois and Chairman, Research!America
Questions for consideration:
• Nutrition research is perhaps the best example of a cross-cutting field with broad applications and can be incorporated into the agendas of numerous Institutes and Centers. Where does nutrition research fit within the NIH Roadmap initiative?
• Diabetes and obesity are among the costliest diseases facing the U.S. today, and both not only are strongly connected to nutrition, but also can be both prevented and treated, in part, by appropriate nutrition interventions. Despite the heightened awareness of these public health crises, and increased appreciation of their costs, both direct and indirect, to the American economy, funding directed to nutrition research has not kept pace. What can we do, as scientists and advocates, to ensure more existing, and future, research dollars are directed to nutrition?
• Given the current budget climate, how can ASN advocate for greater funding for nutrition research before Congress, and within existing initiatives at NIH?
• What are the challenges and effective strategies for nutrition research advocacy?
Session Goals / Objectives:
The American Society for Nutrition has made increasing federal funding for nutrition research one of its top public policy priorities, and the ASN Public Policy Committee is developing a strategic plan for nutrition research advocacy. As part of this process, the PPC and the Nutritional Sciences Council are co-sponsoring a session at Experimental Biology, 2008. This session offers ASN members the opportunity to engage representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), governmental officials and a national research advocacy group, discuss nutrition-related initiatives at NIH and discuss approaches and best practices for ASN and its membership in nutrition research advocacy.
The goals of this session are to raise awareness of the vital role of nutrition science research in understanding the role of nutrition in health and disease, to develop a single integrated strategy that encompasses nutrition at the molecular, clinical, and community level (national and international), to bolster federally-funded nutrition research at the NIH and beyond and to provide a forum where attendees can offer express their perspectives on the future opportunities for nutrition research.