The Association of American Cancer Institutes connects over 100 academic cancer centers through collaboration and communication. There is strength in numbers and we are better together.

Through the Defending Cancer Research Digest, AACI is keeping members informed about what is happening at other cancer centers and around the country. We aim to educate the public on the tangible benefits of research funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute and to mobilize them to speak out on what all Americans stand to lose.

Please read through the stories collected here and share them widely on social media, through your institutions' communication channels, and in your communities. And continue to send us stories from your cancer centers and local media. Stories focused on patients especially resonate with legislators and the public.

If you haven’t already, please follow AACI on social media and tag us in your posts. Use our hashtag, #DefendingCancerResearch, to help amplify our messages.

United States

Is This the End of Cancer Research as We Know It?

ASCO Post

Capping the F&A [facilities and administrative] cost rate at 15% indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of how biomedical research is conducted. The actual costs of doing research won’t change. Instead, institutions will be forced to compensate for these losses in other areas of their budgets. We’re already seeing some of these changes play out in hiring freezes and layoffs at research universities and other institutions across the country.

The article was authored by AACI Executive Director Jennifer W. Pegher and AACI Communications and External Relations Manager Emily E. Stimmel. Read More

Preview: NIH Funding, Job Cuts to be Featured on "60 Minutes"

United for Medical Research

On Sunday, April 27, the CBS news program 60 Minutes will air a segment with Dr. Francis Collins, as well as a researcher and a National Institutes of Health (NIH) insider who all say that Trump administration measures undermining the agency could jeopardize the health of Americans for generations to come. Watch Video

Illinois

Massachusetts

Harvard’s Researchers Take Center Stage in Funding Showdown With Trump

The Harvard Crimson



If funding is revoked, many scientists at HMS and affiliate hospitals could lose their labs, their teams, and their careers. Several researchers declined to comment publicly for fear their funding would be targeted by the federal government.

The projects currently on the chopping block—unlike $110 million of NIH grants cancelled since late February—appear to have no underlying political motivation. The contracts identified cover everything from pediatric cancer treatment to particulate matter exposure’s effects on military veterans. Read More

Cancer Research: How It Works and Why It's Crucial Today

WBGH



In this presentation, Dr. [Gerald V.] Denis explains how cancer research works, the international influence of American cancer research, and how the recent federal (NIH) defunding sets back the progress in cancer treatment at a time when cancers are increasing. Watch Video

Michigan

How Karmanos is Partnering With Communities Against Cancer and How You Can Get Involved

Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University

"The work that we do connects our communities with cancer science and connects our scientists with our diverse communities," said Hayley Thompson, PhD (pictured), associate center director of community outreach and education at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and faculty supervisor of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at Karmanos.

Read More

Virginia

On April 4, AACI launched a social media campaign with video content highlighting the importance of federal funding for cancer research.

Videos this month feature Dr. Tammara Watts, of Duke Cancer Institute; AACI board member Dr. Yolanda Sanchez (pictured), director and CEO of the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. Eneida Nemecek, from OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; and AACI Executive Director Jennifer W. Pegher.

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