Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy was one of several hundred organizations and individuals who supported Rally for Medical Research Hill Day, Sept 18 in Washington, D.C. The event exceeded all expectations, especially when President Obama informed the hundreds of Members of Congress and their families in attendance at the White House picnic the evening before that medical research must be a priority for our nation… Read more…
President Obama was very much aware of the medical research community’s presence in D.C as well as our specific plans for the Rally. This prompted the White House staff to provide us with the letter of support from the President that was read at both the reception and breakfast program.
The Rally brought all areas of the medical research community —researchers, patients, survivors, advocates, providers, and representatives from industry—together to advocate for NIH. The opportunity to hear directly from both Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, was the highlight of the reception the evening before the “Rally Hill Day.”
One participant commented that the “day was a gift for her”, because of being paired for the meetings on Capitol Hill with a patient and the patient’s spouse. She stated, “Their enthusiasm, spirit and outlook on life was so incredibly inspiring. They reminded me why we do our jobs day in and day out. It really is about the people who benefit from the research.”