Links to Other ASM Pages:
- Public Affairs Report
ASM Congressional Statement on DOE Microbial Research Programs
FY 2001 Department of Energy Appropriation
In April, ASM submitted statements to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees for Energy and Water Development which included funding recommendations for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Science programs related to microbiology. ASM endorsed the administration’s request of $l4 million for the DOE Microbial Genome Program within the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, which has provided the full genome sequences of most of the nonpathogenic microorganisms that are now available. ASM also recommended that Congress approve the funding level requested for basic research programs in microbiology funded by the Energy Biosciences Division of DOE. This division supports programs on microbial cell research, carbon sequestration, and biotechnology related to energy. The full ASM statement is available on the ASM Web site.
ASM Meetings with NSF and NIH Directors
On 5 April, James Tiedje, chair of the Committee on Environmental Microbiology of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board, and Janet Shoemaker, ASM director of Public Affairs, met with Mary Clutter, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences Directorate, to discuss microbiology programs at the NSF. Tiedje also met with officials in the EPA research and development office concerning research programs. Janet Shoemaker and Gail Cassell, chair of the ASM Public and Scientific Affairs Board, met with Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Marvin Cassman, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, on 25 April to discuss NIH funding and microbiology programs.
ASM Testifies on NSF and EPA Research Budgets
FY 2001 National Science Foundation Appropriations Testimony
On 12 April, James Tiedje, chair of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board’s Committee on Environmental Microbiology, testified before the House Veteran’s Affairs, Housing and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee in support of increased funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Tiedje testified that ASM strongly endorses the Administration’s 17% increase for FY 2001 for the NSF budget and urged Congress to sustain an expansion in funding for the NSF over the next five years to reach a budget goal for the NSF of $10 billion. On 2 May, ASM sent out a legislative alert to key contacts summarizing the budget situation for the NSF and the need to communicate with members of Congress about the importance of supporting a 17% increase for the Agency in fiscal year 200l. ASM testified in support of increases for EPA research and training programs and submitted specific recommendations for the EPA Science To Achieve Results Program, clean water research, and graduate environmental fellowships. Copies of the ASM statements are available on the ASM Web site.
ASM Discusses Scientific Review Plans with NIH
Phase 1 Report Panel On Scientific Boundaries For Review
On 25 April, Gail Cassell, chair of the ASM Public and Scientific Affairs Board, and Janet Shoemaker, ASM Director of Public Affairs, met with Ellie Ehrenfeld, director of the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and members of the CSR staff to discuss issues and plans for Phase 2 of the NIH Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review study. ASM submitted comments on the Phase 1 report on 14 October and sent a |P`dear colleague|P' alert to ASM members on 20 September recommending that members respond to the Phase 1 report. The Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review conducted a comprehensive examination of the organization and function of the review process that is conducted by the CSR. The examination is being carried out in two phases, with extensive involvement of the extramural research community in each phase. The Phase 1 Report of the Panel (January 2000) is available on the NIH Web site. Phase 2 begins this year and continues through the next two years, when expert groups of extramural scientists and NIH staff will create the scientifically related study sections that will populate Integrated Review Groups (IRG). The CSR implementation plan is available on the Web. ASM has begun discussions with CSR about microbiology issues and will be involved when the Phase 2 process for microbiology occurs in the next year or so.
New Report Available
Federal Funding for FY 2001: Biomedical and Life Sciences Research
The ASM Public and Scientific Affairs Board (PSAB) has recently published a new report, Federal Funding for FY 2001: Biomedical and Life Sciences Research. The Federal Funding for FY 2001 booklet presents recommendations of the PSAB for the budgets for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy. The report is available on the ASM Web site.
ASM Supports Bioterrorism Preparedness Funding
On 5 May, ASM endorsed CDC bioterrorism preparedness funding in a letter to House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Members. ASM joined organizations representing public health labs, state, and local health officials in this effort. The joint letter espoused the importance of fully funding CDC’s bioterrorism preparedness in the amount of $263.5 million for 2001. The letter asked members of Congress to keep in mind the specialized planning and preparation that is necessary to address bioterrorism and other public health threats that are emerging naturally, such as new infectious diseases.
IOM Meeting on Medicare Part B Methodology for Lab Services
Medicare Payment Methodology for Clinical Laboratory Services
On 4 May, the Institute of Medicine Committee on Medicare Payment Methodology for Clinical Laboratory Services held their last open meeting. Although Committee members appear to be developing an increasing understanding of the complexities surrounding lab fees and costs, it remains to be seen whether that will translate into final policy recommendations regarding payment methodologies that labs deem suitable.
One of the most vexing difficulties facing the Committee is a lack of accurate and comprehensive data on laboratory cost. Consultants for the study could provide only limited data from their cost survey because only four labs had been visited by the meeting date due to difficulties in arranging the on-site visits. In general, Committee members expressed an understanding that lab fees are not directly related to market prices or the actual cost of doing a given test. One proposed solution to the problems associated with clinical lab service payment is to set a national fee schedule. Consultant Katie Merrell presented data that indicated that payments for lab services, when weighted by state populations and number of fee-for-service benefits as well as across the top 100 services by volume, generally are fairly close to the National Limitation Amounts (NLA), suggesting that the NLA are fairly close to a national fee schedule already.
The 4 May meeting may be the last of the meetings open to the public, Committee Chair Lauren LeRoy said. Should the Committee decide that they need further input from the community, an announcement will be posted on the Web. The Committee will meet two more times in closed session.
BET Exhibits at Symposium on Biomedical Career Opportunities
Minority Health Professions Foundation
ASM’s Board of Education and Training (BET) participated in the 14th Annual Symposium on Career Opportunities in Biomedical Sciences at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. on 19–22 April. The symposium was sponsored by the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMPHS) and the Minority Health Professions Foundation (MHPF). The mission of AMPHS and the MHPF is to improve the representation of African Americans and other minorities in the health professions.
In attendance were approximately 600 students and faculty. ASM members represented at the meeting were George Hill of Meharry Medical School and Marian Johnson-Thompson of the National Institutes of Environmental Sciences.
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