AACI to join nearly 200 organizations in support of Rally for Medical Research

The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) joins nearly 200 organizations, including about 50 cancer centers, in supporting the Rally for Medical Research, on Monday, April 8, from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm in Washington. The Rally will be held on the steps of the Carnegie Library, across the street from the Washington Convention Center.

As federal funding for medical research continues to decline, threatening the future health of Americans, the Rally for Medical Research will unite millions of Americans across the country to raise awareness about the critical need for a sustained investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies that improve health, spur more progress, inspire more hope and save more lives.

Regarding the unprecedented budget cuts that the nation's cancer centers face due to sequestration, AACI Executive Director Barbara Duffy Stewart said, "It is our hope that Congress will work together to avoid future reductions to NIH and the National Cancer Institute."

Testifying on behalf of AACI before a U.S. House of Representatives' appropriations subcommittee in March, Dr. Walter J. Curran, Executive Director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, noted that continued progress in cancer research depends on the sustained efforts of highly skilled research teams at cancer centers nationwide that are supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

"A cut to NIH and ultimately NCI will result in decreased funding to cancer research in all parts of the country," he said. "Rebuilding such teams, even after a short break in funding, could take years."

Speakers at Monday's Rally for Medical Research will include U.S. Representatives Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. ABC News political commentator and former NPR correspondent Cokie Roberts will emcee the rally. The American Association of Cancer Research is the event organizer.