Survey Shows Breakthrough Medical Research Relies Heavily on NIH Funding
63% of American respondents presenting at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting used NIH funding to support their study
ATLANTA, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A survey highlighting the correlation between today's cutting edge medical research and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding was released today at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the preeminent medical meeting for physicians and scientists in hematology that draws more than 20,000 attendees from around the world. The survey, representing responses from 1,040 abstract presenters from the U.S. and abroad, demonstrates how critical NIH funding has been to the success of science and medicine.
"Every year researchers and doctors across the globe look to the ASH annual meeting for breakthrough science," said ASH President-Elect Janis Abkowitz, MD of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. "With nearly two-thirds of the U.S. presenters at this year's annual meeting reporting that they rely on NIH funding, this survey shows unequivocally that those breakthroughs depend on NIH investment."
Survey data also show that in addition to funding current research, a greater number – 86 percent of American abstract presenters – report that they had referenced an NIH-funded study for their own research over the course of their careers. In addition, the survey reveals a high level of concern among scientists and physicians about the impact of reduced NIH funding. Of the U.S. respondents, 75 percent said that when it comes to medical research and development, they are "extremely concerned" (responses on a scale from 1 = not concerned to 5 = extremely concerned) about the threat of NIH budget cuts and the impact on their future careers.
"As a young investigator, I am dependent on the NIH to help fund my research," said ASH member Manali Patel, MD, MPH, a Postdoctoral Hematology/Oncology Medical Fellow at Stanford University who focuses on cancer quality and disparities research. "I love my research and would love to continue it, but am unsure where the direction of research funding is heading and very wary of the impact of NIH funding on my future career."
The survey also shows that the impact of NIH funding goes well beyond U.S. borders. In fact, 52 percent of all respondents said that they have referenced an NIH-funded study for their own research and 44 percent report being "extremely concerned" about the threat of NIH budget cuts.
ASH released this data in conjunction with their Fight for Hematology campaign to draw attention to the critical role of NIH funding to medical research. To learn more about the campaign and read stories by ASH member researchers and physician scientists on the impact of budget cuts to NIH funding, visit http://hematology.org/FightNow.
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. The official journal of ASH is Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online
SOURCE American Society of Hematology
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