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Science Is in Our Blood
On April 22 , 2017 , 25 scientific and medical societies , including the American Society of Hematology ( ASH ), participated in the March for Science , drawing attention to the continued need for government funding to support vital research in medicine and other sciences .
The 25 groups also signed a joint statement in support of the march and “ its non-partisan call for the appreciation of scientific evidence , education , and investment .” The statement cited specific efforts that rely on federal funding , including research supported by the National Institutes of Health , quality and patient safety ensured by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality , and protective measures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
“ Science has no political agenda but gives us the tools to find the truths about our world , helping us to implement informed policies that enrich our communities ,” ASH representatives wrote in a statement announcing the society ’ s involvement . ASH ’ s slogan for the march was “ Science Is in Our Blood .”
ASH
@ ASH _ hematology
Science is in our blood ! ASH staff at @ ScienceMarchDC # MarchforScience
Of Mice and Men
The majority of new drugs fail when tested in people , and , according to scientists who spoke with NPR ’ s “ Morning Edition ,” one of the major reasons for these failures is the use of animal models in research . These animal studies often lead scientists astray because they tend to rely on animals as substitutes for humans .
“ As the process [ of using rats and other animals in research ] went on , people stopped seeing them as specialized animals and started seeing them more and more as prototypical mammals … but the rat is not really a generic mammal . [ People ] thought you could learn about almost any feature of human organization , you could cure almost any disease by studying these animals . … Scientists need to break out of a culture that is hampering progress [ and ] think outside of the model box .”
— Todd Preuss , PhD , assistant research professor at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University
“ Imagine you were doing a human drug trial and you said to the [ U . S . Food and Drug Administration ( FDA )], ‘ Okay , I ’ m going to do this trial in 43-year-old white males in one small town in California where everyone lives in identical ranch homes with the same monotonous diets and the same thermostat set to the same temperature which is too cold and they can ’ t change it . And oh , they all have the same grandfather !’ The FDA would laugh that off as an insane setup , but that ’ s exactly what we do in animals . We try to control everything we can possibly think of , and as a result , we learn absolutely nothing .”
— Joseph Garner , DPhil , associate professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center
Allison Mayle
@ allison _ mayle
ASH
@ ASH _ hematology
“ Scientists have been led astray for many years by relying so heavily on animal models . It ’ s probably only when you try your treatments in people that you ’ re really going to have any idea how right those assumptions were . … At some point you have to cut your losses . You have to say , ‘ OK , this took us as far as it could take us , quite some time ago .’”
— Gregory Petsko , DPhil , Arthur J . Mahon Professor of Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical School
Someone actually did ask ! # marchforscience # Fight4Hematology
Check out these shirts ! Spotted at @ MarchForScience # Fight4Hematology # marchforscience
Follow ASH and ASH Clinical News on :
@ ASH _ Hematology , @ BloodJournal , @ BloodAdvances , and @ ASHClinicalNews
Facebook . com / AmericanSocietyofHematology @ ASH _ Hematology
Kristine Wadosky , PhD
@ KristineWadosky
Curing # Cancer is # NonPartisan How will you continue the movement ? # marchforscience # ScienceMarch
The Most Important Science to Fund Is the Hardest to Explain
“ The case for a lot of the research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation and the various other federal granting agencies can be a difficult one to make . … It ’ s not hard to make most basic areas of science sound ridiculous , if that ’ s your goal , and the ridiculous version is generally much simpler to explain than the more nuanced story of why the research is genuinely valid and important . … It ’ s a case that needs to be made , though , precisely because of the long-term nature of the research funded by the government . Just as the practical benefits of basic research may take years to show up , even short-term cuts made right now will do damage that lasts for years .”
— Chad Orzel , PhD , on the importance of government funding of science in Forbes
Why We Need More Black Doctors
“ Our nation needs more black doctors , especially black male doctors . Why ? Because the talents of young black men who would make outstanding doctors are being wasted since so few make it into the medical profession and because black people need far greater access to culturally connected physicians who understand their lives and their challenges as much as their clinical needs . … Cultural competence plays an important role in communication that goes far beyond diagnostic skill . It encompasses the knowledge , skills , and attitudes required to bridge cultural , ethnic , and linguistic gaps between patients and providers . It ’ s not a once-and-done module or in-service training , but a lifelong pursuit .”
— David R . Williams , PhD , and Fitzhugh Mullan , MD , on the need for greater representation of
African-American doctors in the workforce , in STAT News
ASHClinicalNews . org ASH Clinical News
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