Capitol Hill Report: Connect With AAN Advocacy at Annual Meeting
April 12, 2021
Learn More About Advocacy at Annual Meeting Booths and ELAs
- Check out these advocacy-related talks on Monday, April 19 at the Pioneering Policy, Practice, and Performance: Staying Ahead of Change Experiential Learning Area:
- Neurology Networking and Advocacy Through Social Media
- The Neurologist's Guide to Drug Pricing and Lowering Drug Prices for Your Patients
Also, be sure to visit the BrainPAC booth in the AAN Showcase to learn more about how BrainPAC advocates for neurology in Washington, DC.
Promote BRAIN Initiative Dear Colleague Letter
The AAN has supported the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative since its inception in 2013 and recognizes the utmost importance of developing a deeper knowledge about the brain to treat neurologic disease more effectively.
Congress has steadily increased funding to ensure the success of this program. Now that the BRAIN Initiative has been funded for several years, the NIH and its partners are committed to propelling the initiative to a new era of transparency, data sharing, dissemination, public engagement, and neuroethics. The BRAIN Initiative plans to launch three large projects including a brain cell census, a brain micro connectivity mapping project, and new methods to allow cell type-based manipulation of brain activity. To date, the BRAIN Initiative has supported more than 900 awards totaling approximately $1.8 billion, resulting in research that has made significant advances in important technologies such as brain imaging.
Along with 69 other professional and patient advocacy organizations, the AAN is advocating for at least a total of $560 million to be appropriated to the program in FY 2022.
A “Dear Colleague” letter expressing support for funding the BRAIN Initiative is being circulated right now in the House of Representatives. These types of letters are an important tool used to garner support for issues and legislation between members of Congress. Use the AAN Advocacy Action Center to urge your representative to sign the letter.
Arizona Neurological Society is Back!
The Arizona Neurological Society (ANS) held its first meeting on March 27 since its re-launch. The meeting, “Bringing Arizona Brains Back Together,” was hosted virtually by the Barrow Neurological Institute. The meeting featured topics such as neurological manifestations of COVID-19, cluster seizures, and multiple sclerosis updates. It received high marks from attendees who tuned in for the one-day event. What made this meeting so special was that it was the first time the ANS has met in a few years. It was led by Kerry Knievel, DO, who has been instrumental in re-booting the society in recent years. Assisting her with bringing the society back together has been Jennifer Robblee, MD; Glynnis Zieman, MD; and Nikesh Bajaj, DO.
The ANS is excited to meet again in person, not virtually, to be able to network and truly bring Arizona Brains Back Together.