With the presidential election on the horizon and NIH funding hanging in the balance, the Endocrine Society’s members have been especially active on Capitol Hill this fall. In September, the Society held a widely attended briefing on Capitol Hill about the public health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), attended a hearing on an important piece of legislation that would regulate known endocrine disruptors in personal care products, and participated in a Hill Day to urge members of Congress to support the NIH in 2017. The advocacy team is now looking forward to building on recent progress following the presidential election.
Endocrine Society Partners with NIEHS to Hold Briefing on EDCs
On September 21, the Endocrine Society collaborated with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) on an educational briefing entitled “From Hormones to Brain Development: 25 Years of Groundbreaking Research on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals.” Speakers included Linda Birnbaum, PhD, director of the NIEHS, as well as Society members John McLachlan, PhD, Tracey Woodruff, PhD, and Andrea Gore, PhD. The briefing was designed to educate members of Congress and their staff about the tremendous progress made in EDC research over the past 25 years and how new discoveries have helped us understand how exposures to EDCs contribute to critical health problems such as changes in brain development and reproductive health complications.
Senate HELP Committee Conducts Hearing on Personal Care Products Legislation
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing for S. 1014, the Personal Care Products Safety Act, on September 22. The Society has been an avid supporter of this bill, which provides a regulatory mechanism for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the ingredients found in everyday personal care products. The scientific evidence for human health impacts due to the presence of EDCs in personal care products is mounting, and Society experts agree that this legislation is a step in the right direction.
Society Members Participate in Rally for Medical Research
On September 22, Society members and staff participated in the third annual Rally for Medical Research. Participants in the Rally highlighted the NIH and scientific achievements made possible through federal funding of biomedical research, and urged the federal government to approve a $35 billion spending package for NIH and its programs in 2017. Over 300 participants from 38 states attended the event and met with 238 congressional offices in one day. A strong Facebook and Twitter campaign allowed others around the country to show their support.
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