#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Anna D. Hohler, MD, FAAN

Support Research for Neurologic Disease

Chair, Neurology

St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

Slide 0© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 1

Federal Budget Process

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 2

NIH Funding

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

$30.3 billion+$2 billion

+$2 billion+$3 billion

+$2 billion+$2.6 billion

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

BIL

LIO

NS

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 3

We Need to Sustain the Momentum

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

Source: Research!America, 2017

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 4

Importance of Federal Research

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 5

Highlight Local Research

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

https://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

BRAIN Initiative Funding

Slide 6

• Increase in funding every year since

2013

• 21st Century Cures Act was passed in

December 2016

▪ Includes additional $1.51 billion for BRAIN

Initiative over 10 years

(subject to annual appropriations)

• Ultimate goal is $500 million/year

▪ Reached goal in FY2020, need to sustain

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Importance of BRAIN Initiative

Slide 7© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 8

Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

• Focuses on patient safety and quality

• Training and education materials

• Research and data

• Examples:

▪CAHPS Survey

▪Team STEPPS

"If you want a [return] on our basic and clinical investments at NIH, you need AHRQ to

improve care delivery so patients can benefit from the therapies that NIH discovered.

AHRQ and only AHRQ is responsible for research on how to do it.“ – Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 9

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• In 2016, as part of the 21st Century Cures Act, Congress authorized

CDC to initiate development of a National Neurological Conditions

Surveillance System

• Appropriated $5 million in FY2019 and FY 2020

• Beginning implementation with

MS and Parkinson’s

• AAN opposed efforts to include schizophrenia

in initial system last year

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 10

The Ask

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

NIH

Institutes(NINDS, NIA, etc.)

BRAIN Initiative

CDCNational

Neurological Disease Surveillance

System

AHRQ

And continue supporting these important federal

research programs.

THANK YOU for increases in past years!

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Follow-Up Asks

• “Dear Colleague” letters

▪Letters in support of any policy

issue circulated for members of

Congress to sign on,

▪Sent to their colleagues who

oversee that issue, often the

leadership of the committee of

jurisdiction

▪Very common tool used for

appropriations requests

Slide 11© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 12

Leave Behind Materials

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Slide 13

Expected Questions• We’ve given the NIH significant increases in the past five years, why

more?

▪We still don’t have a cure for any neurologic disease, and we are only beginning to

understand more about the brain. If researchers don’t have consistent funding

progress will be stymied.

• Have you submitted a formal appropriations request to our office?

▪Not all offices use a formal appropriations request process, but you are more than

welcome to fill out their forms available online following your meeting.

AAN staff will also communicate follow up opportunities to ask your members of

Congress to sign onto larger appropriations request letters.

© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Small Group Discussion

Slide 14© 2020 American Academy of Neurology

#NOH20#AANadvocacy

Questions?

Slide 15© 2020 American Academy of Neurology