The 21st Century Cures Act, and Perspectives from NIH

You may have been following news of the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark piece of legislation with provisions for healthcare, medicine, and research. Republican and Democratic lawmakers supported this bill through its development and eventual passage, and yesterday, President Obama signed the bill into law. The Act establishes a multitude of important changes to our nation’s approach to supporting and funding health care, medical interventions, and research. Readers of this blog may be particularly interested in the many changes directly relevant to NIH’s mission. A New England Journal of Medicine Perspective essay by NIH Director Francis Collins and NIH Deputy Director Kathy Hudson highlights those changes, and I encourage you to read it. Drs. Collins and Hudson draw attention to support for certain ongoing high-priority initiatives, enhancement of the biomedical research workforce, improved clinical research, better privacy protection for patients who participate in clinical research, greater transparency in science, and reduced red tape. High-priority initiatives: The Act includes support for major ongoing NIH scientific initiatives, such as BRAIN, the Precision Medicine Initiative (“All of Us”), and the Cancer Moonshot. Biomedical research workforce: A number of provisions focus on early career researchers, who continue to be the subject of much interest. Studies carried out by the National Academies committee referenced in the law will look at factors within N...
Source: NIH Extramural Nexus - Category: Research Authors: Tags: blog Open Mike 21st Century Cures Act General Source Type: funding