Discover the Science of Health
In his State of the Union address last month, President Barack Obama reaffirmed the prioritization of science and technology in his plans for the nation’s future. The President’s new economic plan calls for maintaining a commitment to funding research and development that can improve our quality of life.
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, inventor, entrepreneur, author and pacifist [1]. He was born on October 21st, 1833. After his death in 1896, much of his estate was used to establish the Nobel Prize. In 1993 on the 160th anniversary of Nobel’s birth, President Bill Clinton proclaimed October 21st as “National Biomedical Research Day” [2].
On National Biomedical Research Day, we celebrate the central role that biomedical research plays in improving human health and longevity. On this day, we acknowledge the promise that biomedical research plays for securing the future physical and mental well-being of people around the world. Biomedical research not only provides data that scientists and physicians need to treat and prevent diseases, but it also reveals the fundamental nature of life in humans, other animals, and plants.
Health research plays an essential role in the nation’s economic growth while improving health for patients in the United States and around the world. A recent public opinion survey commissioned by Research!America indicates that up to 78% of Americans think it is important that the U.S. work to improve health globally through research and development and 76% think global health R&D is important to the U.S. economy [1]. Moreover, 61% of respondents say that accelerating our nation’s investment in research to improve health is a priority.
