The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is committed to advancing the field of sleep research and promoting funding opportunities for sleep scientists.  On Tuesday, May 4, and Wednesday, May 5, 2010, AASM Director of Health Policy and Government Relations Bruce Blehart will be in Washington, D.C., speaking with members of the U.S. Congress about the importance of maintaining adequate federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In February the NIH released a summary of its fiscal year 2011 president’s budget, which requests a 3.2-percent increase to $32.2 billion.  Because almost the entire NIH budget is requested through the Labor/HHS/Education appropriation bill, Blehart’s meeting schedule includes appointments with key members of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

They include Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis.), chair of the House Committee on Appropriations; Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; and Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), the ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

During these meetings Blehart will emphasize the need for ongoing support of NIH funding; highlight the important findings that have resulted from recent sleep-related studies funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); and stress that the AASM and its members are at the forefront of the rapidly growing fields of sleep medicine and sleep research.

To learn more about the AASM’s support of NIH funding, contact policy@aasm.org.