Public Policy
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public policy organizations whose goal it is to influence the debate Washington.
Featured Stories
American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Journalists and Academics Explore the Communication of Science
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Dec. 9 -- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences issued the following news release dated Dec. 6:
The amount of trust people place in different professions has ebbed and flowed over the years, though in recent years faith in most categories has plummeted, with Congress and the press among the least-trusted groups, surveys have shown. Trust in scientists, by contrast, has remained remarkably steady, at a level that's comparatively high but still only around 40 percent.
The ways that information about science gets out to the public have changed significantly in recent
... Show Full Article
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Dec. 9 -- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences issued the following news release dated Dec. 6:
The amount of trust people place in different professions has ebbed and flowed over the years, though in recent years faith in most categories has plummeted, with Congress and the press among the least-trusted groups, surveys have shown. Trust in scientists, by contrast, has remained remarkably steady, at a level that's comparatively high but still only around 40 percent.
The ways that information about science gets out to the public have changed significantly in recentyears, with newsrooms downsizing nationwide, sources of misinformation proliferating, and skepticism growing about what is reported, including about science. To explore ways of building trust in science and communicating accurate information, a daylong symposium at MIT convened journalists working at newspapers, magazines, podcasts and videos; academics who study science communications; and scientists who focus on communicating with the public.
The symposium, titled "Spreading facts: communicating science for a better world," was co-sponsored by MIT Technology Review, MIT Press, and the Knowledge Futures Group. The Dec. 3 event drew 175 participants at MIT's Samberg Conference Center despite a snowstorm that had delayed the institute's opening that day.
In a keynote address, Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, mentioned that last year the Oxford English Dictionary picked "post-truth" as its word of the year, referring to a time when "feelings and intuition are valued above scientific analysis."
In part, that reflects an idea that "science may be motivated by concerns that are not those of the public," she said. "Many members of the public don't understand the self-correcting nature of science" and don't adequately distinguish between the results of a single study and a clear scientific consensus built up over time, McNutt said.
She used the analogy of a giant game of Jenga, where a tall tower is built from blocks that are then removed one at a time until the tower topples. Similarly, she said, scientific consensus is built up from many pieces over time, but it's always subject to review if one of those lower pieces is removed. If a few key studies are withdrawn or found to have been significantly flawed, the tower may crumble, an event known in science as a paradigm shift, when theories undergo fundamental changes.
She said that in communicating science, while scientists are trained to present everything in a neutral and impersonal way, "for the public, the scientists and their stories are important. They want to know that there are real people involved."
McNutt offered some suggestions on how the public's trust in science could be improved. First, there should be improvements in the peer review system, including dealing with issues such as predatory journals that don't carry out the reviews they claim, and peer review rings where people agree to provide each other positive reviews. People should also be recognized for the work they do in carrying out peer reviews.
"We need to clearly signal which papers have earned trust," she said, proposing a system of badges for papers that have passed certain specific criteria for validation.
When dealing with people who are skeptical of science or of some particular aspect of it, McNutt said it's important to be clear about terminology. For example, if asked whether she believes in climate change, she answers: "There is an evidentiary basis for climate change."
"To say you believe puts it in the same realm as religion. You need to distinguish between what has predictive power and what doesn't," she said.
In a panel discussion, Mariette DiChristina, dean of the Boston University College of Communication and former editor of Scientific American, noted that "the industry has fairly imploded in the past 10 years," with an estimated one in four journalism jobs being eliminated. Charles Seife, a professor of journalism at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, agreed that "these are hard times for science journalists." A few years ago, he said, the number of active journalists in comparison to other communications professionals, such as public relations specialists, was 1 to 3. It's now 1 to 5 or more.
Because of the many new channels of communication available, someone coming right out of journalism school "can build a large audience very quickly, if they have something to say," Seife said.
A good example of that is recent MIT graduate Dianna Cowern, who has built a large following on YouTube as "Physics Girl," and who appeared on a separate panel at Tuesday's event. With more than a million followers, Cowern's channel has been funded by the PBS network for the last four years, and some of her videos have gone viral. "Going viral is not an easy thing for science videos," she said, since they have to compete with millions of cute cat videos. One of her most successful videos depicts an experiment to see how high the top ball in a pile of three dropped balls would bounce.
The main thing to strive for to get wide viewership online, she said, is "shareability." She quipped: "As Einstein said, nothing is worth doing unless you can share it on Facebook." Novelty, curiosity, and excitement also play a strong part in her short, slightly zany videos.
John Randell, director of science, engineering and technology programs at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, described research on the public's trust of leaders in various professions since 1973. The military has tended toward the top tiers of trust, although attitudes toward it have seesawed up and down dramatically over the years. By contrast, trust in scientists has remained very steady at around 40 percent over that whole period, though it has shown a recent small uptick. Trust in the press and in Congress, meanwhile, are now under 10 percent.
But in the same surveys, about 70 percent of respondents say that the benefits of scientific research outweigh its harmful effects, Randell said. And younger Americans have greater trust in science than those in older age groups. There is no type or category of people who can be described as "antiscience," he said; rather, people have a range of opinions on particular issues.
Several participants described novel approaches to communicating ideas about scientific subjects. In addition to Cowern, there was Grant Sanderson, who described a series of mathematics-based podcasts he produces, and Clifford Johnson, a professor of physics, who described his work developing graphical ways of depicting scientific concepts, which he has created in the form of comic books (or "graphical sequences"). His comics are based on dialogues about ideas, he said, which is "one of the oldest forms of communication." Galileo's findings, he pointed out, were written in this form.
Another innovative approach to science communications was described by Beth Daley, editor and general manager of The Conversation US. She explained how that organization provides a way for scientists to communicate their work to the public, by helping them to write articles in a journalistic style, aimed at the general public, which are then distributed for use by newspapers around the country.
This new approach has been quite effective, she said. A staff of about 30 people edits, fact-checks, and works with the scientists, helping them to write a popular piece "in their own voice." To achieve that, she said, "they often need a lot of help in translating" their work into accessible language. The organization currently publishes about 10 news stories a day.
In closing remarks, Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Media Lab's Center for Civic Media, pointed out that despite an increasingly polarized society in which people are disagreeing even on the nature of facts, polls showing a relatively steady level of trust in science are encouraging. "I'm optimistic for the next generation," he said.
[Category: Arts/Cultural]
Sesame Workshop: Remembering Legendary Puppeteer Caroll Spinney
NEW YORK, Dec. 8 -- The Sesame Workshop issued the following news release:
Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died today, December 8th 2019, at age 85 at his home in Connecticut, after living with Dystonia for some time.
Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending. His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Dec. 8 -- The Sesame Workshop issued the following news release:
Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died today, December 8th 2019, at age 85 at his home in Connecticut, after living with Dystonia for some time.
Caroll was an artistic genius whose kind and loving view of the world helped shape and define Sesame Street from its earliest days in 1969 through five decades, and his legacy here at Sesame Workshop and in the cultural firmament will be unending. His enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectlysuited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his lovably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while.
Welcomed to Sesame Street by Jim Henson, Caroll thrived under a mentorship that led to a decades-long great friendship. Caroll's unparalleled career saw Big Bird visit China with Bob Hope, dance with the Rockettes, be celebrated with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a U.S. postage stamp, and named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress. A favorite highlight for Caroll was conducting symphony orchestras and performing with them across the United States, Australia, and China, allowing him to personally connect with families everywhere through the music of Sesame Street. Caroll Spinney gave something truly special to the world. With deepest admiration, Sesame Workshop is proud to carry his memory - and his beloved characters - into the future. Our hearts go out to Caroll's beloved wife, Debra, and all of his children and grandchildren.
Sesame Street co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney said of her longtime colleague and friend, "Caroll Spinney's contributions to Sesame Street are countless. He not only gave us Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, he gave so much of himself as well. We at Sesame Workshop mourn his passing and feel an immense gratitude for all he has given to Sesame Street and to children around the world."
NOW, RAICES Demand Humane Treatment of Women in Immigration Prisons
PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 8 -- The National Organization for Women issued the following news release:
Gathering in a city that houses some of the worst immigration detention centers in the country, activists are rallying today with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) to Unlock the Future for immigrant women and girls.
Fifteen people have died at the Eloy Detention Center in Phoenix, including a woman who was denied prompt medical treatment for a leg injury, causing a fatal blood clot. The center has also seen widespread
... Show Full Article
PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 8 -- The National Organization for Women issued the following news release:
Gathering in a city that houses some of the worst immigration detention centers in the country, activists are rallying today with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) to Unlock the Future for immigrant women and girls.
Fifteen people have died at the Eloy Detention Center in Phoenix, including a woman who was denied prompt medical treatment for a leg injury, causing a fatal blood clot. The center has also seen widespreadmeasles outbreaks and reports of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. At least 2 transgender detainees faced physical abuse or harassment while in custody and the center has a history of placing immigrants in solitary confinement just for identifying as gay or transgender.
"No one simply trying to escape violence, sexual harassment or poverty in their homelands should be subjected to such horrors when coming to this country for refuge," said NOW President Toni Van Pelt. "During a tour of Eloy this week we heard heartbreaking stories of family separations and inadequate health and personal hygiene care. These atrocities simply must stop."
To demand action against such horrid conditions, the Unlock the Future campaign is championing a Bill of Rights for immigrant women and girls, which has thousands of signatures calling for basic human needs and dignities for detained people. This powerful petition will be delivered to seats of power around the nation to demand change.
"Beyond improving conditions at the detention prisons, the United States must also utilize fair and humane immigration processes which meet international principles of refugee protection, our own standards previously adopted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and basic standards of decency and compassion," said NOW Vice President Christian F. Nunes.
* * *
Unlock the Future Phoenix Speaker Quotes:
"Halfway between Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona are two centers where women and children immigrants are imprisoned and we are seeing a rise in the number of deaths and a rise in complaints of sexual abuse and miscarriage. As an Arizona State Senator, I am using my voice to demand change. I refuse to just stand back and watch as immigrants in Arizona cells are being denied basic human rights." -- State Senator Victoria Steele, Representative for the 9th District of Arizona
"It is up to us as Arizonans to defend the human rights of migrant women and girls and welcome them into safety here in the US. Let's welcome them with open arms and open hearts because they're not strangers. They're mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts. They are women, just like you and me, who deserve basic human rights including safe living conditions and medical care. The system of suffering must end. No human being belongs in a cage. Join NOW & RAICES to Unlock the Future for all migrants, refugees and displaced persons." - Erika Andiola, Chief of Advocacy, RAICES
"While most of the narrative surrounding immigrant detention focuses on the cruelty of separating families and caging children, we cannot forget that every instance of incarceration is an act of violence. Every single time someone is incarcerated is inhumane." -- Alejandra Pablos, Reproductive Justice Activist, Immigration Detention Survivor
"It is not enough to speak Spanish, we must understand the trauma and political conditions that brought our people here."
Imelda Ojeda, founding member of the Latinx Therapist in Action Network, describing how true advocacy is about recognizing humanity and each person's right to be understood.
"Immigration is a humanitarian issue and truly hits home for me and must be treated just so. We must work to protect, support, and uplift every person in this country, regardless of their immigration status." - Sedona Lynch, student activist speaking on behalf of Feminist Majority
For a list of Unlock the Future Co-Sponsors please click here (https://now.org/unlock-the-future-co-sponsors/).
Save the Children: Yemen - 33 Children Killed or Injured Every Month in Deadliest Towns
FAIRFIELD, Connecticut, Dec. 7 -- Save the Children issued the following news release:
* * *
- One year after the Stockholm agreement, which should have brought stability to Hodeidah and Taiz in Yemen, children there are still victims of conflict
* * *
Hodeidah and Taiz are the two deadliest areas for children in Yemen, Save the Children said today, one year after the signing of the Stockholm agreement, which should have brought stability to these hotspots.
Between January and October 2019, 33 children have been killed or injured/1 every month in the western port city of Hodeidah and Taiz
... Show Full Article
FAIRFIELD, Connecticut, Dec. 7 -- Save the Children issued the following news release:
* * *
- One year after the Stockholm agreement, which should have brought stability to Hodeidah and Taiz in Yemen, children there are still victims of conflict
* * *
Hodeidah and Taiz are the two deadliest areas for children in Yemen, Save the Children said today, one year after the signing of the Stockholm agreement, which should have brought stability to these hotspots.
Between January and October 2019, 33 children have been killed or injured/1 every month in the western port city of Hodeidah and Taizin the southwest, despite the signing of the Stockholm agreement on December 13, 2018 aimed at stopping the fighting in the Red Sea area. Nationwide, almost half the children who died as a direct result of the conflict in Yemen were killed in Hodeidah and Taiz./2
Although there was a reduction in the number of casualties compared to 2018, between January and October 2019 some 56 children were killed and 170 injured as a direct result of fighting in Hodeidah. In Taiz, child fatalities have more than doubled since the agreement./3 Parties committed to opening up a humanitarian corridor in Taiz so families can safely leave and humanitarian support can get in, but so far this has not materialized.
"The Stockholm Agreement brought a glimmer of hope to civilians in the area, but the fighting is far from over," said Doctor Mariam Aldogani, Save the Children field manager for Hodeidah. "Every day we receive wounded children in Save the Children-supported hospitals needing our care. In 2019, our team has given medical care to more than 500 children who have been caught up in this conflict, some with life-threatening injuries.
"At one point this year we supported six children from two families--it was sad, some of the children had broken legs and shrapnel wounds all over their bodies. I cannot forget the youngest girl, just three years old, with burns all over her hands. We need to stop this war on children."
Children in Hodeidah remain trapped in the port city with constant fighting threatening their lives. Humanitarian operations continue to be challenging. Earlier this year Save the Children had to close some of its children's centers for three months, owing to security fears as a result of shelling from warring parties. Their closures deprived more than 700 children of a safe space and respite from the chaos of war.
Sarah*, 13, from Hodeidah told Save the Children that her friend was killed in 2018 by shrapnel while in school: "Before the conflict, we used to come out peacefully and take walks in the parks.
"I remember one day at school one of my classmates was leaving the bathroom and she was hit by shrapnel. My father refused to let us to go to school anymore and the school was shut down."
"The war affected us when an airstrike hit right beside our house [in 2019]. We were really terrified," said Lina*, 15, also from Hodeidah.
"Our house was on fire as well, and we had to leave it until the fire was extinguished. You know, we have no other shelter except our house.
"When I went to visit my friend, her family had left because their house was destroyed.
"That made us worry more, and after that day, I felt like I might die anytime from the war."
"My feeling about Hodeidah is just full of fear," said Taha*,12. "Before [the war], we did not have such feeling of fear.
"Wherever you go, there is fear. While you are going to or coming back from school, while playing outside, or going somewhere! Fear of an airstrike, bullets. We are trying to tell them to stop the war...because we do not want to live in fear!"
"Children of Hodeidah and all across Yemen deserve peace and a chance to enjoy their childhood," continued Dr. Aldogani. "But we still hear fighting within the city and we keep receiving injured children. Children are still suffering, even after the signing of the agreement."
Hodeidah is the gateway to the country, with 70 percent of all imports arriving through the port. Even a temporary closure or disruption could decrease the availability of food, pushing prices up even further, and triggering famine. Save the Children is calling upon all parties to agree to a full cessation of hostilities and work towards a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Hodeidah and across the country.
Learn more about Save the Children's work to help children in Yemen.
*names changed
Footnotes:
1/ Data from the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project (CIMP) between January to October 2019. According to the CIMP data, a total of 226 children were injured or killed in Hodeidah between January and October 2019. In Taiz, 57 children were killed and 49 were injured due to violence during that same period.
The CIMP is a mechanism for the collection, analysis and dissemination of open source data on the civilian impact from armed violence in Yemen, in order to inform and complement protection programming. It's run as a service under the United Nations Protection Cluster.
2/ According to the CIMP data, a total of 239 children have been killed in 22 governorates of Yemen between January and October 2019, of whom 113 were killed in Hodeidah and Taiz.
3/ According to the CIMP data, there were 28 fatalities among children in Taiz over the whole of 2018. In the first 10 months of 2019, the number had risen to 57.
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we've changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children - every day and in times of crisis - transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
[Category: Sociological]
Lambda Legal Issues Joint Statement Opposing Fairness for All Act
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- Lambda Legal issued the following joint statement:
Today, national advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Center for American Progress (CAP), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Black Justice Coalition (BJC), National Fair Housing Alliance, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Queer Asian
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- Lambda Legal issued the following joint statement:
Today, national advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Center for American Progress (CAP), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Black Justice Coalition (BJC), National Fair Housing Alliance, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Queer AsianPacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), PFLAG National and the Transgender Law Center expressed strong opposition to the so-called "Fairness For All" Act, as introduced in Congress. If enacted, this bill would undermine civil rights protections for women, people of color, people of faith and create substandard protections for LGBTQ people. In a joint statement, the groups wrote:
"The "Fairness for All" Act is anything but fair, and it certainly does not serve all of us. It is an affront to existing civil rights protections that protect people on the basis of race, sex, and religion and creates new, substandard protections for LGBTQ people with massive loopholes and carve-outs, and upends critical federal programs that serve children in need.
"This legislation is deeply dangerous for many reasons, mainly because it would erode protections that already exist for people based on race, sex and religion, rolling back protections that have been on the books for decades. It would expand the number of places and situations in which lawful discrimination could occur.
"At the same time, it would introduce new, problematic provisions purportedly seeking to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity with broad exemptions, essentially licensing discrimination against LGBTQ people and women. Communities of color, who suffer from disproportionately higher rates of discrimination and harassment would be especially vulnerable to harm under these broad exemptions. Our nation's existing civil rights framework already strikes the right balance when it comes to the government's interest in protecting religious freedom and advancing nondiscrimination, and it is wrong to put into law a different system of protections for LGBTQ people and their families.
"This legislation would create a "double whammy" for anyone at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities: a Black lesbian or Transgender Jewish woman, for example, could see many of her existing rights erased or rolled back, ostensibly to protect her.
"The Equality Act was passed through the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, and nearly 70 percent of Americans support comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. The "Fairness for All" Act, on the other hand, was introduced by a small group of lawmakers. This legislation licenses discrimination while eroding the rights of people of faith.
"It is wrong, and we strongly oppose it."
LGBTQ people deserve full federal equality -- nothing more and nothing less. The Equality Act, which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a bipartisan majority, would ensure clear and equal protections from discrimination for LGBTQ people throughout daily life while expanding protections for communities of color, people of faith, and women.
The Equality Act has broad, growing support and clear momentum. Over the last several years, more than 260 leading companies, more than 60 national trade associations, and more than 500 civil rights, religious, medical and social welfare organizations have joined with the LGBTQ community to support the Equality Act, which recently passed the U.S. House with a bipartisan majority.
* * *
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
Cancer Researchers Training at Roswell Park Stand Out on National Stage
BUFFALO, New York, Dec. 7 -- The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center issued the following news release:
* * *
- Three postdoctoral fellows/researchers to be recognized at major research meetings
* * *
Three Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers who are already highly accomplished early in their careers will be honored during three major research meetings -- the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 61st annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 7-10, the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 10-14, and the ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology
... Show Full Article
BUFFALO, New York, Dec. 7 -- The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center issued the following news release:
* * *
- Three postdoctoral fellows/researchers to be recognized at major research meetings
* * *
Three Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers who are already highly accomplished early in their careers will be honored during three major research meetings -- the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 61st annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 7-10, the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 10-14, and the ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-OncologySymposium in San Francisco, California, Feb. 28-March 2.
Yara Abdou, MD, a hematology-oncology fellow with Roswell Park's Department of Medicine, will receive an AACR Associate Award during SABCS, presented to selected associate members of the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Abdou will be recognized for her study "Racial Differences in Infiltration Of CD8+ T-Cells in Breast Tumors of Black and White Women" (abstract P2-10-02), to be presented at a SABSC poster session on Dec. 12. Then in late February, she will receive a Merit Award at the ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium for her study "Prognostication Model Based on Genomic Expression in the Tumor Microenvironment of ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Stage III Breast Cancer via Machine Learning" (abstract 285305).
Dr. Abdou was also invited to give a podium presentation at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology earlier this year, earning a merit award for that work ask well. She is currently investigating how tumor mutation profiles can impact tumor biology and microenvironment and, for another project, studying outcomes in African-American women with breast cancer.
Dr. Maximilian Merz
Maximilian Merz, MD, a postdoctoral research scholar with the multiple myeloma team within Roswell Park's Department of Medicine, will receive the 2019 Celgene Future Leaders Award for Clinical Research in Hematology in connection with the ASH meeting in recognition of "the tremendous impact and significant contributions he has made in the field of clinical hematology throughout his career." Celgene Corp. will provide a $10,000 grant to Roswell Park in Dr. Merz's name in connection with this award.
Just eight years out of medical school, Dr. Merz has already published more than 45 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a sought-after expert in imaging and genetics for patients with multiple myeloma.
Dr. Hemn Mohammadpour
Hemn Mohammadpour, PhD, DVM, a postdoctoral research affiliate with Roswell Park's Department of Immunology, has been selected to receive a merit-based ASH Abstract Achievement Award for his study "B2- Adrenergic Signaling Regulates Graft Versus Host Disease after Allogenic Transplantation While Preserving Graft Versus Leukemia Effect," to be presented in a poster session at ASH 2019 (abstract 1915). Dr. Mohammadpour will be recognized with a similar award at SABCS, for his study "B2 adrenergic receptor-mediated signaling regulates the immunosuppressive potential of myeloid-derived suppressor cells" (abstract P3-01-02), to be presented in a poster session on Dec. 12.
Dr. Mohammadpour's research on beta adrenergic signaling and the development of graft-versus-host disease may have important implications for the care of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant and is the basis of a clinical trial now in development.
"These are three very bright and energetic scholars who are already applying their significant gifts to improve patient care and answer important and challenging questions in different areas of oncology and hematology, says Ellis Levine, MD, who directs Roswell Park's hematology/oncology training programs. "They are stand-outs, and we are proud to see them recognized on such high-profile platforms."
The ASH Annual Meeting is the biggest gathering of physicians and researchers focused on understanding and treating blood cancers and other blood-related diseases. SABCS is one of the most important meetings focused on breast cancer, uniting physicians from both academic and private organizations. The ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium is a three-day meeting focused on clinical and translational research in immuno-oncology, or the study of approaches to engage the immune system in treating cancer, and its implications for clinical care.
* * *
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer's grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at http://www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.
Highlights
- Dr. Yara Abdou recognized for three breast cancer research projects
- Dr. Maximilian Merz to be receive Celgene Future Leaders Award
- Immunologist Dr. Hemn Mohammadpour earns abstract awards for 2 studies
Advancement Project Issues Statement on Passage of Voting Rights Advancement Act
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- The Advancement Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit that develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns, issued the following statement:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation restores key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and helps prevent racial discrimination in voting. Advancement Project National Office, a national racial justice and civil rights organization, released the following statement:
"We are encouraged by the House's
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- The Advancement Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit that develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high quality legal analysis and public education campaigns, issued the following statement:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation restores key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and helps prevent racial discrimination in voting. Advancement Project National Office, a national racial justice and civil rights organization, released the following statement:
"We are encouraged by the House'spassage of critical voting rights legislation that will help eliminate discrimination in voting," said Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of Advancement Project National Office. "When the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in 2013, it significantly weakened protections for Black and Brown voters. Today, the fight to undo this has taken a crucial step forward."
"We cannot deny the necessity of H.R. 4 in the wake of the Shelby v. Holder decision. Over 20 states have enacted discriminatory laws like strict voter ID requirements, cut early voting days, or purged their voter rolls. These measures were intentionally designed to make it harder for people of color to vote. In our report, We Vote We Count, issued by the Racial Equity Collaborative, we recount stories from Black and Brown communities in North Dakota, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama who faced barrier to voting. Their voting challenges reinforce data showing an increase in the number of voting rights violations since the Shelby decision. These violations imperil our democracy and burden eligible voters of color."
"The passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act is a step toward ensuring free and fair elections. This should not be a partisan issue, this is a democracy issue. The Senate must take a vote on the bill to protect all voters before the 2020 election."
* * *
Advancement Project is a multi-racial civil rights organization. Founded by a team of veteran civil rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement Project was created to develop and inspire community-based solutions based on the same high-quality legal analysis and public education campaigns that produced the landmark civil rights victories of earlier eras.
[Category: Law/Legal]
