On January 21st, Senator Mark Kirk from Illinois had a stroke at the age of 52. Only 15 weeks later, his recovery has been described as “excellent” by his doctor in an article in the Chicago Tribune. Sen. Kirk’s ongoing recovery shows how important medical research is to stroke recovery.

Sen. Kirk also penned a letter-to-the- editor describing his stroke and recovery. 

“Early detection is key to survival,” said Kirk. “My staff and I are working on a legislative package to help with early detection and prevention programs.”

Check out his amazing video below, go the full story , and read Sen. Kirk’s letter in the Chicago Tribune.

AHA President, Dr. Gordon F. Tomaselli, recently wrote an article in Science Progress about the dangers of the pending budget cuts to the National Institutes of Health in 2013.

“Next January, unless Congress and the White House take action, the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, and the critical medical research it supports will face an uncertain future. Under current law, most domestic spending, including every NIH institute and center, will be subject to a mandatory cut of at least 7.8 percent.

The cuts—which will go into effect January 2—are the result of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction’s failure to come up with a plan that would reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade. The debt limit deal, which created the committee, established a backup “sequestration” procedure as a mechanism to encourage compromise. Sequestration is a form of automatic budget cuts that are applied across the board.

Military programs are also on the chopping block, and the defense establishment has made it clear that it will fight these cuts to the bitter end. Supporters of domestic programs, however, have been silent. Thankfully, advocates for the NIH refuse to remain quiet and complacent. We believe there is simply too much at stake.”  Read the full article…

Join Dr. Tomaselli in urging Congress to protect NIH research funding today!

On March 14, American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown joined leaders in government, industry, the media and other patient advocacy organizations for Research!America’s 9th annual National Health Research Forum in Washington, D.C.

The event, “World Class to Second Class? Confronting the Risks to U.S. Science and Innovation,” generated discussions on key medical, health and scientific research topics concerning all Americans. The event was moderated by Richard Besser, M.D., chief health and medical editor for ABC News. Panelists, including Brown, engaged with audience members on the significance of health and medical research to our nation’s economy and global competitiveness, and the roles of non-profit, public and private sectors in advancing health research.

Brown emphasized the power of working together with other health groups to share messages about the common components between conditions. She also touched on the association’s effort to advocate for more research advances to improve our nation’s health.

“We need to change our mindset now, and develop a new appreciation for research. In the aggregate, research is a sure thing, because in the aggregate, research has always increased our knowledge, and thus has improved our lives,” said Brown.

You can view discussion highlights and access transcripts by visiting: www.researchamerica.org/forums