The document summarizes ASTMH's advocacy activities from May to November 2013. It discusses their efforts to advocate for sustained funding for global health research at agencies like NIH, CDC, DoD, and USAID. It provides details on submitted testimonies and letters in support of these agencies. ASTMH also held advocacy events on Capitol Hill, including a briefing on neglected tropical diseases and a reception on Chagas disease. Their first "Hill Day" in November brought ASTMH members to meet with Congressional representatives. Looking ahead, ASTMH plans to continue advocating their message and engaging members in advocacy through increased participation in events like Hill Days.

1. ASTMH Council Advocacy Update
Jodie Curtis, Senior Government Relations Director
Erin Will Morton, Senior Government Relations Manager

2. What’s happening now?
 Sequestration
- Everyone agrees it is a bad thing
- Many on both sides of the aisle want to get rid of it, but how?
 Travel cuts
- Impacted by sequestration but separate and apart from sequestration
 Government shutdown
- Negative impact on research
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
2

3. ASTMH Accomplishments: May – November, 2013
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
3

4. ASTMH Advocacy: NIH
 Submitted public testimony in June to the Senate Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations subcommittee regarding fiscal
year 2014 requests for NIH
 Sent letter to Secretary Sebelius requesting the participation of their employees
at the annual ASTMH meeting
 Advocated for sustained global health R&D funding at NIH
 ASTMH language about Fogarty Center’s work included Senate Appropriations
Report
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
4

5. FY 14 Senate Report Language: FIC (submitted by ASTMH)
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
5

6. ASTMH Advocacy: CDC
 Submitted public testimony in June to the Senate Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations subcommittee regarding fiscal
year 2014 requests for CDC
 Sent letter to Dr. Frieden requesting the participation of their employees at the
annual ASTMH meeting
 Participated in coalition efforts to raise awareness of the importance of CDC’s
work in global health and infectious disease
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
6

7. ASTMH Advocacy: DoD
 Submitted public testimony in July to the Defense appropriations subcommittee
regarding fiscal year 2014 funding for R&D within the DoD
 Sent letters to House and Senate Defense legislative assistants in honor of
World Malaria Day and requesting support for MIDRP, WRAIR, and NMRC
 Letters to Army and Navy officials, requesting the participation of their
employees at the annual ASTMH meeting in November
 Co-chair DoD advocacy working group (inside-the-beltway coalition)
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
7

8. FY 14 House Report Language: DoD (in partnership with PATH &
GHTC)
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
8

9. ASTMH Secondary Advocacy: USAID
 Endorsed and advocated for H.R. 1515, the 21st Century Global Health
Technology Act
 Participated in community advocacy efforts for USAID highlighting the
importance of R&D within each of USAID’s global health programs—especially
NTDs
 Submitted report language in partnership with GHTC and DNDi that was
accepted in the FY 2014 Senate Appropriations Report
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
9

10. FY 14 House Report Language: USAID NTD (in partnership with DNDi)
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
10

11. Advocacy Case Study: First-Ever Congressional Hearing on NTDs –
How does an issue get traction?
 Multi-year process
 Peter Hotez elected ASTMH President and brings more attention of NTDs to policymakers
 Council members do Hill visits and include NTDs as a topic
 Drinker Biddle continues with Hill visits in DC
 ASTMH cosponsors and ASTMH members speak at congressional briefings about NTDs
 First-ever Congressional hearing on NTDs
- ASTMH supported House Foreign Affairs hearing on NTDs
- ASTMH advocacy laid the groundwork for hearing
- ASTMH actively engaged with Members of Congress and Hill staff at the hearing
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
11

12. ASTMH Council Hill Day: May 6, 2013
 Dave Walker
 Alan Magill
 Dan Bausch
 Stephen Dobson
 Kayla Laserson
 Pat Walker
17 Congressional
Office Visits
12 Senate
5 House
8 Dem
9 Rep
 Pete Zimmerman
 Karen Goraleski
 Jacci Schiff
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
12

13. ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
13

14. ASTMH moderated a Capitol Hill
briefing on the cholera epidemic in
Haiti and the Dominican Republic
47 Hill staff attended
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
14

15. Multi-partner engagement:
Reception highlighting R&D needs
for Chagas disease
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
15

16. NTD briefing highlighting the need for USAID
investment in R&D in the current NTD program
Thank you letter to Reps. Bass (D-CA), and
Roybal-Allard (D-CA) for supporting the event
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
16

17. ASTMH Thank-You Letters
 Rep. Albio Sires (NJ-8) and Mario Diaz-Albert (FL-25) for introducing H.R. 1515, the ―21st
Century Global Health Technology Act‖
 Rep. Christopher Smith (NJ-4) for convening the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global
Human Rights, and International Organizations’ hearing, ―Addressing the Neglected Diseases
Treatment Gap‖
 Rep. Ander Crenshaw (FL-4) for sponsoring House Resolution 35, supporting the goals and
ideals of World Malaria Day and reaffirming US leadership and support for efforts to combat
malaria
 Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jim Inhofe (R-OK),
Mark Kirk (R-IL), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for co-sponsoring of Senate Resolution 119
regarding World Malaria Day
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
17

18. ASTMH Sign-on Letters
 Letter to OMB Director thanking the administration for its continued support for
global health research and development programs and asking for funding to be
sustained at HHS, NIH, CDC, FDA, USAID, and DoD in FY 2015
 Letter regarding the National Science Foundation’s merit review process and
addressing the concerns of shifting away from "scientific merit" as the ultimate
criteria for determining which science to fund
 InterAction Global Health Briefing book sections on malaria and neglected
tropical diseases
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
18

19. Life in Washington
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
19

20. What’s really going on…
 Very partisan
 Ineffective Congress
 Low approval rating
 Unable to move legislation in
regular order
 No budget
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
20

21. On Deck…
 New budget conference committee
 FY 2014 continuing resolution expires January 15
 Debt ceiling expires February 7
 Sequestration
 FY 2015 funding
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
21

22. FY 2014 Budget
Agency
NIH
FY 12 Final
FY 2014 President
FY 2014 Senate
FY 2014 House
$30,868,000,000
$31,331,387,000
$30,954,976,000
N/A
$4,487,000,000
$4,578,813,000
$4,548,383,000
N/A
$70,000,000
$72,864,000
$72,380,000
N/A
$5,655,670,000
$5,834,173,000
$6,183,769,000
N/A
CDC Parasitic Diseases
and Malaria
$22,069,000
$22,231,000
$19,334,000
N/A
Emerging and Zoonotic
Infectious Disease
$310,393,000
$380,664,000
$283,237,000
N/A
$2,629,800,000
$2,645,000,000
$2,785,000,000
$2,505,000,000
$89,000,000
$85,000,000
$100,000,000
N/A
$650,000,000
$670,000,000
$667,000,000
$650,000,000
NIAID
Fogarty
CDC
Global Health/Child
Survival (USAID)
USAID NTDs
USAID Malaria
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
22

23. ASTMH Hill Day: Tuesday, November 12
 First ever ASTMH ―Hill Day‖ with
general membership
 12 members volunteered time to
advocate on the Hill
 Global health community support
 Training for advocates
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
23

24. ASTMH Hill Day
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
24

25. ASTMH Hill Day
 17 Hill Meetings
- 11 Senate/6 House
- 12 Democrats/5 Republicans
 ―I hope you know how great and
important it is that you came to
Capitol Hill to do this. Folks up here
need to hear from real scientists.‖ Eric
in Senator Gillibrand’s (D-NY) office
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
25

26. ASTMH Engagement – Next Steps
 Increase CapWiz participation
 Repeat our message
 Continue to engage with the community on global health funding priorities
 Advocate R&D message on the Hill and with the community
 Hill meetings, testimony, and briefings must continue
 Social media and advocacy
 Continue to raise advocacy issues in the ASTMH newsletter and blog
 Advocacy Webinars
 Increase participation in Hill Days
 Create a culture of advocacy within the Society
ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
26

27. ASTMH 2013 Annual Meeting
27