Research, Medical Groups Join Science March

17 April 2017. A collection of 25 organizations representing a range of medical research and practice disciplines announced their participation in the March for Science set for Saturday, 22 April. The groups’ joint statement supporting the event appears today on the web site of American Society of Hematology.

The March for Science began organizing soon after the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president, in response to threats against scientists made by appointees and supporters, as well as Trump himself during the campaign and after the election. The March for Science web site lists among these dangers as budget cuts and dismantling of science agencies, censorship of researchers, and disappearing data sets. The main event is a march in Washington, D.C. on 22 April — also designated as Earth Day — as well as satellite marches in at least 425 other locations, according the the March for Science umbrella organization.

The 25 medical research and practice organizations representing lab researchers and clinicians join some 170 other groups supporting the event. The organizations’ statement notes that, “Science has no political agenda but gives us the tools to find the truths about our world and then implement informed policies to enrich our communities.” The statement continues …

Science is vital to our health, as an understanding of human biology is essential to stimulating discoveries that lead to cures for devastating diseases. Every day, physicians make the best patient-care decisions they can by relying on science-based tools. Clinicians prevent disease by administering immunizations, and they manage disease by providing therapies that have been thoroughly and scientifically vetted for optimal outcomes. This science-based care saves lives, decreases human suffering, and reduces unnecessary costs.

In addition, the groups cite the work of specific biomedical agencies all threatened with sizeable budget cuts including National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The following organizations signed the statement:

American Academy of Dermatology

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Ophthalmology

American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

American Association of Cancer Research

American Association for Social Psychiatry

American College of Chest Physicians

American College of Physicians

American College of Surgeons

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychoanalytic Association

American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry

American Society of Clinical Oncology

American Society of Hematology

American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

American Urological Association

Association of American Cancer Institutes

Endocrine Society

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer

Society of Interventional Radiology

Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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