On May 7, 2013, the Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research (CIBR) held its fourth annual Medical Technology Showcase on Capitol Hill. The goal of this annual event is to highlight how imaging research is improving patient care, and how funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is critical for future imaging innovations. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) offered remarks, which followed a keynote address by Dr. Christopher Austin, the Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), at the NIH.
Senator Casey commended the imaging community, noting that the event was the most collaborative one that he had seen during his years in the Senate. He also implored imaging advocates to keep the message alive that the United States needs a sustainable NIH budget.
Senator Burr, the original sponsor of the legislation that created the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), provided the most passionate remarks in support of the NIBIB and imaging science. The Senator lauded NIBIB Director Dr. Rod Pettigrew for his tremendous stewardship of the Institute’s first decade, which saw numerous advances in both the clinical setting and commercial markets.
The showcase capped a day of meetings on Capitol Hill, during which patients, academics, and industry representatives met with over 40 offices in support of the NIBIB. In addition, Academy/CIBR members met with a number of NIH Institute Directors and leaders.
Thank you to everyone who attended or participated in these events. To see a slideshow of photos from the showcase, please click here.
