In this Editorial, Scott Friedman lays out his wish list for the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates. "Supporting biomedical research is a bipartisan, patriotic act," argues Friedman, who serves as Dean for Therapeutic Discovery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Wise choices by the next U.S. president will ensure improvements in public health and maximize taxpayers' return on investment." Friedman calls on the next president to support biomedical discoveries that advance health for Americans. Boosting funding for the National Institutes of Health should be a priority: "Linking the NIH budget to a fixed percentage of gross national product (~0.3%) would signal to current and future scientists that the United States' commitment to biomedical research is unshakable and apolitical." Friedman also urges the next president to invest in the next generation of physician-scientists, support public-private partnerships, encourage clinical trials that test repurposed drugs, democratize access to clinical trials, and promote disease prevention and access to medical care.
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Journal
Science Translational Medicine