Atieh Hajirahimkhan to Advocate for Cancer Research Funding at AACR Early-Career Hill Day

On Thursday, March 3, Atieh Hajirahimkhan, PhD, an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, will meet with members of Congress as part of the seventh annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Early-career Hill Day.

This year’s virtual event will bring 36 early-career cancer researchers together with over 70 members of Congress and their staff to advocate for robust, sustained, and predictable funding for cancer research and biomedical science through the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

The participants will call on Congress to complete fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations without delay and support a $3.5 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a $432 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), as passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last summer. They will also encourage members of Congress to support another robust funding increase for NIH in FY 2023, including at least $7.766 billion for NCI as recommended in the NCI Director’s Professional Judgment Budget Proposal.

Early-career investigators are especially vulnerable to career interruptions and setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, Hill Day participants will be able to provide personal testimony and real-world examples of the need for continued investment in cancer research during this ongoing public health crisis.

In conjunction with the Hill Day on March 3, the AACR is inviting early-career researchers around the country to participate in a National Day of Action by contacting their members of Congress via email or social media. The AACR has launched a campaign through its Legislative Action Center for sending emails to Congress. Individuals are also encouraged to tweet messages in support of NIH funding using the hashtags #AACRontheHill and #FundNIH.

In addition to the AACR Early-career Hill Day, the AACR supports and engages early-career scientists through the Associate Member Council, Science Education and Career Advancement Committee, and other Association groups, as well as through various professional advancement programs, career initiatives, grants, travel awards, and membership and mentoring opportunities available throughout the year. Learn more.