The American Academy of Ophthalmology has joined with leading organizations representing clinicians, laboratory researchers, and physician-scientists to support the March for Science and its nonpartisan call for the appreciation of scientific evidence, education, and investment.
The March for Science is a celebration of the value of scientific evidence in our everyday lives. Science-based care saves lives, decreases human suffering, and reduces unnecessary costs.
We unite with the following diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest:
American Academy of Dermatology
American Academy of Family Physicians
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 Nephrology
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
A series of rallies and marches to support the effort will be held this Saturday, April 22 in Washington, D.C. and in more than 450 cities across the world.
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.
Therefore, it is critical that we protect federal investment in our health. Over the past several decades, research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has yielded significant advances across all fields of medicine. Today, diseases with previously grim prognoses are treatable. We have powerful therapies that engage the patient’s own immune system to conquer cancers and non-malignant diseases. And, genome editing is showing early promise in curing and even preventing debilitating genetic conditions.
We rely on evidence from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to address patient safety, quality of care, efficiency, and access in our health care system. Research supported by the agency has prevented the spread of infections in hospitals and improved access to health care for patients in rural areas. And, through its surveillance programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has played an important role in preventing and controlling inherited and communicable disease as well as dangerous outbreaks. Without the CDC, outbreaks would spread, food-borne illness would go undetected, and chronic diseases would have a higher human and monetary cost.
Scientific progress and support of vital federal research programs have led to major advances in our health. We hope patients, their families, and everyone committed to advancing health care will join us in celebrating the value of scientific evidence in our everyday lives.