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THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AAI IMMUNOLOGISTS NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 Plan Ahead for Great science awaits you in Washington, D.C., Page 25 How will the new White House look at science? Page 4 ... Success at the Summer Immunology Courses, Page 18 COMING SOON An open access, fully peer-reviewed journal published by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. Editors-in-Chief Leslie J. Berg and Michael S. Krangel University of Massachusetts Duke University Medical School Medical Center The pace of progress in the fi eld of immunology - in both basic research and successful therapies - is advancing as never before. ImmunoHorizons will contribute to this progress by • Reducing the time needed to submit a manuscript • Publishing research work using an open access model ImmunoHorizons is a fully peer-reviewed journal committed to advancing the knowledge of immunology. All decisions are made by editors who are practicing scientists. More at www.aai.org/ImmunoHorizons COMING SOON IN THIS ISSUE An open access, fully peer-reviewed journal published by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. The American Association Departments of Immunologists 4 Public Affairs 1451 Rockville Pike, Suite 650 Rockville, MD 20852 10 Members in the News Tel: 301-634-7178 Suzanne Topalian, Jedd Wolchok Fax: 301-634-7887 Receive Taubman Prize E-mail: [email protected] Tasuku Honjo Wins Kyoto Prize www.aai.org 18 Report from AAI Summer Editors-in-Chief Alberto Mantovani, Michel Nussenzweig Immunology Courses Member Services Receive Koch Award Tel: 301-634-7195 Dan Littman, Ton Schumacher, John Wherry E-mail: [email protected] Leslie J. Berg and Michael S. Krangel Receive CRI Awards University of Massachusetts Duke University The Journal Medical School Medical Center of Immunology 16 In Memoriam Tel: 301-634-7197 Henry N. Claman E-mail: [email protected] 18 Education The pace of progress in the fi eld of immunology - in both basic www.jimmunol.org research and successful therapies - is advancing as never before. 20 Outreach Update Council 20 Outreach Update ImmunoHorizons will contribute to this progress by 38 Grants and Awards • Reducing the time needed to submit a manuscript President 39 Meetings and Events • Publishing research work using an open access model Arlene H. Sharpe, M.D., Ph.D. Vice President Features Wayne M. Yokoyama, M.D. ImmunoHorizons is a fully peer-reviewed journal committed 27 Plan Ahead: IMMUNOLOGY 2017™ to advancing the knowledge of immunology. All decisions are Past President Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D. 30 Meet Your AAI Committees 2016-2017 made by editors who are practicing scientists. Secretary-Treasurer 36 NIH Workshop Commemorates Mike Potter Edith M. Lord, Ph.D. 27 Plan Ahead for More at www.aai.org/ImmunoHorizons IMMUNOLOGY 2017™ Councillors JoAnne L. Flynn, Ph.D. Jeremy M. Boss, Ph.D. Jenny P. Ting, Ph.D. Gary A. Koretzky, M.D., Ph.D. Executive Director Connect with AAI! M. Michele Hogan, Ph.D. Have a story idea for a future issue of the AAI Newsletter? Send us an email! Interested in staying up with the www.aai.org/ latest on AAI? Keep in touch through our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook, About/Departments-Staff and keep abreast of daily developments in the world of immunology. @ImmunologyAAI @J_Immunol (The Journal of Immunology) © The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. @ImmunologyAAI [email protected] (story ideas and comments about the AAI Newsletter) www.aai.org AAI NEWSLETTER 3 PUBLIC AFFAIRS Republicans Take the White House, of a comprehensive vaccination program. We have been Maintain Both Chambers of Congress successful with other public service programs and this seems to be of enough importance that we should put resources An Initial Look at President-Elect Trump’s Views on Science against this task.” He also acknowledged that “scientific advances do require long term investment” and that “we On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in must have programs such as a visible space program and as the 45th President of the United States. In many ways, institutional research that serve as incubators to innovation however, the job has already begun. The Trump campaign, and the advancement of science and engineering in a which has had a transition team in place for months, has number of fields.” grown considerably larger since the election and is helping the president-elect make nearly 4,000 appointments, more The 2016 elections did not dramatically change the than 1,000 of which will require Senate confirmation. makeup of Congress. Republicans still control both the Senate and the House, although Democrats did narrow the Some of those appointments are critical to the Republican majorities. The Democrats gained two seats in biomedical research community, including the Secretary the Senate, bringing the current composition of the Senate of Health and Human Services, the Director of the National to 52 Republicans and 48 Institutes of Health (NIH), Democrats (including two and the Director of the independents who caucus National Cancer Institute. Two particularly strong NIH champions, with the Democrats). In the The selection of these Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Patty Murray House, Democrats picked up appointments can take a six seats, but the Republican great deal of time: President (D-WA), were re-elected to the Senate. majority remains quite large Obama nominated Francis at 241–194. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., as director of NIH more than six months into his presidency, Two particularly strong NIH champions, Senators and it took another month for the Senate to confirm his Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Patty Murray (D-WA), were re- nomination. However, Trump has already nominated Rep. elected to the Senate. Murray was subsequently elected as Tom Price (R-GA, 6th), chair of the House Budget Committee, assistant Democratic Leader, making her the third-highest to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Price, an ranking Democrat in the Senate. She will also continue orthopedist and strong fiscal conservative who has expressed to serve as ranking member of the Senate Committee on opposition to the National Cancer Moonshot and embryonic Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which authorizes stem cell research, drafted legislation to repeal and replace programs and activities at NIH. The seat of long-time NIH the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Senate confirmation champion and 2015 AAI Public Service Awardee Senator hearings on the nomination have not yet been scheduled. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who is retiring at the end of the year, was won by another leading NIH advocate, President-Elect Trump said little about science during Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD, 8th), winner of his campaign. Some of what he did say has drawn harsh the 2011 AAI Public Service Award, who represents the criticism from the scientific community. For example, he district that includes NIH, the American Association of has claimed that vaccines can cause autism and that global Immunologists (AAI), and the Federation of American warming is a hoax invented by China. In addition, on a 2015 Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). radio program, Trump said that much of what he has heard about NIH is “terrible” (see http://bit.ly/2eMa5PC). However, FASEB, of which AAI is a founding member, held a in response to key questions about science, selected by webinar on November 16th to talk about the election ScienceDebate.org, he provided some responses that, if results and discuss what is next for research funding. implemented by his administration, would be received The archived webinar is now available on the FASEB quite favorably by the scientific community. For example, website at www.faseb.org. he said that “we should educate the public on the values 4 AAI NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2016 Federal Government Remains Flat-Funded Under AAI Participates in Rally for Medical Short-Term Spending Deal Research Hill Day Includes $352 Million in New Funding for NIH AAI was pleased to cosponsor the 2016 Rally for Medical Research Hill Day, which took place on September 22. Earlier this month, Congress passed, and President Representing AAI and visiting the Maine, New Hampshire, Obama signed into law, a Continuing Resolution (CR) that and Idaho delegations were AAI Committee on Public Affairs funds most federal agencies and programs at roughly last (CPA) member and former AAI Public Policy Fellow Ling year’s levels through April 28, 2017. Most notably, the law Cao, M.D., Ph.D. (AAI ’08) and AAI Director of Public Policy provides NIH with an additional $352 million for the 21st and Government Affairs Lauren Gross, J.D. CPA member Century Cures Act (see “Bipartisan Medical Research Bill David Chaplin, M.D., Ph.D. (AAI ’86); former AAI Public Becomes Law” on page 6). Policy Fellow Jennifer Lori Blanchfield, Ph.D. (AAI ’07); and Although fiscal year (FY) 2017 began on October AAI members Achsah Keegan, Ph.D. (AAI ’90) and Manoj K. 1, Congress had failed to pass any of its annual Mishra, Ph.D. (AAI ’03) also participated in the Rally Hill Day. appropriations bills before that date. As a result, it Nearly 350 scientists, patient advocates, and others passed a CR that funded most of the government, from 37 states and the District of Columbia participated including NIH, at approximately last year’s funding levels in meetings at more than 250 House and Senate offices. through December 9. AAI and many other groups in the The goal of the event, which took place as Congress biomedical research community had urged Congress continued preparing appropriations bills for FY 2017, was to complete its FY 2017 appropriations bills before the to advocate for robust, sustained, and predictable funding first CR expired: in its November 16 letter to House and increases for NIH.