Does one voice really matter? This is a question I often hear when the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research and I, on its behalf, ask NIH-funded researchers to advocate for increased NIH funding.
Your Voice Matters
I know that as a busy physician, physician-scientist, or researcher, advocating for the NIH might seem like an additional and burdensome task. Still, your advocacy offers significant benefits that directly impact your work and career. Most importantly, your voice carries weight as a constituent and a trusted professional. Former Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) stated often over the years to members of the Academy, “Congress is a reactive institution. It reacts to the push from outside. It is essential to keep sharing your stories, your experience, your work.” Thirty years ago, when the Academy was founded, this truth inspired us, and it inspires us just as strongly today. This community has a strong and important voice with expertise and experience to share.
“Yes, one voice can make a difference. Your voice. When you tell your story, you bring the issues to life—whether it’s a grant cut that ended a trial, a breakthrough that could expand access to care, or the uncertainty that makes you question your future in science. These stories have power. They can open minds, change hearts, and drive policymakers to act.”
The Academy Can Help
As a founding member society of the Academy, the AIUM understands the value of the Academy and our efforts to engage the imaging community. The Academy’s role is to ensure that medical imaging research has a seat at the table as we advocate on Capitol Hill for consistent funding at the NIH and across government agencies.
At the Academy, we encourage our advocates to engage as individuals or in cohorts with other stakeholders from their institution or in their states. We provide the tools and resources advocates need, and the Academy will facilitate meetings with you.
However, even the Academy collaborates with larger organizations that engage with the entire research enterprise ecosystem, including clinicians, researchers, advocates, and patients. It’s a way to remind elected officials that, as a community, we speak with one voice. We have found through the years that when the entire research ecosystem comes together to advocate for the NIH, our message is heard, and Congress responds.
Rally for Medical Research
One such group the Academy engages with is the Rally for Medical Research (the Rally). The Rally started in 2013 when NIH funding was facing extreme budget cuts. Since then, the Rally has been instrumental in turning the tide from deep budget cuts to robust, sustained, and predictable research funding.
Each September, Rally participants carry the call to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to provide robust and predictable NIH funding. In these face-to-face meetings, lawmakers see what is at stake. Without sustained investment, progress halts, trials close, and patients pay the price. In 2025, the Rally will once again take over Capitol Hill with close to 500 patients, clinicians, and researchers participating. Each voice will bring an understanding of what the need is, what the opportunity can be, and why this investment is so important.
So, whether you advocate on your own or join with a larger effort, consistent individual advocacy can keep NIH’s importance in the spotlight and help sustain momentum.
For more information about the Academy, please view this brief clip about The Value of the Academy, visit our website at www.acadrad.org, and I welcome you to contact me at Rcruea@acadrad.org.
*By the time this is printed, the deadline for participating in this year’s Rally will have passed. The Rally will be held on September 18, 2025.
Renee L. Cruea, MPA, is the Executive Director of the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research.