Press Releases

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Jun 20, 2006

Fifteen Researchers Named Pew Scholars, Awarded Unique Opportunity to Expand the Frontiers of Biomedical Science

Fifteen of the nation’s most promising early- to mid-career biomedical researchers were named today as 2006 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF).

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Biomedical Research
Jun 20, 2006

Seven Latin American Scientists Awarded Opportunity to Pursue Cutting-Edge Biomedical Research

Seven highly talented early-career Latin American scientists were named today as 2006 Pew Latin American Fellows in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). 

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Biomedical Research
Jul 27, 2006

Oversight Gaps for Genetic Testing Pose Risks to Public Health

At the invitation of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Genetics and Public Policy Center Director Kathy Hudson testified on Thursday, July 27 as part of the hearing "At Home DNA Tests: Marketing Scam or Medical Breakthrough?" Hudson made the case that poor oversight of genetic testing has led to a situation in which "there is no way for a consumer to distinguish between the dubious and the decent" genetic tests and the laboratories that perform them.

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Aug 4, 2006

New Bill Could Jumpstart The Setting of Sound Genetic Public Policy

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation to improve development and appropriate use of genetic tests in the United States, the Genetics and Public Policy Center has learned. "The Obama bill accelerates advances in the beneficial applications of genetic technologies to human health, while ensuring appropriate safeguards for the quality of genetic testing," says Center Director Kathy Hudson.

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Aug 8, 2006

Improvement Needed in Genetic Testing Oversight

In recent months many health-related organizations have joined in calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to end years of delay in assuring the safety and accuracy of genetic testing. In separate letters to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, members of Genetic Alliance and a coalition of women’s health groups urged the agency to issue a proposed rule to create a genetic testing specialty under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988.

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Sep 27, 2006

Lax Oversight of Genetic Tests

Better oversight of genetic testing laboratories by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is “critical to ensuring the quality of genetic testing in the United States,” and failure to provide it “poses a risk to the public’s health,” according to a Petition for Rulemaking submitted today to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, Public Citizen, and Genetic Alliance.

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Oct 5, 2006

Statement of Rebecca W. Rimel on the News That a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine

"The Pew Charitable Trusts extends our warmest congratulations to Craig C. Mello, Ph.D., on his achievement in winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Dr. Mello was selected in 1995 as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, receiving support over four years for his research on RNA interference - an investigation that ultimately led to his award-winning discovery..."

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Biomedical Research
Oct 16, 2006

New Initiative Will Help State and Local Health Agencies Prepare for Pandemic Flu

State and local health departments will soon get additional help preparing for a potential pandemic influenza through a partnership announced today between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.The project, a complement to the Trusts’ Pandemic Preparedness Initiative launched earlier this year, will identify the most problematic issues state and local agencies may confront in a pandemic, and then, by summer of 2007, collect and widely disseminate innovations and options for addressing them.

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Dec 12, 2006

Report Finds U.S. Bioterror, Bird Flu, and Health Disaster Preparedness Inadequate

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) today released the fourth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, which found that five years after the September 11th and anthrax tragedies, emergency health preparedness is still inadequate in America. The Ready or Not? report contains state-by-state health preparedness scores based on 10 key indicators to assess health emergency preparedness capabilities. All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia were evaluated. Half of states scored six or less on the scale of 10 indicators. Oklahoma scored the highest with 10 out of 10; California, Iowa, Maryland, and New Jersey scored the lowest with four out of 10. States with stronger surge capacity capabilities and immunization programs scored higher in this year’s report, since four of the measures focus on these areas.

 

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Jan 25, 2007

Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology to Conclude Its Work

The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology will conclude its work at the end of March 2007. Established by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2001, the project has achieved its goals of illuminating policy issues arising from advances in ag biotech and serving as a credible “honest broker” that could bring together stakeholders of differing views to discuss the opportunities and challenges that ag biotech presents.

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Food Safety