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Write a letter to your senator asking for their support of S. 1545!

Write a letter to your representative asking for their support of H.R. 2408

NIH/NIAMS Update

In this section of the Scleroderma Foundation Web site, we bring you information of interest from

• the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 

• the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the division of NIH that deals with scleroderma and related diseases.

S. 1545, the “Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act” Introduced Into Senate

On July 30, 2009, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced scleroderma-specific legislation in the U.S. Senate. S. 1545, the “Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act” is a companion bill to H.R. 2408, the “Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act,” which is being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives. The text included in both bills is the same. Each bill calls for significant increases in scleroderma research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and for significant increases in funding for public awareness of scleroderma by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More...

The Scleroderma Foundation Applauds Introduction of First Bill in Congress Promoting Research and Awareness of Scleroderma

May 15, 2009 – The Scleroderma Foundation applauds Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) for introducing H.R. 2408, the “Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act” in the House of Representatives yesterday. This bipartisan legislation gives hope to the estimated 300,000 Americans and their families living with this devastating disease. More...

President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Francis Collins as NIH Director

WASHINGTON, Fall 2009 – President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Francis S. Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.

President Obama said, "The National Institutes of Health stands as a model when it comes to science and research. My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research and I am confident that Dr. Francis Collins will lead the NIH to achieve these goals. Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in the world, and his groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease. I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead."

For more information see the Whitehouse press release.