ICYMI: Upton Honored by Research!America

Press Release

Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, was honored last week by Research!America's Advocacy Awards Program for his commitment to furthering the discovery, development, and delivery of life saving medical advances through the breakthrough bipartisan 21st Century Cures initiative. Joining him in receiving the award was his partner in the 21st Century Cures initiative, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado.

"Our leadership support for medical progress has been long, extending from the doubling of the National Institutes of Health budget, to the 21st Century Cures initiative today, a bipartisan effort to accelerate the pace of new cures and ensure the United States remains the world leader in health innovation," said Upton, who also chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards Program was established in 1996 by the Board of Directors to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health, and scientific research. In addition to Upton and DeGette, Research!America also honored ABC's "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts; Michael Milken, founder of the Milken Institute and FasterCures; Kenneth Olden, director of the National Center for Environmental Assessment for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Dr. Steven E. Hyman, president of the Society for Neuroscience; and David Van Andel, chairman and chief executive officer of the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, along with George Vande Woud, its founding scientific director.

Last year Upton and DeGette launched the bipartisan 21st Century Cures initiative to speed up the discovery, development, and delivery of life-saving drugs and devices. Earlier this year, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked the beginning of the legislative phase of the initiative by releasing a discussion document.

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