Chris Murphy: “I want to commend Chairman Barton for working so hard on moving this vitally important bill, and I am grateful for the…”

“I want to commend Chairman Barton for working so hard on moving this vitally important bill, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with him and include in the committee report recognition of the positive impact NIH can have on patient safety by collaborating on research across institutes and centers. It is extremely important to all of us that the 27 institutes work together. This is why the Common Fund in this legislation, where institutes will collaborate on their research efforts, is so important. Many times the research which grabs the headlines spells out new discoveries on the molecular or cellular or genetic levels, new discoveries of pharmaceutical treatments or dynamic discoveries of the causes and treatment of disease. But equally important to these laboratory results are the applications across disciplines. The Common Fund allows such collaborations. We now know so much more about the cause and treatment of cancer, but we also have much to learn about how depression can exacerbate cancer and can double the cost of treatment. Collaborating on research to improve patient safety will garner tremendous knowledge to improve the quality of care at the NIH as we work toward our Nation's next discovery.”