Share thisThe NJABR Strategy Summit brought key groups together to discuss the present and future of biomedical research advocacy.
The New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research (NJABR) convened a Strategy Summit on March 18, 2011 to focus on imminent threats to the continued use of animal models in scientific studies. The underlying sense of urgency stemmed from recognition of systemic challenges affecting the biomedical research community’s ability to develop a cohesive strategy to leverage shrinking resources, both financial and human. As a first step, representatives of national and state advocacy groups joined key stakeholders to explore ways to improve communication and collaboration.
The Strategy Summit was a clarion call, challenging participants to confront the rapidly shifting landscape and to develop new strategies for addressing old problems. The agenda was carefully constructed to focus attention on myriad ways that the use of animals in research is inextricably linked with ethical questions extending far beyond science.
Expert speakers from the U.S. and Europe presented a compelling case for coordinated action throughout the day-long meeting. The morning was devoted to analysis, both of the problem at hand and the economic contribution made by biomedical research in terms of jobs, investment, and revenue generated within communities. The luncheon program appealed to the heart, with the personal story of a researcher who refuses to be cowed by activist harassment and now advocates on behalf of animal research. The scientist’s passionate call to action was followed by uplifting remarks from NJABR’s “Common Pathways” Award recipient, whose interdisciplinary approach to teaching marries science and poetry. Rounding out the day was a global panel devoted to two European case studies, sharing lessons learned from the legislative fron—one case “lost” by the industry and one compromise win.
Some key insights from the Strategy Summit included:
- Speak up and reach out; people will listen. Many presenters reinforced the message that speaking out, and being transparent about animal research, can have an overall positive impact on public opinion and legislative actions.
- Don’t let the obvious threats distract from the “big” problem. Like the many heads of the mythological Hydra, threats to animal research keep attacking from different angles. The only way to win is by getting to the core of the matter: the underlying ethical framework.
- Unintended consequences of policy reform can be far-reaching. Pay close attention to, and learn from, the long-term strategies that activists put into play in other sectors of society and in other countries.
- Innovation is sorely needed. Given the intricacies of today’s animal rights movement, the biomedical research community needs to think in new ways about old problems.
- Hang together or hang separately. It will take a coordinated and collaborative effort to address the increasing threat to the continued use of animal models in biomedical research.