This is the seventh time that I have attended Research Capitol Hill Days, sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. The focus of this meeting is to support musculoskeletal research funding by visiting Capitol Hill. Here we are to meet with Senators and Representatives in Congress and their staff, along with our patients to tell them the story of how their lives have been changed and improved through musculoskeletal care. We emphasize the importance of maintaining a robust research budget and agenda at the National Institutes of Health.
I have been a recipient of multiple National Institute of Health grants and was happy to bring along a patient who I treated with significant hand arthritis. Not only is she a patient, but she is a health policy expert, trained as a lawyer and could talk about policy as well as her personal story. This patient remains active in multiple sports due to the advances of artificial joint replacement.
I was happy to have my patient accompany me, and to volunteer my time in the name of our patients who benefit from the research that can be applied to advancing the treatments for their conditions.