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Ed Bilksy, Ph.D., 51Ʒ�� vice-president of research and scholarship, participated in a panel discussion Friday, March 4, 2016 with Senator Susan Collins about the importance of federal funding for biomedical research.

The Biomedical Innovation Summit was hosted by the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Panelists shared the promising biomedical research happening in Maine and the role of the National Institutes of Health in funding that research. Bilsky discussed the work being done at 51Ʒ��to address the opioid crisis, including the basic science and translational research being done by the NIH COBRE team, as well as by the other NIH funded investigators in various colleges. It was also an opportunity to tell Senator Collins and the public about the interprofessional medical education 51Ʒ��is providing to future healthcare professionals, the K-12 and community outreach efforts around brain safety and UNE’s leadership in a local substance misuse, abuse and addiction coalition. “NIH funding was instrumental in building the infrastructure we needed for this critical research,” he said.

Increasing investment in biomedical research is one of Senator Collins' top priorities. She advocated strongly for the $2 billion increase in NIH funding included in the FY 2016 funding bill, the largest increase for NIH funding since 2003. Collins recognized UNE’s work to address the opioid crisis as Congress considers the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. “That is so important right now,” she said. “We are dealing with a true crisis in Maine and across the country.”

Bilsky described the event as a great opportunity to highlight the work that partner institutions are doing in Maine to advance their understanding of human health and disease and how they use that knowledge to improve quality of life. “We truly appreciate the sustained advocacy and leadership that Senator Collins and the other members of our congressional Maine delegation have provided in supporting NIH’s mission and budget,” he said.

The panelists included Leif Oxburgh of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mike Hyde of Jackson Lab, University of Maine vice president of research Carol Kim, Chuck Lawton of Planning Decisions, Inc., Laurie Trenholm of the Alzheimer's Association and Hilary Schneider of the Maine Action Center for the American Cancer Society.