Assessing the past and planning the future to ensure support for biomedical research

The author notes the current extraordinary excitement and opportunity in biomedical research that, oddly, exist within a context of economic constraint for researchers. Also, there is much negative publicity about biomedical science that threatens efforts to obtain adequate funding and responsible handling of science policy in an era where there is relatively little money available for research. The author reviews past instances of damaging public disunity and squabbles by groups in the biomedical research community and then proposes various policy guidelines and strategies to best ensure adequate research funding in the future. For such policies and guidelines to be effective, he stresses the necessity of efforts to heal the past divisions within the biomedical research community and to present a united position that is clear and understandable to Congress and others.