MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On March 27, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), hosted Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Morgantown, W.Va. for a series of visits at West Virginia University (WVU) to highlight the work being done at the university through NIH funding.
During the visit, Senator Capito and Director Bertagnolli had discussions with WVU health sciences researchers, patient care providers, and university leaders, in addition to touring several areas of the Health Sciences campus and the WVU Cancer Institute’s LUCAS mobile screening unit.
“I was thrilled to have Dr. Bertagnolli here with me at WVU Health Sciences to see the innovative research and advancements happening right here in West Virginia. From cancer detection and treatment, to the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Substance Use Disorder, universities throughout West Virginia—particularly WVU—are making significant contributions to biomedical research,” Senator Capito said. “Throughout our visits, we had an opportunity to display the results our partnership has brought, and how it can serve as a model for research happening nationwide. Seeing first-hand the initiatives being worked on in West Virginia shows the promise of what continued investment in the state’s biomedical research programs can bring.”
“It was truly inspiring to witness firsthand the NIH-supported research being conducted at WVU during my visit there with Senator Capito. The university’s impressive research portfolio spans a variety of areas, including studying community-engaged amputation prevention in rural patients with diabetes, testing a precision medicine approach for treating breast cancer, and researching a vaccine for Lyme disease, to name a few. West Virginia faces a number of health issues which NIH-funded research is working to address to benefit the health of West Virginians and all Americans,” Dr. Bertagnolli said.
Additionally, Senator Capito and Director Bertagnolli appeared on “Metro News Talkline” ahead of their visits where they spoke to Metro News’ Hoppy Kercheval about the health challenges facing West Virginians and NIH research that is looking to address those issues. You can listen to the interview here.
Through her leadership on the Senate Appropriations Committee as the Ranking Member of the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Capito built and fostered a strong relationship with NIH leadership through multiple administrations. Prior to today’s visit, Senator Capito hosted Director Jon R. Lorsch from the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences at WVU in August 2015, Dr. Marie Bernard from the National Institute on Aging in March 2019, and Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Dr. Nora Volkow in November 2021.
The first surgeon and second woman to hold the position of NIH director, Dr. Bertagnolli oversees some of the most critical biomedical and behavioral research in the world. She previously served as the 16th director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in surgical oncology at Harvard Medical School, a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment and Sarcoma Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
WEST VIRGINIA IMPACT:
While the impact of NIH funding is important to every state, it is particularly crucial in rural states like West Virginia where the population and economy is smaller and fewer organizations conducting biomedical research. From 2016 to 2022 – West Virginia received a total of $267 million in NIH research awards, which resulted in $549 million in new economic activity and over 3,660 jobs. This funding over the years has enabled institutions in West Virginia—like WVU—to build their capacity and has led to medical breakthroughs and improvements.