Letter to the White House on the selection of a new NIH Director

Research Scientist, Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT

Professor Emeritus, Sociology Morehouse College

Community Engagement | Patient Advocacy | Health System Optimization

Associate Research Professor of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University

In all respect, I completely support this call to action.

Professor of Medicine and Computational Precision Health, UCSF and UC Berkeley

Associate Professor Department of Medical Social Sciences Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing Northwestern University

Associate Professor University of Wisconsin-Madison

I fully support this call and the imperative of the new NIH director to understand and be able to center diverse community engagement in research as the future of rigorous and effective science to actually understand and address pressing health concerns in our country.

It is important not to just do research IN the community but to do research WITH the community from concept development through to implementation and dissemination. It also important that we not just invite the community to the table in doing research, but change the way the table is set so the community has an equitable leadership roles in designing actionable solution that work for their communities. This is the key to achieving health equitable for all.

Let's work with the vulnerable members of the community, rather than somewhat arrogantly assuming we know what's best for them.

I’m signing on behalf of myself and the National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse, of which I serve as Executive Director.

Strengthening the NIH's capacity for community engagement is critical. Thank you for reading and responding favorably to this collective request.

The appointment of a new director of the NIH makes possible an even greater commitment, at the highest levels of the organization, to dialogue with communities, which in turn can enable improved public understanding of what science is and how it works.

Do the Right Thing!!

Assistant Professor School of Public and Community Health Sciences University of Montana

The Public Science Project, City University of New York

Chairmen, Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition

Assistant Professor Department of Public Health California State University East Bay

UCSF Health