Title
Commentary on the Lack of Funding for American Research
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Identifier
Hong_WaunKi_20131016_4_Clip03
Publication Date
10-16-2013
Publisher
The Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Collection, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
City
Houston, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Transcript
Waun Ki Hong, MD
The National Cancer Advisory Board.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Yes, the Cancer Advisory Board.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
That was a presidential appointment.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Right, in 2008 until 2014. So tell me about that.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
That’s the only board within NIH that has a presidential appointment. Within NIH there are hundreds of different boards. That’s the only board that is appointed by a president. That’s a unique, highly prestigious thing. Basically, the NCAB advises NCI’s research activities and also funding allocations. Anyone who receives a grant beyond $50,000 must be approved by the National Cancer Advisory Board. So you are a grantee, but your grant was not fairly reviewed. You can make an appeal. The appeal can be discussed at NCAB and then accepted or rejected. It’s a very powerful committee. As an outstanding investigator, the NCI wanted to give a merit extension that should be approved by NCAB. And for new program development, if NCI’s interested to fund it must be approved by NCAB.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Over the course of your service to that committee since 2008, have there been some trends that you’ve noticed or particularly interesting discussions? What can you tell me about that?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
The short answer is that it’s not a good time in the funding situation. Funding is now flat. The government is shut down.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Recently, that’s true.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
I think that is a huge issue.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
And is that kind of the culmination of a flat—since 2008?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Yes, the sequestration and flat budget
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Now what kind of pressure has that put on academic institutions and funding?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
It’s quite tangible. The major concern is losing good researchers to industry and discouraging young people from being devoted to research because of lack of funds. Research is an investment. They see that they’ve got their MD or PhD, they’re already married with a couple of kids—if they go out to private practice, they can make tons of money. But they stay in academia because they’re interested in research and completing research. But if there is no fuel supply, you cannot drive the car. That dampens the enthusiasm, and they get really fed up. That’s enough. They pack up, and they go to the street.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
What do you see in the future for this particular situation? Any change?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Gloomy.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
It’s very gloomy.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Yeah.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
And you’re going to be on that committee until—
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Next year.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Next year, 2014.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Thank God, I’m counting down.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Oh, are you?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
Yeah, so again, America has been very powerful and very successful because—you know why?—because there used to be a substantial amount of funds for research. That is no longer the case. There, I think, because they have an opportunity to attract a lot of good people to come from foreign countries. A brain is good and coming here for research opportunity—they have discovered some exciting stuff and been successful. But if there is no money for researchers, then they’re not going to come. We even lose our own people.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
There are a couple other committees you were on. You were appointed to a three-year term to the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
That was a long time ago.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Okay, not so significant? Then you also served as President of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
That was in 2001.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Too long ago?
Waun Ki Hong, MD
That was eleven or twelve years ago.
Tacey Ann Rosolowski, PhD
Okay.
Waun Ki Hong, MD
I made some impact there in promoting more international collaborative efforts and promoting more translational research throughout the world’s countries and more prevention research. That was in 2001. At the time, in China, they could not send the people to the United States to attend a meeting. So I created some fund to provide the travel fund—a travel fund—airfare from China to the United States and the hotel lodging. Through the abstract—based on the abstract review, it was a good abstract that was represented, and we gave them the fund. At the time, GNP in China was down. Not anymore. So now they can come with their own money. The world is changing. But I did very good things.
Recommended Citation
Hong, Waun Ki MD and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Commentary on the Lack of Funding for American Research" (2013). Race, Gender, & Work @ The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Triumphs of Houston’s Leading Hospital. 17.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_racegenderwork/17
