***VIDEO HERE***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement after the HELP Committee’s confirmation hearing for Monica Bertagnolli to be Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“Monica Bertagnolli is a renowned leader and a seasoned oncologist, researcher, and educator whose record and numerous accomplishments leave no doubt that she is an excellent choice to lead the NIH at this critical moment. Getting a permanent NIH Director on board is of the utmost importance—and Monica Bertagnolli will bring to the agency steady leadership, a wealth of professional knowledge, and resonant personal experience that will no doubt inform her approach to this role. Ms. Bertagnolli is the right person to ensure the NIH stays on the cutting edge of innovation and research and fulfills its critical mission to promote health, keep our nation competitive, and give patients across the world real hope for the future. I am thrilled to support her nomination and look forward to seeing her confirmed in the near future.”
During the hearing, Senator Murray asked Ms. Bertagnolli about how—if confirmed to lead the NIH—she would strengthen research to improve health inequities for women and maternal health outcomes, and support research to address substance use disorders for communities that have been hit hard by the fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic.
Video of Senator Murray questioning Ms. Bertagnolli at today’s hearing is HERE.
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