Inside (the Beltway) Scoop

By: Ellen Kuo
Thursday, September 10, 2026

FASEB’s Upcoming September Advocacy Events 

September begins another month of heavy advocacy on Capitol Hill before the end of the fiscal year. On September 17, FASEB President Mike Lehman and FASEB CEO Darla Henderson will join Fox Chase Cancer Center Assistant Professor Amy Whitaker and Van Andel Institute Associate Professor Heidi Lempradl for the annual Rally for Medical Research. Since its launch in 2013, the Rally has brought together researchers, patients, clinicians, and advocates to make funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a national priority. During meetings on Capitol Hill, participants will advocate for robust, sustained, and predictable NIH funding and highlight the important role federal investment plays in advancing biomedical research and improving human health. 

FASEB will also participate in the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) NSF Advocacy Day on September 24. The day will include meetings on Capitol Hill followed by a science showcase highlighting research supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

FASEB and the Society for Developmental Biology will feature two NSF-funded projects in an interactive exhibit exploring what fruit fly and roundworm genetics can teach us about animal development and disease. Attendees will have the opportunity to view fruit fly mutants under a microscope and see firsthand how researchers use genetic markers to identify mutations and cells of interest.

Michelle Starz-Gaiano of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) will highlight NSF-funded research using fruit flies to better understand developmental processes, with potential implications for understanding birth defects and tissue repair.

Luisa Cochella of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics will showcase research using roundworms to investigate dosage-sensitive processes during animal development. Her work can help researchers better understand how genetic information relates to development and the origins of disease.

Together, these events provide opportunities for FASEB and the broader research community to bring examples of federally funded science directly to Capitol Hill and demonstrate the role sustained research investment plays in scientific discovery.