outreach
Don’t follow the money; speak to the money
npg
© 2014 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.
by Paul McKellips I spent the first 20 years of my career in the motion picture and television b usiness. I was enthralled with the world of makebelieve. There was nothing more exciting than watching hard-cut edits, as film from different scenes shot on different days came together with music and s pecial effects to create movie magic. This passion evolved out of theatre, especially musical theatre. In high school and c ollege I p erformed in many shows and grew to love the energy that a live audience gives to stage performers. There was little more s atisfying than t iming ap hysical comedy bit as my Luther Billis incarnation hammed it up with his sailor buddies in South Pacific. Though now much later in my career, I still love going to the cinema as well as watching Broadway stage productions. In the last few years, I’ve laughed and cried through Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon and an incredible production of Mary Poppins in London. Each time I take a seat in the house, I’m part of an overall audience of theatre patrons who intended to be at the show. Ushers stand by and hand out playbills as I find my seat. There is no carnival barker yelling above the din of the crowd, a sking the audience to support the show. We already have: we paid for our tickets, received our playbills and took our seats. Those tickets pay for the rental of the t heatre, the salaries of the cast and crew, travel expenses, props, promotions and publicity. It isn’t really difficult to follow the money in theatre. Lab animal research is a bit more c omplex and, I think you’d agree, not nearly as entertaining as Mary Poppins. Those of us who work in lab animal research attend our own events throughout each year: conferences, conventions, district meetings and staff meetings. Nonprofit organizations (like the Foundation McKellips is Executive Vice President of the Foundation for Biomedical Research in Washington, DC.
LAB ANIMAL
But it gets dicey when you try to follow the money. The majority of funding for b iomedical research comes from NIH grants, corporate sales and market share, private equity investments, venture c apital and patient groups. Among the myriad pressing issues facing the NIH, research universities, patient groups, private equity firms and publicly traded p harmaceutical and b iotechnology corporations, I’m not sure that lab animal research, the t ransportation of nonhuman primates or even public opinion would crack the top 75. Sure, I could list 75 reasons why it should—most notably the risk of not having basic science discoveries in the pipeline for future cures and breakthroughs—but lab animal research is often an afterthought for many organizations. Hey, if they let the notion of ‘big, bad pharma’ stick, why would they care about the stigmas attached to lab a nimal research? Those of us who work in lab animal research are a smaller audience than the mass of people who work in general biomedical research, medicine, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Government funding for basic research declined last year and has not kept up with inflation for several years. University budgets are being cut, employees are facing reductions in force, and biomedical discovery now hangs in the balance. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have more than they can h andle
as they face market share battles and products going off-patent and into the land of generic competition. There’s little incentive to rent the theatres or pay for the salaries, travel, props and playbills for an ever-shrinking audience of lab animal supporters. If we don’t do something radically d ifferent—and soon—as the faithful audience patrons of lab animal research, then it won’t be long until a new production pulls into town. If you look closely you’ll see the signs, promotions and publicity going up everywhere. But in this new production, I’m guessing animal welfare doesn’t fare too well. And if animal welfare suffers, useful data from experiments will decline. So I’m not willing to let the new show unpack and set up. I’m done f ollowing the money. I’m done handing out p laybills to the faithful. Now is the time to speak truth to ‘the money’. I intend to tell every chancellor, dean, CEO, p resident, e xe c ut ive dire c tor and Wa l l St re et guru that good, innovative science is a function of great animal welfare and bold ideas. I intend to tell ‘the money’ to stop r unning away from lab animal research. Tomorrow’s cures and breakthroughs depend on the w elfare of today’s lab animals. I’m sorry that lab animal research is u ncomfortable and c ontroversial for ‘the money,’ sitting in their oversized offices. I’m sorry that animal rights folks are waging a public opinion war against all of us in research. I’m sorry some p eople call us evil b arbarians. But I’m more b othered by p ediatric diseases that still kill children, breast cancer that still takes our young mothers and Alzheimer’s d isease that still forces our fathers to forget the lives they’ve lived. The new show is called Shanghai and it’s pulling into town. Better get your tickets soon; I’ve heard they’re selling out fast. Not me—I’m not going. I remember how the drywall, baby formula and dog food fared!
Volume 43, No. 6 | JUNE 2014 217
for Biomedical Research) pass out playbills, and we all try to put on good shows for our audiences, people just like you. Unlike a Broadway show, there are carnival barkers (like yours truly) who yell above the din of the crowd trying to persuade the faithful to speak up about lab animal research with pride.
Tomorrow’s cures and breakthroughs depend on the welfare of today’s lab animals.
Don’t follow the money; speak to the money
npg
© 2014 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.
by Paul McKellips I spent the first 20 years of my career in the motion picture and television b usiness. I was enthralled with the world of makebelieve. There was nothing more exciting than watching hard-cut edits, as film from different scenes shot on different days came together with music and s pecial effects to create movie magic. This passion evolved out of theatre, especially musical theatre. In high school and c ollege I p erformed in many shows and grew to love the energy that a live audience gives to stage performers. There was little more s atisfying than t iming ap hysical comedy bit as my Luther Billis incarnation hammed it up with his sailor buddies in South Pacific. Though now much later in my career, I still love going to the cinema as well as watching Broadway stage productions. In the last few years, I’ve laughed and cried through Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon and an incredible production of Mary Poppins in London. Each time I take a seat in the house, I’m part of an overall audience of theatre patrons who intended to be at the show. Ushers stand by and hand out playbills as I find my seat. There is no carnival barker yelling above the din of the crowd, a sking the audience to support the show. We already have: we paid for our tickets, received our playbills and took our seats. Those tickets pay for the rental of the t heatre, the salaries of the cast and crew, travel expenses, props, promotions and publicity. It isn’t really difficult to follow the money in theatre. Lab animal research is a bit more c omplex and, I think you’d agree, not nearly as entertaining as Mary Poppins. Those of us who work in lab animal research attend our own events throughout each year: conferences, conventions, district meetings and staff meetings. Nonprofit organizations (like the Foundation McKellips is Executive Vice President of the Foundation for Biomedical Research in Washington, DC.
LAB ANIMAL
But it gets dicey when you try to follow the money. The majority of funding for b iomedical research comes from NIH grants, corporate sales and market share, private equity investments, venture c apital and patient groups. Among the myriad pressing issues facing the NIH, research universities, patient groups, private equity firms and publicly traded p harmaceutical and b iotechnology corporations, I’m not sure that lab animal research, the t ransportation of nonhuman primates or even public opinion would crack the top 75. Sure, I could list 75 reasons why it should—most notably the risk of not having basic science discoveries in the pipeline for future cures and breakthroughs—but lab animal research is often an afterthought for many organizations. Hey, if they let the notion of ‘big, bad pharma’ stick, why would they care about the stigmas attached to lab a nimal research? Those of us who work in lab animal research are a smaller audience than the mass of people who work in general biomedical research, medicine, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Government funding for basic research declined last year and has not kept up with inflation for several years. University budgets are being cut, employees are facing reductions in force, and biomedical discovery now hangs in the balance. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have more than they can h andle
as they face market share battles and products going off-patent and into the land of generic competition. There’s little incentive to rent the theatres or pay for the salaries, travel, props and playbills for an ever-shrinking audience of lab animal supporters. If we don’t do something radically d ifferent—and soon—as the faithful audience patrons of lab animal research, then it won’t be long until a new production pulls into town. If you look closely you’ll see the signs, promotions and publicity going up everywhere. But in this new production, I’m guessing animal welfare doesn’t fare too well. And if animal welfare suffers, useful data from experiments will decline. So I’m not willing to let the new show unpack and set up. I’m done f ollowing the money. I’m done handing out p laybills to the faithful. Now is the time to speak truth to ‘the money’. I intend to tell every chancellor, dean, CEO, p resident, e xe c ut ive dire c tor and Wa l l St re et guru that good, innovative science is a function of great animal welfare and bold ideas. I intend to tell ‘the money’ to stop r unning away from lab animal research. Tomorrow’s cures and breakthroughs depend on the w elfare of today’s lab animals. I’m sorry that lab animal research is u ncomfortable and c ontroversial for ‘the money,’ sitting in their oversized offices. I’m sorry that animal rights folks are waging a public opinion war against all of us in research. I’m sorry some p eople call us evil b arbarians. But I’m more b othered by p ediatric diseases that still kill children, breast cancer that still takes our young mothers and Alzheimer’s d isease that still forces our fathers to forget the lives they’ve lived. The new show is called Shanghai and it’s pulling into town. Better get your tickets soon; I’ve heard they’re selling out fast. Not me—I’m not going. I remember how the drywall, baby formula and dog food fared!
Volume 43, No. 6 | JUNE 2014 217
for Biomedical Research) pass out playbills, and we all try to put on good shows for our audiences, people just like you. Unlike a Broadway show, there are carnival barkers (like yours truly) who yell above the din of the crowd trying to persuade the faithful to speak up about lab animal research with pride.
Tomorrow’s cures and breakthroughs depend on the welfare of today’s lab animals.
