Health Research Alliance: A National Organization Fostering Links Between Reseearch and Practice

Bulletin:

The 2008 HRA National Conference, "Accelerating Medical Discovery Through Strategic Philanthropy," on March 4-6, 2008, was an exciting event. Conference presentations have now been posted on the HRA National Conference page in the Members-Only portion of the website. CDs containing pdfs of the presentations will be mailed to participants from non-member organizations. You can still access the final agenda here. Conference proceedings are being prepared and will be posted as a pdf when they are complete.
Health Research Alliance members: Presentations from the Advisory Committee meeting on March 4, 2008, held in conjunction with the 2008 HRA National Conference in Washington, D.C. have been posted on the Advisory Committee page in the Members-Only portion of the website. Members click here to access these materials as well as presentations from earlier Advisory Committee meetings.
Is your organization interested in becoming a member of the Health Research Alliance? Find out more.
Health Research Alliance
P.O. Box 13901
21 T. W. Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park,
North Carolina 27709
Attending the HRA National Conference March 4-6, 2008? Download an updated agenda and a map of the facility (Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, D.C., phone 202-328-2000). These documents will be included in the conference packet you can pick up from the HRA Conference Registration Desk in the Thurgood Marshall Ballroom Foyer when you arrive at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel for the conference. Following the conference, presentations will be made available as pdfs in the Members-Only portion of the HRA website, for representatives of HRA member organizations. Conference participants from non-member organizations will receive a CD of the presentation pdfs in the mail following the conference.


The Health Research Alliance sponsors a national conference every other year in even years, open to a wide variety of funders of health research. The HRA national conference represents the only national forum for non-governmental, non-profit funders of health research and training, including foundations, voluntary health agencies, and disease-specific funders. The 2008 HRA National Conference, "Accelerating Medical Discovery Through Strategic Philanthropy," will be held March 4-6, 2008, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. The conference has three main themes:
  • New Science for Discovery and Translation: Learn about new scientific advances that will affect the funding of biomedical and health research from Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D, of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Leroy Hood, Ph.D. of the Institute for Systems Biology, and William Haseltine, Ph.D.of the Haseltine Foundation, formerly of Human Genome Sciences.
  • Strategic Philanthropy: Learn how philanthropic leaders are charting a course for their organizations from a panel of CEOs, how to balance a portfolio of funding; and hear Mark Kramer, co-founder of Harvard's Center for Effective Philanthropy, describe how funders' strategies have evolved in a changing world.
  • Developing Best Practices in Health Research Grantmaking: With Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., of the Duke University School of Medicine, examine current issues in careers and training. Select from a variety of breakout sessions on training issues, grant management, grants that support health research funding infrastructure, and issues in international biomedical research grantmaking.

2008 HRA National Conference Program Committee:
    Co-Chairs:
  • William Galey, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Marc Hurlbert, Ph.D., Avon Foundation
    Members:
  • Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association
  • Lynne Garner, Ph.D., The Donaghue Foundation
  • Sharon Hesterlee, Ph.D., Muscular Dystrophy Association
  • Sally McNagny, M.D., M.P.H., The Medical Foundation
  • Concepcion Nierras, Ph.D., Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
  • William Read, Ph.D., The Flinn Foundation
  • Nancy Sung, Ph.D., Burroughs Wellcome Fund
  • Melanie Turner, M.P.H., American Heart Association
  • Kate Ahlport, M.S.P.H., Health Research Alliance, Inc.


Health Research Alliance 2006 National Conference
"Building Strategic Partnerships to Advance Health Research"


The 2006 HRA National Conference, "Building Strategic Partnerships to Advance Health Research" held at the Westin Grand Hotel in Washington, D.C. on May 3-4, 2006, was attended by representatives of over 50 funding organizations as well as by representatives of government agencies, universities, and other organizations. The conference proceedings provide a summary of each conference session. You may download the final annotated agenda here.

An overview of the agenda:

Wednesday, May 3:
  • The Changing Landscape for Medical Research (Gail Cassell, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D.)
  • New Initiatives in Clinical and Translational Research (Barbara Alving, M.D., Janet Woodcock, M.D.)
  • Breakout sessions on Funding Partnerships (focusing on translational research models, human capital issues, and community issues)
Thursday, May 4:
  • Translating Research into Practice (Carolyn Clancy, M.D.)
  • Concurrent sessions on operational issues of interest to funders of health research
  • Closing Plenary: Mechanisms for Accelerating Drug Development for Orphan Diseases (Tom Caskey, M.D.)

The previous Alliance national conference, held in March of 2004,"Partnering to Advance Health Research: Philanthropy's Role," was attended by representatives of over 70 organizations that fund health research. Keynoted by Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director of NIH, Dr. Richard Carmona, US Surgeon General, and Dr. Clement Bezold of the Institute for Alternative Futures, the meeting examined how different types of partnerships can move health research forward from the laboratory bench to the end result of improved health outcomes. In the time that has elapsed since that conference, the funding environment has become more challenging, and the need for creative partnerships has increased.