Sen. Dick Durbin announces investments for biomedical research institutions

At a press conference at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced new federal investments included in last week’s omnibus spending bill that will help Chicago’s biomedical research institutions continue their important work creating new technologies and finding ways to treat and cure disease.

Several Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members spoke at the event. They included Teresa Woodruff, professor and vice chair for research in obstetrics and gynecology, dean of The Graduate School and director of the Women’s Health Research Institute; James Sliwa, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation; and Dr. Thomas Shanley, chair and professor of pediatrics. 

The Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus includes a $3 billion (or nearly 9 percent) increase for the National Institutes of Health, a $1 billion (or 14 percent) increase for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a $1.49 billion (or 5 percent) increase for Department of Defense medical research.

Durbin called it an important victory for medical research nationwide and in Chicago.  

Pictured above are Durbin (left), Dr. Robert Winn, director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center, and Woodruff (at the podium).