For immediate release: January 25, 2012
For further information, contact Jason Hibner, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
(202) 496-9660, jhibner@aimbe.org
AIMBE Recognizes President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) recognizes President Obama’s remarks in his 2012 State of the Union Address.
Throughout his speech, President Obama acknowledged the role research plays in fostering innovation: “Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched.” AIMBE advocacy efforts focus on advancing federal investment in research and development across many federal agencies including the National Institute of Health.
The President recognized that excessive regulation can be a hamper to innovation in medical devices and AIMBE’s work on improving the FDA’s approval process for biological and medical engineering advances aligns with his call for quicker movement from discovery to market.
The President called for a new emphasis on education and imagined “a country that leads the world in educating its people—an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs.” President Obama also acknowledged the vast potential for job creation in the biomedical field: “Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job.”
AIMBE’s encouragement of education for medical and biological engineering extends beyond researchers to the entire workforce. President Obama echoed this call in his 2012 address: “Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.”
The medical and biological engineering field is ripe for innovation and AIMBE will continue to encourage the Obama administration for greater investment in research, improvements in technology transfer, and leadership in science education.
Founded in 1991, AIMBE’s mission includes raising awareness of medical and biological engineering and of achievements in the field, building relationships with relevant government agencies and other professional groups, improving intersociety relations and cooperation within the field of medical and biological engineering and promoting the national interest in science, engineering, and education.
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