Published February 17, 2021 
Nomination Opportunity: FDA Advisory Committee
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Membership application is now open for self-nominations. The committee is looking for nominees that are technically qualified subject matter experts in relevant fields such as clinical medicine, biological and physical sciences, and biostatistics; as well as have experience interpreting complex data and research. The committee offers three different membership types, and vacancies are updated periodically. AACN encourages our members and nursing audience to apply. For more information and an application checklist, please click here.
AACN Reinforces Priorities as Congress Makes Progress on COVID-19 Stimulus
On February 11, AACN sent a letter to Congressional Leadership and key committees urging them to incorporate our top COVID-19 legislative priorities into the next stimulus package, including:
- Inclusion of the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act (H.R.851/S.246), which would invest $1 billion into schools of nursing to ensure nursing education pathways remain strong during this pandemic and future public health crises;
- Support for schools of nursing, deans, faculty, and students in national plans to combat COVID-19 with enhanced public health infrastructure;
- Safeguard and enhance federal student loans and aid for nurses and nursing students;
- Guarantee the safety and health of nurse and students; and
- Support of existing programs, such as Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Nursing Research.
This letter comes as committees in the House of Representatives consider and mark-up legislative recommendations for budget reconciliation. In fact, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce proposed language included: $200 million for the Nurse Corps, $80 million for health professions schools and academic health centers for mental and behavioral health training grants, $14 billion for vaccines, $46 billion for testing, tracking, and tracing efforts, as well as monies for addressing health disparities and protecting underserved patients and communities. The House is currently slated to take up their COVID-19 package as early as next week with the hope that this new relief effort will be signed into law by mid-March.
Send a message to your Members of Congress today welcoming them and urging for the inclusion of the FAAN Act in the final COVID-19 legislative package.
AACN’s 2021 Virtual Student Policy Summit is Less Than Two Weeks Away – Register Today!
The commencement of AACN’s 2021 month-long Virtual Student Policy Summit is less than two weeks away! For this year only, the Summit will be held virtually from March 1-31, 2021. The conference will provide baccalaureate and graduate nursing students the opportunity to be immersed in recorded and live didactic program sessions focused on the federal policy process and nursing’s role in professional advocacy. For this year’s Summit, there is no limit on the number of students who can participate in this exciting virtual event. In fact, schools have flexible payment options, including discounted rates when sending more than one student! To register your students, click here. Should you want to sponsor the 2021 Summit, click here. We look forward to “seeing” everyone in March!