AFMR was a leader in lobbying Congress to create and pass the Clinical Research Enhancement ACT (CREA). This important piece of legislation introduced permanent funding for the K23 and K24 Career Development Awards of NIH, and also established the NIH Loan Forgiveness Program for trainees pursuing clinical and translational research careers. Our lobbying organization at the time was Washington Health Advocates, whose President, Lynn Morrison, was a good friend of Senator Edward (Teddy) Kennedy of Massachusetts. In late January, 1998, Senator Kennedy agreed to co-sponsor the bill and announce its introduction at a press conference in Washington. Lynn invited me, as President-Elect of AFMR, to come to Capitol Hill to meet with Senator Kennedy and make a statement at the press conference, which was scheduled for January 27th. On the day before, January 26th, news broke about the purported relationship between Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton, who released his famous denial of the nature of their relationship, stating, “I did not have sex with that woman.” The media then saw Kennedy's press conference as an opportunity to get “expert commentary,” and so what would have been a sleepy event attended by a handful of journalists turned into a capacity crowd, with more than 200 members of the press and live television coverage by C-SPAN. To the Senator's great credit, he took command of the room, insisted that we be given full time to explain this new legislation and why it was so important, and stated up front that he would not answer a single question about the President's dalliances until we were finished talking about clinical research enhancement. It was sensational, to get this much publicity for a bill so important to AFMR, and young investigators. I will always have a fond place in my heart for the late Teddy Kennedy, and all he did for clinical research, especially after the dignified way he handled what could have easily degenerated into a media circus. And I will always be thankful that Monica Lewinsky brought so much great publicity to the Clinical Research Enhancement Act and AFMR. The best part of the story: the Bill passed (CREA, that is).
