Research!America's 14th Annual Advocacy Awards
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House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) was the star of Research!America's 14th Annual Advocacy Awards on Tuesday night at the Mellon Auditorium. But it wasn't just for Obey's work promoting health research.
The lawmaker was also the evening's headlining entertainment. Obey took to the stage with National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins for a jamming version of the classic blues tune "Summertime in the CIty." Collins handled the guitar and vocals. Obey rocked the harmonica. The words were re-written to highlight Obey's powerful position as a congressional appropriator, and how the NIH and other researchers appeal to him for support.
Obey's musical talents were a surprise to many in the audience, but not to his wife, Joan, who joined him for the evening. For Mrs. Obey, it was just another night of tunes, as she told a guest during the cocktail hour, Obey has a long set list of rock and roll songs he can do on the harmonica.
The rest of the evening's awards celebrated pioneers in medical research, as well as the philanthropists and lawmakers who support continuing research into diseases like Alzheimer's, HIV, and diabetes.
The dinner was sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), while the reception in the grand building's green salon was held courtesy of Pfizer, Inc. — Report and photographs by Christina Wilkie
Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) accepts the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy from Louis Stokes (left), Susan Whitehead (center), and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer's Association CEO Billy Tauzin (right)
Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins jam to "Summertime in the City" |
Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) and Research!America CEO Mary Woolley |
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Builders of Science Award recipient Dr. Robert Mahley, founding director of the Gladstone Institutes
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Jackie Lovelace Johnson
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Former Rep. Louis Stokes (D-Ohio) and Mary Woolley
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National Osteoperosis Foundation CEO Amy Porter and The Aspen Institute's Dr. Michelle McMurry
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Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld and Thompson Hutton, CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation and recipient of the Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion
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March of Dimes Foundation president Jennifer Howes and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Vice President of Corporate Global Citizenship at Boeing and granddaughter of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt | |
Donna and Dennis Cryer of Cryer Health
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Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award recipient Robert Klein, chairman of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine |
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