The Endocrine Society continues to raise awareness about the impact of obesity on our military readiness and national security. This week, the society urged the Department of Defense (DOD) to expand access to obesity care for U.S. military personnel. The letter outlines specific recommendations for DOD to take including acknowledgment of obesity as a chronic disease and the removal of barriers that prevent members of the Armed Forces, Reserves, and National Guard components from accessing evidence-based obesity treatments including Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) and Anti-Obesity Medications (AOMs). In 2022, the Society hosted a congressional briefing on obesity and its impact on national defense. We also included a section on obesity and military readiness in our Obesity Playbook. We will continue to advocate and raise awareness on this critical issue.
The Endocrine Society supports the vote taken by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week to implement a rule to ban non-compete clauses. The rule will prohibit employers from requiring most workers to sign noncompete agreements, which are restrictive and burdensome to both physicians and patients. The Society represents many physicians who have been required to sign non-compete clauses. In April, the Society urged the FTC to approve this important rule and we now applaud them for doing so. On Tuesday, FTC Chair Lina Khan told reporters that health care workers made up “a pretty significant chunk” of the 25,000 public comments received by the agency in support of the proposal.
The National Institutes of Health announced plans to increase pay for predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars who are supported by Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). Stipends for predoctoral scholars will increase by 4% to $28,224 while stipends for postdoctoral scholars will increase by 8% to $61,008. NIH plans to increase these stipend levels over the next three to five years, though NIH acknowledged that it is dependent upon NIH funding levels. There will also be an increase of $500 for the childcare subsidy along with a $200 increase for training-related expenses.
These pay increases follow recommendations generated from over 3,200 responses gathered through NIH’s Request for Information on Re-envisioning U.S. Postdoctoral Research Training and Career Progression within the Biomedical Research Enterprise. Of these responses, 54% of which were from postdoctoral scholars and 15% were from graduate students. The voices of early career researchers are vital for facilitating policy change that supports and strengthens the scientific workforce, as evidenced by this announcement. To learn more about how you can be an advocate for research and research funding, please contact advocacy@endocrine.org.
We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Contact your U.S representatives or European Members of Parliament through our online platform. Take action and make a difference today.
