LCI Shows Support for Research Funding at the GO2 Voices Summit

Using Our Voices to Make Change

Author: Susan Kjellqvist, Director of Development

Lung Cancer Initiative was pleased to be a part of the GO2 Voices Summit in Washington, DC, on March 9-11, 2025. LCI Board Member Dr. Bradley Icard and I attended this important event to advocate for lung cancer research funding, meet other advocates from around the country, and to learn how to more effectively be an advocate on issues affecting the lung cancer community. Along with other North Carolina constituents, Dr. Icard and I joined forces at the Summit to urge our representatives to:

• Pass a FY2025 spending bill under the Continuing Resolution with the highest possible increases in cancer research funding.
• Request $60 million for the Lung Cancer Research Program under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense.
• Support the highest possible federal medical research funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Additionally, the group advocated for support of two priority bills:

• Re-introduce the bipartisan Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventative Services Act.
• Co-sponsor the House Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 842) and the Senate Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (S. 339).

For me as a participant, one of the most rewarding aspects of attending the Summit was connecting with lung cancer advocates from across the country. There was a palpable sense of unity and shared purpose, as we worked together to make our voices heard in a time of pressing need. It is more critical than ever for us to reach out to our representatives in Congress and make it clear that we oppose any reductions in lung cancer research funding. When meeting with our representatives, we also emphasized the point that the progress we’ve made in lung cancer research has already saved countless lives, and we cannot afford to let that progress slip away due to budget cuts. The investment we’ve made in research is too important—it’s truly a matter of life and death for many survivors.

Looking ahead, it’s crucial that we use our voices and continue our efforts to protect and expand funding for lung cancer research. I look forward to sharing more of what I learned as a part of the Summit with our constituents at Lung Cancer Initiative.  The need for action is more urgent than ever before.