2022 AADOCR & FNIDCR Virtual Advocacy Day

On March 8, 2022, AADOCR and Friends of National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) joined forces for a virtual Advocacy Day to raise the visibility of oral health and promote the value of dental and oral health research within various federal agencies. More than 60 dental researchers, scientists, educators, students, and other oral health advocates from 21 different states spent the day meeting with policymakers via Zoom.

The advocates delivered a unified message to Congress requesting at least $50 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $558 million for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), $35 million for the CDC’s Division of Oral Health in fiscal year 2023, and to establish and fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

The day before the event, AADOCR hosted a webinar for all Advocacy Day participants that included presentations from top officials at the NIDCR and CDC who shared the latest on the state of oral health in America and the research projects their respective agencies are currently pursuing. The webinar also provided in-depth training on the policymaking process and the current policy landscape to help prepare attendees for their meetings with legislative offices the following day. You can watch the full webinar below.