Jason Marvin, PhD
Director of Outreach and Engagement, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
Date: Friday, Jan. 23
Time: 9–9:50 a.m.
Location: SCOB 228
Faculty host: Sarah Stabenfeldt
Abstract
The executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government play a central role in shaping policies that govern and fund the scientific enterprise. Yet these decisions are often enacted without direct input from scientists. Current federal disruptions to research — including grant terminations, proposed funding cuts and the firing of leading experts — pose serious threats to U.S. biomedical leadership, the training of the next generation of STEM professionals and patient care. Now more than ever, during this uncertain political climate, it is critical that members of the scientific community voice their concerns about threats to science.
This seminar will provide timely updates on the evolving science policy landscape, as well as showcase practical avenues for engaging with key stakeholders — the general public and elected officials — at the local, state and national levels. In particular, this seminar will share lessons learned from recent activities on Capitol Hill (e.g., meetings with Members of Congress and their staff, and educational congressional briefings) and regional advocacy events. Additionally, this seminar will highlight opportunities to collectively champion support for federal science agencies, such as NIH and NSF. Lastly, this seminar will provide an overview of resources and accessible avenues for researchers of all career stages to advocate for science within their local communities, such as national letter-writing campaigns, STEM outreach and more.
Biosketch
Jason Marvin serves as the Director of Outreach and Engagement at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. In this role, he leads advocacy initiatives that mobilize biomedical researchers across academia, industry and government on a global scale. Marvin directs coalition efforts, including AIMBE’s Council of Societies, comprising scientific organizations in medical and biological engineering, and the Friends of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, or FoNIBIB. His work spans local, state and national advocacy. Marvin has organized Capitol Hill fly-ins and congressional briefings in Washington, D.C., for biomedical researchers to advocate for robust federal support of basic science. He also develops educational programming, including science communication training, conference workshops and policy-focused news updates, to help empower scientists of all disciplines and career stages to join the conversation and contribute meaningfully to public engagement.
Marvin received a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Cornell University. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, his graduate work developed a recombinant protein therapeutic to promote adult tendon regeneration. He also completed postdoctoral training in genetics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. As an HMS Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow, his research, supported by the ON Foundation and the National Basketball Association, identified prostaglandin E2 signaling as a key immune regulator of enthesis regeneration in adult zebrafish. Prior to AIMBE, Marvin served as Chair of the Orthopaedic Research Society Public Outreach Committee and worked as a science policy analyst in the Texas House of Representatives.
