Comment from Jeffrey Segall
Jeffrey SegallOpposeAcademic
Summary: An emeritus professor of pathology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine opposes the proposed changes to regulation 200.454. The commenter argues that the regulation would hinder access to scientific research and annual meetings by removing membership discounts, thereby damaging American science and research.
Comment on 200.454
I am an Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I have performed research for over 40 years, receiving grants, publishing over 100 papers, training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The proposed change to 200.454 has the potential to severely damage US research and prosperity because the ability to get the latest published scientific results will be hindered. This works in two ways. Professional memberships provide for discounted prices of attendance at annual meetings for the society. In my case, that is the American Association for Cancer Research. Membership allows for discounts for attendance and also reduced (or free) subscription to the society’s journals, such as Cancer Research. The inability to pay for this will reduce attendance at annual meetings as well as generate barriers for our students to learn the latest published research. This is severely handicap American science.
For all of these reasons, the proposed changes to 200.454 should be retracted.