Statement from Stacy Pagos Haller, President and CEO of BrightFocus Foundation, On President Obama's State of the Union Address

CLARKSBURG, MD—In his state of the union address this week, President Obama spoke of the need to balance deficit reduction measures with meaningful investments to grow our economy. "Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries ten times more powerful," he said. "Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation." Thank you President Obama, for making it clear to Congress and the American public the important role health science research plays in every aspect of our lives—including support of the economy. Some of today's most successful drugs came to market as a result of government-funded research. Cutting those funds at a time when grants are hard to come by in general would be a bad decision. At BrightFocus, we know this firsthand. We fund research and provide public education to help eradicate brain and eye diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. We are working to save mind and sight. I encourage Congress to follow the President's lead and invest in health science research as a national priority.

BrightFocus Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting research and public education to help eradicate brain and eye diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma. For more information, call 1-800-437-2423.