The Science Policy Group HTX was founded in 2017 and has since been a non-partisan group dedicated to education, advocacy, career development, and outreach.

Through our educational events, we strive to support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at the Texas Medical Center who are curious about science policy. Whether you don't know what science policy is and just want to learn more, or are looking to transition from academia to a career in science policy, we want to be a resource to you!

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We also hope to serve the public by facilitating the exchange of current scientific information and engaging with curious individuals who want to learn more about science or science policy.

A critical goal of the SPG/HTX moving forward is to connect with local, state, and federal policymakers and leaders. The world is changing rapidly and the importance of basing decisions on solid scientific evidence is becoming crystal clear. At the same time, science will continue to require sustained and robust funding in the long term for us to understand and tackle the big problems facing us all. Therefore, it is critical that we continue to advocate for science and the scientific community!

Our Mission

Learn & Educate

As scientists, we are keenly aware of the importance of learning and teaching. Our scientific advances better serve the public who funds it when we are able to communicate them widely. That’s why we strive to learn how to best engage others, while also learning about science policy & advocacy, and how our training can best inform the public policy process.

Click here to let us know how we can improve.

Advocate

Scientific research holds the promise of breakthroughs that will substantially affect all our lives - whether it is research into diseases such as cancer and dementia, how to tackle climate change, fend off cyberattacks, or leverage artificial intelligence for the good of society. Those breakthroughs, however, require the backing of the public and our elected representatives. Therefore, we stand for robust and sustained year-on-year increases in government research funding and engage in advocacy activities to support discovery-driven research.

Create Opportunities

As government officials on all levels, lawmakers, corporations, and individuals navigate the ever-changing world of the 21st century and tackle novel challenges on a daily basis, scientists that have the ability to solve problems and inform public policy are in high demand. We seek to provide opportunities for our trainees to explore science policy & advocacy and be engaged in meaningful projects that enhance their skill set and prepare them for a successful career transition.

Click here to learn more about how to get engaged.

What We Do

Since our group’s founding in 2017, we have organized educational events, put out newsletters, and conducted a visualization-focused project to empower early-career scientists to effectively communicate data about critical science policy issues.

Events in the past have included:

  • Science Policy 101 Lecture Series, in collaboration with the BCM Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

  • Curated & distributed regular science policy newsletters to the BCM scientist trainee community

  • Established and expanded our social media presence — follow us @SciPolGroupHTX

  • Funded by Research!America to conduct a “Data Visualization for Science Policy” Project — click here to learn more

  • Website Design & Launch (online since May 2021)

Events we are planning for the future:

  • Launch of our science policy blog

  • Writing workshop for policy-oriented communications, e.g. briefings, white papers, op-eds

  • Resume/CV workshops for science policy & advocacy careers

    And more…