The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) recently launched a new ‘Position Statement’ program to engage its members in shaping the organization’s advocacy and policy priorities. Through the development of these Position Statements, AAI aims to identify and articulate policy recommendations on topics of particular interest to our members and the broader immunology community. AAI will share the policy recommendations from the Position Statements with key audiences—including Members of Congress and federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—to help policymakers make informed, evidence-based decisions about federal science policy.
While AAI has a long history of advocating for or against federal policies that affect our members, the field of immunology, and the biomedical research enterprise, this program endeavors to:
- better identify AAI as an independent entity by making proactive policy recommendations specific to immunology and adjacent fields, to help shape federal policymaking;
- help establish AAI as the source of trusted information about immunology and the immune system;
- give AAI a larger voice on Capitol Hill and with federal scientific agencies.
AAI Position Statement Process
The process for developing AAI Position Statements begins with topic selection. Any AAI member may suggest a topic but the AAI Committee on Public Affairs (CPA) will decide which topics to cover based on many factors, including relevance, need, timeliness, and staff/committee bandwidth. Once a topic is selected, the CPA Chair appoints a task force of 6–10 AAI member volunteers to assist with the collection and analysis of background information, the development of policy recommendations, and drafting the position statement, with the support of AAI government affairs staff. After the CPA reviews a position statement, AAI presents it to the full membership for a public comment period—typically lasting around 10 days. AAI government affairs staff will collaborate with the CPA to incorporate feedback as appropriate, then advance the position statement to the AAI Council for final review and approval. Once approved, AAI will widely circulate position statements to relevant legislative and federal officials, and share them with other appropriate audiences, such as the press.
Engaging AAI Members
AAI members have a variety of opportunities to participate in this new program:
- Suggest a topic for a future AAI Position Statement. If you have an idea, email it to AAI Senior Science Policy Analyst Emily Kansler, Ph.D. (ekansler@aai.org). The CPA will vet all suggestions.
- Volunteer for a future Task Force. Interested in serving on a future Position Statement Task Force? Fill out the Task Force interest form to let us know.
- Provide your thoughts on draft Position Statements. AAI will present all original position statements to the membership for a comment period. We encourage you to read them and share your thoughts!
- Suggest updates to published Position Statements. The CPA and AAI Government Affairs staff will review Position Statements on an annual basis. If you think an already published Position Statement needs changes, please let us know.
Upcoming Call to Action
On or around July 10, 2025, AAI will be sending the first two draft Position Statements to members via email, which will be focused on fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). We encourage all members to carefully review the drafts and submit any comments via the provided forms.
