Navigating Change: Preparing for Policy Shifts and Their Impact on Research Funding [Spring 2025 HRA Members Meeting, March 10, 2025]

Please note: due to the nature of this topic, the recording of this session will not be posted. Instead, a written summary of the session is available at the link above.

Changes that result from new administrations present an opportunity to assess, strengthen, or rethink approaches in support of your organization’s mission. The impact of political transitions on research funding, and the entire research enterprise, as well as the regulatory environment can be complex. However, with historical trends and lessons to draw from, research funding organizations can better prepare themselves to reinforce their existing strategies or rethink their approaches.

This session used a historical perspective to inform nonprofits on the roles they can play amidst changes in federal policies and priorities. Attendees gained insights into how changes in federal administration can affect federal funding priorities, regulatory shifts and the public perception/trust of science.

Moderators

David Leyden, MPA, CRA
Senior Director, Finance and Administration, SFARI, Neuroscience, and Informatics, Simons Foundation

David Leyden serves as senior director of finance and administration for SFARI, neuroscience and informatics at the Simons Foundation. In this role, David is responsible for overseeing all aspects of finance, operations, program and research administration for SFARI the foundation’s neuroscience programs, and Informatics.

David earned an undergraduate degree in international relations from Syracuse University and an M.P.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is also a certified research administrator and certified telehealth facilitator. He has expertise in finance, administrative and clinical operations, graduate program education, research administration and strategic planning.

Previous appointments include serving as the administrative director for Telemedicine and director of planning and development in the Department of Emergency Medicine and department administrator for Healthcare Policy and Research, both at Weill Cornell Medicine and department administrator for Neuroscience at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Kevin Sia, PhD
Program Officer for Medical Research, Doris Duke Foundation

As program officer for medical research at the Doris Duke Foundation, Kevin Sia manages and evaluates competitive grant programs and actively contributes scientific expertise and knowledge to build relationships with existing grantees.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2021, Kevin was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Sloan Kettering Institute of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has a research background in immunology and microbiology, particularly focused on vaccine immunity and antibiotic resistant pathogens.

Kevin earned a Doctor of Philosophy in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from Emory University, where he trained at the Emory Vaccine Center.

Speakers

Aaron Blumberg
Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP

Aaron is a Partner at Fragomen’s Boston office, where he advises a diverse client base across the U.S., including entrepreneurs, hospitals, colleges and universities and multinational companies, on U.S. immigration law. He was previously a Partner at Fragomen’s Miami office for 14 years.

Aaron possesses unique experience in the areas of academic and healthcare immigration law and advises on the distinctive immigration requirements of colleges, universities, research institutions and hospitals. As a former DSO (Designated School Official) and ARO (Alternate Responsible Officer), Aaron has particular insight into issues faced by students on F-1 and J-1 Student Visas and scholars on Exchange Visitor J Visas. He regularly advises DSOs and AROs on Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) compliance and best practices. Aaron also advises international students on their visa options upon graduation and maintains a monthly webinar series examining the immigration options for international student graduates.

Ellie Dehoney
Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Research!America

Ellie Dehoney is the Senior Vice President of policy and advocacy at the nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy alliance, Research!America. Previously, she served as legislative director for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and as health legislative assistant and legislative director for Brown in the House of Representatives. Ellie’s background also includes serving as a health legislative assistant for former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), as a special assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the Department of Health and Human Services, and in nonprofit and private sector roles focused on health care financing and delivery. 

Ellie currently serves on the Advisory Board of the George Mason University College of Health and Human Services, the AcademyHealth Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy, and the Nominating Committee of the National Health Council.

Ellie received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and English from the College of William & Mary and a Master’s degree in Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill.

Joshua Gordon, MD, PhD
Former NIMH Director, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Executive Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., is the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. This is his second stint at Columbia, having been a member of the faculty from 2004 to 2016, where he conducted research, taught students and residents, and maintained a general psychiatry practice. Immediately prior to re-joining Columbia, Dr. Gordon served as the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 2016 until 2024, where he oversaw the principal US Government agency responsible for mental health research. Dr. Gordon received M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, and completed a psychiatry residency and research fellowship at Columbia University prior to joining the faculty in 2004.

Dr. Gordon’s research employs an integrative systems approach towards understanding the neurobiology underlying working memory and its disruption by genes of relevance to schizophrenia. Utilizing a range of modern neuroscience techniques, including in vivo neurophysiology and optical and pharmacological circuit manipulation, his lab has demonstrated a crucial role for oscillatory neural dynamics in the long-range functional connectivity in the hippocampal-prefrontal circuit in rodents. Through studying mice carrying mutations that, in humans, confer risk for
schizophrenia, he has developed and tested causal hypotheses for how genetic variants confer risk for disease. By disrupting these processes and then testing pharmacological and neuromodulatory approaches to reversing this disruption, his work has laid the groundwork for potential translation.

Dr. Gordon is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. His work has been recognized by several prestigious awards, including the NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation; the Rising Star Award from the International Mental Health Research Organization; the A.E. Bennett Research Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry, and the Daniel H. Efron Research Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Vince Sampson
Special Counsel, Cooley LLP

Vince Sampson is Special Counsel in Cooley’s Washington DC office where he leads the Government Analytics practice. Vince focuses on helping public and private clients predict, navigate and understand the increasingly complex involvement of federal agencies and Congress across a broad portfolio of issues including life sciences, financial services, higher education, international relations and communications.

With over 25 years of policy experience in the public and private sectors Vince regularly guides clients through both legislative and regulatory processes, advising them on potential risks and developing strategies focused on informing business decisions.

Vince received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA and law degrees from Santa Clara University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.