Norman Augustine
Chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)

The United States has begun to recognize that it must maintain a competitive edge when it comes to jobs and education. On August 9, 2007, President George Bush signed into law “The America COMPETES Act;” “COMPETES” stands for "Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science." The bill is a result of recommendations made in a 2005 report from the National Academies called "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." Mr. Augustine was the lead author of this report.

Mr. Augustine discusses how the standard of living that most Americans have come to enjoy is highly dependent upon their having quality jobs available. The ability to create quality jobs has become increasingly dependent upon America’s ability to maintain a leading position in science, technology, and innovation. The government’s share of investment in R&D has declined in recent decades, while business’ share of investment has increased; however, business has generally focused on short-term pursuits rather than long-term research. The consequence is that the nation’s superiority in research, which is the basis of most innovation, is highly dependent on government financial support. Although America’s present competitive position is one of considerable strength, many important trends are moving in a perilous direction. Absent significant change, America’s competitiveness - and the standard of living it supports, including health care and national security - is likely to deteriorate significantly.

Dr. Alice Jacobs
Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Jacobs discusses the proper care for patients suffering a specific type of heart attack known as ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction or STEMI. Reopening of a blocked coronary artery either through clot-busting medication or angioplasty and stent therapy for patients with STEMI has been shown to improve both short- and long-term patient outcomes. Yet, in the United States, approximately 30% of patients with STEMI do not receive the available treatment despite its availability. It is also clear that, of the 70% of patients who do receive appropriate therapy, only a minority are treated within the recommended time frames that are known to reduce the chance of death from the heart attack.

Dr. Doug Lowy
National Cancer Institute/NIH

After nearly two decades of research, Dr. Lowy, along with his colleague Dr. John Schiller, discovered the underlying causes of most cases of cervical cancer. Their discoveries led to a vaccine intended to protect against infection from the two types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause the majority of cervical cancers worldwide. Together, these two HPV strains are responsible for approximately 70% of all cervical cancers.

The vaccine represents a major advance in cancer prevention. Cervical cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide, is responsible for about 240,000 deaths per year. In the U.S., approximately 10,000 women per year develop cervical cancer; of those, approximately 4,500 women will die each year. While there is still a need for second-generation HPV vaccines to prevent the infections by the strains of HPV that the new vaccine doesn’t target, great progress has been made. The next generation of HPV vaccines could also reduce the cost of cervical cancer screening. The development of effective vaccines against other important infectious causes of cancer would also have a major impact on public health.