Joe Biden made a fleeting appearance in New Orleans on Tuesday, descending from Air Force One. His entire purpose revolved around proclaiming that Tulane University had been selected for a project that is part of his administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. The university is set to receive a not-too-shabby amount of $23 million, aimed at aiding their research on an advanced imaging technique for implementing safer cancer surgeries.
Though Tulane University stands as a surprising candidate on the list of eight research facilities, it won’t be the only beneficiary of a total sum of $150 million. Other esteemed institutions earmarked for handouts are Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, the University of California San Francisco, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Washington, and Cision Vision, tucked away in Mountain View, California.
A conversation revolving around Tulane’s unexpected inclusion transpired during a recent meeting with this newspaper’s Editorial Board. The university’s President, Michael A. Fitts, articulated how their institution has drastically shifted its focus towards how scientific studies can transfigure communities. Over the past half-decade, Tulane has expanded its research budget by 70%, amounting to $210 million and brought into existence an Innovation Institute host to various startups born out of groundbreaking concepts.
Indulging in a content discourse with Fitts is enough to grasp a sense of how scientific research is contributing to local communities’ flourishing. A nationwide glance will convince skeptics about how pioneering ideas are enabling sizeable progress, fostering businesses and startups that spark prosperity.
Tulane University’s high-spirited achievements do not end here. A recently carried out study, commissioned by the ever-improving institution, amounts the economic impact the university garners for the state economy to $5.2 billion. This influence extends further, supporting a panoply of 30,000 jobs in various sectors throughout Louisiana.
Provoking enough, isn’t it? The variety of skill levels and types supported by these jobs is something that goes unappreciated. With President Fitts eyes gleaming with optimism, he too, echoed this sentiment and decreed the potential of Louisiana to be the next game-changers, with Tulane at its epicenter.
However, it’s worth noting that this shift of focus might originate from a self-serving perspective more than anything. The $150 million funding for cancer research is an offshoot of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, commonly known as ARPA-H. This agency, to everyone’s surprise, was initiated by the bipartisan support in Congress in 2022.
The most interesting part of Tulane’s ambitious visions is their intent to expand their reach beyond the realm of cancer research. They aspire to grow New Orleans as an academic as well as a practical medicine hub. But, this lofty dream paints an uncanny similarity with success cases such as Houston or Atlanta.
However, just like a rock in the shoe, there exist obstacles that may hinder Louisiana from leveraging this once-in-a-lifetime chance to a monumental level. Small-time political schemes that sideline our state’s financial future pose as the main threats. And unfortunately, these counter-productive agendas stem from both ends of the political spectrum.
Call it irony or a mere coincidence, but the Biden administration and their purported Cancer Moonshot initiative are at the crux of this issue. These attempts to gain political mileage don’t accord with the altruistic intent of welfare schemes or the explicit economic benefits that Louisiana so desperately requires.
Keeping the economic aspects aside, this initiative is branded with the promise to save lives from the clutches of dreadful diseases. The main aspect that the Moonshot program is planning to hit at is the reduction of cancer fatality by a whopping 50% by 2047. But the feasibility of this is anybody’s guess.
Touting schemes like these gives a glimpse of the significance given to higher education and research. However, the question here is if such an ambitious goal can even see the light of day. The implementation of such grand plans requires strategic depth and foresight, but the decision-making authority is in the hands of those who lack it. This leaves one wondering about the wisdom behind such initiatives.
The day when people flock to our state not only for its culinary delights and fun-filled entertainment, but also for world-class healthcare, is a day many look forward to. It’s a great dream indeed, but one must remember at the end of the day, it’s just that – a dream. And dreams, at least those of Kendellian proportions, require more than just announcements, they require action.