Okla. Medical Research Foundation COO to head research institutes'

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 26, 2007 by Jerry Shottenkirk

Chip Morgan is looking forward to his chance to look Washington, D.C., lawmakers in the eye and speak his mind.

He'll likely have many chances. The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation's executive vice president and chief operating officer will be named president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes during its annual meeting this week in San Antonio.

The association consists of 88 research institutes, including two in the state. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore also is a member, and like other institutes, it relies on grants.

Member institutes received about $1.5 billion in research funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2006. During that year, the OMRF received $25 million in NIH grants.

"AIRI is 50 years old and is a group of like entities that need representation in Washington, D.C.," Morgan said. "We often have concerns we need to make sure are taken care of. I will go there periodically."

The association gives institutes a pathway to NIH and other grants, which are the lifeblood of organizations.

"I'm concerned about the flattening of the NIH budget," Morgan said. "It will be bad for health care if additional increases are not provided by Congress. There will be less research. The NIH budget is about $28.8 billion, and about 80 percent goes to organizations and universities."

Morgan has been an association board member for several years and will be president for the next two.

"In these times of tight budgets, it is key that Congress sustains funding for biomedical research," he said. "Medical research is a long-term process, and if we're going to meet the challenge of continuing to improve human health, we can't let our commitment wane."

Morgan said the organization's president position is on a volunteer basis. In addition to occasionally representing the association in Washington, he will be in charge during annual meetings.

Morgan joined the OMRF in 1969.