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7318411 
Journal Article 
Politics and the erosion of federal scientific capacity: restoring scientific integrity to public health science 
Rest, KM; Halpern, MH 
2007 
Yes 
American Journal of Public Health
ISSN: 0090-0036
EISSN: 1541-0048 
97 
11 
1939-1944 
English 
17901422 
WOS:000250489200011 
Our nation's health and prosperity are based on a foundation of independent scientific discovery. Yet in recent years, political interference in federal government science has become widespread, threatening this legacy. We explore the ways science has been misused, the attempts to measure the pervasiveness of this problem, and the effects on our long-term capacity to meet today's most complex public health challenges. Good government and a functioning democracy require public policy decisions to be informed by independent science. The scientific and public health communities must speak out to defend taxpayer-funded science from political interference. Encouragingly, both the scientific community and Congress are exploring ways to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. 
climate change; erosion; funding; government; health care access; health care policy; health care system; health promotion; health service; health survey; history of medicine; intervention study; medical documentation; medical education; medical information; note; physical disease; political system; practice guideline; public health service; scientist; access to information; animal; article; climate; government regulation; management; medical research; mercurialism; policy; politics; public health; science; standard; trust; United States; Access to Information; Animals; Biomedical Research; Climate; Government Regulation; Mercury Poisoning; Policy Making; Politics; Public Health; Public Policy; Science; Trust; United States; United States Dept. of Health and Human Services; United States Government Agencies