Since its inception in 1993, the North American Brain Tumor Coalition (NABTC), a network of nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada, has established a strong public policy voice on behalf of adults and children with brain tumors.
The NABTC was formed by brain tumor organizations that believed they could advance the interests of individuals with brain tumors through coordinated and cooperative public policy efforts. The Coalition also works cooperatively with other disease groups.
Click here for a list of our members and information about their activities.
Our Objectives
Supported by its member organizations, the Coalition works toward providing informed representation wherever healthcare decisions are made that affect brain tumor patients.
We collaborate with the larger healthcare community to advance the interests of brain tumor patients.
With the help of our counsel in Washington, we strive to initiate and respond to policy proposals that impact brain tumor patients in a timely and effective manner.
Click here to read about our current policy goals.
What we do
NABTC representatives testify before Congress in favor of increased biomedical research and ready access to new drugs and therapies.
We maintain contact with Senators and Representatives on issues of importance to brain tumor patients.
We participate in meetings on biomedical research and health care delivery at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal agencies.
What we’ve accomplished
The NABTC has succeeded in increasing awareness of brain tumors among policymakers; and boosting interest in basic, translational, and clinical brain tumor research. For a list of our key accomplishments from 1993 to the present, click here.
The NABTC has focused much of our activity on increasing the overall public financial commitment to brain tumor research, and on encouraging collaboration among all public agencies engaged in brain tumor research in both the public and private sectors. Among the NABTC accomplishments are the convening of a Brain Tumor Progress Review Group (PRG) and publication of the PRG report and Strategic Plan for implementation of PRG recommendations.
The Coalition witnessed and promoted: the formation of a research initiative that would involve both the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); the Neuro-Oncology Branch of NCI; and the funding of brain tumor Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs).
In an era when Congress was neither considering nor approving many important health measures, the Coalition secured passage of the Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act - which mandates the collection of benign brain tumor data. This initiative was a critical achievement for advocates who wanted more accurate data available for brain tumor incidence, and was vital to researchers who needed enhanced brain tumor data. Canadian members of NABTC have worked with other Canadian advocacy groups to ensure passage of a similar measure, Private Members Motion M-235, in the House of Commons.
In addition to being a Coalition of brain tumor groups, NABTC works cooperatively with other disease groups. Since its founding, the Coalition has participated in efforts to secure Medicare coverage of clinical trials, improve Medicare coverage and reimbursement for cancer treatments, provide special cancer drug coverage in the Medicare Modernization Act, and encourage stem cell research.