FY15 HHS Budget Appropriations Update
[From the Proposal Development Office]
UK Colleagues:
On May 27, from 1:00-2:00pm in BPC 124 (Pharmacy Building) I am pleased to invite you and your faculty to a presentation by Erik Fatemi, former staff director for the Senate LHHS-Ed appropriations committee. He will provide some insight on the FY15 HHS budget with particular emphasis on NIH and HRSA funding streams, describing the current state of the appropriations process. His brief talk will be followed by a Q & A session. Michael Higdon, former chief of staff for Congressman Hal Rogers will join Erik at this session. I work with both Erik and Michael in my Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Legislative Committee Chair role. This is an incredible opportunity for UK faculty, staff and students, and I request your assistance in disseminating an initial email invite this week, along with a reminder email next week.
Erik Fatemi is currently with Cornerstone Government Affairs, where he closely follows NIH. Erik joined Cornerstone after serving 12 years on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education under Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA). From February 2010 through October 2013 he served as the subcommittee’s Staff Director.
During his time in the Senate he oversaw the entire breadth of funding and policy issues in the subcommittee’s jurisdiction, developing particular expertise in the areas of biomedical research and education. He is the only non-NIH employee ever to receive the NIH Director’s Award. Fatemi was the Senate’s key representative during negotiations with the House of Representatives and White House over the annual Labor-HHS-Education spending measure, and as a result of this position he maintains extensive relationships within the Executive Branch and both chambers of Congress.
Prior to Capitol Hill, Fatemi worked for a dozen years as a reporter, editor and columnist at various media outlets, most recently at Education Week, where he directed the publication’s coverage of federal education policy and education technology. Fatemi holds a degree in English from Princeton University. He is married and has three girls.
Please RSVP to Jenn McMullen at jmc255@g.uky.edu by May 23.