Dean of Antonia M. Villarruel of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing AND Kathleen Hall Jamiesonprincipal of Penn’s Annenberg Center for Public Policyare among 60 managers in education, science, public policy, philanthropy and industry appointed to a new task force to produce a Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST).
Amid growing global competition, the task force will identify the challenges and opportunities facing science and technology in the United States and outline actions for future prosperity. It is an initiative of Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC), a nonpartisan group of nonprofit, academic, foundation, and corporate leaders working to strengthen American science and technology.
STAC says VAST aims to provide a roadmap for US policymakers to ensure US science and technology entrepreneurship remains at the forefront. Task force leaders plan to share a draft with the incoming presidential administration and Congress during the transition period and then issue a final version in February.
“There is a critical need to continue investing in the science and technology infrastructure and pipeline,” says Villarruel. “The VAST Task Force brings together a range of different perspectives to inform policy and partnerships to ensure that discoveries can lead to a safe and healthy environment for all.”
“It is an honor to serve with an outstanding group working to identify ways for science to continue to serve the nation’s interests,” says Jamieson.
Villarruel is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing and Penn Nursing’s director World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Villarruel leads Penn Nursing to fulfill its core mission of advancing science, promoting equity, and demonstrating practice excellence. As a bilingual and bicultural scholar, Villarruel has extensive research and practice experience with Latino populations, health promotion, and health equity.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and Chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Cultural Health Program Advisory Committee. Villarruel has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2021 Healthcare Leader Award from the American Academy of Nursing, the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Award, and the Globy Award for Educational Leadership from the Global Association of Philadelphia.
Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at Annenberg School for Communication and director of the Annenberg Center for Public Policy. Jamieson co-founded FactCheck.org and its science-focused initiative, SciCheck; authored or co-authored 18 books; co-edited “The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication” (2017); and co-edited the forthcoming book Realizing the Promise and Minimizing the Risks of AI for Science and the Scientific Community (2024, Penn Press).
The 2020 recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, Jamieson is also a member of the board of directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar; and member or member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the International Communication Association.
The work of the VAST task force is supported by the Simons Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group.