ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society (BPS) is pleased to announce that it has selected Leah Cairns, a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as the Society’s 2019-2020 BPS Congressional Fellow. Cairns will spend a year working in a Congressional office on legislative policy areas requiring scientific input. She will also be a part of the AAAS Science and Technology Fellowship Program, which includes an orientation on congressional and executive branch operations and a year-long seminar series on issues related to science policy.

Since receiving her PhD in biophysics and biophysical chemistry, Cairns has worked as a Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. “I'm so honored to serve as the Biophysical Society fellow in the historic 116th Congress,” said Cairns. “I look forward to learning how public policy is truly made and to acting as a voice for scientists on Capitol Hill.“

The Biophysical Society has offered the congressional fellowship since 2015 in recognition that public policy increasingly impacts scientific research, and basic science literary is increasingly needed to develop responsible policy. Through the fellowship, the Society’s leaders hope to provide a bridge between scientists and policymakers, and make sure that Congress has access to scientific expertise within its staff.

Cairns begins her fellowship in September 2019.