Initiative: Community Engagement Inventory

The Office of Government and Community Affairs is updating Emory’s Community Engagement Inventory to capture community-facing work across Emory University and Emory Healthcare in DeKalb County, Fulton County, and the City of Atlanta. This resource helps connect colleagues, identify opportunities for collaboration, and showcase Emory’s collective impact internally and externally. By contributing, you help ensure your work is visible, recognized, and included in future communications, partnership opportunities, and reports highlighting Emory’s impact across our communities. Please share any new or updated programs, partnerships, initiatives, or community engagement activities, along with a brief description and primary contact information. Submit updates via email, Word document, or PDF to katherine.peralto@emory.edu by Friday, Oct. 16. Questions? Contact Kendra Price at kendra.price@emory.edu.

Tour: Legislative Staffers at EUHM

OGCA has launched a new series of joint local, state, and federal tours focused on enhancing stakeholder engagement and ensuring a coordinated approach to government outreach. The inaugural tour took place on Sept. 24 at Emory University Hospital Midtown, where legislative staffers gained firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the emergency department and NICU. Through discussions with hospital leaders and frontline staff, participants learned about issues affecting patient care, workforce capacity, and healthcare access, while gaining a deeper understanding of Emory’s role in serving the region.

Engagement: Election 2026

Emory is proud to once again serve as a DeKalb County polling location at 1599 Clifton Road, with early voting taking place Oct. 13–30 and Election Day on Nov. 3. Interested in getting involved? We encourage you to sign up using the flyer below and review OGCA’s Election Guidance document for helpful information and resources.

Education: Legislative Updates

Want to stay up to date on what's happening in government? Join us for our final Legislative Updates of 2026 to hear the latest news and insights from federal, state, and local levels.

Dates:

Monday, Oct. 26 | Monday, Dec. 14

Register today at https://gca.emory.edu/resources/faculty-staff.html

The Trump administration is considering an executive order that would allow political appointees to review and potentially veto NIH research awards recommended through the agency’s peer-review process.

Supporters say the change would increase oversight, while critics argue it could politicize research funding decisions traditionally based on scientific merit. The proposal comes as the administration seeks a greater role for OMB in federal research funding. The current FY27 Continuing Resolution prohibits OMB oversight of NIH grants through Dec. 11. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) recently joined a Senate letter urging the administration to preserve NIH’s science-based peer-review process.

Emory's federal affairs team continues to engage with policymakers and higher education partners to advocate for preserving NIH’s peer-review system and ensuring that research funding decisions remain grounded in scientific merit.

Read the Senate letter

Ambassador Jeff Flake

Former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Jeff Flake visited Emory on Sept. 29 for a fireside chat titled “Bridging America's Divides” with Joe Crispino, Jimmy Carter Professor of History. While on campus, he also toured the Serious Communicable Diseases Program.

Briefing: The Power of Animals for Clinical Innovation

Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD, in Emory’s Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill educating Congressional staff on why animal research remains an essential part of the drug development to patient use pipeline.

On Sept. 16, State Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark met with President Augostini to discuss her longstanding connection to Emory, including her experience as a Laney Graduate School doctoral graduate, her postdoctoral research at Emory, and her current role as a lecturer at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. President Augostini and Rep. Clark also discussed the state of healthcare and higher education in Georgia, as well as opportunities for Emory to continue serving as a resource and partner to policymakers. Rep. Clark is the Democratic nominee for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District in the November 2026 general election.

House Healthcare Study Committee Continues Work

On Sept. 15, the State Affairs team traveled to Macon to attend the third meeting of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Community Health and Healthcare Oversight. Building on the committee’s previous discussion of physician recruitment and retention, EMS governance and funding, and graduate medical education (GME), the meeting continued its examination of healthcare access and workforce challenges across Georgia.

The committee heard presentations on perinatal health, rural healthcare, and Georgia’s registered nursing workforce, highlighting challenges facing providers, patients, and communities across the state. As the committee continues its work during the legislative interim, the State Affairs team will monitor its discussions, emerging policy priorities, and potential legislation ahead of the next legislative session.

On Sept. 15, the Emory Board of Visitors gathered for the first program of the 2026–2027 year at Winship Cancer Institute, where members learned more about the impactful research taking place across Emory.