Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is an organization supported by doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion. We encourage higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research by opposing unethical human experiments and promoting alternatives to animal research. PCRM has led the way for reforms of federal nutrition policies. Our clinical research programs are breaking new ground in diabetes, cancer, and other serious conditions, and our public service announcements feature medical experts on prevention and health.

Creating a healthier world through a new emphasis on plant-based nutrition and scientific research c

Goal One: Create a new understanding of healthful diets through innovative research, education, strategic outreach, and medical care.

Goal Two: Save both human and animal lives by replacing the use of animals in science with human-focused methods.

Goal Three: Empower physicians and other healthcare professionals to promote good nutrition.

The Physicians Committee conducts structured trainings and facilitated discussions for improving leadership skills at all levels, including communication skills, team building skills, and conflict resolution.

The biggest external changes we saw last year directly impacted our mission of advancing human health and ending the use of animals in research. Underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease led to fatal outcomes for many people diagnosed with COVID-19. We used the world-focus on the pandemic to bring the importance of prevention into the global conversation. We introduced free education to reach people who were most at risk for suffering those fatal outcomes, including focusing on countries that were hardest hit with rising COVID-19 cases. Virtual technology allowed us to innovate and expand our outreach. Partnering with allies outside of our organization allowed us to translate educational approaches into different languages and cultural approaches. The world's focus on rapid vaccine development allowed us to highlight the need to modernize drug production. Our scientists were -- and are -- in high demand for training the scientific community on human-based approaches to research that eliminate animals from the protocols. Our largest medical education event had been an annual in-person conference and instead of cancelling, we adapted to a virtual format and embraced the opportunity to involve international presenters and recruit more participants than ever before. The world's recognition of the importance of stellar hospital care has allowed us to focus and pass legislation that addresses the need for hospitals to improve their nutrition education and overhaul the meal offerings for patients and staff that make the difference between sick care and health care.