In an opinion article in this month’s issue of Nature Medicine, Jeff Sheehy, a long-time advocate for HIV research and member of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, argues that the voice of patient advocates should become a vital part of all biomedical research funding decisions.

“The presence of vocal, engaged patient advocates has added an indispensable dimension to the proceedings,” Sheehy writes. “In measuring research quality, advocates tend to focus on a project’s ability to benefit people — not just drive scientific curiosity — which keeps even basic biomedical research grounded in its ability to produce concrete health benefits.”

You can read Sheehy’s article in its entirety here, listen to him argue his case on the Nature Medicine podcast, or watch a video of Sheehy advocating for a stem cell therapy for HIV/AIDS below the jump.