Finding Answers
Notes from the president
Finding answers to problems can sound pretty simple—just identify the concern, find what seems like the most straightforward solution, and you’re done. Except that it’s never that easy. A lot depends on how you conduct that search for possible answers. Often, it requires concentrated research and study—without any preconceived answers in mind. And it often requires partners who can bring different perspectives to what are multifaceted challenges.
Relying on data and pursuing results with nonpartisan rigor and strong partners are the hallmarks of how The Pew Charitable Trusts operates. In this issue of Trust, I’m struck by how all of our significant accomplishments from 2024 flowed from this approach.
Housing, for example, is now a major concern in the United States, with home prices and rents up dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, vacant office space has increased. So there’s one possible solution that seems like a pretty obvious answer— convert the empty buildings to residential use. But laws and local zoning practices hamper this approach, and often make it hard to build new affordable housing as well. So we engaged in deep research to find ways that developers and local governments might economically convert office space into dorm-style housing that would be within reach for many now shut out of the housing market. Other research from Pew informed legislation passed in Arizona, Colorado, and Hawaii that will allow more housing such as accessory dwelling units in those states.
The aftereffects from the pandemic played out in other ways too, offering new lessons for many concerns, including how we treat opioid use disorder. Methadone is a highly effective medication for addiction, but for many years, the only way people could receive it was by making daily trips to special clinics, disrupting their efforts to find work and take care of their families. During the times of social distancing, federal rules changed to allow patients to get up to a 28-day supply of methadone instead of a daily dose. Pew used research to argue that those rules continue as the world returned to normalcy—and last year the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration decided to keep the 28-day rule in place. The result: Patients and their families will have less stress and easier access to care.
The painstaking first steps in the search for answers often plays out in laboratories where scientists seek to find causes and cures for diseases. For 40 years, Pew has provided early-career scientists with support through the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. We recognize young scientists doing promising biomedical research and support their efforts. As you’ll read in this issue, the model has been so successful that Pew branched out in 1991 with a Latin American program, worked with The Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust in 2014 to add a special track for biomedical scientists studying cancer, and started the Innovation Fund in 2017 to encourage collaboration among alumni of the programs to conduct interdisciplinary research exploring key issues in human biology and disease.
Answers to some of the questions of how to best conserve our environment also come from research, including hearing from those who live on the land. Last year, Pew was proud to join 22 Indigenous governments and organizations, the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories, and private donors to support Indigenous-led stewardship of 146,000 square miles of important and biodiverse lands and waters in northern Canada. The agreement to permanently protect the area will allow future generations to care for the land they’ve always called home, supporting community priorities such as Indigenous Guardians programs that contribute to local jobs, climate research, and emergency response.
Stories like these give us hope and help us chart an effective path forward. As we start a new year, I hope you are inspired by the progress we can make together—relying on facts, respectful partnerships, and a committed search for solutions.
