U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington’s 7th district and has served in Congress since 2017, shared updates on her recent visits to several Seattle-area research and wellness centers through a series of tweets this week.
On May 10, 2026, Jayapal posted about her tour of the ICHS PACE Ron Chew Healthy Aging & Wellness Center during AANHPI Heritage Month, stating: “This week, I toured the ICHS PACE Ron Chew Healthy Aging & Wellness Center. This is a beautiful space that carries on Ron Chew’s legacy, and I was thrilled to visit it during AANHPI Heritage Month.”
Later the same day, she recognized Dr. Mary Brunkow for her Nobel Prize achievement in research with ISB Science. In her tweet from May 10, 2026, Jayapal wrote: “I was thrilled to recognize Dr. Mary Brunkow this week for her incredible achievement of the Nobel Prize for her research with @isbsci. This type of work relies on federal funding — the exact funding that Trump has been cutting. Our government must support research in Seattle”.
In another post from May 10, 2026, Jayapal highlighted her visit to the UW Cancer Vaccine Institute: “I visited the UW Cancer Vaccine Institute, which is doing groundbreaking research aiming to develop vaccines to prevent multiple types of cancer. This work will save lives — and it is an example of exactly why we must protect federal funding for science and research.”
Jayapal’s remarks come amid ongoing debates about federal funding for scientific research and public health initiatives in Seattle and across the country.
Jayapal was born in Chennai (formerly Madras State) in 1965 and currently resides in Seattle at age 57. Before joining Congress in 2017—succeeding Jim McDermott—she served in the Washington State Senate from 2014 to 2016. She holds degrees from Georgetown University (BA, 1986) and Northwestern University (1990).
