September 3, 2021, NIH Record, Vol. LXXIII, No. 18
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September 3, 2021 Vol . LXXIII, No . 18 about 150 students in NIH administrative offices. With in-person work prohibited, program organizers had to scramble to INTERNING DURING A PANDEMIC bring students online. Dr. Sharon Milgram, director of the NIH Two Summer Programs Adapt Office of Intramural Training & Education to Virtual Workplaces (OITE), which organizes SIP, recalled the BY AMBER SNYDER difficult decisions NIH faced in those early months. “We had to cancel [SIP] entirely Every summer, student interns descend on in 2020 due to the nature of the program,” the NIH campuses to get some first-hand she said, “which in normal years pairs each experience conducting biomedical research intern with a scientific mentor in a research or learn about the administration that lab.” More than 800 students had already supports that research. The summers of been offered positions by March, which 2020 and 2021 were very different. made cancellation of the program particu- When the majority of NIH switched to larly disappointing. Instead, OITE created a remote work in March 2020, the summer Virtual Summer Enrichment Program and programs had only a few short months made it available to all interested high school to adapt. The NIH Summer Internship and college students. Program (SIP) typically hosts 1,200 to The enrichment program returned 1,300 STEM students in its research for 2021. It is divided into two separate Pathways intern Shelandria Williams groups, and the Pathways program places SEE INTERNS, PAGE 4 Pulmonologist Develops Test ‘NO ALGORITHM FOR EMPATHY’ To Predict Covid-19 Severity Topol Charts AI Path to More BY DANA TALESNIK Accuracy in Medicine Of the various BY CARLA GARNETT hurdles Dr. Sean Artificial intelligence (AI) is smart at assess- Agbor-Enoh faced ing patterns in medicine, and getting smarter during the pandemic, all the time. In some fields, it might already NIH’ers create faster Covid tests . See story, p . 9 . one of the biggest be as or more accurate than your typical was personal. For 2 seasoned practitioner. Truth is, someday, ALSO THIS ISSUE months, he couldn’t many years from now, machines may out-de- go home. Summit Held on Virus Antibody Strategies . 3 tect and out-diagnose physicians, but AI will An NIH prin- never out-care human doctors. That caring is New Vaccination Requirements Set . 5 Dr . Sean Agbor-Enoh cipal investigator, the “secret sauce” of the medical profession, Cornell’s Johnson Tapped for NIGMS’s Annual Agbor-Enoh is also a emphasized Dr. Eric Topol at a virtual NIH Early-Career Lecture . 7 pulmonologist. When everything shut down Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture. in spring 2020, he still headed to work at the Intramural Collaboration Results in Tool for Renowned as a cardiologist and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and Pandemic . .9 award-winning scientist whose forward at NIH, where he’s on a pulmonary consult thinking often challenges the traditional Digest . 10 clinical team. His wife Juul is a pharmacist medical community’s status quo, Topol Milestones . .11 who also couldn’t work from home. founded Scripps Research Translational Early Diagnosis, Patient Advocacy in Spotlight at SEE PIVOT, PAGE 6 Institute at The Scripps Research Institute. NINDS Nonprofit Forum . 12 In 2016, NIH awarded him a $207 million 3rd in Series | Pivots to Pandemic Science SEE TOPOL, PAGE 8 BRIEFS Annual Salzman Award Applications Due Sept. 30 The Salzman organizing committee, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the NIH virology interest group announce the 23rd Annual Norman P . Salzman Memorial Awards in Basic and Clinical Virology for young investigators . The awards have been established to recognize outstanding research in the field of basic and/or clinical virology at NIH, FDA, Ft . Detrick Laboratories, LEIDOS, USDA or the Uniformed Services University of the Health OBSSR Launches History Timeline Online The annual awards Sciences . Awards pay tribute to Behavioral and social sciences were part of NIH’s mission long before the Office of Behavioral and honor the 40-year Dr . Norman P . Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) was established . But OBSSR, during the past 26 years, has been career of Salzman in Salzman, his 40-year instrumental in accelerating the behavioral and social sciences relevant to health, coordinating these virology research and career in virology sciences within the NIH research enterprise and increasing integration of these sciences at NIH . his accomplishments research and his in mentoring of young accomplishments Last year, to help commemorate its 25th anniversary, OBSSR developed a historical record of key scientists . in mentoring young events, accomplishments and leadership . An online resource, “Commemorating 25 Years of the OBSSR: scientists . A History in Milestones,” recently launched to share the record . Viewers can click through OBSSR Two awards will history according to such event categories as Directors, Training and Research, and by decade . be given: one to a postdoctoral fellow and one to a graduate Soon, OBSSR will add recent accomplishments and activities such as work in firearms violence student/postbaccalaureate trainee . The winning prevention, Covid-19 impacts and behavioral ontologies . Visit the timeline at https://obssr .od .nih g. ov/ postdoctoral fellow receives a plaque and $2,500 . about/obssr-timeline . The winning graduate student/postbaccalaureate trainee receives a plaque and $1,000 . Mentors of The Eurest food trailer located in the 10H Parking awardees will receive plaques . Latest Health Disparities Interest Group Lecture Available Online Lot (south side of Bldg . 10) now serves daily Winners will give talks during the 23rd Annual breakfast from 7:30 a .m . to 9 a .m . Menu items NIMHD’s Division of Intramural Research recently include a daily special, made-to-order sandwiches Norman P . Salzman Memorial Symposium in held its latest health disparities interest group Basic and Clinical Virology being held virtually in (including vegetarian options), hash browns and lecture, “Structural Racism: The Roots and hot or iced coffee . November . Relations of Applications for the award are due by Thursday, Inequality” by Chef’s Table in Bldg . 35 now offers made-to- Sept0 . 3 . Find forms and details at https://fnih . Dr . Gilbert Gee, order lunch specials of your favorite dishes on org/salzmansymposium . Applications must be professor in the Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 submitted by email to SalzmanSymposium@mail . department of a .m . to 1:30 p .m . nih gov. community health The Outdoor BBQ has returned to the South Lawn sciences at the of Bldg . 10 every other Wednesday . The BBQs Fielding School will feature themed outdoor dining inspired by Employee Asymptomatic Testing Clinic of Public Health Updates Hours a traditional BBQ menu . For more information, at UCLA . The see: https://ors .od .nih .gov/pes/dats/food/Pages/ The Employee Asymptomatic Testing Clinic on virtual seminar index .aspx . the 5th floor of the CRC has changed its days of was viewed by a operation . capacity audience Additionally, the CRC Atrium Coffee Bar and the of 500 attendees . FAES Bookstore Café, both located inside Bldg . 10, On Aug . 16, employee asymptomatic testing A robust question Dr . Gilbert Gee are open . increased to 3 days a week on Monday, Tuesday and answer and Friday . Previously, employee asymptomatic session followed . Details about the interest group As more people return to the physical workplace, testing was available only on Tuesday and Friday . and recordings of the seminar series are available ORS will continue to evaluate the return to work at https://www .nimhd .nih .gov/programs/intramu- levels of staff and determine what services can and Testing for SARS-CoV-2 involves a traditional should be provided . nasopharyngeal swab, which looks like a 6-inch ral/hdig/index .html . Q-tip . The swab is inserted through the nose to the Direct comments and concerns to the Food back of the throat, rotated several times and left New Additions to Food Service on the Services Team at (301) 827-3248 or ORSWEPB@ in place for 10-15 seconds . The hospital also offers Bethesda Main Campus ors .od .nih gov. Covid-19 saliva tests . The Office of Research Services is pleased to To sign up for asymptomatic testing, NIH’ers can announce some new food service additions and a visit https://clinweb .cc .nih g. ov/cct . return of a favorite to NIH . 2 • NIH RECORD • SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 in high-risk settings . There are currently mAbs in • Anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs are most effective when Summit Focuses on Anti- every phase of development, and, because they are administered early in the course of the disease most beneficial when administered within 7 days but are vulnerable to virus mutation (variants) SARS-CoV-2 Antibody of symptom onset, there is particular emphasis on and may be more effective when combined with Treatment, Prevention ones that may be used in outpatient settings . other mAbs . BY AMBER SNYDER There are multiple animal models currently used • Further research on anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for testing Covid-19 therapeutic and prevention also may be useful for developing treatments for What is the current state of Covid-19 antibody candidates . These models are used to investigate other SARS coronaviruses . treatment and prevention strategies? What how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, initiates infection, replicates and causes disease As Dr . Skip Virgin of Vir Biotechnology Inc . have we learned since the start of the Covid-19 reminded viewers, “We should look at this pandemic, and what are future directions for in the host . Dr . Ralph Baric of UNC-Chapel Hill provided a summary of studies using a variety of pandemic with an eye to the future, because it may further anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody research? The not be the last one ”.