October 6, 2006, NIH Record, Vol. LVIII, No. 20
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OCTOBER 6, 2006 The Second Best Thing About Payday VOL. LVIII, NO. 20 People Get Ready NIH Team Races to Prepare for Pandemic Flu By Belle Waring ABOVE · Pictures can be worth a thousand words in conveying health messages. See IH is developing a continuity of operations plan (COOP) for pandemic avian story below. N influenza (bird flu). The effort is being led by Dr. Pierre Noel, assisted by a team features of 10 working groups. The goal is to maintain critical operations and protect patients, visitors and employees, as well as animals and ongoing work. 1 “We need a critical number of employees to maintain operations [in the event Bird Flu Plan for Employees Takes Shape of an emergency],” Noel says. “A lot of people ask, ‘What if panflu does not occur?’ The answer is: We are working through a process that will apply to any emergency 3 on campus. Even if panflu never occurs, we will still be much better off because of ‘Energy Month’ Offers Ways to Save this effort.” 5 Chief of hematology in the Clinical Center’s department of laboratory medicine, Poster Day Honors NIA Retiree Noel was appointed last winter as pandemic flu COOP coordinator (seeNIH Record, Hughes Mar. 10, 2006). An Air Force Special Operations Command flight surgeon and an ad- 12 visor on weapons of mass destruction, disaster planning and biodefense, Noel also New ‘Captain’ Joins NIGMS recently accepted a detail as acting associate director for security and emergency see pandemic flu, page 8 departments Images Boost Health Extraordinary ‘Literacy’ Is the Norm for Bu Explores Use of Director’s Pioneers Briefs 2 Posters in Chinese Training 10 Public Health How can NIH help Milestones 11 By Belle Waring extraordinarily inno- vative scientists Say you have a pub- explore ideas that lic health problem have the potential whose scale is vast: for unusually high a population of 500 impact? One way million, with 90 per- is through the NIH cent living in the In 1965, a massive public Director’s Pioneer 2005 Pioneer Award countryside, where health campaign used posters Award program, part recipient Dr. Erich Jarvis the literacy rate is touting “barefoot doctors,” of the NIH Roadmap 5 percent and life who served China’s peasant for Medical Research. NIH director Dr. Elias population. expectancy is 35 Zerhouni announced the newest cohort of Pio- years. Malnutrition is stark. Disease and mor- neer Award recipients at a ceremony in Masur tality rates are atrocious—millions of cases of Auditorium on Sept. 19. cholera, smallpox, typhoid, malaria, TB and “This is a diverse group of forward-thinking schistosomiasis (“snail fever”). Meanwhile, the investigators whose work could break new country is emerging from decades of conflict, ground in many areas of medical research,” he foreign invasion and civil war. said. “The awards give them the intellectual This was China, 1949. freedom to pursue exciting new research direc- tions and opportunities in a range of scientific “Most major diseases have a long history,” says fields, including computational biology, immu- Dr. Liping Bu, professor of history at Alma nology, stem cell biology, nanotechnology and College in Alma, Mich., and an NLM visiting drug development. And reflecting the nature see chinese posters, page 6 see pioneers, page 4 briefs APAO Solicits Awards Nominations Friedman Gives NIH Director’s Lecture The NIH Asian and Pacific Islander American The Wednesday Afternoon Lecture series—held on its Organization will continue its tradition of namesake day at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. honoring employees with significant contribu- 10—features Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman on Oct. 11. His tions in the following categories: 1) an employee topic is “Leptin and the Biological Basis of Obesity.” in the field of management who has made an Friedman is director of the Starr Center for Human Ge- outstanding contribution to the advancement of netics in New York, the Marilyn M. Simpson professor Asian and Pacific Americans; and 2) an NIH APA at the Rockefeller University and a Howard Hughes researcher/scientist who has made significant Medical Institute investigator. For more information accomplishments in biomedical research. or for reasonable accommodation, call Sandeep Nair, (301) 496-1921. The awardees will be honored with a plaque from APAO at its annual holiday award luncheon Research Festival Set, Oct. 17-20 on Tuesday, Dec. 12 in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. A review committee composed of APAO members This year’s NIH Research Festival will take place Oct. from several ICs will evaluate the nominations. 17-20. The opening plenary session at 9 a.m. in Ma- All nominations must be received electronically sur Auditorium, Bldg. 10, will feature two examples by Friday, Oct. 27 for consideration. To nominate of this year’s “Gains in Translation from Bench to someone, send a 1-page statement and, if ap- Bedside” theme. Dr. Bill Gahl of NHGRI and Dr. plicable, a CV to Lucie Chen (category 1 nomina- Juan Bonifacino of NICHD will discuss disorders of tions) [email protected] or Dr. Kuan-Teh lysosome-related organelles and Drs. Alan Heldman The NIHNIH RecordRecord isis publishedpublished biweeklybiweekly atat Jeang, (category 2 nominations) kjeang@mail. of Johns Hopkins and Steven Sollott of NIA will Bethesda, MD by the Editorial Operations describe the development of the taxol-coated stent Branch, Office of Communications and nih.gov. Public Liaison, for the information of for treatment of coronary artery disease. For more information about the awards or APAO, employeesemployees ofof thethe NationalNational InstitutesInstitutes ofof Other events include symposia; special exhibits Health, Department of Health and Human contact Prahlad Mathur, (301) 435-4618. Health, Department of Health and Human on resources for intramural research; the Job Fair Services.Services. TheThe contentcontent isis reprintablereprintable withwith-- for NIH postdoctoral, research and clinical fellows, outout permission.permission. PicturesPictures maymay bebe availableavailable Conference To Explore Future of uponupon request.request. UseUse ofof fundsfunds forfor printingprinting with an opening address “Embarking on the Future” thisthis periodicalperiodical hashas beenbeen approvedapproved byby thethe Nursing Research by NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni; the festival food directordirector ofof thethe OfficeOffice ofof ManagementManagement andand The National Institute of Nursing Research and music fair; and the Technical Sales Association Budget through September 30, 2007. Budget through September 30, 2007. concludes its year-long celebration of 20 years scientific equipment tent show. NIH Record Office at NIH with a scientific symposium titled, For more information visit http://researchfestival. Bldg. 31, Rm. 5B41 Bldg. 31, Rm. 5B41 “Nursing Research: Looking to the Future,” on nih.gov. Phone (301) 496-2125 Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Natcher Auditorium from Fax (301) 402-1485 Fax (301) 402-1485 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no charge to attend. Talk on PTSD and Women Web address Guest speakers include former Congressman http://www.nih.gov/nihrecord/ John E. Porter; Dr. Roger Bulger, acting deputy The women’s health special interest group will Editor director, NCMHD; and Dr. Linda Aiken, director host a talk on “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Richard McManus of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy and Women,” on Friday, Oct. 20 from 11:30 a.m. [email protected]@nih.gov Research at the University of Pennsylvania. For to 12:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. Speaker will more information contact Allisen Stewart, (301) be Dr. Meena Vythilingam, staff physician, Mood Assistant Editor Carla Garnett 496-0207. To view the agenda and list of speak- and Anxiety Disorders Program, NIMH. If you need [email protected]@nih.gov ers, visit http://ninr.nih.gov/ninr/ and click the sign language interpretation, contact Vicki Malick 20th anniversary icon. at [email protected] at least 5 days before the Staff Writer Staff Writer seminar. Belle Waring [email protected]@nih.gov The NIHNIH RecordRecord reservesreserves thethe rightright toto make corrections, changes, or deletions inin submittedsubmitted copycopy inin conformityconformity withwith thethe policiespolicies ofof thethe paperpaper andand HHS.HHS. Á TheThe NIH Record isis recyclablerecyclable asas officeoffice white paper. 2 2 OCTOBER 6, 2006 OCTOBER 6, 2006 VOL. LVIII, NO. 20 ‘Watts Up’ NIH’s Environmental Management System (NEMS) is a strategy that aims at Some ‘Energy Month’ Suggestions for minimizing our impact on the environment by challenging employees to use Employees healthier alternatives in getting their jobs done. NEMS is sponsoring a lunch- time brown bag series on environmental topics. The film Kilowatt Ours will be “Watts up?” Energy Awareness Month. “Watts shown to kick off the series at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 18 in Bldg. 50, Rm. up” is the more than 30 million kilowatt-hours 1328/1334. of electricity used last month at NIH. That In this film, you’ll take a journey from the coal mines of West Virginia to the solar comes to a bill of over $4.5 million. panels of Florida to discover solutions to America’s energy problems. The 30- Despite this consumption, NIH is a leader in minute documentary provides a hopeful look at how energy conservation and energy management. NIH purchases over 3 renewable power can help improve the quality of life in the U.S. Kilowatt Ours percent of its energy from renewable sources, also provides practical ideas for you to lower your energy bills at home, showcas- which are non-fossil fuel sources. In the D.C. ing successful examples of homes that are saving hundreds—even thousands—of area, most energy is generated from burning dollars annually on their energy bills. fossil fuels, which releases contaminants into the air. These airborne contaminants lead to March Madness in October? elevated rates of asthma and other respiratory IC Directors To Compete in CFC Free-Throw Competition diseases.