November 9, 2012, NIH Record, Vol. LXIV, No. 23
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NOVEMBER 9, 2012 The Second Best Thing About Payday VOL. LXIV, NO. 23 Research Festival Celebrates 125 Years of Discovery By Belle Waring he 26th annual NIH Research Festival, held Oct. 9-12, was a moveable feast. ABOVE · Did you know a campus stroll could T “Find out what is going on in this remarkable community,” NIH director Dr. benefit your heart? See story on p. 9. Francis Collins advised attendees in opening remarks. “Here’s a chance to enlarge your circle.” features Nearly 6,000 scientists conduct research in NIH’s own laboratories, most of them on the Bethesda campus. As the showcase for the Intramural Research Program, the 1 Research Fest Builds on Tradition of festival brings people together, invites Fostering Collaborations speakers and students and celebrates sci- ence for 4 days in October. The effects last 5 Renowned British Researcher a good deal longer. Addresses TB Workshop “I can tell you many stories about how this Research Festival has triggered many 9 collaborations,” said Collins, introducing NIAID Discovery May Help Eliminate River Blindness the quasquicentennial theme: “NIH at 125: Today’s Discoveries, Tomorrow’s Cures.” 12 The plenary session in Masur Auditori- Exposure to Nature May Help People with Depression um opened with 3 “big vision” talks. Dr. Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz participates in see festival, page 6 plenary session at Research Festival 2012. departments ‘Options Are Very Wide for You’ What’s Cooking? At Hispanic Heritage Program, Cintrón Researchers Study Ways to Reduce Encourages a Life in Science Indoor Air Pollution Briefs 2 By Carla Garnett By Cathy Kristiansen Digest 10 Milestones 11 Dr. Nitza Cintrón’s quest for scientific truths Simply preparing the family meal poses a began when she was a little girl, growing up deadly health hazard in much of the develop- in the small district of Santurce in San Juan, ing world. Household cooking and heating fires Puerto Rico. Eat your vegetables, her moth- contribute to almost 2 million deaths annual- er told her, because they’re good for you. They ly, with women and children most affected by make you healthy and keep you strong. That breathing in toxic smoke for hours a day. made young Nitza Solving this age-old problem is surprisingly wonder. Just how do complicated, requiring many more steps than vegetables work in buying off-the-shelf cookstoves and distrib- the body? uting them. There are numerous new types of “I really wanted to stoves that use a variety of fuels, yet little is know what made known about how much they actually improve things work—not air quality or benefit health. all things, but liv- To develop more expertise in indoor air pol- ing things,” Cintrón lution research, NIH recently hosted a 3-day said recently at NIH’s training workshop. Faculty experts from aca- 2012 Hispanic Heri- demia, non-governmental organizations, tage Month obser- Dr. Nitza Cintrón NIH and other government agencies gave vance, explaining The NIH Record is recyclable lectures and hands-on demonstrations of as office white paper. her 34-year science see hispanic heritage, page 4 see cooking, page 8 15-23. Tuition is $145 per credit hour and courses may be taken for credit or audit. Catalogs are available in the graduate school office in Bldg. 60, Suite 230; the Foundation Bookstore in Bldg. 10, Rm. B1L101 and the business office in briefs Bldg. 10, Rm. B1C18. To have a catalog sent, call (301) 496-7976 or visit www.faes.org. Informatics Lecture Series Features Cooper The National Library of Medicine Informatics Lecture Conference on ‘Sustainable Laboratories’ Series will feature “Machine Learning of Patient- The Division of Technical Resources, Office of Specific Predictive Models from Clinical Data,” by Dr. Research Facilities is sponsoring the international Gregory Cooper on Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 2 to 3 2012 conference “Sustainable Laboratories: Choos- p.m. in Lister Hill Auditorium, Bldg. 38A. ing the Right Equipment” in Natcher Auditorium, Cooper is a professor of biomedical informatics and Dec. 13-14. of intelligent systems at the University of Pittsburgh, The conference will host experts on a variety of where he has been a faculty member since 1990. laboratory equipment used in biomedical research, He is best known for his research on Bayesian animal facilities and health care facilities. The con- networks, especially work on learning. The talk will ference will address energy conservation applica- demonstrate that patient-specific modeling can tions in the laboratory in conjunction with choosing improve the prediction of clinical outcomes. “green” equipment that is compatible with ongoing Sign language interpreters will be provided. research and building operation. Participants will Individuals who need reasonable accommodation learn about energy-efficient technologies and solu- to participate should contact Ebony Hughes, (301) tions that are available when they purchase new or 451-8038, [email protected] or the Federal replacement equipment for their facilities. Relay (1-800-877-8339). For more information about Registration is free, but seating is limited. Online the event, contact Dr. Jane Ye, (301) 594-4882, yej@ registration can be found at http://orf.od.nih.gov/ The NIH Record is published biweekly at mail.nih.gov. PoliciesAndGuidelines/Choosing_the_Right_Equip- Bethesda, MD by the Editorial Operations ment.htm. Branch, Office of Communications and Public Workshop on Safety Tests for Pertussis Liaison, for the information of employees of Vaccines, Nov. 28-29 the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. The content is NIEHS, National Toxicology Program and Food reprintable without permission. Pictures may and Drug Administration scientists will join other be available upon request. Use of funds for scientific experts from around the world this fall to printing this periodical has been approved by the director of the Office of Management and consider improved methods and approaches for Budget through September 30, 2013. safety testing of vaccines that protect against per- tussis. The “International Workshop on Alternatives To receive alerts to our latest issue, send an to the Murine Histamine Sensitization Test (HIST) email to [email protected] with the words “Subscribe NIHRECORD” in the message body. for Acellular Pertussis Vaccines: State of the Science and the Path Forward” will take place Nov. 28-29 at NIH Record Office Bldg. 31, Rm. 5B41 the Natcher Conference Center. Register by Nov. 16 Phone (301) 496-2125 Fax (301) 402-1485 for this free workshop at http://iccvam.niehs.nih. Web address http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov gov/contact/reg_form.htm. Editor Richard McManus FAES Announces Spring 2013 Courses Varmus Addresses NCI Town Hall Meeting [email protected] The FAES Graduate School at NIH announces the Associate Editor NCI director Dr. Harold Varmus (above) appeared schedule of courses for the spring 2013 semester. at a town hall meeting hosted by the trans-NCI Carla Garnett The majority of the evening classes sponsored by [email protected] extramural awareness group (TEAG) recently at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sci- the Neuroscience Center in Rockville. He spoke on Staff Writers ences will be given on the NIH campus. Jan Ehrman scientific priorities for NCI, the scientific program [email protected] Courses are offered in biochemistry, bioinformatics, leadership committee and its role in the grant biology, biotechnology (daytime courses), chemis- approval process, the importance of program staff Belle Waring as the second level of review, the need to address [email protected] try, immunology, languages, medicine, microbiol- ogy, pharmacology, statistics, technology transfer, diseases at all levels and uncertainties in the budget The NIH Record reserves the right to make alternative medicine, GRE and courses of general for fiscal year 2013. Varmus also engaged in a corrections, changes or deletions in submitted interest. Advance studies in technology transfer and question-and-answer session with the audience about copy in conformity with the policies of the public health are also being offered. scientific and financial challenges. “The extramural paper and HHS. staff greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health Classes will begin the week of Jan. 28. Online and from the NCI director on his vision for the institute mail registration is Nov. 13-Dec. 28. An open house, and to address questions to him in the open forum,” at which registration will be accepted, will be held said Dr. Sonia Jakowlew, a program officer in the at the FAES Social and Academic Center on Jan. 9 Center for Cancer Training who chairs TEAG. from 4 to 7 p.m. Walk-in registration will be held Jan. 2 NIH RECORD NOVEMBER 9, 2012 2 NOVEMBER 9, 2012 NOVEMBER 9, 2012 VOL. LXIV, NO. 23 Lecture on Tackling Cataract Blindness in Pao Honored for Contributions to Child Psychiatry China, Nov. 14 at Stone House NIMH clinical director Dr. Maryland Pao has been Dr. Dennis Lam will give the Global Health Vision named the 2012 recipient of the Simon Wile Leader- Lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at noon in the ship in Consultation Award by the American Academy main conference room of Stone House (Bldg. of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). The award 16A). He will present on Project Vision, a chari- acknowledges “outstanding leadership and continuous table program with sustainable development in contributions in the field of consultation-liaison child which local eye doctors are taught to perform and adolescent psychiatry.” Wile, for whom the award cataract surgeries. Project Vision aims to estab- is named, was a renowned pediatrician and advocate of lish 100 charity eye centers in poverty-stricken child psychiatry. areas of China by Pao completed residency training in pediatrics, psychia- the year 2020. Since try and child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins 2004, 23 centers in 7 Dr.