The Newsletter of the NIH Alumni Association Summer 1993 Vol. 5, No . 2 date Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus Nominated as 14th NIH Director Ruth Kirschstein Named Acting Director President Clinton on A ug. 3 announced his intention to nominate Dr. Harold Eliot Varmus as the 14th director of th e National Institutes of Health. A Senate confirmation process must precede Yarmus· taking over leadership of the institutes. Winner of the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his work in cancer research. Va1111us. 53. is a professor of microbi­ ology. biochemistry. and biophysics. and the American Cancer Society pro­ fessor vfmoh:cu/ur >1iro/O£)' iJI l/Je Uni versity of California, San Francisco. He is a leader in the stu dy of cancer­ causing genes called "oncogenes," and an intemationall-y fecogni:z.ed authof\t-y Dr. Ruth l. Kirschsteln , acting NIH director on retroviruses. the viruses that cause Dr. Harold E. Varmus , direclor-designale AIDS and many cancers in animnl.. FIC 25 Years Old In '93 Thirty-eight-year NIH veteran Dr. Research Festival '93 Schedule Ruth Kirschstein. director of NIGM S Scholars-in-Residence (See Director p. 6) NIHAA Members Invited Program Celebrates To Alumni Symposium In This Issue Tile fas\ morning ofNCH Rc:-.c;\rch Nursing cell/er /J1·1·111111•s Festival '93-Monday. Sept. 20-has This year. the Fogarty Intern ational 17th i11s1it11tc• 111 NII/ p. ? been designated National lnsritute of Center (FIC) is 25 years old . T he cen­ Greeri11gs from 1/,11 1w11• NII /AA prl'sidt'lll. Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Tltolll(IS .I. K 1•1111edy. .Ir. fl. 3 ter was created by Executive Order in Diseases Alumni Day. This event is Cale11dar fl· .J 1968 as a memorial to the late Rep. being celebrated with a symposium Ne11•s fro111a11d11/m111 NIIlt\A mc•m/Jers John E. Fogarty who. during his long entitled ..Contribution of Basic Science mul/ oreip,11 chafltt•rs fl· 9 career as a congressman from Rhode to Biomedical Research.. sponsored by Sde11cl' research updm<·s i11 Island. became a powerful advocate of //1111w11 g1·111•1i1·.w11tli1•s fl.l.J N IH and NIDOK in honor of Dr. internat ional collaboration in health /low i111em111i<11w/ i.v Niii? p.18 Elizabeth F. Neufe ld, recipient of the research. In his later years in Congress, I frrhert G111frc1111d re111i11i,,·ces 1993 Distinguished A lumni A wmd. he became deeply interes ted in imern a­ aho111 his years as PICsd1nlar 11.19 Neufeld was chosen for her outstand­ tional health and was often a member A loo~ at Sw11e lloutc p.10 ing contributions toward the under­ of the U.S. delegation to the World AIDS co11fen•111·e to /I(' ht'itl m NII/ 11.21 standing and diagnosis of a group of Health Assembly where he advocated 81·rnadi111• l-lealy·s prrfiw1· 111 hereditary diseases known as mucopoly­ ··111\'es11111•111for l/111111111i1y" p.22 collaborative research at the intern a­ saccharide storage disorders. including Niii Not1'.t 11.2.> tional level. Hurler's and Hunter" s syndromes. Niii Re1ms/1<'ctin'.1 11.30 W hen the FlC was founded th e These often fata l disorders are charac­ Cli11irnl Cemer .Jll//1 a1111i1·1•rs11ry Scholars-in-Residence Program was c1•/l'im11itJ11 higlilightl'll 11.31 terized by an excessively high accumu­ crcaiccl to bring biomedical scientists lation ofmucopolysaccharide. within (see Scholars p . I 7) (See Symposium p. 7) N I H A A UPDATE Nursing Center Becomes 17th Institute at NIH Thank you to our friends Whai"s in a name? If the staff of the The NIH AA wannly welcomes the fol ­ new National lnstitute of Nursing lowing organizations that joined in the cate­ Research were asked this question, the gory of..Friends .. and wishes to acknowl­ edge its apprec iation for their generous answer would surely be "a lot more support: than one would think." Formerly the A111erica11 Association ofRetired National Center for Nursing Research, Persons the newly created institute, its staft, U11iwrsity ofAlabama School of friends. colleagues and the nursing Medicine at Birmingha111 Amerirnn Cvc111a111id community are looking forward to cele­ Boehringer ingelheim brating the new status. Boehri11ger Mannheim "People ask me why institute status NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF N URSING RESEARC H Unfrersity ofSouthern California is so important.'' said Dr. Ada Sue The National Institute of Nursing Research School ofMedici11e Florida Clinical Practice Association. Hinshaw. NINR director. ;'I tell them logo. The NR stands for nursin gresearch , Inc. that it is a matter of perception, which and the fl ame symbolizesknowledge. Hmw rrd Unfrersity Sc/roof ofDe111al includes a sense of stabi lity, stature and Medicine something I am proud ro support.·· importance for nursing research within Unfrersiry ofIowa College of The institute·s pw·pose is to provide a Medicine the health research community." strong scientific base for nursing prac­ R. W . .lolrnson Phar111ace111ical The change from center to institute Research lnsti1111e tice, answering such questions as: how began on the evening ofJune I 0, when Marion Merrell Dow Research lnsriwte can nurses help mothers-to-be prevent President Clinton signed the NJ 1-1 Revi­ Mehar1:,· Medical College low birth weight babies? How can the Miles. /11 c. talization Act of 1993, thus creating the extent of a child's pain be dete1mined Unfrersity ofMinnesota Program in N INR. a mo ng other things. HHS Critinil Cun: S11rge1y so that the right help can be given? Secretary Donna Shalala then signed U11i1-ersity ofNorth Carolina Sc/root of What can nurses do to help women deal the corresponding Federal Register Medicine w ith the typical symptoms of meno­ Parke-Dal'is Plwrmacewical Research notice on June 14, which formally added pau se? How can older people live Pe1111 Sime Unirersity College of the seventeenth insti tute to NlH. In her Medicine & Unirersi1y Hospiwl independent lives as long as possible? press release announcing the NlNR. Mediwl College ofPen11syfl'(l11ia Jn addition to ameliorating illness, Smi//1Kli11e Beeclram Secretary Shalala said, " I nm particular­ nurse scientists study health promotion Unil'ersity ofTe111ressee College of ly pleased that nursing research has and disease prevention. including how De111isrrv received this recognition. Nursing Wye//1-Ayerst to moti vate people to adopt healthy research makes a vital contribution to lifestyles. lnnova tive approaches are We also would like IO thank Glaxo Inc .. improving th e nation's health. Strength­ Sandoz Research lnstiLUte and 1he Upjohn also developed and tested to improve ening th at research role is certain ly Company for bearing the considerable the delivery of health care through high expense of underwriting NIH AA Upd(J[l'. quality nursing services. N ursing The Foundation for Advanced Education research is strongly collaborative. in the Sciences (FAES) has generously and continually supported NTHAA. Nurse scientists work closely with We would also like to express our deep many health disciplines to find answers appreciation 10 1he following contributors to to health problems. Nll-IAA -sponsored events in 1992: According to Hinshaw . ..What has Clrarles Rfrer Laboratories been especially gratifying is the sup­ Nmirmal For111dc11io11 for Infectious Diseases port. encouragement and assistance of Peptide Technology Limited our NIH colleagues dating from the Ta/.:aro S/r11:0 Co.. Ltd. time we first arrived on campus in Wamer-La111ber1/Parke·D(/\·is 1986. We lpok forward ro continuing Plwr111ace11tical Researclr. OLLI' good relationships and productive Credit collaborations as we all work towards NIHAA Updme is supporred by gr<1111sfro111 furthering re search in the interest of Ghr.ro Inc.. Sando: Research l11sti1111c and Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw good health.,. tire Upjolrn Comptmy. 2 SUMMER 1 9 9 3 Greetings from the New NIHAA President, Thomas J. Kennedy, Jr. The NIHAA Updme is the 11ell'sleuer ofthe NIH Alumni A.1·sotiatio11. The NIHAA office The high light~ r perhaps more is a1 9!01 Old Ce(Jr gc1ow11 Rd .. Bct!tesdo. accurately. the l ow li ght~f the past MD 20814. (301) 530-0567. year was the calamity th at befell Joe Editor's Note Held. president of NlHAA. Out of the The NIHAJ\ Updme ll'elcomes leuers and blue last October he had a serious intra­ news from readers. \Ve wish not only to cranial hemorrhage from an aneurysm: bring alumni news about NI/-/ , bw also to sen 1e as a means f or reporting information was suspended precariously between about al11 11111i- their co 11cems. information life and death for a seemingly endless 011 recent appointments. honors. books pub­ period, and then hung for an agonizing­ lished and other de1·elopmews ofiwerest to their col/eag1ll!s. If you lull'e 11ell'S about ly extended interval in a state in which 1•011rse/f or a/Joi// otlter al1111111i, or com­ th e completeness of recovery was in i11ems "" and s11ggestio 11 .~fo r the NIHAA deep doubt. But I guess it was a high­ Update. plettse drop a note to the ediwr. We reserl'e the right to edit materials. light after all because. all of a sudden. Editor: Harriet R. Greenwald everything changed for th e beuer and Joe is now his old self-energetic, full NIHAA Newsletter Etlitorial i\dvisory Committee or bright ideas, and working hard to Robert G. Martin. Clwirman Dr. Th omas J. Kennedy, Jr. Linda J. Brown Michael M. Goffe.mum inspire us all onward and upward. Jerome G. Green Harriet R. Greenll'ald Again. personal experience brings tion of imramural research at 11-1 . Victoria A. /larden Col/ee11 He11ric/1se11 home th e realization th at modern medi­ f/ m·ve}' Klein Almer Louis Nmkins John Sherman presented the NI HAA Lois A°.Sal:111a11 Philip£.