HHS Secretary Names Five to NIAID Advisory Council
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced five appointments to the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council, the principal advisory body of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health within the Department of Health and Human Services.
The council provides recommendations on the conduct and support of research, including training young scientists and disseminating health information derived from NIAID research. The council is composed of physicians, scientists and representatives of the public who contribute their time and expertise for a four-year term.
The new council members are: Kim Bottomly, Ph.D., a professor in the section of immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.; Raif S. Geha, M.D., a professor in the department of pediatrics at Harvard University in Boston, Mass.; Ellen H. Goldberg, Ph.D., president of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico; Barton F. Haynes, M.D., chair of the department of medicine in the School of Medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C.; and Marie Saint Cyr, M.S.W., executive director of Iris House, a center for women living with HIV/AIDS and their families in New York, N.Y.
Dr. Bottomly is professor of immunobiology and dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. She was a member of the NIH Immunobiology Study Section and has served on several committees of the American Association of Immunologists. Dr. Bottomly’s research focuses on the factors that regulate CD4 T-cell differentiation and function. Recent studies have expanded these findings to understanding the role of CD4 T cells in the pathogenesis of asthma.
Dr. Geha is a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and chief of immunology at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Geha’s longstanding research interest is in the molecular basis of IgE synthesis and of primary immunodeficiencies. His work examines the roles of CD40 signaling in isotype switching, of SLP-76 in the function of hematopoietic cells, of the Wiskott-Aldrich protein in cytoskeletal reorganization and of skin injury in atopic sensitization.
Dr. Goldberg is president of the Santa Fe Institute, which hosts faculty consisting of Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academy of Sciences and MacArthur Fellows from around the world involved in interdisciplinary research. She is also a research professor in the department of biology at the University of New Mexico. She has served in various positions at the University of New Mexico, including chair of the department of microbiology, associate provost of research and dean of graduate studies.
Dr. Haynes is the Frederic M. Hanes Professor, chair of the department of medicine, and director of the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University. Dr. Haynes studies the biology of the human thymus and currently is focused on research to determine ways to reconstitute the immune system in HIV infection. He also directs an HIV vaccine program to design adjuvants and immunogens for induction of protective immune responses to HIV.
Ms. Saint Cyr is the executive director of Iris House in New York City, the first and only comprehensive program for women living with HIV/AIDS and their families. She is co-chair of the HIV Planning Council of New York City, chairs the board of the National Minority AIDS Council in Washington, D.C., and also sits on other advisory boards. Ms. Saint Cyr has been a fervent advocate for people with AIDS and their families since 1984, helping to bring resources to the communities in dire need of help.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
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