CCR Grand Rounds March 14: Dr. Todd R. Golub, Director, Cancer Genomics, Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Associate Investigator, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass. "Genomic Signatures for Cancer Classification and Drug Discovery." March 21: Dr. Timothy D. Veenstra, Director, Laboratory of Proteomics and Analytical Technologies, SAIC-Frederick, NCI-Frederick. "Clinical Proteomics: From Discovery to Validation." CCR Grand Rounds are held 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., in the Clinical Center's Lipsett Amphitheater.

Dr. Robert W. Miller Dies at 84
Dr. Robert Warwick Miller, Scientist Emeritus at NCI, died on February 23 at his home in Bethesda, Md. He was 84 years old. After receiving his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Miller trained in pediatrics, radiation medicine, and epidemiology, earning a doctorate in public health at the University of Michigan. In 1961, he joined NCI as chief of the Epidemiology Branch, where he carried out pioneering research on childhood cancer. The relationships he discovered between birth defects and certain tumors - such as Wilms' tumor - provided important insights into the genetic mechanisms underpinning cancer. Throughout a distinguished career spanning 45 years at NCI, Dr. Miller stressed the importance of alert clinical observations in providing initial clues to cancer etiology, and the value of interdisciplinary approaches that integrate the epidemiologic, clinical, and basic sciences. A memorial service in honor of Dr. Miller will be held on April 29 at 1:00 p.m. at the NIH Clinical Center, Lipsett Amphitheater. For further information, please contact Mindy Kaufman in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at kaufmanm@mail.nih.gov.

NIH Budget Hearings Slated for March
The House of Representatives hearing on the NIH budget is scheduled for March 16 at 10:00 a.m. NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni is the principal witness. The directors of seven institutes, including NCI, were invited to accompany Dr. Zerhouni to answer any questions relevant to their institute. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, will conduct the hearing. Additional information is available online at http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Detail&HearingId=670&Month=3&Year=2006.

The Senate hearing on the NIH budget is scheduled for March 29. Dr. Zerhouni is the principal witness, and will be accompanied by the directors of NCI, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Human Genome Research Institute. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, chaired by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), will conduct the hearing. For more information, go to http://appropriations.senate.gov/subcommittees/labor/topics.cfm?code=labor.

NCI Director Shares Personal Cancer Story
In the latest issue of Coping magazine, NCI Director Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach related his personal story of fighting cancer and how those experiences have influenced his life and career.

To read the full article, please visit the Director's Corner Web page at http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/FightingCanceronaPersonalLevel.

Advocacy Teleconference Set for March 16
The next "Understanding NCI" teleconference for advocates will take place on March 16 at 4:00 p.m., EST. "A Role for Advocates in NCI's Work: The CARRA Program (Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities)" is the featured topic. Panel members include Dr. Olivia Bartlett of NCI's Research Programs Review Branch, Louise Cunningham of NCI's Office of Education and Special Initiatives, and Dr. James Omel of the International Myeloma Foundation. Callers will be able to ask questions and participation is free. More information is available online from the Office of Liaison Activities at http://la.cancer.gov/teleconference.html.