Ear, Nose, and Throat

• May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
  When: May 2004
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

  About 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise every day and 10 million Americans already have related hearing loss. During May, which is Better Hearing and Speech Month each year, organizations around the country team up to get the word out to the public about hearing loss and offer free or reduced price hearing tests and assistance in obtaining hearing aids.
  
  Given the proliferation of noise through such avenues as headphones, amplification systems, and power tools, our daily exposure to noise may be far greater now than at anytime in human history. The greatest increase has occurred in just one generation, yet noise-induced hearing loss is completely preventable. NIDCD Director James F. Battey, M.D., Ph.D., notes in an April 2004 Time Magazine article, “The greatest increase in noise-related hearing loss occurs for people 45 to 64 years old. This is almost 20 years younger than we would expect.” Dr. Battey also notes in a March 2004 Washington Times article that hearing loss is caused by a combination of three factors, “the loudness of the sound, the duration of exposure, and the distance away from the source of noise.” More

  Next Steps
  To learn how to protect your hearing, call (800) 241-1044 for free information and publications or visit www.nidcd.nih.gov and click on Health Information and WISE EARS!®.  

Community Outreach

• Science in the Cinema Begins May 11 at the AFI Silver Theater
  When: May 11–July 13, 2004
  Where: AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring, MD
  Institute: Office of Science Education (OSE)

  The NIH’s free annual Science in the Cinema series begins on May 11 and will show movies with medical science-related themes. This festival, sponsored by OSE in partnership with the historic AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring, will be held at the Silver Theater.

  Each film showing will be followed by comments from a guest speaker with expertise in the film’s subject area and then by audience questions. Film titles and the medical themes covered are:

  • May 11: Silvia—depression and suicide
    
    
  • June 8: Dark Victory—brain cancer
    
    
  • July 13: Miss Evers’ Boys—Tuskegee syphilis experiments, human subjects research, history of medicine
  The films begin at 7 p.m. and free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis (there are 400 seats) through the AFI Silver box office the day of the show. All films are shown with captions and American Sign Language interpreters will be available for the post-film discussions. Science in the Cinema is open to the general public and is intended for a broad range of individuals who enjoy the cinema and have an interest in science and medicine. More

  Next Steps
  
  - For further information about Science in the Cinema, visit OSE’s Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema. To request reasonable accommodation, e-mail moorec@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 402-2470 [TTY: (301) 496-9706].
  
  - For information about the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, visit AFI Silver’s Web site at http://afi.com/silver or call (301) 495-6720. The AFI Silver is at 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, and is easily accessible by Metrorail via the Red Line’s Silver Spring station.  

• May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
  When: May 2004
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

  About 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise every day and 10 million Americans already have related hearing loss. During May, which is Better Hearing and Speech Month each year, organizations around the country team up to get the word out to the public about hearing loss and offer free or reduced price hearing tests and assistance in obtaining hearing aids.
  
  Given the proliferation of noise through such avenues as headphones, amplification systems, and power tools, our daily exposure to noise may be far greater now than at anytime in human history. The greatest increase has occurred in just one generation, yet noise-induced hearing loss is completely preventable. NIDCD Director James F. Battey, M.D., Ph.D., notes in an April 2004 Time Magazine article, “The greatest increase in noise-related hearing loss occurs for people 45 to 64 years old. This is almost 20 years younger than we would expect.” Dr. Battey also notes in a March 2004 Washington Times article that hearing loss is caused by a combination of three factors, “the loudness of the sound, the duration of exposure, and the distance away from the source of noise.” More

  Next Steps
  To learn how to protect your hearing, call (800) 241-1044 for free information and publications or visit www.nidcd.nih.gov and click on Health Information and WISE EARS!®.  

Environmental Health

• Obesity and the Built Environment: Improving Public Health Through Community Design
  When: May 24–26, 2004
  Where: Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC
  Institute: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

  This conference will examine how buildings and other constructed parts of our environment contribute to obesity, through, for example, facilitating access to food and reducing the need for physical activity. The conference also will investigate how environmental health research and interventions can address the public health problem of obesity. More

  Next Steps
  For more information, please visit www.niehs.nih.gov/drcpt/beoconf.  

Eyes and Vision

• V I S I O N Traveling Exhibit in South Dakota Ends in May
  When: May 2004
  Where: Sioux Falls, SD
  Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

  The NEI’s V I S I O N traveling exhibit wraps up its tour in South Dakota on May 16. More

  Next Steps
  Members of the public can visit the exhibit through May 16 at the Kirby Science Discovery Center. For hours and directions, visit the Discovery Center’s Web site at www.washingtonpavilion.org/ScienceDiscoveryCenter/Index.cfm.  

Medical Research Ethics

• Science in the Cinema Begins May 11 at the AFI Silver Theater
  When: May 11–July 13, 2004
  Where: AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring, MD
  Institute: Office of Science Education (OSE)

  The NIH’s free annual Science in the Cinema series begins on May 11 and will show movies with medical science-related themes. This festival, sponsored by OSE in partnership with the historic AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring, will be held at the Silver Theater.

  Each film showing will be followed by comments from a guest speaker with expertise in the film’s subject area and then by audience questions. Film titles and the medical themes covered are:

  • May 11: Silvia—depression and suicide
    
    
  • June 8: Dark Victory—brain cancer
    
    
  • July 13: Miss Evers’ Boys—Tuskegee syphilis experiments, human subjects research, history of medicine
  The films begin at 7 p.m. and free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis (there are 400 seats) through the AFI Silver box office the day of the show. All films are shown with captions and American Sign Language interpreters will be available for the post-film discussions. Science in the Cinema is open to the general public and is intended for a broad range of individuals who enjoy the cinema and have an interest in science and medicine. More

  Next Steps
  
  - For further information about Science in the Cinema, visit OSE’s Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema. To request reasonable accommodation, e-mail moorec@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 402-2470 [TTY: (301) 496-9706].
  
  - For information about the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, visit AFI Silver’s Web site at http://afi.com/silver or call (301) 495-6720. The AFI Silver is at 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, and is easily accessible by Metrorail via the Red Line’s Silver Spring station.  

Population Groups

• PBS’ American Family Campaign to Reach Hispanic/Latino Audiences
  When: April 4, 2004
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  In the second season of PBS’ acclaimed drama series, American Family, PBS will feature materials from NIDDK's National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) to highlight the prevention and treatment of diabetes for Hispanics. During the new season, which began April 4, 2004, American Family—Journey of Dreams will chronicle the daily struggle and triumphs of the Gonzalez family. More

  Next Steps
  PBS’ Web site is www.pbs.org/americanfamily. NDEP’s Web site is http://ndep.nih.gov.  

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