Announcements

Community Outreach

• Symposium on Biomedical Informatics for Clinical Decision Support
  When: June 21–22, 2004
  Where: Natcher Center, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD
  Institute: National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

  The symposium will focus on software tools and approaches needed to deliver biomedical information technologies to clinicians and patients at the time and place where decisions are made regarding risk, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. This symposium is the seventh in a series of annual events coordinated by the Bioengineering Consortium (BECON). This year's symposium will be a joint effort between BECON and the Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative Consortium.
  
  The meeting will provide a vision of the scientific future where health care information technologies are fully deployed in the clinical workflow to improve efficiency and outcomes. As health care systems accommodate individuals' variations, they will need mass customization using comprehensive life information records.
  
  In addition to increasing communication among software and computer scientists, researchers, clinicians, and the device and drug industries, the symposium will identify major challenges and opportunities that should be addressed by NIH policies and funding programs, including partnerships with the private sector.
  
  Immediately following the symposium, on the afternoon of June 22, there will be several satellite sessions as follows:

  • Using Semantic Standards to Integrate Biomedical Imaging into Clinical Decision-Making will explore the potential of semantic standards for enhancing meaningful integration of biomedical imaging into the clinical decision-making process.
    
    
  • Public Private Partnerships: Potential means to support Biomedical Informatics Resources will explore how public-private partnerships can support the development of Web-accessible public resources, such as databases specifically for validation of software tools (data analysis, data integration, and informatics tools) and the development and dissemination of open-source software.
    
    
  • A third parallel session will be dedicated to current funding opportunities across the NIH.
  Scientists are also invited to prepare and submit an abstract to be considered for a poster presentation at the symposium. Abstracts can be submitted at the Web site below. Continuing Medical Education credit is available for attendance; see the Web site for information.
  
  

  Next Steps
  The symposium is free for Federal employees, interns, and students, but the general public must pay $100. To register, please see www.becon.nih.gov/symposium2004.htm.

HIV/AIDS

• Salvation Army Workshop, An Umbrella of Care, Covers HIV/AIDS
  When: April 21, 2004
  Where: Bloomingdale, NJ
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  An Umbrella of Care workshop on HIV/AIDS gave Salvation Army employees a basic overview of current HIV/AIDS treatments and therapies, information on the status of HIV vaccine development, and details of how Salvation Army clients and others can access HIV/AIDS care services. Many individuals who are served by the Salvation Army are also at risk for HIV. The Salvation Army event was also co-sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and NIAID. NIAID officials gave an HIV Vaccine 101 presentation.

  Next Steps
  For more information, contact Matthew Murguía at (301) 435-7164.

Infections

• American Indian Students Tour Rocky Mountain Laboratories
  When: April 22, 2004
  Where: Hamilton, MT
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  American Indian college students from a variety of places in Montana dabbled in electron microscopy, genomics, and robotics during a tour of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. These laboratories, whose parent organization is NIAID, form a state-of-the-art research facility and attract world-class scientists to study infectious microbes that cause disease in humans and animals. Students belonging to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society requested the tour as part of the organization’s regional conference at the nearby University of Montana, Missoula. More

  Next Steps
  Contact Ken Pekoc at (406) 375-9690.

Minority Outreach

• American Indian Students Tour Rocky Mountain Laboratories
  When: April 22, 2004
  Where: Hamilton, MT
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  American Indian college students from a variety of places in Montana dabbled in electron microscopy, genomics, and robotics during a tour of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana. These laboratories, whose parent organization is NIAID, form a state-of-the-art research facility and attract world-class scientists to study infectious microbes that cause disease in humans and animals. Students belonging to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society requested the tour as part of the organization’s regional conference at the nearby University of Montana, Missoula. More

  Next Steps
  Contact Ken Pekoc at (406) 375-9690.

• Salvation Army Workshop, An Umbrella of Care, Covers HIV/AIDS
  When: April 21, 2004
  Where: Bloomingdale, NJ
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  An Umbrella of Care workshop on HIV/AIDS gave Salvation Army employees a basic overview of current HIV/AIDS treatments and therapies, information on the status of HIV vaccine development, and details of how Salvation Army clients and others can access HIV/AIDS care services. Many individuals who are served by the Salvation Army are also at risk for HIV. The Salvation Army event was also co-sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and NIAID. NIAID officials gave an HIV Vaccine 101 presentation.

  Next Steps
  For more information, contact Matthew Murguía at (301) 435-7164.

Oral Health

• Patient Advocates Forum on Oral Health Effects Convenes
  When: April 27, 1904
  Where: NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD
  Institute: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

  NIDCR hosted its fifth annual Patient Advocates Forum, welcoming 16 patient representatives from 14 organizations with a shared interest in the oral health effects of their respective disorders. NIDCR staff detailed new funding opportunities focused on research needs of particular interest to participants. In turn, the staff sought input from participants on how best to bring the expertise of their research communities into the grant application process.
  
  Forum attendees heard about the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, received updates on NIDCR and clearinghouse activities, and toured the National Library of Medicine. An informal advocates roundtable provided a venue to discuss issues that cut across the volunteer health organizations, including such topics as sponsoring scientific meetings, collaborating on common interest areas, and raising awareness of nonprofit organizations.

  Next Steps
  Contact Patricia Sheridan at (301) 594-7557.
  

Population Groups

• Small Steps, Big Rewards Aims to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
  When: April 28, 2004Shiloh Baptist Church, 9th & P Streets NW, Washington, DC
  Institute: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  A new program, Small Steps, Big Rewards: Prevent type 2 Diabetes, is the first national awareness campaign based on the findings from NIDDK's Diabetes Prevention Program clinical trial. Targeting overweight people above 45, the campaign promotes the message that people can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through moderate changes in diet and increased physical activity.
  
  Since the Small Steps, Big Rewards campaign was launched in November, 2002, by NIDDK's National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), Reaching Out to People at Highest Risk, NDEP has coordinated with its high-risk population work groups to develop tailored diabetes prevention campaign messages. On April 28, NDEP launched the following campaign messages for high-risk audiences:

  • More Than 50 Ways to Prevent Diabetes—African Americans.
    
    
  • Prevengamos la diabetes tipo 2, Paso a Paso (Let's prevent type 2 diabetes, Step by Step)—Hispanic and Latino Americans.
    
    
  • We Have the Power to Prevent Diabetes—American Indians and Alaska Natives.
    
    
  • Two Reasons to Prevent Diabetes: My Future and Theirs—Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
    
    
  • It's Not Too Late to Prevent Diabetes. Take Your First Step Today—Older Adults.
  
  In addition to unveiling the new campaign messages, NDEP also introduced the Small Steps, Big Rewards Team to Prevent Diabetes. The team comprises outstanding citizens and/or community leaders representing each of the campaign's target audiences. They symbolize the ethnically diverse and inclusive nature of the NDEP's diabetes prevention campaigns and serve as spokespersons to promote the campaign messages to national and local media, and their communities.

  Next Steps
  To ask about future campaigns, please contact Joanne Gallivan at (301) 496-6110 or Joanne_Gallivan@nih.gov, or Jane Kelly at (770) 488-5196 or azk9@cdc.gov.

Seniors' Health

• Spreading the Word About Diabetes at Aging Conference
  When: April 14–17, 2004
  Where: San Francisco, CA
  Institute: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  To spread the word about ways to prevent diabetes, NIDDK's National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) presented at a conference in San Francisco. The conference was co-sponsored by the nation's two largest professional associations for aging issues, the American Society on Aging (ASA) and the National Council on the Aging (NCOA).

  The NDEP participated in the following panel presentations:

  • Closing the Gap: Tools and Model Programs for Addressing Health Disparities.
    
    
  • The NDEP's Small Steps, Big Rewards Campaign: Journeying Together to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

  Next Steps
  For more information about the conference visit ASA-NCOA's Web site at www.agingconference.org. For more information about diabetes, visit NDEP at http://ndep.nih.gov.

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