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February 10, 2004 Report of the Director

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
John E. Fogarty International Center
for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences

Written Report of the Director to the Advisory Board
Fifty-sixth Meeting

 

Table of Contents

1. DHHS, NIH, and FIC Personnel Announcements
2. FIC Budget
3. Programs and Initiatives
4. Regional Activities
5. Activities of FIC Staff Members

I. DHHS, NIH, and FIC PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dr. Gerald Keusch, who became FIC Director in 1998, left NIH at the end of December to become Assistant Provost for Global Health at the Boston University Medical Campus and Associate Dean for Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health. He will hold academic appointments as Professor of Medicine and Professor of International Health. During his tenure, FIC adopted the motto, "Science for Global Health," and launched a range of new programs and initiatives each targeted to fill a critical gap in addressing global health disparities.

Dr. Sharon Hrynkow has been named Acting Director of FIC by Dr. Elias Zerhouni. Dr. Hrynkow, a developmental neurobiologist by training, has been FIC Deputy Director since 2000 and has served in a range of capacities at FIC and the State Department. She will lead the Center while a search for a new FIC director proceeds.

Mr. Richard Millstein began serving as Acting Deputy Director of FIC in January 2004. Before joining the Center, he had served as Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) since March 1988 and as Acting Director from January of 1992 until February of 1994. In addition to being the NIDA Deputy Director he assumed the duties of Acting Director of NIDA's Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research from 2000 -2002.

Dr. Belinda Seto has been named Deputy Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Dr. Seto had been Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Extramural Research since January 2003. She succeeds Dr. Donna Dean, who left NIH in January to become Senior Scholar-in-Residence at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Norka Ruiz Bravo assumed the duties of NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research in early November. She also serves as the Director of the NIH Office of Extramural Research. Prior to undertaking this position, Dr. Ruiz Bravo was the associate director for extramural activities at NIGMS, where she oversaw the Institute's $1.7 billion research and research training grant programs from a policy, business, and scientific perspective.

Dr. Richard Turman has been named NIH Associate Director for Budget. He is the former director of federal relations at the Association of American Universities (AAU). Prior to joining AAU, Dr. Turman served as branch chief for public health agencies at the White House Office of Management and Budget from 1995-2000. He replaces Mr. Don Popke, who retired from the Government in September 2003.

Dr. Allen Holt, who had been at FIC since 1990, retired from Government service on October 31. Prior to his retirement, Dr. Holt was Program Officer for the Far East in FIC's Division of International Relations. Over the course of his tenure at FIC he had also served as Program Officer for Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe, and for Latin America and the Caribbean in an acting capacity.

Dr. Luis Salicrup, who was FIC Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, left the Center to become Senior Advisor for International Technology Transfer join the Office of Technology Transfer, Office of the Director, NIH.

Sir David Weatherall was a scholar-in-residence at FIC from September-December, 2003. Professor Weatherall worked across NIH to engage in thinking on clinical genetics. This culminated in the international conference "New Directions for Sickle Cell Therapy in the Genome Era," jointly supported by FIC, NHLBI, NIDDK, NHGRI, the NIH Office of Rare Diseases, and the Foundation for the NIH.

II. FIC BUDGET

Fiscal Year 2004

The House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Bill on December 8, 2003 and the Senate passed the Bill on January 22, 2004. The President signed the Bill on January 23, 2004. The following chart summarizes the actions on the FY 2004 budget:

FY 2003	NIH	FIC
Funding Level	$26,883,254,000	$62,193,000

FY 2004	NIH	FIC
President' Budget	$27,663,991,000	$64,266,000
House (Appropriations Bill passed July 10, 2003)	$27,663,991,000	$64,266,000
Senate (Appropriations Bill passed September 10, 2003)	$27,982,604,000	$65,900,000
Consolidated Appropriations Bill (Prior to across-the board reductions)	$27,982,604,000	$65,800,000
Consolidated Appropriations Bill (After across-the board reductions)	$27,651,003,000	$65,382,000
Percent Increase over FY 2003	2.9%	5.1%

Fiscal Year 2005

The President submitted the Fiscal Year 2005 budget to the Congress on February 2, 2004. Congressional appropriations hearings are expected to be held during March 2004.

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III. PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

NEW INITIATIVES

Program in Development: Trauma and Injury

To gain insight into new opportunities for research on trauma and injury in developing countries, FIC convened U.S. and international experts in June 2003 to discuss priorities for research, training and the development of new technologies to reduce the impact of trauma and injuries in the developing world. As a result of this meeting, FIC is developing a new research and training program to address the growing burden of morbidity and mortality due to trauma and injury. Among the features of the program, which will be announced in FY 2004, will be training across the range of basic to applied science, the epidemiology of risk factors, acute care and survival, rehabilitation, and the long-term mental health consequences. Possible research areas will include development of low-cost synthetic blood products and diagnostic imaging tools, identification of behavioral intervention strategies that are effective, particularly in youth and other high-risk groups, and health services research to determine cost-effective measures for emergency care in low-income settings. PAHO, WHO, CDC and NIH partners will co-sponsor this program.

FIC Strategic Planning

At the last meeting of the Advisory Board, FIC staff presented to the Board a proposed process for strategic planning. Broad objectives cited were: development of a strategic, coordinated, and disciplined approach to catalyzing research against major disease burdens; the establishment of a plan that will have utility beyond FIC; the formation of operational alliances with R&D agencies, where interests intersect; and augmenting the growing FIC constituency. In December, Dr. Keusch convened a group of outside experts to continue the discussion on FIC program directions. Among the areas of proposed new activity were engaging universities more fully as engines to advance global health objectives, addressing U.S. pipeline issues in global health by exploring how U.S. undergraduate students could engage more meaningfully with FIC, and leveraging more effectively the range of partners involved in capacity building programs abroad. Dr. Hrynkow noted that she would continue to seek input on FIC strategic directions during her tenure as acting director.

Colloquium on Career Paths for Women in the Life Sciences: A Global Perspective

FIC, ORWH, and NIEHS held a Colloquium on Career Paths for Women in the Life Sciences, October 15-16 at NIH. The meeting, which was opened by NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni and Dr. Wanda Jones, Director of the DHHS Office of Women's Health, gathered scientists and program directors from government and non-profit funding agencies in the developed and developing world to discuss experiences, needs and priorities of women scientists in the developing world. Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, then FIC Deputy Director and Dr. Vivian Pinn, NIH Associate Director for Research on Women's Health, convened the meeting to explore best practices for recruiting, retaining and promoting women in the life sciences and to consider ways forward. Participants included more than 70 academics, administrators and funding agency representatives. Recommendations for action include identification of resources to support gathering of country-specific data, determination of strategies to use the Internet and other electronic means to mentor and support women in the life sciences in the developing world, and determination of priority political venues that could be accessed to work toward enhancement of career options for women in the life sciences in low- and middle-income nations. FIC and ORWH will work across NIH and with other partner agencies to craft an action agenda and to implement priority items.

Roundtable on Management and Monitoring of Grants in the Developing World

FIC and NICHD hosted a Roundtable Discussion on the Management and Monitoring of Grants in the Developing World on December 16, 2003, at the Lawton Chiles International Center (Stone House). The purpose of the meeting was to bring together representatives from those NIH institutes and centers that support research activities in the developing world and to discuss issues and solutions associated with research funding in countries with limited resources. Discussions touched on problems and barriers as well as successes and best practices encountered in the various administrative processes for funding and monitoring international research projects in developing countries.

Agreement with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

FIC and NIEHS have agreed on a set of activities to be conducted jointly in FY 2004 to benefit both FIC and NIEHS. These activities include joint support of grant-writing workshops for foreign applicants, joint support of schools of neurosciences organized by the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), and a review of the collaboration between NIEHS and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Contracts and Intellectual Property Workshop for ICBG grantees

FIC organized in December an "International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) Workshop: Developing Research Access and Benefit-Sharing Agreements." The 50 participants were representatives of the 5 cooperative agreement (U01) and 7 planning grant (R21) ICBG awards, as well as government representatives from the co-sponsoring institutes and agencies and invited guests. The ICBG program supports cooperative agreements to conduct natural products drug discovery research in the context of biodiversity conservation and scientific capacity development in fifteen countries. It requires the development of equitable benefit-sharing agreements among all international partners, with attention to the laws of the collaborating countries and in the spirit of the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Developing country partners must have independent representation or advice in the development of these agreements. The workshop presented information on the legal, political and historical context of access to international genetic resources. Prior approaches to and experiences with contract development, informed consent, benefit-sharing, and public expectations were presented and provided a forum for discussions and questions. In addition, Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors, Inc. (PIIPA), a new non-profit international service and referral organization that addresses the need for expert advice and representation on intellectual property in developing countries attended the workshop and is available to assist the new ICBG groups in developing their agreements.

Science Writing Workshop for Latin American Journalists

FIC, with co-sponsors NCI and NIEHS, organized a workshop in October entitled "Science Writing Workshop for Latin American Journalists: Using Research to Report on Public Health and Medicine. The 25 participants, all of whom had previous experience writing on health and/or science, were from Latin America and from U.S. Latino media outlets. The workshop focused on HIV/AIDS, Tobacco and Cancer, and Environmental Health. Speakers addressed issues related to biology and the state of public health for each of the three topics; barriers to reporting; and the communication of science, particularly related to risk and prevention. Breakout sessions focused on case studies, and review and critique of recent articles on health.

Cooperation with Canadian Institutes of Health Research

NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni hosted the Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and a team of 16 CIHR scientific and administrative leaders at NIH on October 27 -28. The aim of the visit was to exchange information on program priorities and practices and to identify potential collaborative efforts. Dr. Hrynkow worked closely with NIH/OD and counterparts in Canada to shape the program and to ensure its successful conduct. Areas of discussion included stem cell research, health services research and global health. Both sides are now reviewing the many ideas that were put forward for potential follow-on activity.

The Role of the University in Promoting International Health Research

FIC convened on December 11, 2003 a second consultation on the role of the university in promoting global health. The meeting, chaired by Dr. Keusch and Dr. George Rupp, President of the International Rescue Committee, included senior academic administrators and technology transfer directors from a dozen large research universities. Participants continued discussions that were begun at the first consultation in 2002 of various ways in which research universities can build on their unparalleled research capabilities and technology transfer activities to enhance their efforts to improve global health.

Meeting of Medical Journals Editors

In follow-up to a FIC, NLM and NIEHS-sponsored meeting in September of medical journal editors from Africa and from four northern countries, FIC, NLM and OAR held a meeting on January 30 for Northern editors to discuss next steps in the project. Participants at the September meeting discussed the broad topic of biomedical journals in developing countries, with a specific focus on building capacity through collaborations between western medical journal editors and medical journal editors from Africa. At the January meeting it was agreed that the Council of Scientific Editors will act as a secretariat for this project and that it is envisioned that the work scope for this program should be developed within the next four to six weeks.

Mathematical Modeling to prepare and respond to bioterrorism events

In December 2001, a group of policy experts and mathematical modelers met at FIC and concluded that modeling could be of great value in helping biomedical-research and public-health policy-makers prepare for and respond to bioterrorism events. In part because relevant modeling expertise in the U.S. is rare, and few of the relevant U.S. policy-makers are familiar with the use of models, the group recommended that a "proof of principle" project be undertaken, to address "a limited set of decision-oriented questions about intervention strategies following an introduction of a particular agent." This led to a consultation at FIC in April 2002 that focused specifically on smallpox modeling, and began a dialog among modelers and experts in smallpox biology and epidemiology, terrorism-response and public-health policy. The DHHS Secretary's Advisory Council on Public Health Preparedness formed a Working Group on Smallpox Modeling, with a similar mix of members, which first met in December 2002 at FIC. The final meeting of this Working Group will take place later this month; several scientific manuscripts are now in preparation. In October 2003, a second FIC-coordinated Working Group began to analyze similar operational issues with respect to anthrax attacks; its second meeting will occur in April.

Mathematical Modeling to Aid in Preparation of Annual Influenza Vaccines

The FIC Division of Epidemiology and Population Studies (EPS), in conjunction with NIAID and the NLM, has developed a program to rapidly sequence influenza virus isolates and historical samples to help develop models to predict the genetic shift of virus to aid in the preparation of annual influenza vaccines. EPS investigators helped to identify the sample sources and developed the modeling techniques. The ability to conduct these analyses in real-time could expedite the development of vaccines against annual epidemics and future pandemics.

Career Fair for Foreign Fellows

FIC is working with NCI and NIEHS to organize a career fair for postdoctoral fellows currently participating in the NIH Visiting Program. This event will provide information on career possibilities in the Fellows' home countries, and on skill-building courses available to them as they start to navigate their next steps.

Gender and Global Health

In late April 2004, FIC, joined by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and CIHR, will organize a forum at NIH to discuss research that cuts across global health and sex/gender issues. Over the past year, FIC, ORWH and CIHR have teamed up to explore critical issues surrounding gender and global health research. A series of consultations with academic experts, non-governmental groups, and policy makers has provided crucial information about the nexus between gender and sex issues and key global health challenges, including interpersonal violence, stigma, and the spread of infectious diseases, as well as how gender and health issues are impacted by globalization. The April forum will provide information on lessons learned thus far and priorities identified at NIH and in consultations held in Thailand, the United States, Latin America and Africa. It is hoped that participants at the forum will help identify a few priority research areas that could serve as the start of partnerships and/or joint efforts.

Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP)

DCCP convened a series of meetings and activities to further the project's work:

• The DCPP editors met September 18-19 in Bethesda, MD;

• The 16^th DCPP editors' meeting took place at the Fogarty International Center on January 20, 2004;

• Child survival: From knowledge to action, January 26-28, 2004, Venice, Italy, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for Investment for Health and Development, co-sponsored by the DCPP. World Bank, WHO Headquarters and WHO Regional Office for Europe;

• The DCPP is co-sponsoring the meeting on Antiretroviral Drug Use in Resource-Constrained Settings at the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Science on January 27^th and 28th 2004; and

• The DCPP Advisory Committee to the Editors will met in Paris, France in February, hosted by the Pasteur Institute.

Symposium on Recent Scientific Advances in "Theobroma Cacao"

FIC is co-sponsoring the symposium "Theobroma Cacao: Ancient Crop, Medicinal Plant, Surprising Future." The symposium is convening leading scientists from around the world to explore the ability of agriculture to deliver life-changing advances in the fields of medicine, nutrition and public health, using recent scientific advances in cocoa as a potential model. Participants will explore these advances, engage in a broad discussion of the current state of science and provide the foundation to build scientific collaborations to further enhance the positive impact of cocoa and other food crops on society. Co-sponsors include U.C. Davis, U.C. Santa Cruz, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, The Smithsonian Institution, and Mars, Inc.

NETWORK MEETINGS

The 2003 combined network meeting for the PIs, collaborators and trainees of the Global Infectious Disease Research Training programs, International Malaria Research Training programs and the Actions to Build Capacity (ABC) programs was held on December 2 at the Philadelphia Marriott in association with the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene December 3-7. Presentations focused on:

• medical informatics, data management in developing country research settings;
• informed consent and community benefits and other clinical trial issues in developing countries;
• research management training; and
• opportunities for funding and collaboration.

In addition to the network meeting, a grants writing workshop for developing country collaborators and trainees was held for those who wish to apply for GRIP reentry grants or planning grants for infectious disease training programs.

FIC co-hosted a joint network meeting of grantees under its Maternal and Child Health and Population and Health training programs, December 3-4 in Washington, DC. These programs are funded jointly with NICHD and NIA and support short-term and long-term training for developing country scientists. The joint network meeting was the first of its kind for these programs and succeeded in establishing closer links between the grantees in these related fields.

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PROGRAM EVALUATION

FIRCA

The Advisory Committee for the FIRCA Phase II Outcome Evaluation met in December 2003. Discussions focused on the logic model, and the questions for the survey that will be used in the outcome evaluation. FIC expects to start a pilot of the survey in February.

AITRP

A final report for the AITRP Feasibility Study will be available shortly. Some preliminary findings are as follows: 1) AITRP principal investigators are prominent researchers, primarily based at schools of public health or medical schools; 2) trainees have come from over 75 countries, and represent most countries affected by the AIDS crisis; 3) countries not represented include Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, and Angola, war-torn African countries with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS ; 4) a review of documents suggests that long-term trainees (half the trainee population) arrive in the U.S. with high qualifications, are productive researchers during their AITRP tenure, and generally receive master's degrees upon completion of training; 5) AITRP program directors seem focused on preventing "brain drain" and have developed unique approaches and strategies to ensure that trainees return to their countries following their participation in the program; and 6) based on the collective opinion of a small number of respondents, it appears that AITRP is making a difference in the professional standing of returning trainees.

International Training Program in Population and Health

FIC plans to undertake a review of the International Training Program in Population and Health, established 10 years ago, prior to issuing a new RFA in 2005. A panel of experts, using the FIC "Framework for Evaluation," will begin the review in spring 2004 and FIC anticipates completion by the summer. It is anticipated that funding from the NIH 1% set aside will be available for this review.

Trainee Tracking

FIC is beginning Phase I of designing and piloting a web-based trainee tracking and evaluation system for its international training programs. The system will be based on the USAID international trainee tracking system, "TraiNet", currently in use in 300 programs around the world.

Comments on FIC Grants Information CD

The FIC Grants Management Office has compiled and distributes a CD containing information on the grants application process, specifically geared to foreign applicants. FIC will distribute the CD at a job fair for Visiting Fellows that will be held at NIH in February and is planning to modify this valuable tool based on comments from the fellows and others.

FIC Seminars and Talks

Mr. Donald Olson, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, gave a presentation on November 14 on "The Herald Wave of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Characterizing the Timing and Impact from Historical New York City Mortality."

Dr. Harold H. Schmitz, Director of Science at Mars, Inc., and Dr. Norman K. Hollenberg, Director of Radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, made a joint presentation December 9 on "Cocoa: Modern Science Investigates an Ancient Medicine."

IV. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Americas

FIC staff and representatives of Mexico's National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) are working to implement the agreement signed last year between NIH and CONACYT to collaborate in the funding of eligible Mexican scientists who participate in FIC's research and training programs, including the Health, Environment, and Economic Development (HEED) program, the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award (FIRCA), the Global Health Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP), and Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan.

Central Asia
Scientific conference on "Children's Environmental Health in Central Asia and the Middle East" (Tashkent, Uzbekistan, April 25-28, 2004):

FIC is working with ITREOH grantee Dr. David Carpenter (SUNY/Albany) to coordinate NIH participation in this conference, with additional support provided by EPA, the World Health Organization, Médecins sans Frontières, and the Uzbek Academy of Sciences. The purpose of the conference is to share information on the environmental threats to the health of children, promote interventions that will reduce the burden of children's disease, promote collaborations within the region and with public health professions in other parts of the world, and assist in securing of funds to support activities that promote children's environmental health. Through publication of the conference proceedings, a secondary objective is to bring the concerns about children's health in this region to the attention of the rest of the world.

Regional site visits

FIC has begun a dialogue with several ICs to explore their interest in organizing a series of site visits in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan (possibly Kyrgyz Republic), following the above-mentioned conference, in order to assess institutional capacity and opportunities for collaboration in priority public health research areas. It is likely that 1-2 grantsmanship sessions would be incorporated into such a visit as well.

ICBG meeting

(Tashkent and Samarkand, Uzbekistan, March 7-14, 2004): Dr. Flora Katz, ICBG Program Officer, plans to attend the first Annual Meeting of a new ICBG project (awarded September 2003) involving several US universities (with Rutgers University as lead) and several institutions in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic.

FIC Special Event (late February)

In advance of the above events, and in collaboration with CRDF, FIC is planning a special presentation/brown bag discussion, to provide a briefing and stimulate discussion on the region, including a report of a recent visit there by the CRDF Vice President, an overview of public health challenges, current activities, and opportunities for collaboration.

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

FIC facilitated a meeting attended by representatives of several NIH institutes and centers to report on the U.S.-CEE "Bridges in Life Sciences" networking workshop held in Budapest, Hungary, in October 2003. The presentations, given jointly with representatives of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), Los Angeles, California, provided an overview of key outcomes and recommendations from the meeting's eight thematic breakout groups, consisting of NIH-funded PIs and their CEE partners. A discussion of the recommendations followed, which included the feasibility of establishing a regular regional networking forum; the creation of a public, "real-time", regional database of NIH-funded research and training projects; and the need to develop a new funding mechanism to facilitate the effective activity of multi-center, multidisciplinary, multinational, integrated, regional networks. The presentation also highlighted CSMC's efforts in Hungary focusing on developing capacity in technology transfer and innovation management, another regional priority, particularly in the context of the continuing transition in this region (e.g., EU accession).

V. ACTIVITIES OF FIC STAFF MEMBERS

Dr. Sharon Hrynkow led an NIH team to Iceland September 17-21 in follow-up to DHHS Secretary Thompson's visit to Iceland in 2002. The purpose of the visit was to identify areas of collaborative pursuit to strengthen medical research efforts between the two countries. Topics included: aging, genes, environment, training of junior scientists and gender/global health issues.

Dr. Hrynkow met on September 25 with Dr. Roger Thalmann of the BioVision Initiative based in Lyon, France. Upcoming BioVision conferences to be held in 2004 and 2005 were discussed with a view toward potential collaboration.

Dr. Hrynkow gave a presentation on "Expanding Boundaries to Advance Medical Research: Lessons Learned at NIH and Ways Forward" October 17 at the National Research Council's Chemical Sciences Roundtable. The focus of the Roundtable was on "Preparing Chemists and Chemical Engineers for a Global Workforce"

Dr. Hrynkow gave keynote remarks on October 17 at the "First U.S.-EU DNA Repair Meeting: Endogenous Stress," which was convened by NIEHS and NIA. Her presentation focused on best practices in international collaboration and potential ways forward for U.S. and European scientists to work collaboratively.

Dr. Hrynkow joined Dr. Zerhouni on October 20 for a meeting with Japanese Minister of Science Hosada to discuss possible areas of collaboration. Among the items considered was the potential for NIH to host Japanese grants administrators as a means of sharing information and best practices. Since that visit, FIC, working closely with the NIH Center for Scientific Research and the Office of Extramural Research, has developed a 2-week agenda of visits to provide, on a pilot basis, overviews of the NIH grant review process.

Dr. Hrynkow represented FIC on CDC's Future Initiatives working group on Global Health. The working group will develop recommendations for CDC action in the area of global health in the coming years. Recommendations for cooperation between CDC and FIC/NIH will be part of the final report.

Dr. Hrynkow and Ms. Judy Levin met on October 22 with Dr. Usha Jeetah, the Ambassador to the United States from Mauritius, to discuss the Ambassador's proposal for a joint effort on women's health for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Hrynkow, Ms. Tomitch and Ms. Katie Herz met on October 29 with the Russian Deputy Minister of Health and a team of Russian academics and government officials to exchange information on program priorities and potential areas of cooperation.

Dr. Hrynkow briefed Mr. James Havemen, chief of health at the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, on the NIH proposal for rebuilding the medical research infrastructure in Iraq. Dr. Hrynkow is the NIH representative on the DHHS Task Force on Iraq. The briefing took place on November 6 at NIH.

Dr. Hrynkow, Dr. Gerald Keusch and Dr. Pierce Gardner represented FIC in a meeting on "The Role of the Fogarty International Center in the Globalization of Health Care, December 18 at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The event was hosted by Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed.

Dr. Hrynkow represented FIC/NIH at the initial meeting of drafters for the Surgeon General's proposed Report on Global Health. FIC will call fro input from across NIH to develop the report and will work with the NIH Director early on.

Dr. Hrynkow hosted Dr. Jack Galbraith, CEO of the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), and Dr. Rabia Mathai, head of CMMB global health efforts to identify potential areas of common interest and pursuit. The meeting took place February 3 at NIH.

Dr. Hrynkow, Dr. Zerhouni, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other NIH leaders met with Dr. Octavi Quintana Trias, Director for Health Research, EU, February 4 at NIH to exchange views on collaborative programs and priorities.

Dr. Hrynkow, Dr. Kenneth Bridbord and Dr. Dean Jamison met with Dr. John Boright, Deputy Executive Director of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, to discuss capacity building efforts with African academies of science.

Dr. Gerald Keusch participated in a Forum on Emerging Infections, "Learning from SARS," at the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. September 30 - October 1 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Keusch participated in the first of a series of meetings on Communications Strategies and Public Health initiated by the Aspen Institute October 13-14 in Washington, D.C. This meeting, "Public Health Journalism in Developing Countries: Gateway to Change" explored strategies for utilizing health journalism to aid in the detection, prevention, and treatment of communicable illnesses in the developing world.

Dr. Keusch, Dr. Kenneth Bridbord, Dr. Aron Primack and Ms. Natalie Tomitch participated in a U.S.-Republic of Georgia symposium on biomedical collaboration, "Past Accomplishments, Current Status, and Future Opportunities in the Caucasus" October 16-18 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Dr. Keusch gave welcoming remarks at a November 3-4 conference in Washington, D.C. on Globalization, Justice and Health hosted by FIC, the NIH Clinical Center Department of Clinical Bioethics, and the World Health Organization. The goal of the conference was to develop a framework to ensure that the forces of globalization promote the health of individuals throughout the world.

Dr. Keusch participated in the workshop, "Promoting Life Sciences in Developing Countries," and chaired a session on science and economic development. The workshop, which was sponsored by the Human Frontier Science Program, took place November 7-9 in Trieste, Italy.

Dr. Keusch Dr. Karen Hofman, Dr. Mark Miller and Mr. Robert Eiss participated in Global Forum 7 on Health Research November 26 - December 8 in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Keusch chaired the meeting of the Committee on Interested Parties, Center of Management of Intellectual Property Management, addressing health development challenges.

Dr. Keusch co-chaired with Dr. George Rupp, International Rescue Committee, the FIC-hosted meeting on "The Role of the University in Promoting International Health Research." The meeting, which took place on December 11, brought together university leadership and heads of technology transfer offices to discuss intellectual property and global public goods.

Dr Keusch and Dr. Hrynkow led a consultation to discuss strategic directions and activities for FIC with academic and private sector representatives December 12 at NIH.

Dr. Joel Breman participated in the 48th Meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Group for Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm) Eradication September 18 at The Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Breman attended the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) meeting October 9-12 in San Diego. He participated in the International Affairs Committee/IDSA meeting, spoke on new FIC initiatives, and organized the IAC/IDSA symposium on malaria.

Dr. Breman co-chaired the 15th and 16th Editorial Board Meeting of the Disease Control in Developing Countries Project (DCPP) November 24-25, 2003 and January 20, 2004 at the Stone House.

Dr. Breman attended the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting December 3-7 in Philadelphia. He co-authored with Jennifer Rosen and Mark Miller of FIC and Charles Manclark of FDA, a presentation entitled "Does malaria have an immunodepressive effect on the serologic response to measles and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccines"?

Dr. Breman and Ms. Cherice Holloway met on December 6 with the editor and managing editor of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Philadelphia to review the status of the upcoming 35-paper supplement to the Journal, "The Intolerable burden of malaria: II. what's new, what's needed?" The supplement is edited by Dr. Breman, Dr. Martin Alilio, formerly with the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria at FIC, and Ann Mills, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The supplement is scheduled for publication in summer 2004.

Dr. Breman attended on January 27-28 Board of Global Health, IOM, NAS meeting of the Committee on Antiviral Drug Use in Resource-Constrained Settings. The meeting was held January 27-28 in Washington and was co-sponsored by FIC.

Dr. Kenneth Bridbord and Dr. Jeanne McDermott attended the meeting of the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) November 12-14 at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Pierce Gardner gave a presentation on "Funding and Training Opportunities in International Development" at a regional workshop sponsored by the Global Center of the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, December 4 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Gardner attended the Director's Forum of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to hear Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, US Global AIDS Coordinator present "The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: Stepping Up to the Global Challenge, December 11 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dean Jamison gave a presentation of background work for DCPP on country performance on health October 31 at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Dr. Jamison gave a presentation on the objectives and status of DCPP at the Global Forum on Health Research in Geneva, Switzerland in December.

Dr. Jamison gave a presentation in Geneva, Switzerland in December on how DCPP background work is relevant to the mental health seminar and support group of WHO 's Program on Mental Health.

Dr. Jamison presented to the World Bank health group on the possible implications of DCPP (of which WB is a cosponsor) for Bank operations.

Dr. Richard Krause participated in a Tokai University - JICA-supported Workshop for Future Health Leaders of Southeast Asia in Tokyo, Japan in September. The workshop focused on various aspects of health care implementation and management, and was attended by approximately 20 mid-career scientists and/or health care workers selected by the Japanese Government. Dr. Krause gave several seminars on infectious diseases of importance to the region.

Dr. Krause gave a lecture on The Early History of Streptococcal Diseases October xx at the Colindale Public Health Laboratory in London.

Dr. Krause traveled to India for two weeks in October to continue his research on streptococcal infections of school age children at Chandigarh and Vellore. He returned to Washington via Hong Kong, where he reviewed the current information on the SARS epidemic of the prior season.

Dr. Krause participated in the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program yearly conference on emerging diseases, which was held in December in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This meeting focuses on emerging infectious diseases and brings together scientists and health care workers of Southeast Asia. This year, the discussion centered on AIDS, cholera, and other bacterial enteric infections.

Dr. Jeanne McDermott presented two sessions on training at the workshop "Conducting HIV Treatment Research in Resource Poor Countries," October 20 in Baltimore.

Dr. McDermott attended the HIV Vaccine Trial Network (HVTN) Full Group Meeting October 22-24 in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. McDermott attended as program staff three of the four review site visits for applications to the Phase II International Operational and Health Services Research Training Awards for AIDS/TB in: Haiti (November 5-7), China (January 6-8), and Uganda (January 21-23).

Dr. Kathleen Michels spoke at a symposium entitled, "Funding for Neuroscience in Developing Countries: It's Out There!" at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting November 8-12 in New Orleans. The symposium brought together five funding agencies with programs specifically targeting scientists in developing countries, FIC, CIHR"s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, the Wellcome Trust, IBRO, and the United Nations University. The event highlighted the funding agencies' increased focus on capacity-building in developing countries for neuroscience-related research.

Dr. Mark Miller participated as an advisor to the CDC Microbial Threats Strategy Meeting in Atlanta, September 23 -24.

Dr. Miller presented a paper on policy options for the use of Haemophilus Influenzae vaccine at the Gates Foundation Hib vaccine meeting in Seattle, Washington, September 26.

Dr. Miller participated in the Institute of Medicine's meeting on "SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak" September 30-October 1 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Miller and Dr. Cecile Viboud presented five papers for the "Options for the Control of Influenza V" meeting October 5-12 in Okinawa, Japan.

Dr. Miller presented opportunities to conduct research related to Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing at the DCPP Inter-American Workshop on the Use of Remote Sensing for Public Health. The meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 19-21.

Dr. Miller attended the DCPP meeting on "Trends in Child Mortality," January 25-30 in Venice, Italy.

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