NCI Staff Elected to IOM
Three NCI employees were recently honored with election to the Institute of Medicine (IOM): NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber; Dr. Elaine Jaffe, chief of the Hematopathology section in the Center for Cancer Research's (CCR) Laboratory of Pathology; and Dr. W. Marston Linehan, chief of CCR's Urologic Oncology Branch. Their membership, among 65 new inductees, was announced at the IOM's annual meeting on October 13 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Membership in the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, and it recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service. Current active members elect new members from among candidates nominated for their accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.

Davis Named DTP Branch Chief
Dr. Myrtle A. Davis was recently appointed chief of the Developmental Therapeutics Program's Toxicology and Pharmacology Branch (TPB) in NCI's Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Dr. Davis received her Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in toxicologic pathology at the University of Maryland.

Before joining NCI, she worked at Eli Lilly Research Laboratories as a research advisor in toxicology in their Investigative Toxicology Group, where she focused on the development of kinase inhibitors as therapeutic agents. Prior to that, Dr. Davis was an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where her research explored the mechanisms of toxin-induced apoptosis.

As branch chief of TPB, she serves as the toxicology expert for project and program teams in drug discovery through first human dose, provides mechanistic toxicology expertise, and creates and leads major research initiatives.

Understanding NCI Teleconference Series Continues
NCI's Office of Advocacy Relations will host its next "Understanding NCI" teleconference on "NCI's Cancer Information Service: Reaching the Community with Evidence-Based Resources" on October 29 from 2:00-3:00 p.m., ET. The featured speakers will be Ms. Mary Anne Bright, associate director of NCI's Office of Public Information and Resource Management; Ms. Lenora Johnson, director of NCI's Office of Communications and Education; and Ms. Carolyn Messner, director of education and training at CancerCare. A question and answer session for participants will follow their presentations.

No registration is required for participation. To join the teleconference, dial toll-free 800-857-6584; the passcode is: CIS. Toll-free playback will be available through November 29 at 800-216-6079. For more information about the "Understanding NCI" teleconference series and to learn about past teleconferences, go to: http://advocacy.cancer.gov/.

Breast Cancer Program-development Guidelines for Poorer Countries
The October 15 issue of Cancer includes a supplement developed by the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) outlining how low- and middle-income countries can implement breast cancer programs to detect and treat the disease according to a tiered system of resource allocation based on a country's economic status and available resources. Although NCI does not necessarily endorse the recommendations, the supplement covers topics such as breast pathology, radiation treatment, surgery, and treatment of locally advanced cancer.

The NCI Office of International Affairs, headed by Dr. Joe Harford, is one of 19 international collaborating organizations of the BHGI, which works to advance the global fight against breast cancer.