Blumberg to Receive National Public Service Award
Dr. Peter Blumberg, a senior investigator in the Molecular Mechanisms of Tumor Promotion section of CCR's Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, was selected to receive a National Public Service Award for his work with deaf scientists and his contributions to cancer research. The National Public Service Awards are presented jointly by the American Society for Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration to recognize outstanding practitioners who have spent most of their careers in public service. The award will be presented at a luncheon during the 2007 American Society for Public Administration National Conference on March 26 in Washington, DC.

"Understanding NCI" Teleconference Slated for March 7
The next "Understanding NCI" teleconference will take place on March 7 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., EST. The topic is "How the Patient Navigator Program Helps Cancer Patients." The call will feature Dr. Roland Garcia, program director of the Patient Navigator Research Program in NCI's Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, and Dr. Beth Calhoun, co-principal investigator of the Patient Navigator Research Program in Chicago.

No registration is required and participation is free. Within the U.S., the teleconference can be accessed toll free at 800-857-6584; the passcode is PNP. Toll-free playback will be available through April 7 at 800-873-2035.

For additional information, contact the Office of Liaison Activities at 301-594-3194 or liaison@od.nci.nih.gov. Information on the Patient Navigator Program can be found at http://CRCHD.cancer.gov.

Breast Cancer Conference Scheduled for March
On March 26 and 27, the meeting "Preoperative Therapy in Invasive Breast Cancer: Reviewing the State of the Science and Exploring New Research Directions" will take place in the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus. The meeting is sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program in NCI's Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis.

The conference will seek to determine the state of the science on clinical use of preoperative therapy in breast cancer, as well as identify future research agendas. Leading breast cancer physicians will present the state of the science and engage in a panel discussion in which audience participation is encouraged.

If Memory Serves...

The first staff at NCI was comprised of Harvard personnel, most of whom had been working in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Schereschewsky in Cambridge, MA, which was later led by Dr. Carl Voegtlin (the first Chief of NCI) after Dr. Schereschewsky's retirement. Both Dr. Schereschewsky and Dr. Voegtlin were commissioned officers of the Public Health Service. (Read more)

For more information about the birth of NCI, go to http://www. cancer.gov/aboutnci/ncia.

The target audience for this meeting includes breast cancer physicians - medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, and others - as well as general interventional radiologists and surgeons. Patient advocates are welcome. There is no charge for this meeting, but preregistration is requested. The meeting will be webcast at http://videocast.nih.gov and Continuing Medical Education credit is available. Information about registration, the agenda, and faculty list are available at http://ctep.cancer.gov/bcmeeting.

Chromosome Biology Conference Slated for April
Registration is open for the NCI Symposium on Chromosome Biology, which will take place April 26-27 in the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus.

The meeting is sponsored by the Center of Excellence in Chromosome Biology in NCI's Center for Cancer Research. Topics to be covered include transcriptional regulation, chromatin structure, epigenetics, DNA replication and repair, and nuclear architecture.