NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH |
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, December 17, 1999 10:00 a.m. EST |
Contact: NHLBI Communications Office (301) 496-4236 |
The lead NIH agencies sponsoring the conference are the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR).
After all presentations and audience discussions, an independent, non-Federal technology assessment panel co-chaired by Edward N. Brandt, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Regents Professor and Director, Center for Health Policy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Julia Weertman, D.Sc., Walter P. Murphy Professor Emerita, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, will weigh the scientific evidence and write a draft statement that it will present to conference attendees.
Following discussion of the draft statement by conference attendees on January 12, the panel will meet in executive session to finalize their statement. A press conference from 1:00-2:00 PM on January 12 will conclude the Technology Assessment Conference.
For a list of presenters, to see the agenda, and to register to attend the January 12 press conference visit the TAC Web site at http://consensus.nih.gov. Be sure to prominently indicate that you are registering for the press conference.
The Technology Assessment Conference will be videocast, live, January 10-12, 2000 and can be accessed via the NIH Videocast Web site at http://videocast.nih.gov/. A minimum 150kpbs is required.
To register to attend the January 12 press conference, you can do so online at http://consensus.nih.gov or by calling 301/592-3320. Identify yourself as a member of the press.
Members of the press who are unable to attend the press conference can participate by using the toll-free line (800/CHAT-121) to ask questions of the panelists or presenters. Questions will be audible to on-site conference attendees, as well as those watching the videocast. If you plan to participate "virtually," call the NHLBI Communications Office at 301/496-4236.