The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are offering a conference/workshop on January 28 and 29, 2002, titled, Dietary Supplement Use in Women: Current Status and Future Directions.

Travel Awards are available to encourage young scientists in training to participate in the Conference and Workshop.

The Conference/Workshop will be held at the William H. Natcher Conference Center located on the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The agenda and other relevant information may be found at the following Web site: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/meetings/past.cfm.

The goal of the conference is to develop a focused research program in this area. The issues to be explored include:

• Characteristics of women at different developmental and physiological stages who consume dietary supplements
• Exposure estimates regarding dietary supplement use: who and what
• Current knowledge of dietary status of women across this development period
• Identification of developmental differences over this period in the life span that affect physiological functions and bioavailability of nutrients and other bioactive substances, combined with environmental factors that influence behavior (development of attitudes and beliefs)
• Issues and data gaps related to supplement use in women, such as, safety and various types of interactions, i.e., drug/nutrient interactions, nutrient/nutrient, supplement/drug, etc.
• Evaluation of current justifications for use, including:
  
  • Effects of dietary supplement use in women on risk factors of adult disease(s)
  • Relative role of diet and/or dietary supplements to meet national health goals for women
  • The need for supplements in the context of reproductive health, healthy pregnancy, birth outcomes, and lactation

Nominees may be students pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. degrees, or a recent Ph.D. or M.D. engaged in postdoctoral research in the biological sciences.

A candidate for a Travel Award must be nominated by the current or immediate past mentor or a close senior colleague. The nomination includes a curriculum vita of the candidate, with both a fax number and e-mail address, along with a letter of support from the nominating mentor/senior colleague.

Awardees will receive complimentary registration and a travel stipend of $600 to help defray costs for attending the Conference/Workshop.

Nominations will be accepted until January 02, 2002. If you have any questions please contact Tonya Womack at 301-498-8805. Nominations should be sent to the following address:

Dietary Supplement Use in Women Conference
c/o Tonya Womack
Natcher Conference Center
45 Center Drive, Room 2BC02
Bethesda, MD 20892
FAX: 301-498-0844