NIH Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Program

This year, the NIH Asian/Pacific Islander American Heritage Program will celebrate its 31st anniversary. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities, which consist of two lunchtime programs on May 16 and 30, respectively.

On Friday, May 16, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Bldg. 31A patio, there will be sales of food from China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. In addition, the event will feature a bonsai exhibition, demonstrations of calligraphy, floral arrangement (Ikebana), self-defense techniques by the NIH Tae Kwon Do School and a performance of the Chinese Lion Dance by the Tai Yim Kung Fu School.

Two weeks later, on Friday, May 30, there will be a program of classical Cambodian, Indian and Japanese and Korean music and dances from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. A reception will be held after the music program. Details of the program will be provided in the next NIH Record.

Also on May 30, Dr. Michael M.C. Lai, distinguished professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, will present a seminar on "SARS: What Have We Learned from 30 Years of Coronavirus Research?" This will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in Bldg. 4, Conf. Rm. 433, sponsored by the NIH-FDA Chinese American Association.

Get Ready to 'Race for the Cure'

Registration for Team NIH continues. For those who haven't registered there is still time to do so either at local malls, coffee shops, stores and schools throughout the area or online at www.nationalraceforthecure.org/registration.html. The in-person registration fee is $25; the online fee is $30 before May 17 and $35 from May 17-30. There will also be onsite race day registration on June 7. Don't forget to indicate the code "NIH" when registering.

Race packet distribution (for those who registered at Bldg. 10) will be 11 a.m.-2 p.m., June 4-5 outside the second floor cafeteria in the Clinical Center.

On the morning of the race, Team NIH will gather at 8 a.m. at the corner of 15th St. and Constitution Ave. (look for the large pink NIH signs). For more information on Team NIH, contact one of the team coordinators: Pat Piringer, ppiringer@cc.nih.gov, 402-2435; Georgie Cusack, gcusack@cc.nih.gov, 594-8128; or Dianne Needham, dneedham@cc.nih.gov, 594-5788. Visit www.nationalraceforthecure.org for more details and background on the race.

OSE Needs Volunteers for the Community

As a student, were you ever inspired by a teacher or a visitor to your classroom? Before you became an NIH professional, were you ever curious about the mysterious disease afflicting your friend or family member? Did you dream of an exciting career? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then here's your chance to give back to the community, uncover the mysteries and inspire others.

The Office of Science Education (OSE) coordinates two volunteer services — the NIH Speakers Bureau and the NIH Science Fair Volunteers — through which you may share your knowledge and expertise. The Speakers Bureau is a list of NIH professionals who are available to speak at local schools and other organizations about NIH, a specific science or medical topic or their own research or career. OSE's latest effort, the NIH Science Fair Volunteers, is a list of employees who are available to judge science fairs. Both services function through a user-friendly database on the web, and are available to schools and other organizations in the Washington metropolitan area.

In preparation for the 2003-2004 school year, OSE is counting on NIH'ers' support to increase the pool of volunteers. Whether you're a research scientist, clinician, technician or an administrative and support professional, all employees may volunteer. Visit http://science.education.nih.gov/Volunteers to learn more or sign up. Who knows — you just may inspire a dream.

Orient Yourself to NIH via Computer

The Training and Development Branch, OD, has launched an NIH Online Orientation program that delivers a wealth of information about NIH. In addition to a broad overview of the NIH mission and history, the orientation includes a campus tour, pay and benefits facts, and information about staff rights and responsibilities. The program contains links to many resources that will assist new staff in becoming acquainted with NIH. New staff will be required to complete the program within 3 weeks of their arrival. But even if you already work here, you will find that the program is informative and useful. Bookmark the site for future reference.

The NIH Online Orientation can be found at http://orientation.nih.gov.

Statins Tested in Kids with Lupus

A new study funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases will be using statins — drugs used to lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol levels) — to test their effects against fat buildup in the blood vessels of children with lupus. Pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are sometimes affected by this fat buildup, also called atherosclerosis. In SLE, inflammation and damage to various body tissues can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and the brain.

Dr. Laura Schanberg of Duke University Medical Center and Dr. Christy Sandborg of Stanford University and their colleagues are conducting this 5-year study, known as the APPLE (atherosclerosis prevention in pediatric lupus erythematosus) trial, which will test 280 children diagnosed with SLE. The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will randomize patients to receive either statins or a placebo for 36 months. Atherosclerosis will be measured at baseline and at 6-month intervals using ultrasound imaging. The researchers hope that the statin treatment will have preventive effects on the arterial fat buildup that may occur in young lupus patients.

The study is being carried out in collaboration with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance.

SLE is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease. Women are much more likely to have the disease than men, and prevalence is higher among African Americans, Asians and Native Americans than Caucasians.

Women's Health IG Meets, May 21

The women's health special interest group will meet on Wednesday, May 21, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. Guest speaker will be Dr. Donald W. Pfaff of the Rockefeller University. His topic will be "Sex Hormone Effects on Specific Brain Mechanisms and on Generalized Brain Arousal."

Chamber Music Concert, May 25

The Rock Creek Chamber Players will give a free public concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 25 in the Clinical Center's 14th floor assembly hall. The concert, sponsored by the recreation therapy section, will include sixteenth and seventeenth century songs, a trio sonata by Quantz, a trio for brass instruments by Poulenc and Mendelssohn's string quartet, Op. 44, No. 1. For more information, call (202) 337-8710.

Employee Needs Organ Donation

An NIDDK employee with type A blood is in need of a kidney transplant. If there is anyone interested in being tested as a possible donor match that has either type A or O blood, call Wanda at (301) 524-7432. Federal government donors can use up to 30 days of donor leave, which is not associated with your sick or vacation leave.

Conference on 'Patient-Centered Care'

The first annual Epidaurus Conference on Patient-Centered Care will be held Friday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (with continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The conference will bring together leaders in the field of patient-centered care, including physicians, administrators, architects and bioethicists, along with patient advocates, to examine the challenges and principles of patient-centered program and facility design. Participants will look at what is possible in changing health care delivery and how to get there. Cosponsors include USUHS, Association of Academic Health Centers, Georgetown University and NIAMS. Registration is free to the first 200 registrants. Details and online registration are available at http://hsa.usuhs.mil/epidaurus.

Wednesday Afternoon Lectures

The Wednesday Afternoon Lecture series — held on its namesake day at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10 — features Nobel laureate (1995) Dr. Eric F. Wieschaus on May 21, speaking on the topic, "From Long-term Gradients to Local Cell Shape Changes: How the Drosophila Embryo Controls Its Morphogenesis." He is Squibb professor of molecular biology and HHMI investigator at Princeton University.

On May 28, Dr. Richard M. Locksley, Sandler professor, departments of medicine and microbiology/immunology and director, Sandler Center for Basic Research in Asthma, and HHMI investigator, University of California, San Francisco, will present "Tracking Immunity In Vivo."

For more information or for reasonable accommodation, call Hilda Madine, 594-5595.

FEW Brown Bag Set, May 13

Federally Employed Women, Bethesda chapter, will host Toy Taira, president of Potomac Change Management and co-author of Managing in the Age of Change, at a brown bag meeting on Tuesday, May 13 from noon to 1 p.m. in Bldg. 31, Rm. 6C6. Taira's presentation, "You and Your Organization — How to Overcome Obstacles," will advise on working through personal and professional changes and acquiring new growth skills. All are welcome to attend. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For other reasonable accommodation, contact Allyson Browne, 451-0002, or via Federal Relay, 1-800-877-8339.