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Health Plan Service Days

The following Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plans will be on the NIH campus during September to assist their enrollees who have claims or enrollment problems, or questions for the plan representative: Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Wednesday, Sept.10, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Bldg. 31, Conf. Rm. 9; M.D. IPA, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Bldg. 31, Conf. Rm. 9; Kaiser Permanente, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m. - noon, Bldg. 31, Conf. Rm. 7. You do not need to sign up for these service days. Assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

'Reasonable Accommodations' To Be Studied

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is conducting a study of reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities throughout federal government agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services has been selected as one of the agencies for review. EEOC staff conducting this study will be at HHS headquarters during the week of Sept. 8 and at NIH's Bethesda campus during the week of Sept. 15. Employees with disabilities who wish to be interviewed concerning reasonable accommodation at either of these locations should contact Peggy Leister at EEOC as soon as possible at (202) 663-4582 (voice) or (202) 663-4593 (tty). If you have questions or need accommodation to participate in the review, call Leister.

Wednesday Afternoon Lectures

The Wednesday Afternoon Lecture series -- held on its namesake day at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10 -- continues with the Margaret Pittman Lecture on Sept. 17.

On Sept. 24, the Robert S. Gordon, Jr., Lecture in Epidemiology will feature Dr. Jean W. MacCluer, senior scientist, department of genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and professor, department of cellular and structural biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Her topic will be "From Epidemiology to Gene Discovery: Finding Genes for Complex Diseases."

For more information or for reasonable accommodation, call Hilda Madine, 4-5595.

Cytokines in the Brain

The NIH Cytokine Interest Group is jointly hosting a meeting with the Neuroendocrine Immune Interactions Interest Group entitled "Cytokines in the Brain." The meeting will be held Sept. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in the Natcher main auditorium. Speakers will cover such topics as: effects of peripheral cytokines on CNS gene expression; cytokine-neuropeptide/neurotransmitter interactions; relevance of cytokine-CNS interactions to human physiological and clinical situations. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. A full listing of speakers and topics can be found on the Cytokine Interest Group's home page at: http://www.nih.gov:80/sigs/cytokine/.

Sickle Cell Conference Marks NHLBI's 50th

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the 25th anniversary of the National Sickle Cell Disease Program, a national conference, "Sickle Cell Disease in the 21st Century: Keeping the Promise of Treatment and Cure," will be held Sept. 18-20 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.

The conference goals are to review and update scientific advances in basic and clinical research, enhance understanding of the pathophysiology, management, and treatment of sickle cell anemia, and improve ability to provide education, genetic counseling, and psychosocial support services to patients and their families.

Speakers include NHGRI director Dr. Francis S. Collins, Dr. Marilyn H. Gaston of the Bureau of Primary Care, NHLBI director Dr. Claude Lenfant, Dr. Ronald Nagel of Albert Einstein University, Dr. David Nathan of Dana Farber Cancer Center, Dr. Arthur Nienhuis of St. Jude's Hospital, CDC director Dr. David Satcher, Dr. George Stamapoyannopoulos of the University of Seattle and Dr. Louis Sullivan of Morehouse Medical College.

The National Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc., also celebrating its 25th anniversary, is cosponsoring the meeting. For more information or for registration, call the NHLBI Sickle Cell Disease Program, 5-0055.

Schlessinger To Give Mahoney Lecture

Dr. David Schlessinger

Dr. David Schlessinger, chief of the National Institute on Aging's newly established Laboratory of Genetics, will present "X Chromosome Mapping and Developmental Genomics" at the 11th annual Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging on Monday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater. Schlessinger, who compiled a high resolution map of the X chromosome, conducts analyses of both microbial and mammalian genomes, including the initiation of map-driven analyses of development throughout human life.

Manchester String Quartet Returns

The Manchester String Quartet Series returns on Sept. 22. The 1-hour lunchtime concerts begin at 12:30 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. All are welcome. The series is made possible by a grant from Merck Co. Foundation. The 1997-1998 schedule includes these dates: Sept. 22, Nov. 10, Dec. 22, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Mar. 9, Apr. 6, May 11. For more information, call Sharon Greenwell, 6-4713.

ORWH Seminar Series Concludes, Sept. 25

The ORWH Women's Health Seminar Series concludes the 1996-1997 season with a look at "Alzheimer's Disease" at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25 in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10.

An overview by Dr. Marilyn Albert of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School will cover the epidemiology, diagnosis and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Donald L. Price of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will discuss the genetics of the disease. Dr. Rick A. Martinez of NIMH will talk about organizing a system of care for community-dwelling dementia patients. The program will conclude with a presentation by Dr. Rachelle S. Doody of Baylor College of Medicine on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A question-and-answer session follows.

The Women's Health Seminar Series is sponsored by the women's health seminar committee of the Office of Research on Women's Health. The annual series includes current research findings by nationally recognized experts. Admission is free and open to the public. Registration is not necessary. For more information, call 402-1770.

Mixed Media Art on Display

Sharon Louden, professor of painting and drawing at New York University and daughter of NIH's Marian Louden (OPM), will display a collection of her mixed media drawings at the Clinical Center gallery (outside Lipsett Amphitheater) now through October. The collection can be viewed daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Part of the proceeds benefit the CC's Patient Emergency Fund.

NMR Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The In Vivo NMR Research Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Oct. 7, in conjunction with the NIH Research Festival. The program at the Lasker Center (the Cloister) will feature lectures on in vivo NMR spectroscopy and functional neuroimaging by Drs. Jeffry R. Alger (UCLA), Chrit T.W. Moonen (University of Bordeaux) and Robert Turner (University of London), all of whom worked previously as investigators in the NMR Center.

Activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. with short talks commemorating the founding and development of the center, followed by the three lectures. A poster session (including refreshments) is scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Since its inception in 1987 with financial support from all ICDs that have intramural programs, the center has provided state-of-the-art facilities for carrying out in vivo NMR research with both humans and animals. The center's building has been expanded to accommodate independent ICD NMR research programs, and significant further expansions are planned.

For more information on the celebration, contact Daryl J. DesPres, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1-D125 (email: despres@helix.nih.gov).

NLM Convenes Diversity Council

NLM's Diversity Council recently sponsored a training program open to all staff. At the sessions, speaker Carole Y. Lyles (l) of the Diversity Training Group in Columbia, Md., explained the concept of diversity and its meaning to employees; drew distinctions between diversity, EEO and affirmative action; and described how diversity programs work within organizations. She also addressed the benefits of diversity to accomplishing NLM's goals. To illustrate how preconceived notions of groups can cloud one's view of a person, she showed a series of photographs of individuals, asking attendees for their initial impressions. She then repeated the photographs, but added an audio overlay that often had surprising descriptions of the person's background. NLM was the first of NIH's ICDs to establish its own Diversity Council, which plans to offer more training to staff and to survey which issues staff would like addressed. The council also developed a home page on NLM's intranet.

NINDS Summer Program Marks 13th Season

This year marked NINDS's 13th year of offering hands-on research experience to hundreds of students through its Summer Program in the Neurological Sciences. The class of 1997 conducted research projects such as elucidating the mechanisms of cortical plasticity, developing three-dimensional models of the skull and brain for presurgical planning, creating a retrovirally transformed neuronal cell line to study an apoptosis model of Parkinson's disease, and studying how the brain controls movement by sending messages to the spinal cord. According to Jennifer Rodriguez, who gave student remarks on behalf of the 125-member class, she and her fellow student scientists have been exposed to all kinds of exciting research through the NINDS Summer Program. "What has impressed me the most is that instead of just meeting with the scientists at NIH, we are interacting with them on a daily basis," said Rodriguez, a Yale University student who has spent 2 summers working in the NINDS Stroke Branch. "We work on projects that are not just academic exercises but actual research." For more information on the NINDS Summer Program, visit its Web site at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/eeo/summer.htm, or call Levon Parker, director of the NINDS Summer Program, 6-5332.

BIG Way to Beat the Heat

The NIH chapter of Blacks in Government recently sponsored BIG Ice Cream Day for employees at Bldgs. 10, 31, Rockledge and Executive Plaza. Left, employees enjoy cool treats supplied by Baskin Robbins. A raffle was held at each site as well. Right, is the winner of the Bldg. 31 "Sundae in a Box," Sharon Nieberding (c) of the Fogarty International Center, with Felicia Shingler, BIG president, and Earl Simmons, first vice president. Other winners included Saundra Butler of NCI at the Executive Plaza drawing, Dr. Leslie Serchuck of NCI at Bldg. 10 and Sherri Siegler at Rockledge.

Reduced-Price Meal Program Sponsored by NIH Facilities

Family Size

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Each Additional
member add:

Eligibility Scale
for Free Meals
$0-$10,257
$0-$13,793
$0-$17,329
$0-$20,855
$0-$24,401
$0-$27,937
$0-$31,473
$0-$35,009

$3,536

Eligibility Scale
for Reduced Price Meals
$10,257.01-$14,597
$13,793.01-$19,529
$17,329.01-$24,551
$20,865.01-$29,693
$24,401.01-$34,725
$27,937.01-$39,757
$31,473.01-$44,769
$35,009.01-$49,821

$5,032

The NIH Preschool and the Executive Child Development Center announce sponsorship of the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The same meals will be available to all enrolled children at no separate charge, regardless of race, color, sex, age, disability or national origin, and there is no discrimination in admissions policy, meal service, or the use of facilities. Any complaints of discrimination should be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250. Meals will be provided at the facilities listed below: NIH Preschool, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 35, Rm. 1B-05, Bethesda, MD 20892, contact Mary Haas, 6-5144; and Executive Child Development Center, 6006 Executive Blvd., Rockville, MD 20852, contact Anne Schmitz, 6-9411. Eligibility for free or reduced-price meal reimbursement is based on the above annual income scales effective from July 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998.


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