The Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 President's Budget for NIA (including AIDS) is $879,961,000, an increase of 12.0 percent over the FY 2001 comparable estimate of $786,452,000. Funding for AIDS-related research increases from $4,386,000 in FY 2001 to $4,985,000 in FY 2002, an increase of 13.7 percent.
The FY 2002 President's Budget for NIH (including AIDS) increases from $20,298,269,000 in FY 2001 to $23,041,902,000 in FY 2002, an increase of 13.5 percent. AIDS funding increases by 11.5 percent in FY 2002, from $2,243,365,000 in FY 2001 to $2,501,352,000.
Overall Budget Policy One of NIH's highest priorities is the funding of medical research through research project grants (RPGs). Support for RPGs allows NIH to sustain the scientific momentum of investigator-initiated research while providing new research opportunities. The FY 2002 NIA request provides an average cost increase for competing RPGs that is less than the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI) due to a one-time adjustment for a major Alzheimer's disease clinical trial to be funded in FY 2001. Noncompeting RPGs will receive increases of 3 percent on average for recurring direct costs. In FY 2002, total RPGs expected to be funded will be 1,344 awards, an increase of 69 awards over the FY 2001 estimate, the previous highest annual total ever awarded.
Promises for advancement in medical research are dependent on a continuing supply of new investigators with new ideas. In the FY 2002 request, NIA will support 572 pre- and postdoctoral trainees in full-time training positions. An increase of 10 percent over FY 2001 levels is provided for stipends and training-related expenses (e.g., health insurance, research supplies and equipment, and travel to scientific meetings).
NIA FY 2002 President's Budget - Mechanism Discussion The FY 2002 request includes funding for 1,344 research project grants , compared to 1,275 in FY 2001 and 1,196 in FY 2000. Of these 1,344 awards, 385 will be competing research project grants and 887 will be noncompeting awards. In addition, the request includes funding for 72 SBIR/STTR grants.
Funding for the Centers mechanism increases by 5.6 percent over the FY 2001 level.
The FY 2002 request includes an increase of 8.3 percent over the FY 2001 level for Other Research . Most of this increase will support 173 positions in the Research Career Awards Program, including the AD Clinical Research and Training Awards initiative.
Funding for Contracts in FY 2002 increases by 25.4 percent over the FY 2001 level to support an anticipated rise in the amounts that will be assessed under the one-percent set-aside authority for program evaluation, and as support for the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research and for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FY 2002 request includes a 9.9 percent increase over the FY 2001 level for Intramural Research and an 11.5 percent increase over the FY 2001 level for RMS. (Contact: Ms. Karyn Ross, FMISB, 301/496-9147)
Legislative Action S. Res. 19, the Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001 On February 13, Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced S. Res. 19, the Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001, to express the sense of the Senate that funding for the NIH should be increased by $3.4 billion in FY 2002. On April 4, by a vote of 96 to 4, the Senate passed the bill as an amendment to House Concurrent Resolution 83, the FY 2002 federal budget resolution. H.C. Res. 83, which is non-binding, originally assumed a $2.8 billion increase for NIH, consistent with the President's request. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chairman, Senate Committee on Budget, has indicated that he will move to drop the amendment when members of the House and Senate meet to reconcile their differing versions of the resolution in a conference committee. H.R. 1144, Disease Research Revitalization Act On March 21, Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced H.R.1144, the Disease Research Revitalization Act, which would increase the federal investment in research on cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and asthma by $2 billion for FY 2002, and express the sense of the House of Representatives that the federal investment in such research should be increased each year from FY 2003 through 2006. The measure has one cosponsor and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration. H.R. 632, Men's Health Act of 2001 On February 14, Representative Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-CA) introduced H.R. 632, the Men's Health Act of 2001. The bill, which would establish an Office of Men's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, is similar to H.R. 4653 of the 106th Congress. H.R. 632 has 67 cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration. H.R. 663, National Center for Social Work Research Act On February 14, Representative Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) introduced H.R. 663, the National Center for Social Work Research Act. The bill would establish a National Center for Social Work Research at the NIH. The purpose of this Center would be to support and disseminate information about basic and clinical social work research and training, with emphasis on service to underserved and rural populations. H.R. 663 has 19 cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) introduced a companion bill, S. 70, in the Senate. S. 70 has four cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for consideration. S. 723, Stem Cell Research Act of 2001 On April 5, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, introduced S. 723, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell generation (derivation) and research. S. 723, which has 12 cosponsors, was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for consideration. Executive Action
Legislative Action
S. Res. 19, the Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001 On February 13, Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced S. Res. 19, the Biomedical Revitalization Resolution of 2001, to express the sense of the Senate that funding for the NIH should be increased by $3.4 billion in FY 2002. On April 4, by a vote of 96 to 4, the Senate passed the bill as an amendment to House Concurrent Resolution 83, the FY 2002 federal budget resolution. H.C. Res. 83, which is non-binding, originally assumed a $2.8 billion increase for NIH, consistent with the President's request. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chairman, Senate Committee on Budget, has indicated that he will move to drop the amendment when members of the House and Senate meet to reconcile their differing versions of the resolution in a conference committee.
H.R. 1144, Disease Research Revitalization Act On March 21, Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced H.R.1144, the Disease Research Revitalization Act, which would increase the federal investment in research on cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and asthma by $2 billion for FY 2002, and express the sense of the House of Representatives that the federal investment in such research should be increased each year from FY 2003 through 2006. The measure has one cosponsor and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.
H.R. 632, Men's Health Act of 2001 On February 14, Representative Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-CA) introduced H.R. 632, the Men's Health Act of 2001. The bill, which would establish an Office of Men's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, is similar to H.R. 4653 of the 106th Congress. H.R. 632 has 67 cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.
H.R. 663, National Center for Social Work Research Act On February 14, Representative Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) introduced H.R. 663, the National Center for Social Work Research Act. The bill would establish a National Center for Social Work Research at the NIH. The purpose of this Center would be to support and disseminate information about basic and clinical social work research and training, with emphasis on service to underserved and rural populations. H.R. 663 has 19 cosponsors and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) introduced a companion bill, S. 70, in the Senate. S. 70 has four cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for consideration.
S. 723, Stem Cell Research Act of 2001 On April 5, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, introduced S. 723, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell generation (derivation) and research. S. 723, which has 12 cosponsors, was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for consideration.
Executive Action
On April 12, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced that the patient privacy rule, as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) (P.L. 104-191), is final. The Department is currently preparing guidelines for implementing this rule.
(Contact: Ms. Mary Jo Hoeksema, NIA Legislative Officer, 301-496-0261)
Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Parkinson's Disease Working Group Meeting The Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging (NNA) Program cosponsored, with NINDS and NIMH, a two-day working group meeting on "Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Parkinson's Disease" held on January 25 and 26, 2001. Seventeen extramural scientists were invited to participate. This workshop is part of an effort to stimulate research on the non-motor aspects of Parkinson's disease. Participants were divided into two focus groups: I-Depression and Parkinson's disease; II-Interactions and overlap of psychiatric and cognitive changes associated with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Some of the recommendations included: research on clinical trials for the treatment of non-motor symptoms, such as depression; development of new animal models, at all levels from invertebrates to primates; establishment of a national primate facility to facilitate non-human primate research; establishment of a national brain bank for Parkinson's disease patients to allow correlation of neuropathology and clinical symptoms; and development of a minimal dataset for Parkinson's disease to be used by investigators in the field. Specific recommendations will be formulated in the near future. (Contact: Dr. Judith Finkelstein, NNA, 301/496-9350) The Biology of Aging Program (BAP) sponsored a Functional Senescence Workshop held April 23-25, 2001, in Louisville, KY. The purpose of this exploratory workshop was to bring together a group of scientists to discuss what we know and do not know about tissue and organ-specific aging processes and molecular markers of these processes. (Contact: Dr. Anna McCormick, BAP, 301/496-6402) Planned Meetings, Workshops, Conferences Cognitive and Emotional Health: The Healthy Brain The NIA is co-sponsoring a two-day advisory meeting with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on "Cognitive and Emotional Health: The Healthy Brain" July 9-10, in Bethesda, Maryland. There are now about 45 million Americans over age 60 and 117 million over age 40. Current evidence indicates that a large number of them are at substantial risk for cognitive impairment from many causes as they age. The same is true for emotional disorders. Much is known and publicized about maintaining a "healthy heart" but relatively little about the much more complex "healthy brain." While research into biological mechanisms and environmental and social effects are yielding promising results in both animal and human studies, much remains to be discovered. Through the combined efforts of three Institutes - NIA, NINDS, and NIMH - the Cognitive and Emotional Health Project has been launched, the goal of which is to accelerate the pace of scientific advances in the fields of cognition and emotion by development of a workshop and, ultimately, several coordinated trans-Institute initiatives. The participating institutes are interested in determining the state of epidemiologic research concerning determinants of cognitive, emotional, and mental health among adults and how these domains interact and influence healthy brain aging. The upcoming workshop will include presentations on biomedical and psychosocial predictors of cognitive and emotional health and relevant methodological issues. The selected participants will be organized into groups for substantive discussions about the current status of existing knowledge, the potential value of secondary data analyses of existing data, whether there is a need for further instrument development to facilitate future studies, and potential designs of large studies that might be undertaken in the future. (Contact: Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: wagsterm@exmur.nia.nih.gov) The Aged Non-Human Primate Resources Steering Committee will hold an exploratory meeting on July 11, 2001, in Bethesda, MD. BAP and NNA will host the meeting to gather input on developing needs for primate research in the aging field. (Contacts: Dr. Nancy Nadon, BAP, 301/496-6402; Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350) The Biology of Alpha Synuclein and Lewy Bodies Associated with Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Disease and Parkinson's Disease The NNA Program will sponsor a two-day exploratory meeting with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) on "The Biology of Alpha Synuclein and Lewy Bodies Associated with Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Disease and Parkinson's Disease" July 16 and 17, in Bethesda, Maryland. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy Body disease (LBD) are perhaps the most common causes of dementia in the elderly. There is a substantial clinical overlap among the dementias associated with AD, LBD and Parkinson's disease (PD). Dementia develops in 100% of patients with Alzheimer's and Lewy Body disease and in approximately 20 to 30 percent of patients with Parkinson's disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that a non-beta amyloid component of Alzheimer's disease plaques (NACP), also termed alpha-synuclein, contributes to neurodegenerative processes in AD, LBD, and PD. Alpha-synuclein, a synaptic protein, was first associated with a neurodegenerative disease when NACP was isolated from Alzheimer's brain and it was determined that antibodies to NACP (alpha-synuclein) recognize a significant percentage of diffuse and mature plaques and the Lewy Bodies in AD, LBD and PD. In addition to alpha synuclein, the Lewy Bodies contain ubiquitin and other proteosomal subunits. Intracellular degradation of many proteins involves their conjugation with ubiquitin and enzymatic cleavage to amino acid constituents in the proteasome. The ubiquitins are a family of scavenger proteins found throughout the brain and their presence in the Lewy Bodies probably results from an attempt by ubiquitin to break up the accumulated alpha-synuclein. This workshop will examine the basic biology of alpha synuclein, the formation of Lewy Bodies, and their role in the dementias associated with AD, LBD, and PD. (Contact: Dr. Creighton Phelps, NNA, 301/496-9350) Healthy Minds: Mental Vitality Across the Life Span The NNA Program, the Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program, and the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Science are co-sponsoring a symposium "Healthy Minds: Mental Vitality Across the Life Span" August 24, in San Francisco, California. The exploratory workshop will be held in conjunction with the 109th Annual APA Convention. As we age, complex behaviors of attention, language, learning and memory become vulnerable to insults, resulting in deficits that, although normal, can produce frustration and concern for elders. This symposium will feature an examination of current knowledge of neural and behavioral changes in cognition with age. Presentations will highlight state-of-the-art research in neuroimaging and neurogenesis and will include advances being made in interventions ranging from physical and mental activity to nutraceuticals. (Contact: Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: wagsterm@exmur.nia.nih.gov) Grant Proposal Workshop: Demystifying the Application and Funding Process at NIA The NNA Program, the BSR Program, and the NIA Office of Extramural Affairs (OEA) are co-sponsoring a workshop "Demystifying the Application and Funding Process at NIA" August 24, in San Francisco, California. The exploratory workshop will be held in conjunction with the 109th Annual APA Convention. The workshop is designed to provide participants with a "nuts and bolts" review of the NIH grant application process and review procedures, with a special emphasis on aging research. This interactive workshop will show how to optimize success of the application process from start to finish. Practical considerations, including who to contact and when during the preparation of a proposal, will be discussed in detail. Information presented will be of interest to the seasoned investigator as well as the funding novice. (Contact: Dr. Elisabeth Koss, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: kosse@nia.nih.gov) The NIA Biospecimen Repository Oversight Committee will have an initial meeting in summer 2001. The committee will provide advice on the overall structure of the planned repository and feedback on the Statement of Work for the repository RFA. The agenda is not yet available. (Contact: Dr. Nancy Nadon, BAP, 301/496-6402) BAP, the Geriatrics Program (GP), and NNA plan an exploratory workshop in the area of Comparative Biology of Aging . Tentatively scheduled for September 13-14, 2001, the workshop will bring together investigators who use various aging models and investigators who can pose major issues of interest to human aging to exchange information on the advantages and potential uses of the models for studies of aging and to foster collaborations for mechanistic studies of the basic biology of aging in informative models. (Contacts: Dr. Jill Carrington, BAP, 301/496-6402; Dr. Evan Hadley, GP, 301/435-3044; Dr. Brad Wise, NNA, 301/496-9350)
Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Parkinson's Disease Working Group Meeting The Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging (NNA) Program cosponsored, with NINDS and NIMH, a two-day working group meeting on "Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Parkinson's Disease" held on January 25 and 26, 2001. Seventeen extramural scientists were invited to participate. This workshop is part of an effort to stimulate research on the non-motor aspects of Parkinson's disease. Participants were divided into two focus groups: I-Depression and Parkinson's disease; II-Interactions and overlap of psychiatric and cognitive changes associated with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Some of the recommendations included: research on clinical trials for the treatment of non-motor symptoms, such as depression; development of new animal models, at all levels from invertebrates to primates; establishment of a national primate facility to facilitate non-human primate research; establishment of a national brain bank for Parkinson's disease patients to allow correlation of neuropathology and clinical symptoms; and development of a minimal dataset for Parkinson's disease to be used by investigators in the field. Specific recommendations will be formulated in the near future. (Contact: Dr. Judith Finkelstein, NNA, 301/496-9350)
The Biology of Aging Program (BAP) sponsored a Functional Senescence Workshop held April 23-25, 2001, in Louisville, KY. The purpose of this exploratory workshop was to bring together a group of scientists to discuss what we know and do not know about tissue and organ-specific aging processes and molecular markers of these processes. (Contact: Dr. Anna McCormick, BAP, 301/496-6402)
Planned Meetings, Workshops, Conferences
Cognitive and Emotional Health: The Healthy Brain The NIA is co-sponsoring a two-day advisory meeting with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on "Cognitive and Emotional Health: The Healthy Brain" July 9-10, in Bethesda, Maryland. There are now about 45 million Americans over age 60 and 117 million over age 40. Current evidence indicates that a large number of them are at substantial risk for cognitive impairment from many causes as they age. The same is true for emotional disorders. Much is known and publicized about maintaining a "healthy heart" but relatively little about the much more complex "healthy brain." While research into biological mechanisms and environmental and social effects are yielding promising results in both animal and human studies, much remains to be discovered. Through the combined efforts of three Institutes - NIA, NINDS, and NIMH - the Cognitive and Emotional Health Project has been launched, the goal of which is to accelerate the pace of scientific advances in the fields of cognition and emotion by development of a workshop and, ultimately, several coordinated trans-Institute initiatives. The participating institutes are interested in determining the state of epidemiologic research concerning determinants of cognitive, emotional, and mental health among adults and how these domains interact and influence healthy brain aging. The upcoming workshop will include presentations on biomedical and psychosocial predictors of cognitive and emotional health and relevant methodological issues. The selected participants will be organized into groups for substantive discussions about the current status of existing knowledge, the potential value of secondary data analyses of existing data, whether there is a need for further instrument development to facilitate future studies, and potential designs of large studies that might be undertaken in the future. (Contact: Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: wagsterm@exmur.nia.nih.gov)
The Aged Non-Human Primate Resources Steering Committee will hold an exploratory meeting on July 11, 2001, in Bethesda, MD. BAP and NNA will host the meeting to gather input on developing needs for primate research in the aging field. (Contacts: Dr. Nancy Nadon, BAP, 301/496-6402; Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350)
The Biology of Alpha Synuclein and Lewy Bodies Associated with Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Disease and Parkinson's Disease The NNA Program will sponsor a two-day exploratory meeting with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) on "The Biology of Alpha Synuclein and Lewy Bodies Associated with Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Disease and Parkinson's Disease" July 16 and 17, in Bethesda, Maryland. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy Body disease (LBD) are perhaps the most common causes of dementia in the elderly. There is a substantial clinical overlap among the dementias associated with AD, LBD and Parkinson's disease (PD). Dementia develops in 100% of patients with Alzheimer's and Lewy Body disease and in approximately 20 to 30 percent of patients with Parkinson's disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that a non-beta amyloid component of Alzheimer's disease plaques (NACP), also termed alpha-synuclein, contributes to neurodegenerative processes in AD, LBD, and PD. Alpha-synuclein, a synaptic protein, was first associated with a neurodegenerative disease when NACP was isolated from Alzheimer's brain and it was determined that antibodies to NACP (alpha-synuclein) recognize a significant percentage of diffuse and mature plaques and the Lewy Bodies in AD, LBD and PD. In addition to alpha synuclein, the Lewy Bodies contain ubiquitin and other proteosomal subunits. Intracellular degradation of many proteins involves their conjugation with ubiquitin and enzymatic cleavage to amino acid constituents in the proteasome. The ubiquitins are a family of scavenger proteins found throughout the brain and their presence in the Lewy Bodies probably results from an attempt by ubiquitin to break up the accumulated alpha-synuclein. This workshop will examine the basic biology of alpha synuclein, the formation of Lewy Bodies, and their role in the dementias associated with AD, LBD, and PD. (Contact: Dr. Creighton Phelps, NNA, 301/496-9350)
Healthy Minds: Mental Vitality Across the Life Span The NNA Program, the Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program, and the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Science are co-sponsoring a symposium "Healthy Minds: Mental Vitality Across the Life Span" August 24, in San Francisco, California. The exploratory workshop will be held in conjunction with the 109th Annual APA Convention. As we age, complex behaviors of attention, language, learning and memory become vulnerable to insults, resulting in deficits that, although normal, can produce frustration and concern for elders. This symposium will feature an examination of current knowledge of neural and behavioral changes in cognition with age. Presentations will highlight state-of-the-art research in neuroimaging and neurogenesis and will include advances being made in interventions ranging from physical and mental activity to nutraceuticals. (Contact: Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: wagsterm@exmur.nia.nih.gov)
Grant Proposal Workshop: Demystifying the Application and Funding Process at NIA The NNA Program, the BSR Program, and the NIA Office of Extramural Affairs (OEA) are co-sponsoring a workshop "Demystifying the Application and Funding Process at NIA" August 24, in San Francisco, California. The exploratory workshop will be held in conjunction with the 109th Annual APA Convention. The workshop is designed to provide participants with a "nuts and bolts" review of the NIH grant application process and review procedures, with a special emphasis on aging research. This interactive workshop will show how to optimize success of the application process from start to finish. Practical considerations, including who to contact and when during the preparation of a proposal, will be discussed in detail. Information presented will be of interest to the seasoned investigator as well as the funding novice. (Contact: Dr. Elisabeth Koss, NNA, 301/496-9350; e-mail: kosse@nia.nih.gov) The NIA Biospecimen Repository Oversight Committee will have an initial meeting in summer 2001. The committee will provide advice on the overall structure of the planned repository and feedback on the Statement of Work for the repository RFA. The agenda is not yet available. (Contact: Dr. Nancy Nadon, BAP, 301/496-6402)
BAP, the Geriatrics Program (GP), and NNA plan an exploratory workshop in the area of Comparative Biology of Aging . Tentatively scheduled for September 13-14, 2001, the workshop will bring together investigators who use various aging models and investigators who can pose major issues of interest to human aging to exchange information on the advantages and potential uses of the models for studies of aging and to foster collaborations for mechanistic studies of the basic biology of aging in informative models. (Contacts: Dr. Jill Carrington, BAP, 301/496-6402; Dr. Evan Hadley, GP, 301/435-3044; Dr. Brad Wise, NNA, 301/496-9350)
Council Member Dr. Mary Starke Harper was honored on May 7 and 8 at the dedication of the Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As part of the dedication festivities, over 50 senior scientists from across the country and NIH administrative staff presented issues germane to the theme: Breakthroughs, Consensus and Best practices in the Care of the Elderly in the Past Decade: Implications for the Next Decade. The NIA was represented by Drs. Richard Hodes, Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, Taylor Harden, and Miriam Kelty.
Update on Status of the NIH Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Institute The development of the new National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the NIH is proceeding. The NIBIB was signed into law by President Clinton on December 29, 2000. An establishment package consisting of a mission statement, initial budget, and organization chart has been prepared and transmitted to the Department of Health and Human Services for approval. The search for a director will begin shortly. Information will be posted as part of the NIH Bioengineering Web site until a separate site for the NIBIB is set up. The new Institute will be functional (e.g., making grants) during early Calendar Year (CY) 2002. Interim operating guidelines are established.
Buildings and Facilities (B&F) Funding at NIH Included in the extramural construction funding mechanism is $5 million for establishment and operation of a system of sanctuaries to provide lifetime care for chimpanzees no longer needed in research conducted or supported by Federal agencies. The major intramural B&F projects include $26 million to complete phase I of the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Building and $11 million to begin planning and design for phase II of the facility. $21 million would go toward the repair and renovation of Building 10, the original Clinical Center, as hospital and laboratory components are moved into the new Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center in FY 2003.
Florence Mahoney Lecture NIH had an overflow audience for the 15th annual Florence Mahoney Lecture on Aging on March 7. Dr. Fred Gage, from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, Laboratory of Genetics, presented "Neurogenesis and Regeneration in the Adult Nervous System." Dr. Gage serves on the National Advisory Council on Aging for the NIA. He is studying the mechanisms of cell death and regeneration underlying recovery of function following brain damage.
Brain Awareness NIA was one of five Institutes that took part in National Brain Awareness Week. On March 14, Dr. Judith Finkelstein explained to more than 200 Washington, DC, school children "How We Use Our Brain." The program was held at the National Museum of Health and Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Elisabeth Koss did the honors on March 15, letting volunteers test the powers of taste by identifying flavors of jellybeans without the benefit of sight or smell. The jellybeans and presenters were a hit! Both Drs. Finkelstein and Koss are Health Scientist Administrators in the NNA Program.
The highlight of Brain Awareness Week was a March 14 presentation by Dr. Eric Haseltine, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Walt Disney Imagineering. Dr. Haseltine spoke to a crowd of area high school and college students in Natcher Auditorium. Following Dr. Haseltine's talk, NIA was represented in a panel discussion by Dr. Norm Haughey of the NIA Gerontology Research Center (GRC) who joined with other NIH scientists in describing the benefits of a career in science. Dr. Devin Gary, also from GRC, represented NIA post docs and answered questions from students.
Birthday Wishes On April 18, Dr. Richard Hodes, Ms. Jane Shure, and Ms. Anne Decker paid a call on Mrs. Florence Mahoney at her Georgetown home. The occasion was the celebration of her 102nd birthday. Mrs. Mahoney was instrumental in the founding of the NIA and served as a charter member of the National Advisory Council on Aging from 1974-78.
New Publications from the ADEAR Center-
New Publications from the NIA
NEW NOTICES AND INITIATIVES RELEVANT TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA ) - From the NIH GUIDE Winter 2001 & Spring 2001 (as of the week ending May 4, 2001) (Published since the last National Advisory Council on Aging Meeting) Also check our NIA website "Current Funding Opportunities" available through the NIA Home Page.
Table of Contents
NOTICES -
(These are selected Notices relevant to NIA- also see the NIH Guide for all Notices).
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