In Memoriam: Longtime NCI Employee Judy Patt
Judy Patt, who worked in cancer communications at NCI for several decades, passed away May 21 at her son's home in New Jersey after a year-long battle with metastatic lung cancer.

"Judy was an invaluable resource to everyone who ever made contact with her at NCI and would always try to find a helpful way of solving whatever problem was at hand," said her former supervisor Mary Anne Bright, associate director of the Office of Public Information and Resource Management, upon learning the news.

Ms. Patt came to NIH in 1962 as a Bacteriologist/Microbiologist and stayed until 1968, moving on to join a research company where she worked for nearly 20 years. In 1987, she returned to NCI and accepted a career appointment as a technical writer in the Office of Cancer Communications.

In 1999 she became a public affairs specialist in the Office of Cancer Information, Communications, and Education, and her last position, starting in 2002, was as a public health advisor for the Office of Communications Media and Public Communications in the Cancer Information Service Branch.

Ms. Patt received numerous awards for performance and special acts of service throughout her years of service, and she will be greatly missed by all of her co-workers, especially those in the Cancer Information Service Branch with whom she interacted on a daily basis.

Spring Research Festival Held at NCI-Frederick
The National Cancer Institute at Frederick (NCI-Frederick) held its 12th Annual Spring Research Festival May 14-15, 2008. The event, co-sponsored by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, featured scientific posters, a health and safety exposition, education information, and commercial exhibits featuring the latest scientific equipment and technologies.

In his keynote address, NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber emphasized the uniqueness of the Frederick campus. NCI-Frederick is both a government-owned, contractor-operated facility and the nation's only Federally Funded Research and Development Center dedicated solely to biomedical research.

The annual research festival is open to the NIH and the Fort Detrick communities as well as the general public.

NCI Cancer Bulletin Writer Wins NAGC Award
The National Association of Government Communicators awarded NCI Cancer Bulletin senior writer Carmen Phillips a 2008 Blue Pencil Award. He received first place in the Writer's Portfolio category for the following collection of articles:

A New Tobacco Threat?
Do Rare Cancer Cells Have a Tale to Tell?
The Mathematics of Cancer

Mr. Phillips' work was selected from several hundred submissions in that category.

NCI@ASCO Join NCI Director Dr. John E. Niederhuber at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting on Saturday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m., when he presents remarks during the opening session. Meet the Experts Learn about NCI's programs and Web sites at the NCI exhibit during the ASCO annual meeting, May 31-June 2. Saturday, May 31 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Treatment of Tumors with TNF-alpha Inhibitors: A collaboration between NCI and NIAID Sunday, June 1 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Treatment of Tumors with TNF-alpha Inhibitors: A collaboration between NCI and NIAID 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) Monday, June 2 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Bringing Biomarkers to Clinical Practice 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Treatment of Tumors with TNF-alpha Inhibitors: A collaboration between NCI and NIAID