CCR Grand Rounds June 1: Dr. V. Craig Jordan of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University will present "Estrogen-Induced Apoptosis to Kill the Cancer but not the Patient." June 15: Dr. Stuart A. Aaronson of the Derald H. Ruttenberg Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine will present "Cancer Targeting in the 21st Century." CCR Grand Rounds are held 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. in the Clinical Center's Lipsett Amphitheater.

Phase II of Cancer Quality of Care Measures Project Launched
A major public-private effort has been launched to identify evidence-based measures of cancer care quality for monitoring and improving care across the cancer continuum. A partnership of four federal agencies, spearheaded by NCI, completed contract discussions with the nonprofit National Quality Forum (NQF) on May 17 for Phase II of the Cancer Quality of Care Measures Project.

NCI's federal partners providing design and financial support for the project are the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Phase II will be guided by a 19-member steering committee of experts from cancer professional and advocacy organizations, federal and state agencies, and quality standards-setting bodies. During Phase I, the steering committee identified several high-priority topic areas, both cancer disease-site specific and cross-cutting, as candidates for Phase II analysis. When the committee reconvenes this summer, it will select a final set of topics. For more information, go to http://outcomes.cancer.gov/translation/
canqual/.

Workshop to Address Preclinical Cancer Detection Methods
NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention is sponsoring the third scientific workshop of the Early Detection Research Network, "Bringing Biomarkers Discovery from the Bench to the Bedside," June 14-16 in Bethesda, Md.

This workshop will address the biology and methods of preclinical cancer detection, including topics such as novel enabling technologies for detection of early cancer, molecular approaches to screening, analysis of high throughput biologic data for prediction and marker discovery, biology of hereditary cancers, impact on sporadic cancer detection, validation of biomarkers, and organ-specific translational research.

Individual sessions will be followed by panel and poster discussions. Opportunities for collaboration and mechanisms for sharing data and specimens will be presented. Further details and an online application can be found at: https://www.compass.fhcrc.org/edrnPub/screg.asp. For additional information, contact program staff at 301-435-1594.

NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention will present a 5-week course: "Principles and Practice of Cancer Prevention and Control" July 6-30, 2004 See http://www3.cancer.gov/ prevention/pob/courses/ principles.html for more information and to register.

United States Signs Tobacco Control Treaty
On behalf of the United States, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on Monday, May 10 at the United Nations in New York City. FCTC, the first global public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization, encourages nations to establish standards similar to the ones set for tobacco prevention and control in the United States.

The United States was the 108th nation to sign this treaty; it is open for signature until June 29. The treaty will take effect after 40 nations have ratified it; thus far, 12 nations have done so. The next step for the treaty in the United States is submission to the Senate for ratification, following further interagency review.

Rhoades Joins NCI
Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Rhoades has joined NCI as Special Assistant to the Director with a focus on media activities. Dr. Rhoades, who most recently served as executive director of the National Coalition on Health Care, will provide NCI with the depth of experience in public affairs she has gained through public affairs positions at the Brookings Institution, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Office of Education, and as an associate producer of documentaries for NBC News. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dr. Rhoades received her Ph.D. and M.A. in government from Georgetown University.