STEP Forum on Bacteria, Jan. 13

The staff training in extramural programs (STEP) committee will present a Science for All forum on the topic, “Bacteria: Can’t Live With ’Em, Can’t Live Without ’Em” on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Lister Hill Auditorium, Bldg. 38A.

Did you know that your body has 10 times more microbial cells than human cells? While bacteria have historically been associated with illness and disease, they are also integral to your health. The microbial ecosystem in the human body is not fixed but can be influenced by diet, obesity and other factors such as antibiotic use or abuse. Current research seeks to characterize our resident bacteria. This forum will present an overview of the fascinating roles of bacteria in human health.

APAO Holds Award Ceremony, Luncheon

NIH’s Asian/Pacific Islander American Organization will hold its annual award ceremony and holiday luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. This year’s award recipients will be NHLBI’s Dr. Keji Zhao, for scientific research, and NIMH’s Dr. Maryland Pao, for excellence in management. APAO will also install new officers for 2009. Various ethnic foods will be served. A $10 donation is requested at the door. For more information and to RSVP, contact Donna Wells at (301) 496-5248 or wellsdf@mail.nih.gov. For more information on APAO and its meeting schedule, visit www.recgov.org/r&w/apao/index.htm.

Clinical Center Creates CFC Participation Incentives

Last year, while looking for ways to increase participation during the Combined Federal Campaign, the Clinical Center came upon a new idea. The nursing department created a gift-basket drawing for those who pledge. “This idea was so successful,” said CC Chief Operating Officer Maureen Gormley, “that it’s back Clinical Center-wide and open to all NIH.”

This year, 18 departments in the CC created themed gift baskets and a drawing was held, which anyone could enter. Baskets included spa packages and gift cards, even a Wii video system.

By purchasing a $1 ticket (or 6 for $5), entrants were eligible to win the baskets of their choice. The money earned for each basket goes to the charity of the winner’s choice. In 2007, the CC donated $4,400 to CFC charities through this method.

Although NIH has been successful every year, earning more than half of HHS’s CFC goal, there are great challenges for the CFC. In times of economic uncertainty, CFC charities need your help more than ever. As a leader in the NIH CFC efforts, the CC team shares its success with others to make a difference. “We’ve found that NIH staff are extremely generous and interested in helping others, which is one of the reasons we work here,” said Debbie Byram, CFC deputy coordinator for the CC.  

As of Thanksgiving, NIH was at 61 percent of its $2.2 million goal but had notched only 35 percent participation. To pledge in December, contact your keyworker. You can find more information about the CFC and its impact at http://cfc.nih.gov.

NIDA Hosts ‘Drug Facts Chat Day’

NIDA’s Drug Facts Chat Day, designed to educate teens about drug use, once again proved to be just as educational for the scientists answering the questions as it was for the students. At the second annual live chat, held Oct. 7, a team of more than 40 scientists and science writers from NIDA received more than 11,000 questions from high schoolers in 23 states.

Country Doctor Morton To Lecture, Dec. 17

Dr. D. Holmes Morton, founder and director of the Clinic for Special Children, which serves a largely Old Order Amish and Mennonite clientele in Lancaster County, Pa., will give the NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture on Dec. 17. His talk, at 3 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10, is titled, “A Pediatrician’s Perspective on the Human Genome Project and Genomic Pediatrics.”

Morton’s clinic is a non-profit medical and diagnostic service for children with inherited metabolic disorders, which are more common in Amish country due to the general practice of marrying only within one’s tight-knit community.

A high school dropout from rural West Virginia and a graduate of Harvard Medical School, Morton received the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1993 and was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” in 2006.