'Demystifying Medicine' Course Offered

The popular Demystifying Medicine course will be offered again in 2005. The course aims to bridge the gap between Ph.D.s trained in basic science and the medical problems to which their skills could be applied. Presentations of patients and pathology are accompanied by state-of-the-art analyses of related basic and clinical science.

Starting Jan. 4 and ending May 17, the course will be held every Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Bldg. 50 ground-floor auditorium. All presentations will be videocast.

The course is geared to graduate and medical students, clinical and Ph.D. fellows and staff. Background information and handouts will be available.

To register, visit http://list.nih.gov/archives/demystifyingmed.html. Participants who attend at least three-quarters of the sessions and complete a web-based final exam will receive a certificate. The course schedule can be found at http://www1.od.nih.gov/oir/DemystifyingMed/index.html.

STEP Session on 'eGov Grants'

The staff training in extramural programs (STEP) committee will present an administrative strategies forum on the topic, "eGov Grants: Ready Or Not, Here They Come!," on Tuesday, Dec. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Lister Hill Auditorium, Bldg. 38A.

NIH will scale up receipt of electronic applications on Feb. 1, 2005. Additional eGov initiatives affecting the entire grants process are in various stages of design and implementation. What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? What is the grantee perspective? How do we at NIH position ourselves to use eGov to improve business? How do we help grantees take advantage of eGov opportunities? Bring your questions and join this discussion of these issues and their implementation with experts from the grantee community, NIH and our sister federal agencies. This training will earn ESA credit.

Symposium on Oligonucleotides

The 7th NIH Symposium on Therapeutic Oligonucleotides will be held Dec. 13-14 in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. There will be a poster session; fellows and students are encouraged to submit poster titles as this is an excellent opportunity to meet with some of the leading investigators in antisense, siRNA, triple helix, CpG Oligos, DNA chips and gene repair. Visit https://cms.palladianpartners.com/cms/1098206928/. For more information contact Dr. Yoon Sang Cho-Chung at (301) 496-4020.

Air Handling Units Arrive for Bldg. 33

Talk on Women's Health, Exercise

The women's health special interest group will host a talk on "Exercise and Women's Health: Basic and Clinical Applications," on Friday, Dec. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Bldg. 1. Speaker will be Dr. Patricia A. Deuster, professor of military and emergency medicine and neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Sign language interpretation will be available.

NIH-Duke Training in Clinical Research

Applications for the 2005-2006 NIH-Duke Training Program in Clinical Research are available in the Clinical Center, Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1L403.

The NIH-Duke program, implemented in 1998, is designed primarily for physicians and dentists who desire formal training in the quantitative and methodological principles of clinical research. The program is offered via videoconference at the CC. Academic credit earned by participating in this program may be applied toward satisfying the degree requirement for a master of health sciences in clinical research from Duke School of Medicine.

For more information about course work and tuition costs, visit http://tpcr.mc.duke.edu. Email queries about the program may be addressed to tpcr@mc.duke.edu. The deadline for applying is Mar. 1, 2005. Applicants who have been accepted into the program will be notified by July 1, 2005.

Attention Female Baseball Players, Wannabes

The Recreation and Welfare Association is considering starting a Women's Baseball Club to promote and support baseball-playing opportunities for women of all ages. The new club would field a team in the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference.

The EWBC currently has five teams within Northern Va., Montgomery County and Baltimore. They play umpired games on full-sized fields, and everyone has fun. EWBC players range in age from 15-55 with most of the players in their 20s to 40s. Many players previously played slow-pitch softball and have made the transition to baseball very successfully.

Each EWBC team plays one game per weekend, early May through mid/late September. All teams have pre-season practices and friendly scrimmages in the spring, and some continue to practice once a week during the season. The league also assembles a select "tournament team" for occasional competition against other leagues.

The EWBC is committed to helping a new R&W team get up and running with introductory workouts and practices this fall. We are looking for 15-20 players to field a team; coaches/managers (of either gender) are also needed. If you are interested in learning more about the club or can't wait to oil your baseball glove and polish your baseball shoes, contact Susan McCarthy at (301) 594-8785 or mccarths@mail.nih.gov.

Need Help with Public Speaking?

Are you worried about your next big presentation? The NIH Evening Toastmaster's Club can help you. In a supportive environment you will: develop better speaking and presentation skills; build strong leadership skills; learn to think quickly and clearly on your feet. Meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Starting in December, meetings will be held in the new Clinical Research Center. For information call Gail Sullivan at (301) 496-3244.