May 2005 Director's Status Report

• Budget and Appropriations
• Legislative Update
• Staff Changes
• Institute-Sponsored Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences
• General Information/Staff Awards
• Relevant Notices and Initiatives Published in the NIH Guide
• Budget Table

Budget and Appropriations

FY 2006 President's Budget

The FY 2006 President’s Budget for NIA (including AIDS) is $1,057,203,000, an increase of 0.5 percent over the FY 2005 Appropriation amount of $1,051,990,000. Funding for AIDS-related research decreases from $5,459,000 in FY 2005 to $5,443,000 in FY 2006, a decrease of 0.3 percent. Also included in the FY 2006 request is NIA’s support for the trans-NIH Roadmap initiatives, estimated at 0.89 percent of the FY 2006 budget request ($9.454 M).

The FY 2006 President’s Budget for NIH (including AIDS) increases from $28,594,357,000 in FY 2005 to $28,740,073,000 in FY 2006, an increase of 0.5 percent.

Overall Budget Policy

NIH’s highest priority 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 pursuing new research opportunities. For NIA, the average cost of competing RPGs will be $400,000 in FY 2006. While no inflationary increases are provided for direct, recurring costs in non-competing RPGs, NIA will honor commitments to programmatic increases.

The continuing vibrancy of medical research depends on attracting, training, and retaining the best and the brightest individuals to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral research. In the FY 2006 request, most stipend levels for individuals supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards are maintained at the FY 2005 levels. To help prevent the potential attrition of our next generation of highly trained post-doctoral trainees, stipend levels for those with one to two years of experience are increased by 4.0 percent. In addition, individual post-doctoral fellows will receive an increase of $500 in their institutional allowance for rising health benefit costs. The need for increased health benefits is particularly acute for these post-doctoral trainees, who, because of their age and stage of life are more likely to have family responsibilities. Because NIH believes it is important to support and compensate adequately those who are participating in these training programs, the increases in stipends and health insurance are financed within the FY 2006 request by reducing the number of Full-Time Training Positions so that the programs can continue to attract and retain the trainees most likely to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research. NIA will support 541 pre- and postdoctoral trainees in full-time training positions.

NIA FY 2006 President’s Budget—Mechanism Discussion

The FY 2006 request includes funding for 1,422 research project grants, compared to 1,439 in FY 2005 and 1,392 in FY 2004. Of these 1,422 awards, 390 will be competing research project grants and 1,032 will be noncompeting awards. In addition, the request includes funding for 87 SBIR/STTR grants.

Funding for the Centers mechanism increases by 1.3 percent over the FY 2005 Appropriation.

The FY 2006 request includes an increase of 1.8 percent over the FY 2005 Appropriation for Other Research.

Funding for Contracts in FY 2006 increases by 1.0 percent over the FY 2005 Appropriation.

The FY 2006 request includes a 1 percent increase above the FY 2005 Appropriation for Intramural Research and a 0.5 percent increase above the FY 2005 Appropriation for RMS.

(Contact: Mr. Patrick Shirdon, BO, 301-496-9147)

Legislative Update

I. Significant Legislative/Executive Action

• President’s Proposed FY 2006 Budget and Senate and House Budget Resolutions for NIH/NIA—On March 17, 2005, both the House and Senate passed a fiscal year 2006 budget resolution, H. Con Res. 95 and S. Con. Res. 18, respectively. After the spring recess, designation of conferees began. At the time this report was written, only Senate Budget conferees had been named. Both proposals include the FY 2006 President’s Budget for NIA and NIH. The FY 2006 President’s Budget for NIA (including AIDS) is $1,057,203,000, an increase of 0.5 percent over the FY 2005 Appropriation amount of $1,051,990. The FY 2006 President’s Budget for NIH (including AIDS) increases from $28,594,357,000 in FY 2005 to $28,740,073,000 in FY 2006 an increase of 0.5 percent.

II. Newly Introduced Legislation

• The Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act of 2005 (HR 1262/S. 602)—On March 10, Representatives Michael Burgess (R-TX), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), and Edward Markey (D-MA) reintroduced this measure from last session (H.R. 4595/S. 2533). The measure proposes to double the NIH Alzheimer’s disease research budget from the estimated $700 million for FY 2005 to $1.4 billion and to:
  • Establish an Alzheimer's disease prevention initiative.
  • Expand and improve clinical research on Alzheimer's disease.
  • Conduct systematic research on Alzheimer's disease care.
  • Convene a national summit on Alzheimer's disease.
  • Provide education and assistance for caregivers and their families.
  • Establish grants to expand needed respite care programs.
  • Increase public education on prevention.
  • Improve Project Safe Return to help locate Alzheimer's patients who become disoriented and wander from their home.

The Senate Companion bill, S. 602 was also introduced on March 10 and includes all the House provisions and the caregiver tax-relief in last year’s measure.

III. Congressional Briefings and Hearings

1. On February 15, at the request of the House Policy Committee, Dr. Marcelle Morrison- Bogorad, Associate Director, Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging (NNA) Program, participated in a panel discussion on Alzheimer’s disease.
2. On April 1, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education conducted a hearing on the NIH FY 2005 Budget. Dr. Elias Zerhouni accompanied by all NIH IC directors attended to provide an overview and answer questions.
3. On April 4, at the request of Adam Briddell, Investigations Advisor, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee, Dr. Judy Salerno, Deputy Director, NIA, provided a briefing on the Institute’s Naproxen /Alzheimer’s Disease Anti-Inflammatory Prevention (ADAPT) clinical trial.
4. On April 6, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education (Senator Arlen Spector [R-PA]) held a hearing on the FY 2006 NIH Budget. NIH Director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni attended.

IV. Professional Organization and International Outreach Activities

1. On January 18, Subcommittee members of the British House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, chaired by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood met with NIA leadership staff to discuss the state of aging research and policy.
2. NIA leadership met with the following professional organizations and constituencies: (1) January 15, American Society of Hematology; (2) February 14, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America; (3) February 24 and April 18, Alzheimer’s Association of America; (4) March 2, Population Association of America/Association of Population Centers; and (5) March 7, American Geriatrics Society.
3. NIA will host a symposium and booth exhibit at the American Geriatrics Society annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on May 12-13.

(Contact: Dr. Tamara Jones, NIA/OD, Ph: 401-451-8835)

Staff Changes

Dr. Huber Warner, Associate Director of the Biology of Aging Program (BAP), will be leaving the NIA in late May to accept a position as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota where he taught for 20 years before joining the NIA in 1984. During his tenure here he initiated and participated in the development of many research areas including: cellular senescence, oxidative stress, apoptosis, functional genomics, the intervention testing program, and premature aging models. He has published extensively on these and related topics, and he currently serves on the editorial board of Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, the Advisory Board for the Institute of Aging of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

Dr. Warner came to the NIA to manage the Molecular Biology Program in NIA's then Molecular and Cell Biology Branch within the Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine Program (BRCM). While this Branch eventually evolved into the Biology of Aging Program (BAP), he also served as Branch Chief and Deputy Associate Director, and was ultimately named Associate Director of BAP in 2000. Dr. Warner has provided leadership through a time of unprecedented progress and excitement in the field of basic biology of aging, and the positive impact of his efforts will be a long-lasting legacy.

Dr. Francis Bellino will serve as acting Associate Director of BAP beginning May 31, 2005 while a successor to Dr. Huber Warner is recruited.

Dr. Ronald A. Kohanski joined BAP as a Health Scientist Administrator on May 1, 2005. Dr. Kohanski was formerly Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied insulin receptor biochemistry and biology. His most recent work was on the influence of nutritional status on insulin/IGF signaling, and on insulin signaling during female germline differentiation from stem cells in Drosophila. Dr. Kohanski has published numerous research articles in these and other areas, was Principal Investigator for a T32 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) supporting training of endocrine fellows in basic biomedical research, and served as a resource for assisting junior faculty at Johns Hopkins in writing research grant proposals for submission to the NIH and other funding agencies. He has been a principal investigator on both NIH and non-NIH research grants, and he brings a great deal of aging-related and administrative expertise to this position in BAP.

Dr. Kohanski will be program director for the Cardiovascular Biology Program in the Systems Branch of BAP. In addition, he will serve as the BAP coordinator for future efforts in research on aging and stem cells.

Katrina Morgan of the Administration on Aging, Fellow in the HHS Emerging Leaders Program, completed her rotation at BSR in January 2005.

Dr. Lisbeth Nielsen joined the Individual Behavioral Processes Branch of NIA’s Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program on March 20, 2005. Dr. Nielsen earned her MA in Psychology from Copenhagen University and her PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science from the University of Arizona. Her research has focused on the conscious experience of emotion, its physiological and neural correlates, its relationship to well-being, and its functional role in decision making and social cognition. She held an NIA-supported Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University, where, in collaboration with Drs. Laura Carstensen and Brian Knutson, she studied age-related changes in affective forecasting and in emotional responses to monetary incentives. Her research also involves exploring how such age-related changes might impact choice and well-being in domains of social exchange, health care, and finance. Her experience with interdisciplinary collaboration with economists, psychologists, neuroscientists, neurologists, and psychiatrists will serve her well in her new role managing BSR’s Psychological Development and Integrative Science portfolio. This portfolio encompasses research on the biological, social, and psychological determinants of well-being and health across the lifespan.

Mr. Doug Dollemore of the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) staff left NIA at the end of April to work as a writer for the American Chemical Society, where Jane Shure, former head of OCPL is the new Director of Communications. Mr. Dollemore did an exceptional job interpreting the complexities of NIA’s research for media, policy, and general audiences.

Dr. Kevin Becker has accepted an appointment as the Director, Core Laboratory, of the Research Resources Branch (RRB), NIA Intramural Research Program. A Baltimore native, Dr. Becker graduated from Towson High School, received a B.S. in Biology from Emory University, an M.A.S. in Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He has been at the NIH for 15 years in 4 different Institutes, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), and NIA. He has headed the NIA microarray core facility of RRB for the past 5 years. His research involves transcriptional regulation of the major histocompatibility complex, immune regulation in human brain disorders, the genetics of autoimmune disorders, and more recently, large-scale gene expression analysis, various applications in bioinformatics, and the genetics of human common complex disorders. Dr. Becker’s background in management and science makes him uniquely qualified for his new position in RRB.

Ms. Lynn Hellinger has joined NIA as Associate Director for Management. She will oversee the Institute’s administrative operations including budget and information systems. Ms. Hellinger previously served as the Associate Director for Management and Operations at the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where she led the post-September 11 efforts to set up an infrastructure for biodefense research. As NIAID became the lead agency for several Presidential mandates to combat bioterrorism, Ms. Hellinger played a key role in recruiting staff, acquiring and building facilities, and developing training programs. She comes to NIA with an outstanding background of service as a widely respected member of NIH's leadership community.

Ms. Vicky Cahan, former head of NIA's public affairs group, became Director of the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) on April 17. Ms. Cahan served as Acting Director of Communications for the Institute since November 2004. She has led the OCPL in communicating with the public and the media on issues regarding research and health. She has established important ties with the press and communications colleagues within NIH, at other Federal agencies, and with private organizations. Prior to coming to the Institute in 1990, Ms. Cahan was a Washington correspondent for BusinessWeek magazine and a reporter for the Bureau of National Affairs. Her practical knowledge of Washington policymaking and press and her familiarity with and understanding of the Institute's mission, research programs, and staff will provide NIA with continued top-notch leadership in our communications activities.

Ms. Jamie Gulin joined the NIA Office of the Director as a Program Analyst for Special Populations on March 7. She previously worked in the private sector for a contractor for the Head Start Bureau at DHHS and the U.S. Department of Education, where she worked on several Head Start and Even Start research projects and assisted with national training and research conferences. Ms. Gulin previously served as a Program Specialist in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she was recruited through the Outstanding Scholars Program in 2000. She graduated from Towson University, Towson, Maryland, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Mr. Bryan Maynard joined NIA’s Budget Office as a budget analyst. He previously worked for the NIH in several administrative capacities, including as an administrative technician for the NIA, and as a budget analyst trainee for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). He is currently working on a degree at the University of Maryland in business administration.

Ms. Van Nguyen accepted a position in NIA’s Budget Office as a budget analyst. She has worked for more than eight years in the area of grants financial management, most recently for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where she was responsible for the management and oversight of over 600 grants with a value of more than $300M. Ms. Nguyen graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in accounting and business.

Dr. Judy Hannah joined the Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Program's Clinical Trials Branch. She received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Science from the University of Maryland, and previously worked at NHLBI. Dr. Hannah has experience in both nutrition and clinical trials.

Ms. Cynthia Riddick left NIA after 12 years of service in NIA’s Grants and Contracts Management Office (GCMO). She was a highly-valued Team Leader, policy and procedure expert with the SBIR/STTR program, and also managed some of the more complex grants such as the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) program. Ms. Riddick left to become a Public Health Analyst with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Institute-Sponsored Meetings, Workshops, Conferences, and Public Information Activities

I. Meetings Held

Senescent Cells and Their Environment. The Biology of Aging Program (BAP) held an exploratory workshop on this topic on January 23-24, 2005, in Novato, CA. The major issues discussed were the extent to which senescent cells accumulate in vivo in different tissues, the extent to which the secretory pattern of fibroblasts is modified by senescence, and the possible role of these changes in tissue structure and function. The meeting convened a selected group of experts on both cell senescence and extracellular matrix. Knowledge gained in this workshop will be used to develop an initiative (either a PA or a PAR) on the subject in the near future. (Contact: Dr. Felipe Sierra, BAP, Ph: 301-496-6402).

Expert Meeting on How to Collect Data on Prescription Drug Use by the Elderly. At the request of NIA’s Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) program, the National Academy of Sciences hosted this one-day exploratory meeting designed to lay out the scope of the issues and determine new directions for data collection. The meeting brought together NIA-funded researchers with BSR, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and other HHS staff to discuss how to collect data on prescription drugs and emerging research needs on prescription drug use by the elderly. It included the lead investigators from major surveys (the Health and Retirement Study, the National Long-term Care Survey and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics) and discussed how these could be sources of data on prescription drug use before and after implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Contact Dr. Elayne Heisler, BSR, Ph: 301-496-3138.)

Conference on Action Research in Psychology and Economics. This exploratory conference, co-sponsored by NIA, was held on March 4-5, 2005, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Organized by Harvard Professor of Economics Sendhil Mullainathan and University of Virginia Professor of Psychology Timothy Wilson, the conference focused on inter-disciplinary work aimed at developing new, innovative approaches to policy questions. Based on the organizers’ belief that a natural alliance exists between social psychologists and behavioral economists, their intent was to have top-notch psychologists and economists collaborate on developing innovative interventions that should eventually be useful for a variety of health applications of interest to NIA’s Behavioral and Social Research Program. The conference brought together psychologists interested in applied work with economists interested in incorporating psychological insights into their work. The agenda of applied problems included: behavioral economics of poverty, demand for health information, stereotyping and prejudice, neighborhood effects on health outcomes, and adoption of technology. The agenda of psychological research included: affective forecasting, implicit discrimination, identity, impact of emotion, and decision making under risk. Day one of the conference was open to the public and featured formal presentations to an audience of over a hundred people. Day two of the conference was closed to the public and involved less formal presentations; its goal was to prompt as much feedback and conversation among participants as possible. The organizers paired an economist with a psychologist, with one giving an overview of his or her research and the other serving as a “selfish discussant”– describing his/her own research and talking about how he/she can use the other person’s research to enrich it. (Contact Dr. Richard Suzman, BSR, Ph: 301-496-3131)

NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of Menopause-Related Symptoms. Women going through the menopause transition may experience a variety of symptoms, ranging from hot flashes, night sweats, and problems sleeping to loss of sexual desire, depression, vaginal dryness, and urinary and bleeding complaints. For some, the discomfort of symptoms greatly diminishes their quality of life. To address the need to understand options for symptom management, on March 21-23, 2005, the NIA and the Office of Medical Applications of Research, sponsored an NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of Menopause-Related Symptoms in Bethesda, MD. The conference’s independent panel (1) examined the nature of menopause-related symptomatology in the context of ovarian aging and senescence and the surrounding biologic, and psychosocial milieu of the menopause transition, (2) reviewed the efficacy, acceptability, safety and risk/benefit profile of various hormonal and non-hormonal approaches for ameliorating menopause-related symptoms and (3) identified opportunities for future research aimed at developing new strategies to treat menopause-related symptoms. This advisory conference was attended by health care professionals and researchers interested in the aging of women at midlife, reproductive endocrinology, and menopause, as well as general practitioners and interested members of the public. (Contact: Dr. Sherry Sherman, GCG, Ph: 301-496-6942)

Workshop on Exploring Potential Interventions to Reduce Disability from Chronic Diseases. Held April 11-12, 2005, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this NIA-sponsored exploratory workshop was designed to assess promising options for large-scale intervention research for cardio-vascular disease in low- and medium-income countries as an analogue for broader interventions aimed at reducing disability. Invited participants were individuals from around the globe working with diverse approaches to the evaluation of community level interventions using randomization; the design of population level interventions to change diet and behavioral risks through a variety of strategies; and cardiovascular disease clinical trials with a population health perspective. Participants offered presentations on proposed interventions that plausibly and affordably aim to reduce the population burden of CVD by at least 10 percent. Presentations included an articulation of the research question and explanation of the study design along with an explanation of why this intervention could exceed the 10 percent threshold, based on distributions of baseline CVD diseases or their risk factors, number of people expected to benefit from the intervention, and average reduction in disease or in risk factor exposure and risk factor population attributable fraction. Presentations also included an overview of the timeframe for the implementation of the research, a review of potential negative side effects of this intervention, and an outline of the resource implications of the proposed intervention. Workshop sessions drew out synergies between the diverse approaches represented and provided an intellectual forum to strengthen proposed ideas through discussion and constructive criticism. A report from the workshop will be produced and posted on the internet and presented in a form that can be distributed by NIA and the Harvard Initiative for Global Health. (Contact: Dr. Richard Suzman, BSR, Ph: 301-496-3131)

Endocrine-Immune Systems Interactions in Aging Workshop. This exploratory workshop was held on April 12-13, 2005, in Potomac, MD. Topics reviewed included: (1) Effects of immune system regulators on the endocrine system, (2) peptide/metabolic hormones on the immune system, (3) effects of glucocorticoids and sex steroids on the immune system, and (4) neuroendocrineimmune system interactions in aging. Twenty extramural investigators and four NIH intramural investigators from NIA, NIDDK, and NICHD presented their relevant research. The purpose of the workshop was to review what is known about endocrine-immune system interactions in aging, and to discuss important gaps in knowledge to help in understanding the contribution of age-changes in these physiologic systems and their interaction to normal aging physiology and disease processes. (Contacts: Drs. Rebecca Fuldner and Frank Bellino, BAP, Ph: 301-496-4996; Dr. Dennis Taub, IRP; Dr. Andrew Monjan, NNA, Ph: 301-594-7576; Dr. Sherry Sherman, GCG, Ph: 301-496-6942).

II. Meetings Planned

National Institute on Aging Exploratory Workshop on Fatigue. The NIA is planning an exploratory workshop on unexplained fatigue among the elderly. Fatigue and/or exhaustion are common complaints among older patients. While these symptoms are associated with underlying medical or psychological problems in many older persons, comprehensive patient assessment fails to find an explanation for these complaints in a large proportion of elders. The goal of the Workshop is to identify research questions that could translate into improved diagnosis, management, and health outcomes for patients with fatigue, and prevention for persons with risk factors for fatigue. The workshop will be sponsored by the Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology Program, NIA and will take place in Bethesda, MD, in the fall of 2005. It will convene a group of clinical researchers in geriatrics and other specialties with expertise relating to fatigue, epidemiologists, experts in assessment instrument design, and physiologists and basic scientists with expertise in fields relevant to the etiology and pathophysiology of fatigue (e.g., muscle biology, intermediary metabolism, pharmacology). The group will address issues such as developing a working definition of idiopathic fatigue; identifying useful approaches to measurement; determining appropriate medical evaluation; and exploring the effects of fatigue on other health outcomes. The results of the Working Group will help establish a scientific basis for research and set a preliminary agenda for exploring the clinical problem of “idiopathic” fatigue among the elderly. (Contact: Dr. Susan G. Nayfield, GCG, Ph: 301-496-6949)

Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging. In 1997, the NIA convened an expert panel to determine whether there was enough scientific evidence at the time to make specific exercise recommendations for older adults. That initial panel meeting led to the development of Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging. The Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (GCG) Program and the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) are presently working together to convene a panel of experts on exercise and related areas to update the evidence-based publication Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging. NIA staff will conduct a series of conference calls with the panel of experts (starting in June 2005) and hold periodic “in-person” advisory meetings to compile input from experts on new data on exercise/physical activity and aging. The intent is to review the existing literature and current state of knowledge on exercise for older adults and update the Guide so that it is as accurate and up to date as possible. The expert panel will oversee the review process, as was done for the original Guide. This group of experts will identify areas of the Guide that require updating, evaluate the body of existing scientific information on exercise (primarily from NIH-, NIA-, and Centers of Disease Control [CDC]-supported studies) to identify possible new topics for the Guide, and approve all exercise information to be included in the updated Guide. (Contacts: Dr. Chhanda Dutta, GCG; Ph: 301-435-3048; Ms. Karen Pocinki, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

Workshop on Data Sharing Policy for Social and Behavioral Studies that Collect DNA and Biological Specimens. Current and future NIA-funded social and behavioral studies include the collection of genetic and biological data. It is important to develop these data as resources to the research community, and to develop these data collections in a direction congruent with NIA’s interests in building future genetic and genomic research.

A workshop is being planned to explore these issues, and further advisory activities may be needed. Recommendations made by the NAS project committee on Confidential Data Access for Research Purposes will also be considered in formulating the data sharing plans and policies. The purposes of the workshop are (1) to discuss options for a data sharing plan for NIA-funded social and behavioral studies that collect biological/genetic samples; (2) to determine the most effective and feasible structure for sample storage and data sharing—key elements of this plan include procedures for determining who has access to the data, deciding how soon data should be made available, and for requesting data; (3) to explore the scientific value and methods of developing the data from several large NIA-funded studies for understanding genetic and environmental influences on complex phenotypes of aging.

The workshop will include PIs on BSR-funded projects that are currently collecting or planning on collecting genetic data plus experts in genetics, biobanking and IRB issues related to DNA collection, storage and use. In addition, other NIA and NIH participants who have experience in developing genetic data sharing plans will participate. (Contact: Dr. Jennifer Harris, BSR, Ph: 301-402-8771)

General Information/Staff Awards

NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI)

The proposed new NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI) has been received enthusiastically by HHS, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress. The concept is consistent with Dr. Zerhouni’s efforts to coordinate trans-NIH governance, decision-making, and scientific planning. It will provide a “decision support system” for portfolio analysis, guide the coordination of trans-NIH initiatives, and provide better tools for decision making. OPASI will be part of the NIH Office of the Director, and will focus on “creating better institutional tools to analyze, assess, and manage the NIH-wide research portfolio and to provide better information to support priority-setting decisions in areas of common interest to all institutes and centers” (Washington Fax, March 10, 2005). OPASI’s analyses will help NIH to identify gaps and areas that merit development to respond to public health needs. The Office will work with the ICs to develop plans, but the ICs will continue to provide leadership. The organization and Office Director should be in place by October 2005.

The “Cognitive and Emotional Health Project: The Healthy Brain” Database of Epidemiological/Longitudinal Studies

A searchable database of a subset of epidemiological and other large longitudinal studies funded by the NIH is available. This resource was developed over several years in conjunction with the Cognitive and Emotional Health Project (CEHP), a trans-NIH effort sponsored by the NIA, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The goal of the CEHP has been to assess the state of existing longitudinal and epidemiologic research on demographic, social, and biologic determinants of emotional and cognitive health in the adult. This effort, in turn, has helped the sponsoring Institutes to identify knowledge gaps and is helping pave the way for the construction and implementation of a concise program of research needs that will help better our knowledge of how to maintain cognitive and emotional health in older age. The database contains details (e.g., number of participants enrolled, ethnicity & race, type of information collected) on approximately 80 large scale studies funded by one of the three sponsoring Institutes. The searchable database can be accessed at http://trans.nih.gov/CEHP/. New studies can be added to the database via submission of a questionnaire that can be filled out online. The website contains other relevant details and information on the current, past, and associated activities of the CEHP. (Contact: Dr. Molly Wagster, NNA, Ph: 301-496-9350, wagsterm@nia.nih.gov)

Awards

NIA’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) received two awards from the NIH Plain Language Committee. The NIHSeniorHealth.gov website (http://NIHSeniorHealth.gov/) received an Outstanding award (in conjunction with the National Library of Medicine) and the Fitness for Life, bus public service ad received an honorable mention. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

New Publications

Safe Use of Medicines. In March, NIA with Meals on Wheels Messages partners, Administration on Aging, and Meals on Wheels Association of America, distributed over 100,000 Safe Use of Medicines booklets to recipients of Meals on Wheels.

Aging, Health, and Public Policy: Demographic and Economic Perspectives, a supplement to Vol. 30, 2004, Population and Development Review, Population Council, publisher. The RAND Summer Institute on the Demography, Economics, and Epidemiology of Aging annually brings together research scientists from the centers on population aging supported by NIA. This volume is based on the papers presented at the tenth Summer Institute, held in July 2003. This special issue contains articles on History, Biology, and Disease; Health and Socioeconomic Status; Aging, Work, and Public Policy; and Data and Statistics. Introduction by Dr. Linda Waite and Epilogue by Dr. Richard Suzman, BSR/NIA.

Research on Environmental Effects in Genetic Studies of Aging. Special issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Vol. 60B, March 2005. Gerontological Society of America, publisher. Contains articles from the NIA Environmental Workshop for Genetically Informative Studies on Aging, held by NIA’s BSR Program in February 2003. The topics include social context in gene-environment interactions; social environments in the genetics of aging; identifying environments that regulate gene expression throughout the life span; and gene-environment correlation in cognitive change in aging. Thomas E. Johnson and James F. Crow, Guest Editors. Introduction by Dr. Jennifer Harris, BSR/NIA.

New NIA Publications

The following new publications were made available:

• La Enfermedad de Alzheimer: Desentrañando el Misterio (Alzheimer’s Disease: Unraveling the Mystery in Spanish—online only)
• Conductores de la tercera edad (Older Drivers Age Page)
• Prevención de caídas y fracturas (Preventing Falls and Fractures Age Page)
• Safe Use of Medicines (plain language booklet)

The following publications were updated or reprinted:

• El Ejercicio y su Salud (Spanish Exercise Guide)
• What’s Your Aging IQ?
• Osteoporosis Age Page
• Home Safety for People with Alzheimer’s Disease
• Age Page CD-ROM

(Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752. To receive a copy of any publications, e-mail niaic@jbs1.com, order online at http://www.niapublications.org/, or call the NIA Information Center at 1-800-222-2225.)

NIA News Releases

Eleven press releases were distributed and generated 186 clips in print and internet outlets, reaching nearly 23 million people in print alone. The most current NIA press releases can be found online at: http://www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

Partnership Project

OCPL, working with the NIA’s Legislative Office, and in conjunction with the Administration on Aging and the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MoWAA), developed and disseminated a low literacy booklet on safe use of medications. In March, over 100,000 copies of the booklet were requested by MoWAA representatives for distribution through their network. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

NIH SeniorHealth (http://NIHSeniorHealth.gov/)

• Two new topics (shingles and sleep) have been added to the NIHSeniorHealth.gov website.
• NIHSeniorHealth.gov is collaborating with the International Council on Active Aging to collect and make available via the website real life stories of older exercisers from all 50 states.

(Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

Meetings and Exhibits

• NIA and ADEAR publications were distributed at the American College of Hematology, National Council on the Aging/American Society on Aging, American Medical Directors Association, NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Menopause-Related Symptoms, and National Science Teachers Association. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)
• NIA, the Office of Science Education, and the Smithsonian Associates are cosponsoring a six-week mini-med school exploring the basic science underlying the aging process. The program, called “Aging Under the Microscope,” will feature distinguished speakers discussing topics such as how and why we age, why some people age faster or live longer, and what can be done to fight the diseases and disabilities associated with old age. The series is scheduled to run from April 21 through May 26, 2005, on the Smithsonian campus. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

Website

• ADEAR Center launched an improved AD Clinical Trials Database (www.alzheimers.org/trials). New features include: search by zip code; lists of open trials, new trials, and trials in the news “hot buttons” on the search page; and readability/usability improvements. (Contact: Ms. Vicky Cahan, OCPL, Ph: 301-496-1752)

New Notices and Initiatives Relevant to the National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Budget Table

NIA Mechanism Table—May 2005 Director's Status Report
(Dollars in Thousands)