FYI from the NHLBI Index

January 2007: Vol. 7, Issue 3
Feature Articles

Eighth Annual Public Interest Organization Meeting

OPEC Becomes CARD

PIO Meeting: Personal Experiences

Eighth ANNUAL PIO Meeting

The NHLBI will hold the Eighth Annual Public Interest Organization (PIO) meeting at the Doubletree Hotel in Bethesda on February 12-13, 2007.  This year’s meeting promises to have a wide range of offerings that are sure to benefit the PIO representatives in attendance.

The meeting will kick off on the afternoon of Monday, February 12, with registration, networking, and a presentation on the “State of the NHLBI:  The NHLBI Strategic Plan and the Future” by NHLBI Deputy Director, Dr. Susan Shurin.

Tuesday’s activities will begin with a continental breakfast and an agenda overview.  Before lunch, attendees will hear presentations on nitrite therapy, pulmonary hypertension, engaging the scientific community in rare disease research, the grants process, and understanding clinical trials.

Afternoon activities include sessions on biomarker development, stem cell technology, and psychosocial issues.  In addition, roundtable discussions will provide PIO representatives an opportunity to meet NHLBI staff covering areas of heart disease and development, vascular disease, lung diseases, airway diseases, blood diseases and resources, and sleep and sleep disorders.  This year, in response to all the positive comments we received from the last meeting, we have once again set aside plenty of non-structured time to encourage interaction and networking.

OPEC Becomes CARD

Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, Director NHLBI, recently announced that the NHLBI Office of Prevention, Education, and Control will become the Center for the Application of Research Discoveries (CARD).

CARD will use new knowledge networks, education programs, community outreach, and conferences and symposia to connect research and practice fields, identify knowledge gaps, manage emergent knowledge for rapid translation, and facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Dr. Nabel explained, “Our challenge is to narrow the gap from scientific discovery to application.  Under the leadership of Dr. Gregory Morosco, this new Center will strengthen the Institute's ability to translate our research findings and educate health professionals, patients, and the public.”

Reaching out to people in at-risk, low-income, and minority communities through its community outreach efforts will remain a high priority for CARD.  In addition, the Center will continue to provide media relations services for the Institute and operate the NHLBI Health Information Center.

Modified 1/31/07
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PIO Meeting: Personal Experiences

The following perspective on the Seventh Annual PIO Meeting, held in 2006, was provided by Ms. Hoxi Jones of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.  Ms. Jones is currently serving as a member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council.

The Public Interest Organization (PIO) Meeting was invaluable as it provided the opportunity to meet others like me living with a disease.  Mine just happens to be sickle cell anemia, but there were folks there with hemophilia, sarcoidosis, restless leg syndrome, and ailments with names I’m not even going to butcher here.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director NIH, and Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, Director NHLBI, opened up the one-and-a-half day session by outlining the goals and objectives of the NHLBI and then fielded questions.  What impressed me about Dr. Zerhouni is his frankness.  There was one question he didn’t have an answer for and he readily admitted it.  I don’t know many CEOs who have the fortitude to do that.

Dr. Nabel invited the PIO’s involvement in the strategic planning process, which will take place over the coming months.  Everyone’s input will be needed in order to make it a viable endeavor.

There was a great presentation by Mr. Carl Weixler from the Hemophilia Federation of America.  Listening to how others struggle and how they surmount their obstacles is always a learning experience for me.  You can easily get into the mindset of “this is only happening to me,” but that’s never the case.

One PIO member requested that the NHLBI consider us in our totality — a whole wellness approach, not limited to just the clinical perspective.  The fact is, we struggle daily with the vagaries of our disease but our quality of life is often compromised.  There’s not much addressing this aspect and to that end she requested the NHLBI to make this a priority.  I wholeheartedly agree and encourage the NHLBI to place this on its agenda.

We ended just as we began — on a high note.  Attendees met with their respective individual NHLBI division.  For me, that meant the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, led by Dr. Charles Peterson.   I found myself sitting across the table from the people I usually speak to by phone.  This informal, intimate setting was ideal for soliciting input and exchanging perspectives in a relaxed atmosphere.

All in all it was a most worthwhile day and a half and I look forward to future PIO meetings.

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