FYI from the NHLBI Index
September 2000: Vol. 1, Issue 2
Summaries of Meetings
& Announcements of Upcoming Events
- The NHLBI’s Second Annual Public Interest Organization Meeting is Scheduled for 2001
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council's May Meeting
- Upcoming Events
- September is National Cholesterol Education Month
The NHLBI's Second Annual Public Interest Organization Meeting is Scheduled for 2001
For the second year in a row, the NHLBI will meet with representatives from public interest
organizations (PIES) to learn how better to meet their constituents' needs. Compared to the
agenda of the first meeting, the program for the 2001 event includes more opportunities for
the representatives to exchange ideas and fewer formal presentations. Although the specific
topics have not been finalized, the meeting is likely to include opportunities for the groups
to share ideas on fund-raising, involvement in the legislative process, and participation in
medical research.
The meeting is scheduled for January 31, 2001, which is the day before the February National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council meeting. The Council members, many of whom plan to attend
the PIO meeting, hope that interested representatives will attend the public Council meeting the
following day.
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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC) met May 18 in Bethesda, MD. Full minutes of Council
meetings are available online.
Of great interest was the presentation on the Rat Genome Sequencing Project by Dr. Francis Collins,
Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Dr. Howard Jacob of the Medical College of
Wisconsin. The sequencing of the human genome is nearly completed and sequencing of the mouse genome
started in 1999; Drs. Collins and Jacob believe that it is appropriate to begin sequencing the rat genome.
Having a trio of mammalian genomic sequences, i.e., the human, mouse, and rat, would facilitate
identification of individual genes and increase the speed of medical research. The project is especially
applicable to NHLBI research because of the large number of existing rat models for diseases within the
purview of the NHLBI and the vast amount of data associated with these models.
The Council received updates on several ongoing NHLBI activities.
Dr. Carl Roth reported on follow-up activities to the February meeting of
the public interest organizations (PIOs). He described the May issue of the
FYI from the NHLBI, which was provided to the Council. The Council is enthusiastic about
working with the PIOs, and many members plan to attend the next PIO meeting on January 31, 2001.
Dr. Roth also presented the NHLBI Strategic Plan for Health Disparities Research,
discussed by Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, Acting Director of NIH, at the previous Council meeting.
Dr. Teri Manolio reported on the NHLBI Research Training and Career Development workshop.
The dwindling number of clinical researchers will have a dramatic impact on future research
if the trend does not reverse. Through implementation of the workshop's recommendations,
the NHLBI's training programs will match the needs of 21st century researchers and the
opportunities available to them.
In recognition of National High Blood Pressure Education Month, Dr. Lenfant introduced
the National High Blood Pressure Education Program's campaign to improve control of
systolic hypertension by increasing awareness of the problem among patients and their physicians.
The Council met with NHLBI representatives to discuss proposed research initiatives that have been
reviewed by the Board of Extramural Advisors. In the Report of the Director, Dr. Lenfant described the
projected impact of President Clinton's proposed budget for FY 2001. In 1999, the average cost of a
grant rose by about $50,000. This increase was not only because of inflation, but also due to the increasing
costs of performing research. If the NHLBI budget is the 5.4 percent increase proposed by the President,
the NHLBI would be forced to decrease the number of competing grant awards.
At this meeting, the Council awarded 370 grants for a total cost of $139,342,000.
The Council's next meeting is scheduled for September 7, 2000, at 8:30 AM.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the NIH in Building 31C, Conference Room 10.
The FYI from the NHLBI staff thanks Mrs. Judith Simpson, member of the NHLBAC and Vice President,
Pulmonary Hypertension Association, for her efforts in preparing this article.
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Workshop: Nitric Oxide as a Therapeutic Agent
for Sickle Cell Disease and other Vascular Diseases
Date: 9/5/00 - 9/6/00
Location: NIH Main Campus, Lister Hill Auditorium, Bethesda, MD.
The workshop will focus on the role of nitric oxide in various diseases and conditions and how
this knowledge can be applied to developing treatments for sickle cell disease and other
vascular diseases.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council
Date: 9/7/00
Time: 8:30am - 2:00pm
Location: NIH Main Campus, Building 31C, Conference Room 10, Bethesda, MD.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council Meeting is open to the public.
For additional information, go to the Council's Web page.
Workshop: CNS Disease in Children with Sickle Cell Disease
Dates: 9/18/00
Time: 8:45am - 5:00pm
Location: NIH Main Campus, Natcher Conference Center, Bethesda, MD.
Call Dr. Duane Bonds or Ms. Wanda Ware at (301)435-0055 for more information.
American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Annual Meeting
Dates: 9/21/00 - 9/24/00
Location: Tampa, FL.
Targeted toward physicians and other health care professionals,
this meeting focuses on advances in the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation field.
For additional information, go to the American Association of
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation's home page.
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
Dates: 10/2/00 - 10/3/00
Location: Reston, VA.
The goal of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program is to decrease asthma-related morbidity and mortality by educating patients,
health professionals, and the public.
46th International Respiratory Congress
Date: 10/7/00 - 10/10/00
Location: Cincinnati, OH.
The purpose of the American Association for Respiratory Care's meeting is to provide
opportunities for health care providers to exchange information about patient care.
14th Annual NIH Research Festival
Date: 10/10/00 - 10/13/00
Location: NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD.
The Festival includes presentations on the wide range of research topics covered by the NIH intramural
community.
American Dietetic Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition
Date: 10/16/00 - 10/19/00
Location: Denver, CO.
Topics are targeted towards dietetic and health professionals and include the latest research on functional foods,
genetics, complementary medicine, obesity, diabetes, and menu planning for ethnic cuisine.
For additional information, go to www.eatright.org/ame/.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council
Date: 10/19/00
Time: 8:30am - 2:00pm
Location: NIH Main Campus Building 31C, Conference Room 10, Bethesda, MD.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council Meeting is open to the public.
For additional information, go to the Council's Web page.
American College of Chest Physicians 66th Annual International Scientific Assembly
Date: 10/22/00 - 10/26/00
Location: San Francisco, CA.
CHEST 2000 is designed to improve physicians' skills in areas including pulmonary and critical care
medicine, cardiac and thoracic surgery, sleep disorders, home care, practice administration, hypertension,
and allergies.
American Heart Association 73rd Annual Scientific Session
Date:11/12/00 - 11/15/00
Location: New Orleans, LA.
The program is directed towards educating medical professionals about advancements in medical research.
American Public Health Association 128th Annual Meeting
Date: 11/12/00 - 11/16/00
Location:Boston, MA
The theme of this year's meeting, which targets physicians, educators,
epidemiologists, nurses and other public health specialists, is "Eliminating Health Disparities."
For additional information, go to the American Public Health Association's Web page.
American Society of Hematology 42nd Annual Meeting
Date:
Time: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Location: San Francisco, CA.
This meeting, which is directed toward the research community, is to promote the exchange
of information and ideas relating to blood, blood-forming tissues, and blood diseases.
Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board Meeting
Date: 12/6/00
Time: 8:00am - 1:30pm
Location: NIH Main Campus Building 31C, Conference Room 10, Bethesda, MD
For additional information regarding these
activities, consult the references provided or the NHLBI Calendar of Events.
The FYI from the NHLBI staff do not have additional information on these
activities. Most NIH Institutes also maintain calendars, easily accessible through their Web sites.
Links to the Institutes' Web pages are at http://www.nih.gov/icd/. |
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September is National Cholesterol Education Month
"Keep the beat - Cholesterol counts for everyone" continues to be the theme for
Cholesterol Education Month 2000. To spread the word about how people can reduce their risk of
coronary heart disease by keeping their cholesterol levels down, the National Cholesterol Education
Program is reaching out to program developers in health departments, hospitals, and community
organizations who are interested in helping to raise cholesterol awareness. The NHLBI
also is distributing an article to newspapers and magazines about the benefits of lowering cholesterol
for all adults - young, middle-aged, and seniors - and
is producing an online kit that can be accessed through the NHLBI's home page
(under "Highlights"). In addition to news articles, the kit contains ideas for cholesterol
education activities, recipes, samples of education materials, and a Cholesterol Education Month Pledge.
Although September is National Cholesterol Education Month, we hope you continue
to make and maintain heart-healthy lifestyle changes throughout the year. Please,
help us raise awareness about preventions and treatments for coronary heart disease and the
other diseases mentioned in this issue by circulating FYI from the NHLBI to people
who might be interested. This and future issues can be accessed from
the NHLBI Web site.
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