News and Features from the Office of the Director
April 8, 2009: HHS Issues New Guidance on GINA
Biomedical researchers who want to learn more about the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) — and what it means for their research and the informed consent process — should check out a new guidance document from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ( more)
April 6, 2009: What Are You Doing for National DNA Day?
As the seventh annual National DNA Day approaches, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), along with students, teachers, researchers and health professionals across the country, are gearing up to celebrate the key molecule of life. ( more)
February 23, 2009: Sequencing Projects Offer Renewed Hope for Cancer Research
Cancer is a formidable illness. The World Health Organization predicts that it may overtake heart disease as the number one killer of humans by 2010. Despite this grim forecast, there is renewed hope in the cancer research community from early results of cancer genome sequencing projects targeting brain, lung and leukemia that have provided the most comprehensive look yet of the genetic glitches responsible for these deadly diseases.( more)
February 17, 2009: Free Online Tutorials Teach Anyone How to Use Genome Databases
For researchers not trained in the relatively new field of bioinformatics - which applies information technology and computer programming to the field of molecular biology - the complex information flooding the public databases can be overwhelming. Now, a number of federal research centers and institutes have increased Web-based training to enable any molecular biologist to use the public databases to advance genomic research. National Human Genome Research Institute has funded the latest tutorials to provide essential training on the use of model organism genome databases. ( more)
December 2008: Pilot Program Coordinates Education in Genomic Medicine
The National Human Genome Research Institute and the University of Virginia recently initiated a pilot program to help physician assistants and nursing educators jointly develop common training materials on genomic medicine. The materials will be freely available on a Web site that helps both professions achieve competence in the emerging field of genomic medicine.
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November 2008: Do You Know Your Family's Health History?
Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., has declared this Thanksgiving the fifth annual National Family History Day. Since 2004, the Surgeon General has urged all Americans to use this time of family gatherings to protect their family's future health by learning about and recording their medical history. ( more)
October 2008: NHGRI Shares Wealth of Science at ASHG Meeting
Research from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) will be featured prominently at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) annual meeting, Nov. 11 to 15, 2008, in Philadelphia. From the exhibitor floor to the plenary halls, NHGRI participation points to its range of outstanding research and its leading role in genetic and genomics research. ( more)
August 2008: Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., Becomes NHGRI's Acting Director
Alan Edward Guttmacher, M.D., a nationally recognized pediatrician and medical geneticist who has played major leadership roles at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) for nearly a decade, became Acting Director of NHGRI on Aug. 2, 2008. He replaces Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., who stepped down after 15 years at the helm of NHGRI to pursue other professional opportunities.
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July 2008: NHGRI Pays Tribute to a Giant of Medical Genetics
Victor Almon McKusick, M.D., University Professor of Medical Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, one of the two distinguished Johns Hopkins geneticists for whom the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine was named, and a towering international figure in genetics research, diagnosis and treatment, died Tuesday, July 22 at home. He was 86.
The relentlessly energetic clinician scholar, a pioneer in the pursuit of the links between inheritance and disease, died at home, of complications due to cancer. ( more)
May 2008: Statement By Michael O. Leavitt Secretary of Health and Human Services
On the resignation of Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, May 28, 2008. ( more)
April 2008: NHGRI Director to Receive International Ethics Prize
In recognition of his continuing efforts to improve human health through genetic research and his support of ethical, legal and social implications analysis of genomic science, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, will be awarded the inaugural Inamori Ethics Prize this fall. ( more)
March 2008: NHGRI-Supported Research Earns High Impact Ranking
A recent independent analysis published in the January/February 2008 issue of Thomson Scientific's Science Watch, shows that the National Human Genome Research Institute holds the second highest "citation impact" in the rapidly expanding field of molecular biology and genetics research from 2002-2006. ( more)
January 2008: Janis Mullaney Joins NHGRI as Executive Officer
Janis Mullaney has joined the National Human Genome Research Insitute as executive officer, a position that oversees virtually every management function of the institute. ( more)
January 2008: New Directions in NHGRI Office of the Director
To advance its efforts to build upon the foundation laid by the sequencing of the human genome in a swift and efficient manner, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has made several key staff changes in the Office of the Director. ( more)
December 2007: Bringing the Genomic Revolution to the Public
Genome-wide association studies have begun identifying the numerous genes involved in many common diseases. To speed the application of these state-of-the-art genomic technologies with the rigorous methods of epidemiology, the National Human Genome Research Institute recently established the Office of Population Genomics to lay a solid groundwork for translating the results into improved medical care. ( more)
October 2007: American Society of Human Genetics' Meeting Showcases NHGRI Research
Investigators from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) will figure prominently at the 57 th annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) taking place Oct. 23-27, 2007 in San Diego. ( more)
August 2007: Building Bridges: Moving Genomics Into Clinical Care
The National Human Genome Research Institute has recently created the Genomic Healthcare Branch to help bridge the gap between genomic discoveries made in the research lab and the realities faced by patients and healthcare providers in the clinic. ( more)
June 2007: Researchers Can Apply Now for Access to GAIN Data
The Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) is now accepting applications from researchers who want access to the rich trove of data that its genome-wide association studies of common diseases will begin generating within the next few months. (more)
April 2007: Mary Affeldt Joins NHGRI as Executive Officer
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) selects Mary Affeldt, a senior manager at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), to be its Executive Officer. She replaces Frederick Walker, who retired in January. ( more)
April 2007: Moving Genomic Medicine into the Doctor's Office
W. Gregory Feero, M.D., Ph.D., joins the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) as the Senior Advisor to the Director for Genomic Medicine. In this position, he plays a key role in guiding the institute as it works to convert the discoveries of genomic research into advances in clinical medicine. ( more)
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Last Updated: February 23, 2009
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