New HHS Secretary Sworn In

Last week, Kathleen Sebelius was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President Barack Obama. Secretary Sebelius brings more than 20 years of experience in state government to her new role as head of one of the Federal government's largest departments, which includes NCI. More information about the new Secretary is available here.

NCI's Lowy Elected to NAS

Last week, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) elected to its ranks Dr. Douglas Lowy, chief of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology in the Center for Cancer Research. The research of Dr. Lowy and his colleague Dr. John Schiller contributed to the commercial development of an HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

NAS members are selected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded to a U.S. scientist or engineer.

NCI's Ross Wins 2009 Kretchmer Award

Dr. Sharon Ross of NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) was recently awarded the prestigious Norman Kretchmer Memorial Award in Nutrition and Development from the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). The presentation ceremony took place during the ASN annual meeting in New Orleans on April 19.

Dr. Ross is currently a health scientist administrator and program director in DCP's Nutritional Science Research Group. Her research focuses on the epigenetic effects of nutrient availability on gene expression and cell development, both in embryology and carcinogenesis.

CCR Eminent Lecture Series Features Dr. Andrew Fire

NCI's Center for Cancer Research (CCR) continues its Eminent Lecture Series presentations by nationally recognized scientists doing cutting-edge research.

Dr. Andrew Fire, Professor of Pathology and Genetics at Stanford University, will present the series' next lecture on May 18 at 3:00 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater on the NIH campus in Bethesda. The title of Dr. Fire's talk is "Tracking B Cell Diversity and Clonality in Human Immunity and Disease." Dr. Fire was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006, along with Dr. Craig Mello, for their discovery of RNA interference, gene silencing by double-stranded RNA.

The lecture series is free and open to the public. To learn more details about this and other upcoming lectures in the series, click here.

Telephone Workshop Series for Cancer Survivors

The seventh annual telephone workshop series "Living With, Through, and Beyond Cancer" continues on May 19 with part II of the series, entitled "The Importance of Nutrition and Physical Activity." This three-part series offers cancer survivors, their families, friends, and health care professionals practical information to help them cope with concerns and issues that arise after treatment ends.

The program is a collaborative effort between NCI, CancerCare, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Intercultural Cancer Council, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

The workshops are free; no telephone charges apply. To register, visit the CancerCare Web site. The remaining workshops will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT on the following dates:

Part II: "The Importance of Nutrition and Physical Activity," May 19

Part III: "Survivors Too: Family, Friends, and Loved Ones: Managing the Fatigue of Caregiving," June 23

The workshops are also archived (including Part I: "Managing the Stress of Survivorship") and available online as podcasts.

DCLG Accepting Nominations

NCI is currently identifying individuals to serve on the Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG). The DCLG is a Federal Advisory Committee of 16 individuals who advise the NCI Director from the viewpoint of the consumer advocate. The Institute will be filling three positions on the board with dates of service beginning July 2009 and running through June 2013. All nomination materials must be received by NCI no later than 6:00 p.m. on May 22.

Further information about the DCLG and complete details about the nomination process can be found online. Previous nominees should be aware that in order to be considered for current vacancies, their updated materials must be resubmitted.

Please direct questions to ncidclgnominations@mail.nih.gov.

NCI to Highlight Translational Research Resources at 2009 BIO International Convention

While at the 2009 BIO International Convention, please visit the NCI exhibit at booth #3805 to learn about the many resources, partnerships, and collaborative opportunities available from NCI that enable the translation of cancer research discoveries to new cancer therapies and diagnostics. The NCI exhibit will feature a new interactive experience that provides an up-close look at how NCI's programs and initiatives are speeding the development of new diagnostic tests, cancer treatments and devices, and other interventions that benefit people with cancer and those who are at risk.

NCI experts will also be joining industry leaders in discussing critical topics in the life sciences during the following breakout sessions.

Tuesday, May 19 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.		Transforming the Research Paradigm: 21st Century Models to Unify Discovery Research and Clinical Care Ken Buetow, associate director for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology, NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology
Wednesday, May 20 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.		Fast Forwarding Life Science Innovation: What Works, What Doesn't, Where Do We Go From Here? Carolyn Compton, director, NCI Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research
Thursday, May 21 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.		Private Companies Tackling Public Health Michael Weingarten, director, NCI Small Business Innovation Research Development Center