With recent economic troubles and without school nutrition programs, many area families and children are at risk of hunger this summer. Area food banks are facing severe shortages of non-perishable goods. To address this urgent need for assistance, HHS is partnering with other federal agencies in the “Warm Up to Giving” food drive. NIH has joined efforts to step up and meet this challenge by gathering food for families in need. The food drive, called Feds Feed Families - Warm Up to Giving, serves to replenish severe shortages of non-perishable items at food banks across the region.

The NIH “Warm Up to Giving” food drive began July 1 and will run through Aug. 27. Only non-perishable goods should be donated. Foods such as canned fruit, vegetables, tuna, chicken and peanut butter will go a long way to help families in need. Donated goods will go to the Capital Area Food Bank, which serves more than 700 food pantries, soup kitchens and other service organizations in the District, Virginia and Maryland.

You can drop off your donations in the clearly marked collection boxes at the following locations:

On-Campus
Cafeterias: Bldgs. 1, 10 (B1 and ACRF), 31, 38A, 45
Lobby: Bldg. 50

Off-Campus
Cafeterias: 6001 Executive Blvd., Rockledge II, Rockledge Blvd.
Lobby: 6120 Executive Blvd.

For more information, contact Joy Gaines at (301) 451-9299 or email Gainesj@mail.nih.gov. To learn more aboutthe food drive, visit www.fedsfeedfamilies.gov.

BTRIS To Launch July 30

BTRIS (Biomedical Translational Research Information System), a new intramural NIH information system for accessing research data, will be launched on July 30. It will contain data from the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS) as well as data from the initial group of IC-specific clinical research information systems.

What makes BTRIS robust is its Research Entity Dictionary (RED). The RED will allow researchers to ask for the data they need without having to worry about the different ways data are labeled in different systems and even within systems. For example, there are 18 kinds of body temperature measurements in CRIS; when using BTRIS, a researcher can specifically request “Body Temperature, Post-Dialysis” or can just say “Body Temperature” to get all the measurements for a patient.

BTRIS users will, with the help of RED, also be able to identify patients that meet multiple criteria—for example to find all patients whose body temperature was over a certain value and received a specific antibiotic, some antibiotic in a particular class of antibiotics or simply any antibiotic at all. These are just some of the examples of how BTRIS will facilitate processes that up to now have been complex and labor intensive.

BTRIS will be released in phases; the initial release will allow principal investigators who have active clinical protocols to get access to identified data on their subjects. Phase 2, slated for September, will allow intramural researchers access to de-identified data for hypothesis generation and data mining.

There will be a BTRIS Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10. Dr. Jim Cimino, chief, Laboratory for Informatics Development and director of the BTRIS Project, will showcase NIH’s BTRIS software. All staff are welcome to see how BTRIS will provide powerful new tools for enhancing the research process.

caBIG Annual Meeting, July 20-22

NCI’s cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) will hold its 2009 annual meeting “Solving Basic and Clinical Research Challenges in Cancer and Beyond” July 20-22. caBIG has been developed to enable the sharing of data and knowledge, simplify collaboration, speed research to deliver diagnostics and therapeutics more efficiently and realize the potential of personalized medicine. caBIG connects major segments of the cancer community, linking 50+ NCI-designated Cancer Centers, members of the National Community Cancer Centers Program, large-scale NCI science endeavors and countless scientists.

caBIG capabilities also provide an interoperable platform for linking other disease communities. This year’s conference is especially timely in light of the sweeping changes under way at the national level in life sciences and health care. The program includes sessions addressing topics ranging from the future of biomedicine to how to use caBIG tools and infrastructure to aggregate, integrate and analyze data. To register, visit https://cabig.nci.nih.gov/2009AnnualMeeting.

NHLBI Hosts IT Forum, July 21

An NHLBI IT Forum, “It’s Not Web 2.0, It’s Not Web 3.0, It’s Simply Life!,” by social marketing guru Peter Shankman will be held on Tuesday, July 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. in Natcher main auditorium. Shankman will address how to use web technology to advance the mission of organizations. RSVP appreciated to levinerac@mail.nih.gov, or if you need reasonable accommodation.

Conference on Advancing Rare Disease Research

The National Center for Research Resources and the NIH Office of Rare Diseases Research are holding a 1-day conference on Thursday, July 16 to discuss ways to further research in rare diseases. “Advancing Rare Diseases Research through Networks and Collaboration,” will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Natcher Conference Center.

Following a keynote address by Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, a series of expert panels will cover subjects ranging from training professionals in rare diseases research to translating basic research into clinical research and practice.

The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/RDR_Networks/. Contact Kimberly Potter at (301) 519-5344 or kimberly.c.potter@lmco.com if you have logistical questions. For content-related questions, email ordr@od.nih.gov.

Cancer Prevention Fellowship

The Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program (CPFP) at the National Cancer Institute is accepting applications for 2010 fellows from now through Sept. 1. It offers training toward an M.P.H. degree at an accredited university during the first year, followed by mentored research with NCI investigators.

The CPFP provides competitive stipends, paid health insurance, reimbursement for moving expenses and a travel allowance to attend scholarly meetings or training. The typical duration in the CPFP is 4 years. To be eligible, applicants must possess an M.D., Ph.D., J.D. or other doctoral degree in a related discipline. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. To learn more visit http://cancer.gov/ prevention/pob or contact cpfpcoordinator@ mail.nih.gov.

2009 Science in the Cinema Under Way

The annual free film and discussion series Science in the Cinema is under way. This year’s topics include AIDS, cholera, polio, Darwin in the classroom, mental illness and stem cell research. The series results from a partnership between the NIH Office of Science Education and the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

Every Wednesday through Aug. 12, a film with a medical science theme will be shown at 7 p.m. Following each film, an expert will comment on the science depicted in the film and take questions from the audience. Tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis through the AFI Silver box office, day of show only. Seating is limited to the first 400 people.

All films will be shown with captions. Sign language interpreters and real-time captioning will be provided for the post-film discussions. For other reasonable accommodation, contact OSE at least 5 days before the event at moorec@mail.nih.gov, (voice) (301) 402-2470 or (TTY) through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. See the schedule at http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema.

FAES Announces Fall Courses

The FAES Graduate School at NIH announces the schedule of courses for the fall 2009 semester. The majority of the evening classes sponsored by the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences will be given on the NIH campus.

Courses are offered in biochemistry, biology, biotechnology (daytime courses), chemistry, immunology, languages, medicine, microbiology, pharmacology, statistics, technology transfer, alternative medicine and courses of general interest. A technology transfer certificate program is also being offered. It is possible to transfer credits earned to other institutions for degree work, with their approval.

Classes will begin the week of Sept. 14; mail registration ends Aug. 21. An open house will be held Aug. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the FAES Social and Academic Center, 9101 Old Georgetown Rd.; walk-in registration will be accepted then and also from Aug. 27-Sept. 4. Tuition is $115 per credit hour and courses may be taken for credit or audit. Courses that qualify for institute support as training should be cleared with supervisors and administrative officers as soon as possible. Both the vendor’s copy of the training form (SF-182) and the FAES registration form must be submitted at the time of registration. Note that FAES cannot access training forms entered in the NIHTS system; a signed hard copy (vendor’s copy of SF-182) is needed in order to process registrations for classes. Asking your institute to pay your tuition is a preliminary step to registration but does not constitute registration with the FAES Graduate School.

Class schedules and course catalogs are available in the graduate school office, Bldg. 60, Suite 230; the FAES bookstore, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1L101; and the business office, Bldg. 10, Rm. B1C18. For a catalog, call (301) 496-7976 or visit www.faes.org.

Principles of Clinical Pharmacology Course

The Principles of Clinical Pharmacology course, sponsored by the Clinical Center, will begin in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10 on Sept. 3. The course will be held Thursday evenings from 6:30 to approximately 7:45 and will run through Apr. 22, 2010. “Many medical schools don’t offer formal courses in clinical pharmacology,” said Dr. John Gallin, director of the Clinical Center. “This program covers what researchers need to know concerning the clinical pharmacologic aspects of drug development and use.”

The course covers topics such as pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and transport, assessment of drug effects, drug therapy in special populations and drug discovery and development. “We have assembled an outstanding faculty for this course, drawing from the scientific staff at the NIH, the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry and many prestigious academic institutions in the U.S.,” said course director Dr. Juan Lertora, director of CC clinical pharmacology.

The faculty, led by former course director Dr. Arthur J. Atkinson, Jr., has also prepared and edited a textbook, Principles of Clinical Pharmacology, Second Edition (2007), which follows the sequence of the course lectures. This textbook is highly recommended and is available in the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences Bookstore in Bldg. 10 and through Amazon.com.

Since the course was first offered 12 years ago, it has expanded beyond the CC to include a number of off-site partners. Last year there were about 206 students from 13 long-distance partners in addition to some 345 enrollees at NIH.

Registration is open to all interested individuals at no cost unless the course is being taken for graduate credit. The course may be taken for credit through the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences as PHAR 500 I and PHAR 500 II; contact FAES directly at (301) 496-7976 before Aug. 21. Certificates of participation will be awarded at the end to all students who attend 75 percent of the lectures. More information is available at www.cc.nih.gov/training/training/principles.html or by calling Donna Shields, (301) 435-6618.

NIH Sailing Association Open House, Aug. 1

The NIH Sailing Association will hold an open house on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Selby Bay Sailing Center in Mayo, Md. Explore your interest in learning to sail and discover opportunities for sailing with NIHSA. We will be giving demonstration sails for adults in the club’s 19-ft. Flying Scot sailboats. Fall sailing classes begin Aug. 26; this is a good chance to preview the boats and meet the members. At the open house you can: join NIHSA; sign up for the 6-week Adult Sailing Class; find out about club sailboat racing; check out the social schedule of NIHSA; and meet members. Directions can be found at www.recgov.org/sail. Come check it out—sailing, food, drinks and beer for $5 per person. Look for posters and flyers around campus for more information.

Fitness Event Brings Beach to NIH

The NIH R&W Fitness Program in partnership with the Office of Research Services’ Division of Amenities and Transportation Services held their first annual Physical Activity Day “ Get Beach Ready” on June 2. The event supported the 2009 NIH President’s Challenge and the Healthier Feds initiative. Participants showed off their skill at volleyball, their strength at Tug of War and joined various group exercise classes such as Pilates, core conditioning, indoor group cycling, stretching, move n’ groove, boxing conditioning and body challenge. All activities and classes were free to NIH employees and contractors. The Fitness Center is currently planning another physical activity day in the fall. Suggestions for activities can be emailed to Laura Lavrin, Fitness Center director, lavrinl@od.nih.gov. For more details about fitness centers and their programs, visit www.recgov.org/fitness.