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September 14, 2004 Report of the Director

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
John E. Fogarty International Center
for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences

Minutes of the Advisory Board
Fifty Eighth Meeting

 

Table of Contents

1. FIC Personnel Announcements
2. FIC Budget
3. Congressional Hearings and Related Items
4. FIC Programs and Initiatives
5. Regional Activities
6. Selected Activities of FIC Staff Members

Confirmed:

Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Proposed for 2006:

Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

(Advisory Board Subcommittees meet on the Monday preceding the full Board meeting.)

I. FIC Personnel Announcements

Dr. Zakir Bengali joined FIC as a program officer in the Division of International Research in August 2004. He comes to FIC on a detail from the Center for Scientific Review where he was a scientific review administrator in the Biochemical Sciences Integrated Review Group. Dr. Bengali will have responsibility for the South Asia portfolio, concentrating on India and Pakistan and also including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Dr. Henry “Skip” Francis joined FIC as a program officer in the Division of International Research, also in August 2004. Dr. Francis comes to FIC from NIDA, where since 1998 he was director of its Center on AIDS and Other Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse. He has in-depth knowledge of FIC programs, having worked closely with DITR in the past on the AITRP and has lived and worked around the world. After training in internal medicine and in infectious diseases, he worked on the onchocerciasis research project in Ghana and on Project SIDA in then-Zaire, among other efforts. Dr. Francis will provide leadership for the Sub-Saharan Africa portfolio.

Dr. Ana Chepelinsky joins FIC as a program officer in the Division of International Research this month. She comes to FIC on a detail from the National Eye Institute’s intramural research program as a senior scientist and developmental biologist; her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms involved in the regulation of gene expression in the eye, with emphasis on the lens. Dr. Chepelinsky, a committed mentor for young scientists, will provide leadership for Latin America and Caribbean portfolio and will engage in FIC’s efforts to enhance training opportunities for women in science in low- and middle-income nations.

Ms. Minerva Rojo, director of the Division of International Relations (DIR), is on detail to the Office of Science Policy in the Office of Biotechnology Activities, Office of the Director, NIH, where she is engaged in assessing policies and practices related to dual use technology. Mr. Richard Millstein, Acting Deputy Director of FIC, took on the additional role of Acting Director, DIR, between June and August, and Mr. Rob Eiss, Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the FIC Director, assumed the Acting Directorship of DIR in September.

Ms. Irene Edwards, longstanding communications director and also Executive Secretary of the FIC Advisory Board, recently retired after 17 years in Federal service at FIC. Some of Irene’s more notable accomplishments include writer, editor and publisher of FIC’s newsletter, “Global Health Matters”, development and coordination of press releases for FIC, and the development of the publication highlighting the accomplishments of Fogarty International Center for its 35th Anniversary. While Irene’s retirement is a loss for us, this is an exciting time for her and her family. We know that you join the FIC staff in wishing Irene well in her new pursuits.

Mr. Mark Pineda, program officer for Europe and South Asia in the Division of International Relations between 2003 and 2004, has joined the Division of Intramural Research of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to assist in international efforts of that Division. Mr. Pineda had joined FIC from NIAID’s science policy office.

Dr. Richard Krause, Senior Advisor, NIAID and FIC, has taken over the helm of the newly established Regional Emerging Disease Intervention (REDI) Centre in Singapore until a permanent Director is identified. The Centre, jointly supported by the Singapore Ministry of Health and DHHS, will facilitate training in outbreak investigations and foster collaboration in research. Dr. Krause was asked to take on this four-month assignment by the DHHS Office of the Secretary, given the priority placed on the need for surveillance of infectious diseases and the Secretary’s role in establishing the site.

Seven new NIH staff have joined the FIC Division of International Training and Research and the FIC Grants Office. These individuals are part of the NIH Division of Extramural Administration and Support, a newly created Division that provides support for the areas of grants management, peer review, and scientific program management across the NIH. Joining FIC are: Ms. Shena Wilson, Ms. Rhesia Pittman, Ms. Jessica Kerr and Sue Elhussein. Three others will be identified this month.

II. FIC Budget

Fiscal Year 2005

The House Appropriations Committee completed action on the FY2005 budget on July 14, 2004. The House has not yet scheduled floor action on the appropriations bill. The following chart summarizes the actions as of September 7, 2004.

• FY 2004 Funding Level:  NIH - $27,808,248,000       FIC - $65,344,000

• FY 2005 Amended President's Budget:  NIH - $28,541,3711,000       FIC - $67,182,000

• House Appropriations Committee (July 14, 2004):  NIH - $28,541,371,000       FIC - $67,182,000

The Senate Appropriations Committee has not acted yet on the President’s FY 2005 budget request.

III. Congressional Hearings and Related Items

Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, NIH testified on June 22, 2004 before the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on conflict of interest. The NIH Director outlined his plan to strengthen the ethics system at NIH through the implementation of four principles: 1) enhancing public trust, 2) increasing transparency, 3) balancing NIH’s ability to recruit and retain the best scientific expertise while expediting the translation of research advances, and 4) establishing effective monitoring and oversight of employee activities. (http://olpa.od.nih.gov/hearings/108/session2/testimonies/conflictc.asp)

Capitol Hill Briefing

FIC Acting Director, Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, joined by Dr. Richard Nakamura, Deputy Director, NIMH, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIDA, and FIC grantee Dr. Eric Caine of the University of Rochester’s Center for the Study of Suicide presented a briefing on global health to Congressional members and staff on June 28, “The Silent Epidemic of Mental Disorders.” The briefing focused on the challenges and opportunities afforded through international collaboration. Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island, who holds John Fogarty’s seat (2nd congressional district, Rhode Island), invited FIC to provide the briefing and the entire Rhode Island congressional delegation (Senators Jack Reed and Lincoln Chaffee, and Representative Patrick Kennedy) co-hosted the event. This was the first of several “Town Hall” meetings expected to take place around the United States to raise awareness of emerging issues in global health.

NIH Reauthorization

To prepare for the legislation to reauthorize NIH as an agency, each Institute and Center Director met with staff of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to discuss priority setting, organizational issues and collaborations across NIH. Dr. Hrynkow’s meeting, held May 10, focused on the extent to which FIC collaborates across NIH on its research and training programs and in its support for NIH international activities with the State Department, the Office of the Secretary, NIH counterparts abroad, and other partners.

IV. FIC Programs and Initiatives

On the Ground in Russia

FIC Acting Director Hrynkow joined Secretary Thompson’s delegation to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia in late June to highlight needs and opportunities for joint work on HIV/AIDS and cancer and to join in the announcement of a FIC-supported school of public health at St. Petersburg State University. Also joining the team were NCI Director Andrew von Eschenbach and Director of the NIAID Division of AIDS, Edward Tramont. The group met with a range of agencies and invididuals, including members of the Duma, scientific leaders, and people living with AIDS. The Secretary announced the new award of $35 million from the Global Fund on AIDS, TB and malaria to support efforts against AIDS in Russia, and gave a major address on Medicine and Diplomacy at St. Petersburg State University. The Secretary also announced that St. Petersburg State University had recently launched a school of public health, the first in Russia, with strong support from the FIC and FIC grantees. At the St. Petersburg visit, Dr. Hrynkow had the opportunity to meet several of the FIC trainees involved in the AIDS International Training Program and the Emerging Infectious Disease training program.

Building Capacity in Trauma and Injury in Developing Countries

On World Health Day 2004 with its focus on road safety, FIC launched a new program in partnership with NIBIB, NINR, NIMH, NHLBI and others to address the growing burden of morbidity and mortality in the developing world due to trauma and injury. While trauma and injury are leading causes of death and disability in the world, a disproportionate share of this burden is borne by the developing world where financial and medical resources are sorely lacking. The program is modeled on FIC’s successful paradigm for research training that links U.S. and foreign institutions. Applications were invited in a range of areas, including development of synthetic blood products, mental health, consequences of domestic violence, long-term civil strife and in low-cost imaging strategies. Applications were due on August 25. Seventeen applications have been received from around the world. First awards are expected to be made in FY 2005.

Fogarty-Ellison Fellowship Program

Thirty-one Fogarty-Ellison fellows participated in a high-powered 18-day orientation program on the NIH campus in July. Twenty US students, including 19 medical school students and one doctorate of public health student, and 11 of the 16 foreign counterparts from the training sites -- Botswana and Brazil; Haiti, India, and South Africa; Peru and Uganda; Zambia and Thailand; and Kenya and Mali – comprised the group. The FIC-Ellison program supports one year of mentored clinical research training at a developing country institution, with a key feature being a “twinning” relationship between the US and the foreign trainee. Among the scientists and leaders who addressed the group were Dr. Raynard Kington, NIH Deputy Director; four IC Directors – Drs. Fauci, Gallin, Ruffin and Hrynkow – as well as Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona and officials from the World Bank, State Department and other agencies. Fellows were energized with top-notch teaching sessions and updates on malaria, tuberculosis, tobacco use and other major health issues, as well as personal experiences of the speakers. Dr. Pierce Gardner, FIC Senior Advisor for Clinical Research and Training, and Dr. Aron Primack, Program Officer, Division of International Training and Research were the mainstays of this effort. Other FIC staff led discussions in their areas of expertise, all with accolades from the students: Dr. Joel Breman, Dr. Dean Jamison, Dr. Ellis McKenzie, Dr. Dave Smith, Dr. Wendy Prudhomme and Dr. Rachel Nugent. The first year of this program was supported financially by FIC, Ellison, and NCMHD. FIC plans to expand the program in FY2005 to include additional foreign sites, more students, and new NIH partners.

Tackling Brain Drain via Alumni Associations

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) and its partner, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), is launching a pilot to establish Alumni Association of Visiting Fellows and FIC-supported trainees in five countries: Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. The Association will assist former NIH Visiting Fellows and FIC-supported trainees from the participating countries to overcome one of the major challenges facing them on return home: isolation. We have heard loud and clear from junior scientists about to return home that efforts are much needed to support them as they work to meet with each other on return home. Sharing experiences as well as practical and technical information will form an important component of each of the Alumni Associations. These associations are also intended to provide an avenue for FIC and NIH to maintain contact with former trainees and to facilitate continued interactions between the US laboratory and the newly independent scientist on return home. In one country, India, the Association will also provide support to link CDC-trained scientists into the network. The criteria for country selection included: 1) a critical mass of NIH Alumni and FIC-sponsored trainees in a country/region; 2) interest by an international agency/institution in serving as the focal point of the pilot alumni association to ensure its long-term success; and 3) interest by a FIC grantee with programmatic involvement at a potential host site in serving as the US partner in the effort. Five FIC-supported AIDS International Training and Research Programs will serve as the US partners in this activity.

Reaching Out on Global Health

• As part of a new FIC series of outreach activities to meet with groups around the country on global health issues, Acting Director Hrynkow traveled to the University of Virginia’s Center for Global Helath on June 2 to speak with faculty and students on “Opportunities and Trends in Global Health.” Audience members shared views on needs and opportunities for international cooperation, and information was provided on current and proposed FIC programs.. The next event is tentatively being planned to be held in the Midwest in the Fall timeframe.



• On July 26, Dr. Hrynkow spoke to an audience of 500 high school sophomores from around the world at the Hugh O’Brien Youth Fellowship (HOBY) World Leader Congress. Mr. O’Brien, perhaps better known for his long-term acting role as Wyatt Earp, began this program over 30 years ago after a trip to Africa and an unforgettable meeting with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. On return home, he donated funds to establish the HOBY program, geared toward bring future leaders together to find common ground and to establish life long friendships. Dr. Hrynkow’s comments on global health, along with those of other panel members from National Public Radio, the NAS and the University of Virginia, were followed by breakout groups to pursue specific questions on the minds of the young HOBY ambassadors.



• The Intolerable Burden of Malaria: In a new publication entitled “The Intolerable Burden of Malaria II: What’s New What’s Needed,” malaria research scientists from around the globe provide fresh insights into the international burden of malaria. Only the second of its kind, this document, a supplement to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene released on September 9, 2004, features 37 articles. The researchers report that a new artemisinin-based combination therapy holds great promise in significantly delaying the development of malaria parasite resistance; and the new agents are more effective than anti-malarial agents currently in use. New information is reported on candidate vacancies in clinical development, of which, 16 are designed to prevent or reduce the onset of parasitemia, reduce febrile malaria attacks, and promote earlier recovery. In addition, transmission-blocking (“altruistic”) vaccines, designed to prevent infectious sexual stage (sporozoite) development in the salivary glands of Anopheles mosquitoes and block the transmission of malaria in the larger community by infected mosquitoes are discussed. The new supplement was edited by Dr. Joel Breman, FIC; Dr. Martin Alilio, Academy for Educational Development (formerly of FIC); and Dr. Anne Mills, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was supported by the FIC, NIAID, NLM, and NIEHS. Copies of the supplement will be available through the FIC Communications Office.

Evaluation of FIC Programs

As part of the ongoing effort to evaluate its programs, the second phase of evaluation of FIC’s longest standing training program, the AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) will begin in October. Building on the first phase, which showed an 80 percent return rate back home for FIC-trained scientists in the United States among other features, the second phase will focus on career trajectories of FIC trainees and the contributions of trainees to science and to public health. An expert panel convened by an outside contracting group completed an evaluation of the FIC/NIA/NICHD training program in Population and Health. This program, begun in 1995, is filling an important niche, according to the study authors. Areas for consideration as the program is re-competed include: expanding the focus of the population portfolio to emphasize the fields of aging and adult health, and to add the areas of population and environment, nutrition and migration. In reproductive biology, the panel recommended that geographic diversity should be extended beyond the current focus on Latin America, India and China.

New Study on Malaria Control: A Reconsideration of the Role of DDT

FIC and NIEHS supported a new National Academy of Science study through the Board on Global Health and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources to examine malaria control and the use of DDT. Leaders from diverse scientific disciplines were assembled to discuss regional and global perspectives on the adequacy of currently available and potential methods for reducing malaria morbidity and mortality. Reviewing the scientific underpinnings of perceptions regarding the risks and benefits of control methods that employ DDT was a specific focus, in particular the use of DDT for indoor residual treatments in malaria prevention and control and environmental damage as it relates to DDT’s public health use.

Scaling Up Treatment for the Global AIDS Pandemic

FIC teamed up with the NIH Office of AIDS Research and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support a study by the Institute of Medicine on antiretroviral therapy use in resource poor settings. The final report, released in July, recommends that ART scale-up efforts must proceed immediately through coordinated actions by national governments, donors, international organizations and NGOs; donors should commit to funding of ART strategies on the decade time-scale; TB programs should continue to be supported in conjunction with HIV/AIDS programs, given the numbers of dual-infected individuals; expertise from AIDS training programs already in place should be used to inform and support the development of strategies to train clinicians; monitoring and evaluation efforts must be incorporated in programs from their inception; and that operational research must be part of a comprehensive approach, among others. FIC is considering most appropriate next steps on this critical topic.

Linking Burden of Disease Data with Economic Analysis of Individual Interventions: Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP)

The DCPP, a project of the FIC, World Bank, WHO and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is moving ahead at full steam. The DCPP, a compilation of chapters on specific disease burdens plus analysis of economic impacts if available interventions are deployed to address the burdens, is intended to be a major contribution to public health and development decision-making in the coming years. To date the DCCP has received fifty-five chapter drafts, now in review by experts in each field. A range of FIC and NIH contributors are helping to shape the DCPP, expected to be finalized in 2005. Co-managing DCPP editors and other DCPP leaders are Dr. Dean Jamison, Fellow, FIC; Dr. Joel Breman, Senior Scientific Advisor, DIEPS/FIC; Dr. Tony Measham, Co-managing editor and Dr. Philip Musgrove, Lead Economist, DCPP with major input from senior advisory members, including Dr. George Alleyne, former Director-General of PAHO.

Strengthening Links between Research Training and Schools of Public Health

FIC and its grantees are leading an effort to enhance public health training in key countries. Recognizing that those trained in research methodologies, including epidemiology, statistics and other disciplines, are often the same individuals back home who play a key role in shaping the public health training enterprise, FIC has linked its training programs in key countries with embryonic efforts to build schools of public health. On a pilot basis, FIC grantees were supported to establish such schools in Malawi and most recently in Russia (see article on Secretary Thompson’s announcement in this Report.) Another new entity, supported by FIC and its grantees in the Environmental and Occupational Health Training Program, played a critical role in establishing a new virtual school of public health in the Baltics. New efforts involving several Deans of Schools of Public Health around the United States as well as CDC are underway to consider establishment of a school of public health in India. FIC’s Zakir Bengali, Program Officer for South Asia, will participate at the key meeting on this topic on September 16 in New Delhi. As details about individual programs are collected, FIC will share information on these new efforts that link our longstanding training programs more closely with public health needs and training programs in low- and middle-income nations.

Science for Global Health

The following are representative examples of scientific and training successes supported by the FIC programs in the past several months. Thanks to our grantees for sending information on these success stories, and to our partners for continued support.

• Dr. Wafaie Fawzi, Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues showed that multivitamins supplements containing high doses of the vitamin B complex, as well as vitamins C and E, given to HIV-infected women during pregnancy and for more than 5 years after they gave birth reduced the symptoms of AIDS. This study suggests that more effective use of vitamins could offset AIDS symptoms, thereby reducing the need for drugs and development of resistance to those drugs over the long term. The supplements also bolstered counts of disease-fighting immune cells, and modestly lowered HIV levels in the blood. This study, conducted in Tanzania, was supported by the NICHD, with training supported by FIC through the AIDS International Training and Research Program. NEJM 2004: 351: 23-32.



• Dr. Lia Fernald, U. California, Berkeley, and colleagues from the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Mexico, showed that rural poor living in Mexico are overweight and obese at the same levels (or slightly higher) than those in the general Mexican population: 60% versus 67% for women and 61% versus 50% in men. The high rate of overweight and obesity in impoverished rural Mexico underscores the need to expand health services to address diseases that are correlated to overweight and obesity such as hypertension, diabetes and insulin resistance. It also underscores that it is important to recognize that obesity exists concurrently with diseases of undernourishment such as anemia and micronutrient deficiencies. Dr. Fernald, a FIC grantee in the Career Development (KO1) program, led the study. The government of Mexico provided additional support for the KO1 and the NICHD provided additional support for the research costs. JAMA 2004, 291: 2544-2545.



• Dr. Eduardo Ortega, Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas in Panama and colleagues have developed a new, more effective means to measure malaria parasite levels in resource-poor settings. While typical assays depend on the use of radioactivity, difficult to obtain in many countries, the new assay employs a fluorescent dye in a rapid, inexpensive and accurate test system. Researchers in Bolivia, Italy and Madagascar have already adopted the new technique. Scientists from the Madagascar International Cooperative Biodiversity Group visited the Panama ICBG group to learn the technique, making this an excellent example of South-South technology transfer growing out of NIH support. The ICBG program is led and administered by the FIC on behalf of its NIH partners, NSF and USDA. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 70: 119-124 (2004).

Centers for Global Centers: An Exploratory Mission

On September 15, FIC will convene a consultation to explore a program concept related to development of centers for global health. At the meeting, FIC grantees from the US and abroad will join NIH colleagues and others from science funding agencies to consider if and how FIC could enhance its research training programs through an effort to pair US and foreign institutions and to provide support for ancillary activities in support of the research enterprise.

V. Regional Activities

Forging Ties in Health Research in the Middle East:

Dr. Zerhouni joined by Acting Director Hrynkow met with two Ministers of Health from the Middle East region at the NIH to pursue common interests in health research and training. In June, Mr. Said Darwazeh and Mr. Karim Kawar, Jordan’s Minister of Health and Ambassador to the United States, respectively, visited the NIH campus to discuss cancer research, cardiovascular disease and other priorities. In addition to Dr. Zerhouni’s discussion, separate meetings were held with the Directors of NCI, NHLBI and NICHD. In August, during a three-day visit to the United States at the invitation of Secretary Thompson, Iraqi Minister of Health, Dr. Ala’adin Al-Alwan, met with DHHS representatives to discuss potential collaborations in research and care. Dr. Zerhouni, joined by Dr. Hrynkow, met with the Minister and the Iraqi Ambassador-designate to the United States, Rend Rahim Francke, to discuss urgent needs in training and use of Internet technologies to assist in re-establishing clinical research and care facilities. NCI Director von Eschenbach discussed plans for joint cooperation in cancer research earlier in the day. An evening reception, hosted by the FIC at the Stone House, brought together colleagues from across the diplomatic community and the US government to continue to discussions from the previous two days and to continue to strengthen ties that will carry the efforts into the future. FIC is working on follow-up to both visits, to include potential support for workshops in the region to bring scientists together around common interests.

FIC Hosts Diplomats from Latin America and Caribbean

On June 23, FIC convened an afternoon session for diplomats from the D.C. based embassies from the Latin American region. The purpose of the event was to provide up-to-date information on health topics of concern to the region and to provide a forum for discussion for potential new collaborations. Speakers were Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, NCI Director, on latest advances in cancer research and control strategies; Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA Director, on challenges facing the drug abuse research community; Dr. Barbara Alving, NHLBI Acting Director, on cardiovascular disease research advances and prevention programs, and Dr. Hrynkow on training opportunities supported by FIC and NIH. In attendance were senior embassy officials from Bolivia, Chile, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, among others as well as a senior representative from the research and training directorate of the Pan American Health Organization. The next event of this kind will focus on themes relevant to Africa, and will be held in the Fall timeframe.

FIC Working with the DHHS Office of Global Health Affairs

At Dr. Zerhouni’s request, FIC represents the NIH in a range of policy discussions involving NIH, CDC, FDA and other DHHS components with Dr. Bill Steiger, Director of the DHHS Office of Global Health Affairs. Topics of discussion in the forum have included the OGHA approach toward identification of technical experts to participate at UN technical agency meetings, travel of DHHS staff to international conferences, and development of a DHHS strategy for identification and support of WHO efforts via extra budgetary mechanisms.

FIC Takes on Role as NIH Focal Point on Arctic Issues

At Dr. Zerhouni’s request, FIC has taken on the responsibility as lead for Arctic health research issues. For more than twenty years, Dr. Philip Chen, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director for Intramural Research, held this responsibility. FIC will work closely with the State Department-led Arctic Council and other bodies engaged with Arctic health and science issues. Among the early efforts have been participation in the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) Human Health Advisory Group Meeting, May 24-25, Bethesda, MD and planning meetings for the International Polar Year, 2006-2007, led on the US side by the National Academy of Sciences. The upcoming IPY will include a focus on health of Arctic peoples and needs and opportunities. FIC will work across campus to identify research and training needs and opportunities in this critical field. Ms. Natalie Tomitch, Program Officer for Russia and the Newly Independent States, Division of International Relations, will take on the role as chief staff for the Arctic portfolio, working closely with the Office of the Director, to include the Acting Director and the Senior Advisor for Environmental Issues, Dr. Christopher Schonwalder.

FIC Convenes Institute and Center International Representatives

Acting Director Hrynkow convened the July bi-monthly meeting of the IC International Representatives. This forum provides an opportunity for information exchange and relationship building among IC representatives charged with oversight of international affairs. At the July meeting, Mr. Kenneth Stith, Director of the Office of Financial Management, NIH, provided an update on NIH travel policy related to international meetings, and joined Dr. Hrynkow to discuss implementation of new DHHS guidelines related to travel. Dr. Altaf Lal, DHHS Health Attache posted to the US embassy in India, then provided an overview of the NIH portfolio involving Indian scientists. He discussed some practical means to move the relationship forward and expressed his commitment to helping ICs move their partnerships forward with India. The next meeting, at which Dr. Steiger will be a guest speaker, will focus on the role of the HHS Health Attache at US embassies with a view toward strengthening partnerships between NIH ICs and those offices.

Mexico Summit on Health Research for Development

FIC has represented NIH on the planning committee for the Summit on Health Research and Development, taking place in Mexico in November 2004. The Summit will bring together Ministers of Health from around the world to consider the Millennium Development Goals related to health, and the research agenda that, if implemented, would allow nations to meet these goals. At the concurrent meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research a range of issues will be addressed of import to FIC and NIH. Several FIC representatives will join the Forum discussions.

VI. Selected Activities of FIC Staff Members

Dr. Hrynkow met additionally with a range of science and health leaders to identify potential collaborative efforts, including Dr. Ferrruccio Bonino, Scientific Director of the Italian National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INIMG) on May 24; Hungary’s Minister of Health, Dr. Mihaly Kokeny and his staff to discuss collaborative efforts and opportunities between U.S. and Hungarian research institutions; and Dr. Villi Gudnason, Director of the Icelandic Heart Association on September 10 as part of the ongoing dialogue with Icelandic counterparts on areas of cooperation. The most recent discussion focused on the possibility of training of developing country scientists in genomics and bioethics at the IHA and possibly other institutions in Iceland.

Dr. Hrynkow and FIC Acting Deputy Director, Mr. Richard Millstein, met with Dr. Lee Morin, the Department of State’s new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Space and Science, and with Ms. Judith Kaufmann, Director of International Health Affairs, Department of State, to discuss State Department support for NIH global health research efforts. Among the main items of common interest include streamlining the clearance process with US embassies for NIH grants to be made abroad.

Ms. Nalini Anand, Science and Legal Policy Analyst, DASPA, FIC, participated in the first meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Humanitarian Use Exemption Working Group.

Dr. Zakir Bengali, Program Officer for South Asia, DIR, traveled to India to pursue a range of FIC/NIH programs and projects. He met with officials at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi to finalize plans for the establishment of the NIH Alumni Association in India and met with the DHHS Health Attache posted there to discuss NIH collaborative activities in the country, including the Vaccine Action Program and Joint Working Groups on maternal health and other issues. In addition, he met with FIC grantees on the ground to discuss needs and opportunities, and convened four separate grant-writing sessions at key institutions throughout the country. Finally, he met with Deans of US medical schools and Indian government officials to further plans for the development of an Indian School of Public Health; FIC grantees and trainees are playing a key role in these discussions.

Mr. Rob Eiss, Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives and Acting Director, DIR represented the NIH at a conference on “Brain Drain, Brain Gain: New Challenges” convened by the Cite des Sciences et de L’Industrie in Paris, France, June 30. Mr. Eiss presented on scientific mobility between the academic and industrial sectors in biomedicine. The conference addressed issues involving the global market for scientific personnel in the science and technology fields, including the increasing involvement of industrial firms in both research and collaboration with the public sector, migration, the expanding transnational cooperation of academic institutions and industrial firms, and training and career development needs required of the new generation of biomedical scientists.

Dr. Jean Flagg-Newton, Special Assistant, Office of the Director, and Acting Communications Director represented FIC at an FIC/NIEHS-sponsored National Academy of Sciences meeting on July 21, Malaria Control: A Reconsideration of the Role of DDT". Dr. Flagg-Newton also represented FIC at a Working Group Meeting on the Norman E. Borlaug International Science and Technology Fellows Program, August 18, at the Department of Agriculture. The program was established in March 2004, in collaboration with USAID and the State Department, as an outcome of the USDA Secretary’s Sacramento Ministerial Agricultural Science and Technology Conference. Potential areas of interest and support were discussed.

Dr. Pierce Gardner, Senior Advisor for Clinical Research and Training, Office of the Director, made a presentation at Howard University on May 13, “ Implications of Global Health Trends for Health Professional Education.”

Dr. Dean Jamison, Fellow, DASPA presented a seminar on “The Economic Returns to Health” to the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development during a technical consultation in St. Kitts, based on a recent publication “Health, Wealth, and Welfare” in Finance & Development and “Growth Rates of GDP and of ‘Full Income’ in 7 CARICOM Countries, 1960-2000, June 3. Dr. Jamison also made a presentation in a session on “Mapping Interventions” during the Integrating Interventions and Health Systems Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 1.

Dr. Flora Katz, Program Officer, DITR spoke at a meeting of the Conquer Fragile X Foundation on “International Opportunities in Fragile X Research.” The Foundation supports domestic and international research on Fragile X syndrome. Potential synergies and partnerships with FIC and NIH were discussed.

Ms. Judy Levin, Program Officer, DIR met with Professor Issa Samb, Minister of Health of Senegal in June to discuss FIC and NIH programs and priorities and to provide information on NIH grant applications and processing. She also arranged for meetings with scientific staff at NIAID. She also met with Professor Barry Schoub, Executive Director of the South African National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Mr. John Robertson, CEO of the National Health Laboratory Service in South Africa to discuss FIC and NIH programs in South Africa.

Dr. Jeanne McDermott, Program Officer, DITR attended the Working Group on Global Blood Safety organized by NHLBI on May 28. In the month of July she traveled to Thailand to speak at three major meetings and to exchange information with FIC partners on AIDS efforts. On July 7, Dr. McDermott served as a session moderator on Nursing Science and HIV/AIDS: Global Challenges and Opportunities” in Chiang Mai, Thailand, organized by UCSF International Council of Nurses, Geneva and a UCSF WHO Nursing Collaborating Center. On July 8, Dr. McDermott was a plenary speaker in the Collaborative Research and Funding Mechanism Workshop, of the World Workshop on Oral Health and Disease in AIDS in Phuket Island, Thailand. She also represented FIC at the International AIDS Conference held in Bangkok, July 11-16, where she met with grantees and trainees. In addition, Dr. McDermott represented FIC at the most recent consultation on Capacity Building for Sustainable HIV/AIDS Health Systems organized by State Department Global AIDS Coordinator, July 21-23.

Dr. Ellis McKenzie, Senior Scientist, DIEPS, participated in a series of conferences and scientific meetings to explore new projects using mathematical modeling to predict and prevent disease spread: These conferences and meetings included: the Conference on Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, May 20-22, Atlanta, GA; the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Technology Working Group, May 25-26; the Technical Advisory Group, Malaria Vaccine Initiative, June 15-18, Basel, Switzerland; and the Interagency Task Force on Material Threat Assessment for Anthrax, August 19-20.

Dr. Mark Miller, Director, DIEPS, participated in a range of conference and meetings to discuss techniques and scientific opportunities using vaccines and other interventions as public health tools: the Fifth Advanced Vaccinology Course held May 15-21 in Geneva, Switzerland; the Annual Global Vaccine Research Forum, June 7-11, Montreaux, Switzerland; and the June 16 – 17 Workshop, “Pandemic Influenza: Assessing Capabilities for Prevention and Response,” Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC. In addition, Dr. Miller participated in collaborative studies in conjunction with NICHD and the Danish Staten Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark, July 5-12, to assess the history and long-term sequellae of neisseria meningococcal infections.

Mr. Richard Millstein, FIC’s Acting Deputy Director, met with Dr. Moussa Maiga, Deputy Director General, West African Health Organization and with Dr. Samba Duale, SARA Project to discuss opportunities for FIC collaboration in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa.

Dr. Aron Primack, Program Officer, DITR gave a presentation on July 2 to State Department Environmental Science and Technical Officers on the Fogarty International Center extramural programs. He also met with the JSPS director, Dr, Utsumi, on August 9 to explain the role of NIH Health Science Administrators in the extramural grant system.

Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, Deputy Director and Program Officer, DITR traveled to Papua New Guinea in June for a series of site visits to the University of PNG and the Forestry Research Institute and planning meeting in association with the FIC-supported International Cooperative Biodiversity Group studying plant and marine sources of therapeutic molecules in that country. The project is led by the University of Utah and includes participation of Wyeth Ayerst pharmaceuticals. Dr. Rosenthal also participated in the interagency conference “Integration of Life and Physical Sciences” held at the NIH Campus in May and in July gave a presentation entitled “The Ecology of Infectious Diseases” at a National Academy of Sciences workshop on the Future of Veterinary Sciences.

Dr. Chris Schonwalder, Senior Environmental Health Advisor to the FIC Director participated in a number of meetings focusing on ecohealth, infectious diseases and clinical research. The meetings and activities included: the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) Human Health Advisory Group Meeting, May 24-25, Bethesda, MD; the WHO/ILO/UNEP International Program on Chemical Safety Program Advisory Committee participated in the June 29-30 meeting, Geneva, Switzerland; the Eastern Europe/Eurasia Consortium of Schools of Public Health network meeting, July 1-3,Kiev, Ukraine; and the International Union of Toxicology Triennial Congress, July 11-15, Tampere, Finland.

Dr. Barbara Sina, Program Officer, DITR participated in meetings and conferences focusing on non-AIDS related infectious diseases, which included: the International Centers for Tropical Disease Research meeting organized annually by NIAID at the Lister Hill auditorium May 18-20; the Tick Genomics and Research conference at the University of Maryland, Baltimore May 22-23; the Blood Safety Meeting organized at NHLBI May 28; and “Roadmap for Success in International Research: Strategies for Protecting Human Research Subjects Globally” organized by RTI, FHI and OHRP in Chapel Hill NC.

Dr. David Smith, Staff Scientist, DIEPS attended two conferences, which included the Disease Ecology and Evolution Conference, May 20-22, Atlanta, GA; and the GISVET 2004 Conference on the GIS Project sponsored by the Department of Epidemiology of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, June 21-26, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Smith collaborated with Maciek Boniol of Stanford University to discuss antimicrobial resistance and with Marc Mangel of the University of California to discuss malaria on July 10-18 in Oakland, CA. He also collaborated on the development of a mathematical simulation of the molecular evolution of rabies virus during the course of epidemic expansion, August 24-27, Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Cecile Viboud Research Fellow, DIEPS, participated in the Pandemic Influenza: Assessing Capabilities for Prevention and Response Workshop, June 16-17, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

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