Summary of NIH International Highlights

                                                  November 2002

                                            Program Developments

                                       Fogarty International Center

Dr. Zerhouni visited FIC on September 29 as part of his effort to spend time in each IC during the early part of his tenure.  Dr. Gerald Keusch, Director, and FIC Senior Staff provided an overview of the Center, its strategic planning process, how FIC interacts on programs across NIH, the USG, and internationally, and how FIC works on behalf of NIH with the Department of State, U.S. embassies, and foreign agencies.

Global Forum on Health Research

Dr. Keusch made several plenary presentations at the weeklong GFHR meeting held November 11-16 in Arusha, Tanzania.  Among the topics presented were the global burden of mental and brain disorders and approaches to address them, and new ways to partner globally to tackle health research priorities, the latter as follow-up to the recent report from the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health.

The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)

FIC, in its role as Secretariat of the MIM, convened the Third Pan-African Conference on Malaria in Arusha, Tanzania from November 17-22.  FIC partners included NIAID, NLM, NIEHS, foreign science-funding agencies, WHO, HHMI, Gates, and others.  Over 1,200 scientists and control experts attended, more than half from Africa.  This was the largest conference on malaria ever held, and by all accounts, was a major success.  The MIM Secretariat will move to Sweden in January 2003.  Contact:  Dr. Andrea Egan ( 402-6680) or Dr. Martin Alilio (402-6212).

Schools of Public Health in Africa

Deputy Director Hrynkow represented FIC at a Rockefeller Foundation sponsored meeting on "Mapping Public Health Capacity in and for Africa: Interpreting the Findings," held in Arusha, Tanzania on November 16.  The objective of the meeting was to explore the establishment of such schools, building on existing frameworks.

IPR Issues

FIC Director, Dr. Gerald Keusch, participated in a workshop at the Yale University Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS in New Haven, Connecticut on September 25.  The workshop, entitled "Access to Essential Medicines and University Research: Building Best Practices" focused on developing best-practice models that define specific intellectual property management strategies that universities can adopt to promote access to medicines in developing countries.  Following the Yale workshop, Dr. Keusch represented FIC/NIH at a meeting of the Centre for the Management of IP in Health Research and Design (MIHR) at Rockefeller University in New York, September 26-27.

On November 1, FIC policy analyst, Nalini Anand, attended a session of a meeting on "Impact of Intellectual Property Rules on Consumer Health Services," organized by the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue Committee on Intellectual Property.  The session addressed the need for an R&D treaty to support R&D on neglected diseases of the developing world.  

Dr. Keusch, newly elected member in the Institute of Medicine attended the Board Meeting of the Board on Global Health, Institute of Medicine, held in Washington, D.C. October 1-3.  Topics discussed included the global AIDS epidemic; international health policy, research and development for new vaccines; preparedness for pandemics; and modeling of the spread of agents of bioterrorism.  Dean Jamison, now Senior Advisor at FIC, chairs the Board.  Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Director, NIDCR, and Dr. Allen Spiegel, Director, NIDDK, were also elected new members to the IOM Board.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America awarded Dr. Keusch the 2002 Bristol Award at its Annual Meeting on October 24 in Chicago.  The award recognizes major accomplishments and contributions to the acquisition of knowledge and its dissemination through teaching in an area of infectious diseases.

On October 29, FIC's Director and Deputy Director hosted Ambassador Prudence Bushnell, former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and Guatemala, at the NIH.  Ambassador Bushnell, now Dean of the Department of State's National Foreign Affairs Training Center Leadership School, discussed leadership and gender issues at a special session attended by IC International Reps and FIC staff.  She provided her personal perspective on the bombing of the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, which occurred while she was the Ambassador, and its impact on U.S. personnel in Kenya.  As part of her visit to NIH, Ambassador Bushnell also met with Dr. Kirschstein, NIH Deputy Director, and Dr. Vivian Pinn, NIH Associate Director on Women's Health.

Strengthening Communication in Science in African Media

Dr. Karen Hofman, Director, Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis, attended the Consultative Meeting and Workshop for Strengthening African Medical Journals at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, October14-16, 2002.  The purpose of the meeting was to generate ideas to identify and support, in collaboration with various partners, a plan of action to strengthen and promote high quality and good publishing practices in African medical research journals so that they are given more visibility and readership within the African continent and globally.  This effort is part of FIC's broader initiative to strengthen communication of science in professional journals as well as the lay press.

Bioethics in Research

FIC and other NIH ICs partnered with PAHO and other science and public health agencies in the organization of the 4th Global Forum on Bioethics in Research held in Brasilia, Brazil, October 29-30.  Several FIC and NIH staff attended this year's Forum that brought together clinicians, scientists, other health professionals, science administrators, lawyers, and ethicists to share views on critical ethical issues in human clinical research conducted in the developing world.  Particular attention was paid to the use of genetic technologies.  For more information on the Forum, contact Dr. Karen Hofman at 496-1491 or Dr. Luis Salicrup at 494-4784.  The 5th Forum is now being planned to be hosted by INSERM of France.

Extramural Highlights

Tobacco

Dr. Karen Hofman, Director, Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis, represented FIC at the conference: "Bridging the Research Gaps in Global Tobacco Control," hosted by RITC in Ottawa on November 4-6, 2002.  as part of FIC's ongoing collaboration, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research joined in support of the current FIC/NIH program to build capacity in the developing world in smoking and health.

International Collaborative Genetics Research Training Program

On October 22, the FIC and seven NIH partners announced six new research and training grants to support international collaborations in human genetics sciences.  In addition to training in genetic sciences, each of the six new projects will address the ethical, social, and legal implications of performing genetics research in low-and middle-income countries.  FIC led the development of the International Collaborative Genetics Research Training Program in close collaboration with its NIH partners NHGRI, NIMH, NINDS, NIA, NIDA, and NIEHS, and the World Health Organization.  The combined financial commitment from FIC and its NIH partners is approximately $2.3 million for the first year of these five-year awards.  Total support will be approximately $11.5 million over the next five years.

Health, Environment, and Economic Development (HEED) Program

On November 4, 2002, FIC, in partnership with NIEHS, NICHD, NIDA, OBSSR, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the first phase of the Health, Environment, and Economic Development (HEED) Program.  This RFA invites proposals for interdisciplinary, international research collaborations to examine the health effects of major economic development trends that affect the natural environment.  The current combined financial commitment of the HEED partners is approximately $1.5 million per year in support of two-year planning grants.  The partners expect to follow these planning grants with a request for full research and training proposals for five-year HEED projects.  Although not providing financial support, the USGS will provide support through collaboration with USGS scientists.

Applications for the first phase of the HEED program are due by December 30, 2002, and the deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent is November 30, 2002.  The RFA is available at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-03-005.html.  More information about the program is available at http://www.nih.gov/fic/programs/HEED.html.

The International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups 

The International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups program, which supports integrated natural products drug discovery, biodiversity science and conservation research has announced its next round of competition.  The RFA, issued by FIC with co-sponsorship of NIAID, NCI, NHLBI, NCCAS, NICHD, NIDA, NSF, and the USDA, was released on October 17, with an application receipt deadline of February 19, 2003.

Global Health Research Initiative Program (GRIP)

FIC announced the second RFA on the Global Health Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP) on November 4.  This re-entry grant provides research support to Visiting Fellows and others supported through FIC/NIH training programs after returning to their home institutions in the developing world.  The application receipt date is February 18, 2003 and awards are to be made in September.  More information can be found on http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-03-006.html.  Two new IC's have joined the program in the second round, NCI and NIBIB, bringing the total of co-sponsoring ICs to 13.

The first round resulted in 16 awards to new investigators in Argentina, Czech Republic, India, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, China, Bulgaria, Chile, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Uruguay.

Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan

FIC, in partnership NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIDA, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, ODS, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction, and the National Council on Science and Technology of Mexico announced an RFA for developing collaborative research and capacity building projects on brain disorders throughout life, relevant to low-and middle-income nations.  The application receipt date is March 11, 2003.  The first phase of the program, beginning in fiscal year 2003, will consist of two-year planning/development grants using the R21 grant mechanism.  The R21 grant will provide support to organize, plan for, prepare, and assemble an application for a more comprehensive R01 grant involving collaboration between developed and developing country investigators and which incorporates both research and capacity building.  More information can be found at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-03-007.html. 

Multilateral Activities

World Summit on Sustainable Development

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September.  It brought together 40,000 people to discuss sustainable development.  Health was one of the five major themes of the Summit discussions, and medical research was prominently featured in the U.S. positions at the meeting as well as in outreach materials.  Deputy Secretary Claude Allen led the HHS team at the Summit, which included Dr. Rachel Nugent from FIC, Dr. Rob Quick from CDC, and Dr. Melinda Moore from OGHA.  The FIC/NIH Health, Environment and Economic Development program concept was discussed at the meeting and was enthusiastically endorsed as the kind of program key to achieving sustainable development.

Subcommittee on International Nutrition Research of the Trans-NIH Nutrition Coordinating Committee

In September, the SCINR co-sponsored a lunch seminar with the NCI Office of Health Promotion Research at which Dr. Pekka Puska from WHO presented information about obesity and non-communicable disease.  SCINR is now working to develop a panel of presenters on the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) food aid.  This topic was highlighted at the WSSD with African countries, pointing out that little is known about the impact of GMO food intake in a context of poor nutrition and endemic and epidemic infectious diseases.  SCINR is co-chaired by FIC's Dr. Rachel Nugent and NICHD's Dr. Dan Raiten.

World Health Organization

Mr. George Herrfurth, Multilateral Affairs Coordinator in the FIC Division of International Relations, represented NIH at the WHO Meeting of Interested Parties (MIP) held October 7-11 in Geneva.  The MIP is held annually to enable Member States that contribute voluntary resources to exchange views and evaluations of the usefulness and productivity of a particular part of the WHO's  work.  The 2002 MIP was organized along a daily thematic basis that enabled a review of WHO activities by each of the six substantive WHO clusters in the following areas: Health, Poverty Reduction and Development; Tackling Risks to Health; Scaling-up the Response to Communicable Diseases; Women and Children's Health; Health Systems and Surveillance, and Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals.

Bilateral Activities

The Americas

Canada:  On October 15, FIC's Deputy Director and program staff met with representatives from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to discuss a joint NIH effort to address issues related to gender dimension of globalization and health.  Dr. Elizabeth McGregor, who will head this effort on the Canadian side, proposes a series of three round tables, inviting leading policy makers to help identify key topics to support public policy interventions, identify a research agenda to provide evidence-based support for public policy and program interventions, and finally, to develop a strategy and funding plan for search and action.  FIC and ORWH will participate in a planning meeting to be held in Ottawa in mid-December.

Brazil:  Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, and FIC Program Officer for Latin American Countries, Dr. Luis Salicrup, traveled to Brazil in support of a major U.S.-LAC initiative.  FIC, in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Dr. Rod Hoff of NIAID, Dr. Chris Schonwalder of NIEHS, Dr. Federica Welsch of NCI, PAHO, WHO-TDR, The Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), convened the 2nd Pan American Symposium on Molecular Approaches to Disease in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 22-25.  The goal of the meeting was to identify priorities for collaborative research and training in the fast-moving fields of genetics and genomics as a way to reduce disease burden in the Americas.  NIH-supported researchers and experts in Latin America explored opportunities for partnership that are expected to benefit the region.  

Outcomes of this meeting included: the participation of Latin American and Caribbean senior and junior researchers and graduate students from 15 different Latin American and Caribbean countries in the field of genetics and genomics; the enhancement of collaboration between NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and LAC centers of excellence by encouraging the development of concrete research projects in emerging diseases, molecular epidemiology, genomics and proteomics, and molecular approaches to the study of cancer and environmental diseases; the strengthening of existing partnerships between NIH and other prominent regional and international organizations and research institutions including: WHO, PAHO, RELAB, HHMI, ASM, EMBO, and the Wellcome Trust; and the official announcement that FIOCRUZ, one of the most important research centers in Latin America, will join NIH's Pan American Fellowship Program to enhance exchange of scientists between NIH and that Brazilian institution.  Contact: Dr. Luis Salicrup at 496-4784.

Mexico:  In a precedent-setting decision, the Mexican Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) decided recently to join NIH as a partner in the FIC-led RFA for a new initiative on "Brain Disorders in the Developing World."  The program has three primary objectives: 1) To encourage interdisciplinary research to identify and address brain disorders of priority concern to low and middle-income countries; 2) To promote international cooperation between scientists and institutions in low and middle-income countries where brain disorders are a significant health problem and scientists in the U.S. and other high-income countries pursuing related research; and 3) To build or enhance the research capacity of low to middle-income countries to address relevant neuro-developmental disorders across the lifespan.  This is the first time that Mexico has partnered with NIH in support of a program at this level.  Contact: Dr. Luis Salicrup at 496-4784.

Asia

China:  Over 200 participants from China and over 100 participants from the U.S. and other countries attended the Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Areas, held in Beijing, November 1-3, 2002.  The conference was co-sponsored by the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.  Plenary sessions were held that described current research and training activities supported by Chinese government, NIH, and other U.S. agencies and international donors.  Participants were able to attend two sets of breakout sessions.  The first set focused on research findings related to four areas: epidemiology/surveillance, basic research/vaccine development, prevention/intervention, and clinical research/care.  The second set provided the participants an opportunity to discuss issues related to three topics: identification of clinical research training needs for HIV/AIDS-related research; strategies for strengthening multidisciplinary research capacity and implementation; and developing the resources and environment for sustainable research.  This conference immediately preceded the first advisory board meeting for the NIAID Comprehensive International Program on Research on AIDS (CIPRA) awarded to China, and immediately followed a two day workshop organized by NIMH and the Chinese CDC.

Conference support came from the Chinese CDC and NIH (OAR and FIC direct funding, and NIAID, NIMH, NIA, NICHD funded travel).  Representatives from CDC and DHHS participated in the meeting.

Korea:  The State Department's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment, & Science, the Korean Director-General of International Economic Affairs, and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade convened the 5th U.S.-Korea Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology (S&T) Cooperation in Seoul October 30-31.  The Korean Genome Research Institute, the National Cancer Center, and the Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology provided the U.S. delegation with a list of new, proposed collaboration following NIH's report to the group, delivered by the State Department on NIH's behalf, on the current list of NIH-Korea collaborative research projects.  FIC/DIR will be contacting relevant ICs in the near future to determine interest in the Korean proposal.  Contact: Dr. Allen Holt at 496-4784.

Vietnam:  The 2nd meeting of the "Governmental Committee for S&T Cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S."  will meet at the State Department November 25-26.  Dr. Norman Neureiter, Science Advisor to the Secretary of State, will lead the U.S. delegation.  Dr. Nguyen Van Tuong, Deputy Director, Department of Science and Training, Vietnamese Ministry of Public Health, will be the only person with a medical background among the 15 Vietnamese delegates.  ICs interested in using this mechanism to raise the visibility with the Government of Vietnam for research activities they wish to initiate with Vietnamese counterparts, should contact Dr. Allen Holt, 496-4784, to discuss how their ideas can be presented to the committee during this meeting.

South Asia

Pakistan:  Ms. Minnie Rojo, Director, Division of International Relations, and Mr. Mark Pineda, Program Officer for Western Europe and South Asia hosted Dr. Tanveer Naim, Chair of Pakistan's Council for S&T, during her visit to NIH on October 1 for discussions with NCI, NIAID, NHLBI, NICHD, and FIC to explore the possibility of increasing collaboration between NIH and Pakistan.  Dr. Naim's visit to NIH, which also included a tour of NCI's laboratory facilities in Frederick, Maryland, was part of a broader itinerary intended to follow-up with Washington agencies on an earlier visit by Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, the S&T Minister of Pakistan.

India:  On October 28-November 1, Mr. Mark Pineda participated in overlapping meetings of the Indo-U.S. Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on Contraception and Reproductive Health Research and Maternal and Child Health and Development Research held in Rockville.  The meetings were coordinated and chaired on the U.S. side by NICHD Deputy Director, Dr. Yvonne Maddox.

Mr. Pineda also participated in a meeting between the senior delegation members from India and Dr. Zerhouni, which focused on issues related to potential collaborative research on human embryonic stem cells, as well as in other meetings with senior staff from NICHD, NHGRI, NIMH.

The Indo-U.S. NIMH sponsored symposium on international research collaboration in all areas of brain/neurological sciences and disorders was held November 1, 2002.  Dr. Kathy Michels, Program Officer, FIC Division of International Training and Research, presented information on on-going Indo-U.S. research collaboration and opportunities available for funding training and research within NIH (including FIC) and outside of NIH.

Africa

Egypt:  Ms. Judy Levin, Program Officer for Africa and the Middle East, is working with NCI to organize a workshop under auspices of the U.S.-Egypt Joint S&T Board, to be held at Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Egypt, December 10-13, 2002.  The workshop, which will emphasize the participation of junior Egyptian scientists, will explore the use of compounds derived from marine invertebrate/algal sources with potential to lead to novel treatments of human and animal diseases that are prevalent in Egypt and the surrounding region.  Six scientists from U.S. universities and a senior scientist from NCI's Natural Products Branch will culminate with a daylong visit to Suez Canal University's Marine Research Station at Sharm El-Sheikh on the Red Sea.

Europe

Ireland:  Mr. Mark Pineda participated in the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Board's visit to NIH October 23.  The Board, which includes Dr. Ira Levin, Deputy Director of Intramural Research at NIDDK, serves a similar advisory function to the U.S. National Science Board.  The SFI Board met with several NIH staff from the Clinical Center, NIDDK, OD, and NCBI.

Russia and the Newly Independent States (NIS)

Russia:  Ms. Natalie Tomitch, Program Officer for Russia, NIS, and Central and Eastern Europe, represented NIH at the State Department interagency meeting on October 29 in preparation for the U.S.-Russia S&T Joint Committee Meeting currently being scheduled to be held in Washington in early December.  The meeting, which is chaired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and will be meeting for the first time under the new Russian administration since March 1999, is an opportunity to raise the visibility of NIH-supported basic research with Russia in the life sciences and to address obstacles to collaboration.

Baltic States:  On October 1, Ms. Natalie Tomitch and NIAID's Dr. Karl Western met with Mr. Paul Stephenson, EST Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen responsible for collaboration with the Baltic States Task Force on Infectious Diseases, to discuss the potential for expanding NIH collaboration with the Baltic States in biomedical research and training.

Moldova:  On September 19, Ms. Tomitch met with representatives of CRDF, the former Ambassador of Moldova, Dr. Ciabano, and Dr. Itskovich of Virginia Commonwealth University to explore ways to strengthen U.S.-Moldova collaboration on the biomedical sciences and health research.

Central and Eastern Europe

Bulgaria:  On September 15, FIC hosted a brown bag presentation by Dr. Varban Ganev on his research on the mystery disease, Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN).  The research project has been a successful FIC-funded U.S.-Bulgarian partnership with Michigan State University.  Dr. Ganev, head of the Division of University Policy and International Programs and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Medical University of Sofia, presented highlights of his institution's experience with the training and research collaboration under two FIC-funded programs, and shared current plans for future development of their research on BEN.  It is anticipated that a new agreement between a consortium of Bulgarian institutions and NIH's Intramural Research Program organized through the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program will serve to further U.S.-Bulgarian collaboration in medical research.  Contact: Ms. Natalie Tomitch at 496-4784.

Personnel Notes

Dr. James Lavery, FIC's Bioethicist in the Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis, will be leaving FIC next September when he will become Staff Scientist in a new Center for Global Health Development at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto.

FIC is pleased to announce that Ms. Judy Levin has been appointed FIC's Program Officer for Africa and the Middle East.  Ms. Levin served as Program Specialist for Africa and the Middle East for over two years prior to her selection.  Please join us in welcoming Judy to her new role.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

The Americas

The "Pan American Hypertension Initiative" (PAHI), launched by NHLBI and PAHO, has been endorsed by eight international scientific organizations.  This initiative is designed to develop collaboration between national program sin hypertension in the Americas.  PAHI will focus on the health problems of an estimated 140 million hypertensives in the region, emphasizing the need to prevent and control this condition, and its seqelae of heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, disability, and premature death.  A joint blood pressure measurement standard has been developed with partners in the Americas, and tested by PAHO in its public health programs in Costa Rica.  A meeting with PAHO and country representatives was held in April 2001 at NIH to discuss further joint plans for implementing the PAHI initiative in the region.  The ten PAHI partners have developed a joint blood pressure measurement standard for use in future studies in the Americas.  This measurement standard will be published in the PAHO journal over the signatures of the Directors of PAHO and NHLBI.  A follow-up meeting is planned.

China

NHLBI will be hosting a big Chinese delegation in blood resources management around the middle of December 2002.

Europe

An International Position Paper on "Women's Health and Menopause: A Comprehensive Approach" has been developed in follow-up of the international conference held in Washington in May 2001 on "Women's Health in Menopause: New Strategies for Improved Quality of Life."  The document has been developed by NHLBI in collaboration with the Giovanni Lorenzini Foundation in Milan, Italy, the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, and scientists from other NIH institutes.  The full report was published in March 2002 and has been widely distributed in the United States as well as internationally.  Also, the national and international print and electronic media have called attention to the report, which is the first of its kind.  The document covers a number of areas related to the health of women, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, and the role of hormone replacement therapy.  Partners in the private sector have informed the Institute that they have arranged for the International Position Paper to be translated into ten languages.

International Conference

NHLBI's Office of Prevention, Education, and Control sponsored a conference on the "Scientific Issues Important to the Future of Cardiovascular Guidelines," held October 17-18, 2002 in Bethesda.  Participants from Germany, Australia, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Italy attended.

Afghanistan

The NHLBI has developed a proposal for training of Afghan health professionals in blood resources management and training.  This is part of a DHHS U.S.-Afghanistan initiative.

India

Collaboration between NHLBI Nobel Laureate Dr. Marshall Nirenberg and a scientist from India is continuing on drosphila neuronal cell lineage.

Japan

A joint U.S.-Japan Symposium on Cardiovascular Disease is planned for February 2003, in Japan.  The topics for discussion will include: 1) The association of candidate genes with CVD in the USA and Japan based on case-control and population studies; 2) The role of gene-environment interactions in CVD in the USA and Japan, and their use in targeted intervention strategies to reduce the risk of CVD in both countries; 3) Comparative genetic studies of animal models and population-based human studies.

Russia

Exchanges of scientists in basic research in cardiovascular disease and in arrhythmia are continuing with visits of two Russian scientists to the US.  One scientist will visit Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.  Another Russian scientist will work at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.  Two joint symposia are planned for 2003, one in the United States on basic research and one in Russia on cardiac arrhythmia. The US and Russian coordinators have also agreed to expand the collaboration to a third area: Psycho-social Factors and Cardiovascular Diseases.  A joint symposium will be held in Russia in June 2003 on this topic.

Canada

Dr. Ruth Hegyeli, Associate Director for International Programs, NHLBI, was invited to the 9th Canadian Conference of International Health, focusing on "Poverty, Health and Equity from Global Challenges to Innovative Solutions,"  October 27-30 in Ottawa.  This conference was preceded by the Conference on Canadian WHO Collaborating Centers on October 26.  Dr. Hegyeli is a graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School.  NHLBI is a WHO Collaborating Center and this conference related directly to the Institute's on-going international programs and activities with WHO and PAHO.

In his keynote address to the meeting of the WHO Collaborating Centers, Professor Prabhat Jha, Toronto, proposed that Canada should focus its limited international resources on two priorities: HIV/AIDS, and Tobacco Control in developing countries.  Professor A. Chockalingam, Director of the Canadian National Cardiovascular Institute (virtual) advocated for a greater emphasis on cardiovascular diseases in the developing world, in view of the growing epidemic of these diseases.  No decision was made during the meeting.

During the October 30 session of the Canadian Conference on International Health, Canadian and U.S. experts held a small meeting, titled First Annual International Symposium on Information and Communication Technologies, Health, and Development.  The Chairperson was a Canadian scientist, Dr. Andrea Cortinois, originally from Columbia, and now with the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.  He recently received almost $1 million dollars (Canadian) from the Government of Canada to start a new center for Global Information and Communication in Health.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Canada

Dr. Richard Nahin participated in the International Workshop on Research Methods for the Investigation of CAM Whole Systems on October 20-21, in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The workshop was co-sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Health Research-Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, NCCAM, and other organizations.

China

Ms. Karen Kun met on October 2 with Xu Jie, Counselor for Science and Technology of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the U.S.A.  They discussed potential NCCAM participation in the 2002 International Conference and Exhibition on the Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chengdu.

Dr. Stephen Straus, Ms. Linda Engel, and Ms. Chris Thomsen participated in the workshop, Enhancing the Evidence-base for Traditional Chinese Medicine Practice: Methodology and Grantsmanship, October 30-31, in Hong Kong.  Dr. Straus and Ms. Engel also delivered presentations at the workshop that was co-sponsored by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, The Health, Welfare, and Food Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and NCCAM.  Additionally, NCCAM staff members had the opportunity to meet with Dr. E K Yeoh, Hong Kong's Secretary for Health, Welfare, and Food, and Dr. Margaret Chan, the Director of Health.

Dr. Nancy Pearson and Ms. Nancy Hazleton met with Dr. Xiaoding Cao on November 18th.  Dr. Cao is the Director of the Institute of Acupuncture Research at Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University.  She also serves as the Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine, and is a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine.

Ms. Linda Engel met with Dr. Yiyuan Tang, Director of the Institute of Neuroinformatics and the Laboratory for Brain and Mind of Dalian University of Technology on November 22nd.

Egypt

Ms. Nancy Hazleton attended the International Symposium of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences in Cairo, October 12-15.  The symposium was held in collaboration with the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, and with the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.  Ms. Hazleton provided a presentation regarding NCCAM and its Office of International Health Research at the symposium.  While in Cairo, she was also in contact with Ms. Joan Mahoney of the American Embassy regarding activities of the U.S.-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Board.

India

Nancy Hazleton and Karen Kun met with Professor S. Sitaraman, Convenor of the World Ayurveda Congress 2002, to discuss the meeting.  The Congress is being organized by a number of public and private entities including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India.

Ms. Karen Kun attended the Indo-U.S. Workshop on Establishing Neuroscience Research Collaborations on November 1 in Orlando.  The workshop was sponsored by the NIMH, National Brain Research Centre in Gurgaon, India, and the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum.  The objective of the workshop was to encourage scientific collaborations between Indian and American researchers in the field of neuroscience.

Dr. Stephen Straus, Ms. Linda Engel, Ms. Nancy Hazleton, and Ms. Karen Kun met with Mr. Lalit Mansingh, Indian Ambassador to the U.S., on November 12th to discuss scientific collaborations in the area of Traditional Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.

Italy

Dr. Mark Blackman of NCCAM's Intramural Program, attended an international workshop and symposium on Hormones, Body Composition, and Physical Performance in Turin, November 15-18, 2002.  During the workshop, he gave a presentation on the Impact of Physical Exercise on Endocrine Aging.

Japan

Richard Nahin attended the annual meeting of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Society for WAKAN-YAKU in Tokyo, where he delivered a presentation on NCCAM research.  WAKAN-YAKU is a general term referring to traditional medicine in East Asia, and the goal of the society is to promote development of research on traditional medicine from the viewpoints of modern medicine and pharmacology.

Singapore

Dr. Josh Berman, Dr. Christine Goertz, and Ms. Karen Kun met with representatives of the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore, including CEO, Clarence Tan, to discuss the mission of the two organizations, and potential avenues for collaboration.

The Americas

NCCAM co-sponsored the meeting, Indigenous Healing Traditions of the Americas: Paths to a New Medicine, in Washington, D.C. on November 14-17, 2002.  Other co-sponsors included the Indian Health Service, National Aboriginal Health Organization (Canada), National Museum of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution, Office of Minority Health-DHHS, the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization, and others.

Dr. Morgan Jackson moderated a session at the meeting on Indigenous Health Knowledge: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB, and other Infectious Diseases.  Other meeting attendees from NCCAM included Ms. Nancy Hazleton, Ms. Marguerite Klein, Ms. Karen Kun, and Dr. Mary Ann Richardson.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

IOM Forum on Nutrient and Food Security Challenges

On November 5, 2002, Dr. Daniel Raiten, Health Scientist Administrator, Office of Prevention Research and International Programs (PRIP), NICHD, participated in a meeting convened by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Food and Nutrition Board.  The goal of the meeting was to engage participants in  dialogue that would assist the Boards in addressing nutrient and food security challenges in the context of food and agriculture.

Africa

In response to urgent research needs that were identified by the African scientific and health care provider communities during the March 2001 Botswana Consultation, the NICHD, in co-sponsorship with NIMH, NCCAM, and FIC issued a Request for Applications (HD-02-003) in November 2001 for Partnerships for HIV/AIDS Research in African Populations.  In September 2002, eight partnership grants were awarded by NICHD; one by NCCAM.  Five of these projects have received co-funding from FIC.  The NIMH anticipates making an additional grant award in FY 2003.

A primary goal for this program is to encourage partnerships between skilled African investigators and U.S. and/or other developed country investigators that will result in increased capacity and capability of the African scientific community to conduct rigorous HIV/AIDS-related behavioral and social science research.  It is anticipated that these partnerships will aid in the development of research infrastructure.  Furthermore, they will establish and/or enhance linkages among local in-country investigators, public health officials, community institutions, and health care providers, including traditional health practitioners, as well as support relevant developmental and/or exploratory studies.  The projects funded by the NICHD and its partners address HIV-related behavioral and social science issues including, but not limited to, orphans, breastfeeding, nutrition, adolescent risk, and stigma.  The overall program provides strengthening of a wide range of African institutions and training to individuals in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Site Visits to Potential Global Network Projects in Africa

NICHD staff recently traveled to Africa to visit sites proposed as the locus of research by new projects considered for funding under the aegis of the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research. 

Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, NICHD, Dr. Anne Willoughby, Director, Center for Research for Mothers and Children (CRMC), NICHD, and Ms. Anne Rimoin, Health Scientist Administrator, CRMC, conducted site visits in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as well as in Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, October 6-15, 2002.  While in South Africa, they also met with Gray Handley, the HHS Health Attache and regional representative for southern Africa, based at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.  Ms. Rimoin and Dr. Linda Wright, Deputy Director, CRMC, NICHD, conducted additional site visits in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Lusaka and Ndola, Zambia; and Blantyre, Malawi, October 15-November 3, 2002.  The NICHD anticipates that awards for Global Network research unit grants in Africa will be made in late January 2003.

The Americas

First Conference on Pediatric Tuberculosis

Dr. Leslie Serchuck, Medical Officer, Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch (PAMA), CRMC, NICHD, represented the Institute at the Conference on Pediatric Tuberculosis in Montreal, Canada, October 6-7, 2002.  This workshop, the first of its kind in the field of tuberculosis, is a collaborative project sponsored by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD), the International Pediatric Association, CDC, WHO, and NIH (NHLBI, NIAID, NICHD).  The meeting included approximately 35-40 scientists and clinicians with expertise in childhood tuberculosis (TB) from both industrialized and low-income countries.  The goal of the workshop was to develop research and training agenda to address pediatric TB with an emphasis on children younger than age five.  An additional goal includes establishing working partnerships among the international TB community, NIH, CDC, IUATLD, WHO, the UN agencies and other groups concerned with childhood TB.  Emphasis was placed on developing an integrated approach to TB in children with co-infections.  Future plans include development of proposals for community level interventions that are feasible and cost effective.

Asia

Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Areas

Dr. Susan Newcomer, Statistician/Demographer, Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Center for Population Research, NICHD, participated in the Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Research Areas in Beijing, China, November 1-3, 2002.  The NIH and the Chinese Centers for Disease Control (CDC) organized the meeting.  She also attended a pre-conference workshop on building research collaboration on October 31 in Beijing that was planned and organized by NIMH and the Chinese CDC.  During her time in China, Dr. Newcomer met with several Chinese sociologists and other researchers to discuss social and behavioral science research applications and possible collaborative efforts.

Indo-U.S. Bilateral Program Meetings Hosted by NICHD

In its role as the nodal agency for two Indo-U.S. programs, Contraceptive and Reproductive Health Research (CRHR) and Maternal and Child Health and Human Development Research (MCHDR), the NICHD hosted the annual business meetings of both joint working groups during the week of October 28-November 1, 2002.  In addition, a joint meeting of both programs was held for the first time to help identify process and focal points for coordination of these two programs.  A workshop on opportunities in microbicide research in India was held in conjunction with the latter meeting to determine how this emerging area of mutual interest could serve as a "bridging activity" fir collaboration between the two programs.

The NICHD Deputy Director, Dr. Yvonne Maddox, co-chaired the meeting which were attended by distinguished scientists and government representatives from both the U.S. and India.  Participants included key representatives of the two nodal ministries in India involved in the support of these bilateral programs: the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (represented by the Secretary of Family Welfare and the Director General of the Indian Council for Medical Research), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (represented by the Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology).  In addition to the efforts at program coordination, each program made decisions about its respective expanding research portfolios.  The nodal agencies for the CPHR program also agreed to a five-year extension of the program, which has just completed its first five-year cycle.

Europe

Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) 1st Intergovernmental Conference

Dr. Danuta Krotoski, Acting Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs,  NICHD, represented the U.S. Government (USG) at the HSFP 1st Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) 2004 Working Group meeting, held in Strasbourg, France, October 24-25, 2002.  Dr. Krotoski attended for Dr. Wendy Baldwin, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, USG member of the HFSP IGC working group.

WHO Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis (GRASP) Collaborations

Ms. Anner Rimoin, Health Scientist Administrator, CRMC, NICHD, participated in meetings in Paris, France, November 4-6, 2002, to discuss collaboration on a multi-national study protocol to define and validate new clinical guidelines for presumptive diagnosis of Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis (GRAPS) in Children; collaboration on a pharyngitis treatment trial; and participation in an exercise to assess physician inter-rater reliability in diagnosis of pharyngitis in children.  Ms. Rimoin also met with program staff at the WHO Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development in Geneva, Switzerland, November 6-7, 2002, to discuss the Treatment of Pharyngitis Study (TOPS) progress, continuation of patient recruitment in TOPS, the timeline to finish GRASP, and site performance reviews.