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                 International Highlights

 

                     Summary of NIH International Highlights

                               September 26, 2001

                             Program Developments

 

 

Fogarty International Center

Stigma Research Agenda

 FIC and partners across NIH as well as a range of other U.S. and private agencies, hosted a conference September 5-7 that focused on stigma and its impact in advancing medical research, access to health care, participation in clinical trials and other topics of concern in this country and in the developing world.  The conference helped to define stigma as a concept, illustrated its corrosive nature and highlighted how it contributes to public health problems.  It also pointed out critical areas of research from the etiology of stigma to culturally and nationally appropriate interventions.  In addition to the 250 conference participants, including 90 from developing countries, the proceedings were watched over the world wide web by thousands of people each day.  The FIC, in collaboration with its NIH partner institutes and other groups, expect to prepare an RFA for a Stigma Research Program to be issued in FY 2002.

International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program

 FIC, in cooperation with NCI, NICHD, NIDA, NIMH, and NINR, as well as the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative, issued a comprehensive Request for Applications (RFA) on June 25 that targets the needs of the developing world and the research interests of the NIH related to tobacco control. The RFA targets 5 key research areas including epidemiological and surveillance research, susceptibility and risk, biobehavioral and social research, intervention research and policy-related research.  Grantees will be required to include a significant capacity and infrastructure-strengthening component in their programs.   The due date for receipt of applications is October 26, 2001.

 

Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) 

The Pasteur Institute hosted a MIM meeting of sponsoring agencies and African scientists on September 24 in Paris.  The meeting focused on support of the Arusha conference, as well as critical program activities and it provided a forum to consider passing on the Secretariat activities to another agency in late 2002.

 

Division of International Relations

The Middle East:  FIC/DIR met with scientists from the Ministries of Health in Oman and the United Arab Emirates to discuss  these countries’ interest in developing a relevant research agenda for their region’s priority health concerns.

 

The Americas:  FIC/DIR represented NIH at the WHO XXXVI Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Health Research (ACHR) for the Americas in Kingston, Jamaica, July 9-11.  Recommendations regarding priorities for health and biomedical research topics and possible strategies to advance research initiatives, activities, and partnerships were discussed and presented by ACHR members to PAHO’s director.

 

Following the ACHR meeting, FIC/DIR staff also participated in the XVIII Meeting of the Interciencia Pan American Association in Salvador, Brazil on July 12-16.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the status of current policies and available infrastructure pertaining to science and technology research in the Americas. FIC/DIR staff provided an overview of NIH’s  current activities in the region and discussed possible future collaborative research and training initiatives between NIH and relevant Latin American and Caribbean agencies.

 

On August 6-9, FIC/DIR represented NIH on a panel on international opportunities for biomedical research and training, which included representatives from the Wellcome Trust, PAHO, United Nations Universities Fund and others, at the XXV Meeting of the Latin American Network of Biological Sciences (RELAB) in Santiago, Chile.

 

FIC/DIR staff also participated in the meeting of the planning committee which was set up to organize the regional symposium on “Mental Health in the Americas: Partnering for Progress" currently scheduled for November 5-6, 2001 in Washington, D.C.  The planning committee meeting held in Pachuca, Mexico on June 15-18 and co-sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), was designed to elaborate the objectives and expected outcomes of the symposium.  As such, the discussions focused on identification of existing best mental health practices in the region and existing research projects (including those sponsored by FIC, NIMH and other NIH institutes and centers), as well as current activities and possible new initiatives.

 

On July 12, FIC/DIR conducted a presentation to health researchers and other professionals from the U.S., Bolivia, and Argentina on NIH programs and opportunities for collaboration, including FIC’s training and research programs, in a workshop held in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

 

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Russia and NIS:  DIR participated in meetings at NIH with representatives from the Croatian Ministry of Health and the Kazakh Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.  The primary purpose of these meetings was to discuss areas of mutual interest and priority, and opportunities for expanding collaboration with FIC and NIH more broadly.

 

During the period since the last Advisory Board meeting, DIR participated in a meeting with a large group of public health professionals, epidemiologists, educators, NGO directors, and policymakers from Ukraine, Russia, and five New Independent States of Central Asia, as part of U.S. Department of State's International Visitors Program.  The purpose of the NIH visits was to share information regarding current U.S.-based research, as well as relevant programs and research and training opportunities available through NIH.  Primary areas of interest represented by the different groups included women's health and the twin epidemics of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. 

 

DIR is continuing to coordinate input from other ICs for the NIH contribution to the current competition of the U.S. Civilian R&D Foundation (CRDF).  Thus far, FIC has received a total commitment of $2.8 million from NIH’s various Institutes and Centers for FY2002 and 2003 combined to support CRDF’s Collaborative Grant Program in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.  This program allows joint teams of U.S. and former Soviet Union (FSU) scientists and engineers to apply for one- to two-year support for cooperation in any area of civilian research and development in the natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, and biomedical and behavioral sciences.  The average award size has been $40,000 per year, with at least 80% of the funds supporting project-related expenses of the FSU team.  Since 1996, CRDF has effectively leveraged additional funds to support more than 140 joint projects.  The program also has stimulated new collaborative relationships between NIH-supported investigators and their counterparts from countries not previously engaged through normal NIH mechanisms, including Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, as well as new collaborations in Ukraine and Russia.

 

DIR staff participated in NIH’s input to the meeting of the U.S.-Hungary and U.S.-Slovenia Joint S&T Boards, as well as a subsequent workshop which focused on expanding U.S.-CEE-EU collaboration.  The meetings were held in Budapest and Ljubljana, respectively, September 6-12, 2001.

 

Japan:  FIC participated in meetings at NIH with a large delegation headed by Mr. Koji Omi, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy on September 10.  Following a very productive discussion of NIH organizational issues with NIH Acting Director Dr. Ruth Kirschstein; Deputy Director for Extramural Research, Dr. Wendy Baldwin; and Fogarty staff, Dr. Gallin, led the Japanese delegation through a tour of the Clinical Center.  Mr. Omi and his colleagues concluded their visit to NIH with productive discussions on structural genomics with Dr. Norvell, Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

 

India:  DIR staff worked throughout the last several months on preparations for the U.S.-India S&T Forum, originally scheduled for September 21 and the first meeting of the U.S.-India Joint Working Group on HIV/AIDS scheduled for October.  Both high-level meetings have been postponed due to the recent terrorist activities in the U.S.

 

Western Europe:  DIR coordinated and participated in the NIH visit of the newly appointed HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the Foreign Office in the U.K. Mr. Haydon Warren-Gash.  The visit focused on discussions with FIC and NIH's Office of AIDS Research regarding NIH's current HIV/AIDS research and policies.  DIR also arranged meetings for a group of Innovation and Technology Promoters from the U.K. to meet with technology transfer personnel at the National Human Genome Research Institute.  Preparations were also underway for the upcoming visit to NIH of the Director of the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Dr. Christian Brechot, who expressed interest in discussing potential NIH-INSERM collaborative activities.  However, the visit was postponed due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

 

  FIC Personnel Changes

  Joel Breman has taken on new responsibilities as Senior Scientific Advisor in the FIC Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (EPS).  In his new capacity, he will lead the Disease Control Priorities in the Developing World Project (DCPP).  The DCPP will link the FIC, NIH, World Bank and other organizations in several actions, with a major goal the publication of a second edition of “Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries.” He will continue to direct the Center’s International Training and Research Program in Infectious Diseases (ITREID) and the Actions for Building Capacity in Support of the NIAID ICIDR Program (ABC), in collaboration with DITR.

 

Mr. Michael McDowell joined the Center as a Senior Policy Advisor in the FIC Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis and in the OD and will take the lead in fostering Center initiatives related to science and the media.

 

Ellis McKenzie joined the FIC in July as Staff Scientist in the FIC Division of Epidemiology and Population Studies (EPS) to continue his work on population-biology  of malaria and other global health treats.  

 

Rachel Nugent has moved from the FIC Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis (DASPA) to the Division of International Training and Research (DITR), where she will continue to provide technical expertise on a range of policy issues, including IPR and global public good, sustainable development and economics, as well as serve as Program Director for Medicine and the Media.

 

Aron Primack is the new Program Director for the International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program and the Environment and Occupational Health Programs and he will develop program initiatives related to chronic disease. 

 

  National Institute on Child Health and Human Development

 

Formation of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently convened and chaired two meetings to establish a new global initiative focused on the reduction of micronutrient deficiencies in developing nations.  A planning group for the initiative includes representatives of six “stakeholder” groups: donor agencies, including USAID; foundations and private supporters; multilateral agencies; implementing organizations, including NGOs; industry and industry associations; and the scientific community.  Dr.Gerald Keusch, Director, Fogarty International Center, and Associate Director for International Research, NIH, represents the scientific community.  The initial planning group meeting for GAIN was attended by  NICHD Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs Gray Handley, on behalf of Dr. Keusch,

 

Conference on Natural Products in Microbicides and Contraceptives

The Contraception and Reproductive Health Branch, Center for Population Research, NICHD, sponsored a conference at NIH on Natural Products in Microbicides and Contraceptives: Current State of Knowledge on September 10, 2001, followed by a working group meeting on September 11.  Topics included a focus on spermicidal and non-spermicidal plant products; antimicrobial plant products; mineral microbicides; and challenges in identification and testing of natural products as potential microbicides, spermicides, carriers for vaginal products, or systemic contraceptives.  Presenters and working group participants included representatives from the NIH Office of AIDS Research, NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NCCAM. FIC, U.S.AID, the World Health Organization, the Center for Population Research in New Delhi, India, the National Hospital for Women and Children in Abuja, Nigeria, CONRAD, U.S. Pharmacopeia, industry and universities. 

 

Hungary and Slovenia  - Dr. Louis Quatrano, Director of the Behavioral Science, and Rehabilitation Engineering Program, National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, NICHD, represented the NIH as part of the U.S. delegation to the meeting of the U.S.-Hungary Science and Technology Joint Board that was held in Budapest, Hungary on September 6, 2001.  The Joint Board meeting was followed by a one-day conference to explore opportunities available for Central European countries for research and development cooperation with both the U.S. and the European Union Science Program.  Dr. Quatrano also attended the meeting of the U.S.-Slovenia Joint Board that was scheduled immediately afterwards in Ljubjana, Slovenia. 

 

India - The first meeting of the Indo-U.S. Joint Working Group (JWG) on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development (MCH) Research, scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India, on September 25-27, 2001, has been postponed.  It is anticipated that the meeting will be rescheduled sometime during the fall or winter, 2001.  Dr.Yvonne Maddox, Acting Deputy Director, NIH, and Deputy Director, NICHD, and Dr. Robert Goldenberg, Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, serve as the U.S. co-chairs of the MCH JWG.  Other U.S. JWG members include Dr. Anne Willoughby, Acting Director, Center for Research for Mothers and Children, NICHD, and Council member Dr. Satish Kalhan.  A workshop on “Low Birth Weight: Prevalence, Causes, and Possible Solutions” will be held in conjunction with the JWG meeting. 

 

Africa - Partnerships for HIV/AIDS Research in African Populations RFA (HD-013-01).  The NICHD, in co-sponsorship with the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Fogarty International Center, plans to issue this RFA by early October 2001.  The purpose of this RFA is to support resource-related grants to develop research infrastructure and strengthen the capacity of African researchers to conduct behavioral and social science research relevant to the HIV/AIDS prevention and care needs of African women, children, and families. This RFA will encourage research partnerships between skilled African investigators and U.S. and/or other developed country scientists that will result in the increased HIV/AIDS research capacity of the African scientific community.  The RFA also will support developmental and/or exploratory studies that address and take into consideration local African needs, challenges, priorities, and realities. The RFA has been developed in response to recommendations that emerged at the March 2001 Botswana “Consultation to Explore a Research Agenda to Improve the Care and Management of Mothers and Children Affected by HIV in Africa.”

 

Uganda -  The 3rd Conference on Global Strategies for Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants was held from September 9 to 13, 2001, in Kampala, Uganda.  Included among the conference participants were Drs. Lynne Mofenson and Jennifer Read, Medical Officers, Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch, Center for Research for Mothers and Children, NICHD and Gray Handley, Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs, NICHD.

 

Vietnam - Dr. Feng-Ying Lin, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, and Loc Trinh, Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity, NICHD traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap Province, Vietnam, from July 22 to August 6, 2001.  The purpose of their visit was to review the progress of the Phase III efficacy trial of Vi conjugate vaccine for typhoid fever and discuss and finalize plans for the crossover vaccination and safety, immunogenicity, and dosage study of Vi-rEPA vaccine in two to five year olds.

 

  National Institute on Drug Abuse

 

Scientists from 25 countries, the World Health Organization, and AIDS 2002 Barcelona participated in the sixth NIDA International Forum, Building International Research on Drug Abuse: Children and Youth at Risk, convened from June 14 through 16, 2001, in Scottsdale, Arizona, immediately before the Annual Scientific Meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.  Through plenary sessions, oral and poster presentations, and small group discussions, participants exchanged information about advances in drug abuse research from the fields of basic science, epidemiology and prevention, and pharmacological and behavioral treatment.  Presenters included NIDA Director Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Dr. Vincent Smeriglio and Dr. Jagjitsing Khalsa, CAMCODA; Dr. Elizabeth Robertson, DESPR; Dr. Glen Hanson, DNBR; Dr. Frank Vocci, Dr. Joseph Frascella, and Dr. Ivan Montoya, DTRD; Dr. Cindy Miner, OSPC; and Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, NIH Fogarty International Center.

 

NIDA co-sponsored a symposium at the 9th International Conference on AIDS, Cancer, and Related Problems, convened from May 27 to June 1, 2001, in St. Petersburg, Russia.  The annual meeting is the largest conference in the former Soviet Union dealing with AIDS.  The NIDA symposium was cochaired by Drs. Henry (Skip) Francis and Peter Hartsock, CAMCODA, and featured presentations by Dr. Francis; Dr. Hartsock; Dr. Steven W. Gust, International Program; and Dr. Jerry Flanzer, DESPR.  NIDA also supported the participation in the conference of several grantees, including Dr. D. Paltiel from Yale University, Dr. M. Brandeau from Stanford University, Dr. D. Owens from VA Hospital, Stanford University, Dr. A. Wilson from the University of Minnesota, and Dr. G. Zaric from the University Of Western Ontario.  During the conference, the NIDA representatives also visited research projects in St. Petersburg funded by NIDA under the 1996 Exchange of Letters between NIDA and Pavlov State Medical University, and Dr. Gust began planning a NIDA-funded symposium for 2002 that will be a follow-up to the 1999 bi-national workshop held in St. Petersburg on “Drug Abuse and Infectious Disease Prevention Strategies.”

 

Three scientists have been selected as INVEST Research Fellows for 2000-2001: Dr. Zhao Min, China; Dr. Patricia Obando, Costa Rica; and Dr. Tatiana Tsarouk, Russia.  Each will spend a year in the United States working with a NIDA-supported scientist and receiving training in U.S. drug abuse research methods and the National Institutes of Health grant application process.  Dr. Min will work with Dr. Howard Liddle, University of Miami Center for Treatment Research on Adolescent Drug Abuse, focusing on multidimensional family therapy and research on the relationship of parental psychopathology and treatment outcomes.  Dr. Obando will work with Dr. Edward L, Murrelle, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, to study the role of gender in drug abuse, family disintegration, and cognitive dysregulation.  Dr. Tsarouk will work with Dr. Elaine Thompson, University of Washington, to examine the effect of adolescent depression on drug abuse; learn advanced methods of data management and analysis; and receive training in the NIDA-supported intervention Reconnecting Youth.  INVEST Research Fellows also participate in an orientation program at NIDA and receive travel support to attend scientific meetings.  Fellows and their mentors jointly develop a collaborative research proposal for implementation in the Fellows’ home country. 

 

The 2000-2001 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey Drug Abuse Research Fellows have completed their professional affiliations with NIDA grantees.  Ms. Elvia Amesty, Venezuela, was affiliated with Dr. Lana Harrison at the University of Delaware Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, where she concentrated on improving her data analysis skills by working with the Cross-National Study of Youth Drugs-Violence Nexus and on gaining experience with research on the validity of self-reported drug use in population surveys.  Mr. Vedran Mardesic, Croatia, worked with Dr. Martin Y. Igucchi, The RAND Corporation Drug Policy Research Center, Santa Monica, California, focusing on drug policy and trends, prevention, treatment, data systems, and modeling and forecasting.  Dr. Olga Vassioutina, Russia, worked with Dr. Sherry Deren, National Development and Research Institutes Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, New York City, participating in training courses, collecting materials on drug use and harm reduction that are suitable for translation into Russian, and learning how to utilize the findings of statistical analyses to develop meaningful and innovative interventions.

 

  RECENT PUBLICATIONS

 

Meeting Summary

United States-Eastern Europe Regional Meeting on  Methamphetamine and Ecstasy Research

This volume summarizes the oral presentations and includes the agenda and participant list from the March 2000 meeting cosponsored by NIDA and the Hungarian Ministry of Youth and Sports to exchange information about the growing abuse of methamphetamine and MDMA (Ecstasy) by young people and the potential for research cooperation in this area. 

 

Meeting Summary

Street Children and Drug Abuse: Social and Health Consequences

This volume provides summaries of oral presentations, panel discussions, and workgroup reports; participant recommendations; the agenda; and the participant list from the September 2000 meeting cosponsored by NIDA and the World Health Organization to discuss the numerous challenges, including substance abuse, that face the world’s vulnerable children and youth.

 

Copies of these meeting summaries are available from IQ Solutions at INVEST@iqsolutions.com or from Linda Barber at lbarber@nida.nih.gov.  These reports will be available on the NIDA website, www.drugabuse.gov in the near future. 

 

NIDA INVEST Program

The 2000-2001 INVEST Research Fellows attended an orientation program at NIDA headquarters to learn how the Institute administers its research programs and to meet with Institute staff.  The 2001 WHO/NIDA/CPDD International Traveling Fellows and the 2001-2002 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey fellows were announced.  The 2001 WHO/NIDA/CPDD International Traveling Fellows are Dr. Hem Raj Pal, India, and Dr. Fernando Wagner, Mexico.  The 2001-2002 NIDA Hubert H. Humphrey fellows are Dr. Monica Beg, Bangladesh; Dr. Petra Exnerova, Czech Republic; Ms. Olga Toussova, Russia; and Dr. Svitlana Pkhidenko, Ukraine.

 

  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

The Americas - The APan American Hypertension Initiative@ (PAHI), launched by NHLBI and PAHO has been endorsed by six international scientific organizations.  This initiative is designed to develop collaboration between national programs in 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 sequelae of heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, disability and premature deaths.  In follow-up of PAHI activities, Ministers of Health of countries of North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean unanimously endorsed a joint resolution at the Directing Council meeting at PAHO Headquarters on September 29, 2000.  The resolution gives CVD increased attention in future public health programs in the Americas, with particular emphasis on hypertension.  A meeting with PAHO and country representatives was held in April 2001 at NIH to discuss joint plans for implementing the PAHI initiative in the region.  A follow-up meeting in FY 2002 is being planned.

 

Europe - NHLBI participated in an international conference held in Washington in May 2001 on A Woman's Health in Menopause: New Strategies for Improved Quality of Life.@  The conference  covered a number of areas related to the health of women, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer=s disease, etc.  Several European organizations are also participating under the leadership of the Giovanni Lorenzini Foundation in Milan, Italy.  A joint international document addressing A Women's Health in Menopause@ is being developed by participants in the meeting.

 

China - A US-PRC 20th Anniversary Celebration was held in China in June to recognize  twenty years of successful joint collaboration in cardiopulmonary epidemiology.  Topics for new directions in joint research were explored during a joint symposium on Future Directions in Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Research in the 21st Century.  

 

Russia - A US-Russia Joint Symposium on Basic Research in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases was held in Moscow September 10-12, 2001.  An eight member US delegation participated with Russian counterparts in presentations on the molecular and cellular biology of the vascular and pulmonary systems.  The purpose of the meeting is to develop new opportunities for joint research by US and Russian scientists, using the latest medical technology.

 

 

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

 

NIDCR and the Fogarty International Center are co-sponsoring the David E. Barmes Lecture in Global Health, in memory of Dr. David Barmes, who passed away January 13.   Dr. Arthur Caplan, Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, will be the honorary lecturer, and will speak on “Ethical Issues on the Biomedical Frontier.”  NIDCR’s international video, “Science Knows No Country”, will be officially premiered before the lecture.  The event will be held on October 22, at 3:30 pm in the Natcher Auditorium.  A reception will be held following Dr. Caplan’s talk.  All NIH staff and visitors are invited to attend.

 

Collaboration with International Organizations

NIDCR has partnered with the WHO Collaborating Center for Education, Training and Research in Oral Health, located at Malmo University in Malmo, Sweden, to help support the upgrade and ongoing management of the WHO Oral Health Country/Area Profile Program (CAPP).  The CAPP is an Internet-based presentation of the oral health epidemiology, oral health services and other related information for each country in the world.  The CAPP project helps meet the growing international need for oral health related information and data made available globally. Government bodies, universities, dental professional organizations, companies and individuals benefit from this oral health database, with its current updates and standardized oral health data on-line.  In addition, discussions have begun regarding the incorporation into CAPP of registry and other research data from the WHO-NIDCR craniofacial anomalies initiative.

  NIDCR has funded the second year of a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with WHO (through the PHS Office of International and Refugee Health) to provide support for planning, protocol development and database development for international collaborative biomedical, epidemiological and behavioral research in the area of craniofacial birth defects, including cleft lip and palate.  The goal of this initiative is to bring together international researchers through collaborative partnerships, and to develop global consensus on craniofacial birth defect research directions and common research protocols.

  NIDCR staff participated in the Annual Meeting of the Continental European Division of the International Association for Dental Research, held in Rome, Italy, September 5-8.

  NIDCR’s International Health Officer has been asked to serve on the Dentistry Overseas Steering Committee.  This committee, managed by the American Dental Association, provides guidance regarding oral health activities of Health Volunteers Overseas, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to providing training and education to health care providers in developing countries.

 

Other

NIDCR staff met with Dr. Ron LaPorte of the University of Pittsburgh, who discussed his work to develop a global lecture library.  This electronic library is designed to be a clearinghouse for the best lectures and slide presentations from scientists worldwide. To date, Dr. LaPorte’s group at the University of Pittsburgh’s WHO Collaborating Center has created a global “Supercourse” consisting of 4,600 faculty from 110 countries and 3,500 different institutions.  This global faculty has contributed over 430 state-of-the-art lectures for use by everyone, worldwide at no cost.  Dr. LaPorte stated his interest in obtaining electronic lectures covering the overall purpose of the Institute, as well as any lectures detailing the most recent advances in oral and craniofacial research.

  On July 30-31, NIDCR hosted an International Conference on Treatment of Salivary Gland Disorders: Alternative Approaches.  This conference was jointly sponsored by the NIDCR, the Office of Rare Diseases, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), the Office for Women's Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and Laclede, Inc. The major goals of this conference were to review the state of science in treatment of xerostomia with alternative approaches, to create opportunities for research collaborations and interactions among the participants, and to discuss the future directions and initiatives for basic research and clinical studies in the field.  Researchers from Mexico, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, China and Japan, as well as from the US, participated in the conference.

 

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

 

Plans are progressing for a regional workshop on clinical research methodology, grant writing, and grant management skills to be held in Singapore, November 13-14, 2001.  NCCAM, the National University of Singapore, and the Johns Hopkins Singapore are sponsoring this workshop.  Workshop announcements have been generated through US and Singapore-based journals and websites.

The Office of International Health Research has applied to WHO for re-designation as a WHO Collaborating Center in Traditional Medicine.  Dr. J. Rosario will replace Dr. S. Straus as Director of the Collaborating Center.

  She also attended two consultation meetings of the WHO Traditional Medicine Program in Canada. The first meeting was focused on review of draft monographs on selected medicinal plants, and the second on quality control methods for finished herbal products. 

 

  National Institute of Mental Health

 

Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) has been working with WHO in preparation of an application to continue the cooperative agreement they have with NIMH/NIDA/NIAAA. The application asking for support for a multisite international study on detection and treatment of depression and substance abuse in primary care settings is expected to be submitted for peer review in late October.

  NIMH is co-sponsoring a major meeting with Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to be held at PAHO headquarters on November 5-6. This meeting will bring together representatives from all member states to discuss the mental health needs in the Americas and ways to develop collaborative partnerships to address those needs.

  DSIR collaborated with the FIC in implementing the ICOHRTA research training grant program (RFA TW01-003) and contributed to the co-funding of five grants with mental health components.

  The Economics Program of the DSIR plans to participate in network meetings organized by FIC for the Principal Investigators and Project Officers of the ISHED (RFA TW01-001.)  The meetings will be held on November 9, 2001, in Bethesda and on December 11-12, 2001, in Brazil.

  The Economics Program is assisting the Mental Health Economics Section of the World Psychiatric Association in organizing its third regional meeting entitled “Financing Mental and Addictive Disorders in Central and Eastern Europe” to be held on November 23-25, 2001, in Romania. Dr. Agnes Rupp plans to chair this meeting.

  Genetics Research Branch of the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science is sponsoring a Meeting on Collaborative Genetic Research of Mental Disorders in Latin America to be held on September 26-27 in San Antonio, Texas, with participants from the U.S.A., England, Mexico and seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chili, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru.

  Dr. Stephen Koslow, Associate Director of NIMH for Neuroinformatics, participated in the EU-US Meeting on Data basing the Brain (July 2001, Oslo, Norway.) In August, Dr. Koslow gave lectures on Neuroinformatics: Human Brain Project in Dalian University, Dalian, China, and in the General Hospital in Beijing. On September 22-26, 2001, Dr. Koslow will speak at the 1st World Congress on Neuroinformatics in Vienna, Austria, and on October 4-5 he will chair the 5th meeting of the Neuroinformatics Working Group of the Global Science Forum in Stockholm, Sweden.   

  Dr. Ellen Stover, Director, Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research, and AIDS (DMDBA), and Dr. Wayne Fenton, Deputy Director, DMDBA, moderated sessions at an International Meeting on Stigma and Global Health: Developing a Research Agenda, which was held September 5-7 in Bethesda, Maryland.

 

Dr. Ellen Stover and Dr. Willo Pequegnat have been part of the planning committee for the AIDS Stigma Track which will be a part of the Human Rights, Health and Law Conference in honor of Jonathan Mann which will be held from September 29 to October 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Stover is scheduled to give a talk and Dr. Pequegnat will chair a session and act as a rapporteur in the development of a research agenda.

 

The Steering Committee of the NIMH Collaborative HIV/STD Prevention Trial held meetings in Uganda and Zimbabwe in July and Bethesda in September.  Pre-baseline data on behavioral risk and STD/HIV prevalence in the participating countries were presented.  Drs. Ellen Stover and Wayne Fenton also site visited Uganda.

 

DMDBA is working with the Office of International and Refugee Health to help develop a blood safety initiative for China. 

 

 Office of AIDS Research

 

The Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) meeting will be held November 7-8, 2001.  The meeting topic will be research on the use of antiretroviral drugs in resource-poor settings around the world.

  OAR coordinated NIH support for a Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) conference to develop an HIV/AIDS Therapeutic Research Agenda for Resource Limited Countries.  The conference will be held on October 24, 2001, in conjunction with the annual IDSA meeting in San Francisco.  The purpose of the conference is to bring together international experts to develop a research agenda that will identify the questions that need to be answered as the scientific and medical communities and nations of the world move forward to implement HAART therapy in resource-poor countries.

  The OAR also coordinated NIH support for the XII International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa (ICASA), which will be held December 9-13, 2001, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.  Regional AIDS conferences are held every two years in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  The chosen theme is "The Communities Commit Themselves."  More information on this conference can be found at the following website: http://www.cisma2001.bf.

 

  Center for Scientific Review

 

CSR hosted one visitor from Japan and two from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS is based in DC).  Professor Shinichi Yamamoto is Director of the Research Center for University Studies, University of Tsukuba.  Besides his interest in our peer review system at NIH, Dr. Yamamoto was interested in the broad aspects of research.  I have included a synopsis of his objectives below.  Dr. Allen Holt from the FIC program that covers a wide section of health related sciences in Asia was also present.

The two observers from JSPS were Drs. Yasushi Mitsukuri and Yoshiaki Mori. 

The meeting ended with a tour of the referral office led by Dr. Janet Newburg

  CSR hosted two groups in June:  Two visitors from New Zealand:  Dr. Valda McCann and Professor Hill with the Marsden Fund (organization funding biomedical research in New Zealand); and two officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research Europe:  Mr. Graham Stroud, head of the unit, and Mrs. L. Van den Brande, selection and guidelines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated May 2003

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Building 31, Room B2C29 • 31 CENTER DR MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
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