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International Highlights

Summary of NIH International Highlights

July - September 2002

 

Program Developments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fogarty International Center

FIC Advisory Board

The Fogarty International Center Advisory Board met in open session on Tuesday September 10 at the Lawton Chiles International House.  Guest speakers, Dr. Wendy Baldwin, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, and Dr. Richard Mahoney, Arizona Biomedical Institute, gave presentations on "Intellectual Property Rights and NIH-supported Foreign Entities" and "Intellectual Property and Better Health; the Center for Management of Intellectual Property for Health (MIHR) Approach," respectively.  Dr. Stephen Straus, Director, NCCAM, and Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, NICHD, joined the Board in an ex officio capacity.

Multilateral Initiative on Malaria(MIM)

Plans for the 3rd MIM Pan African Conference on Malaria to be held in Arusha, Tanzania, are nearly complete.  Over 600 participants are expected, with more than half from malaria-endemic countries.  The MIM Secretariat has raised support for 230 participants from malaria endemic countries to attend.  FIC, NIAID, and NLM are providing significant support for the conference, along with European science funding agencies and NGOs.  The conference will consider progress in key fields of research and will work to enhance malaria collaboration between  control experts and researchers.

Stockholm University, Karolinska Institute, and the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control have been selected to serve as Secretariat of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) for 2003 to 2005.  The transfer of the MIM Secretariat will take place shortly after the Third MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference, which will be held in November 2002 in Arusha, Tanzania.  To ensure that the transfer of the MIM Secretariat was conducted in a democratic and transparent manner, the current MIM Secretariat developed a voting mechanism involving MIM's partners from the North and South.

The MIM co-sponsored a workshop on the diagnosis of placental malaria in Cameroon in July/August for African researchers.

MIM is working with the International Committee Members of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to hold a workshop a the next annual ASH meeting in Philadelphia (December 2002) on training in hematological research techniques for malariologists from malaria endemic countries working on malarial anemia.

The pilot workshop for the African research leaders training program in management and leadership will be held in Arusha, Tanzania 6-18 October 2002.  Dr. Martin Alilio, MIM Conference Coordinator, visited the conference site in Arusha during August 2002.

Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries Project (DCPP)

Editorial meetings to review progress and choose chapter lead/coordinating authors for the 73-chapter book were hosted by co-editor Sir George Alleyne at the Pan American Health Organization on June 10-11 and July 23.  Co-editors Drs. Breman and Jamison, usually accompanied by Drs. Keusch or Hrynkow, have visited the Acting Deputy Director of NIH, directors of 8 institutes (NIA, NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NIDCR, NHLBI, NIMH, NCAAM), and the Director, OGC, to explain the project and enlist their support for it.  These visits are a follow-up to a presentation of DCPP by Drs. Keusch and Jamison to the Directors meeting and to the International Representatives meeting, both held earlier this year.  Planning is continuing for a DCPP-sponsored meeting on cost-effectiveness to be held in November 6-7 at the FIC and for a MIM-DCPP workshop in the burden of malaria to be held on November17 at the MIM Conference in Arusha, Tanzania.

GAIN

Dr. Keusch attended a meeting of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, September 5-6 in Geneva, Switzerland.  Dr. Keusch is the scientific advisor for the GAIN Enabling Group, and this meeting convened to select GAIN's first Executive Director.

Ongoing Dialogue with Visiting Fellows

Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, FIC Deputy Director, convened the third consultation with Visiting Fellows from developing countries and countries in transition on July 29 in the Stone House.  The meeting considered progress and comments on establishment of the new Global Health Research Initiative Program (GRIP) which provides support for NIH-trained investigators to return home to the developing world; the development of an intramural-extramural mentoring program; and establishment of a Fellow-led working group to explore priority issues in-depth.

Meet the Professor

FIC and ORWH hosted Dr. Carola Eisenberg, cofounder of Physicians for Human Rights and former Dean at both MIT and Harvard Medical School on September 9-10.  Dr. Eisenberg is a trained psychiatrist and native of Argentina.  During her visit she met with junior scientists from the developing world and FIC staff to discuss her remarkable career path and choices she made along the way.

Multilateral Activities

WHO

Dr. Rachel Nugent will serve on the WHO International Reference Group for the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.  Dr. Brundtland charged the group to examine risk factors affecting non-communicable disease burden globally.

Dr. Mark Miller, Director, Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies, served as consultant to the UNAIDS/ WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research Group on the factors related to the introduction of HIV vaccines.  The focus of the meeting held on July 22-August 9, 2002 in Geneva, was to outline a research agenda for introductions of vaccines against HIV/AIDS.  Also, as a member of the WHO Product Development Group for Aerosol Measles Vaccine, Dr. Miller attended a consultative meeting August 19-20, 2002 in Geneva to advise the WHO's Initiative for Vaccine Research on the studies required to safely and successfully make respiratory vaccination a tool for use in the field.

Dr. Joel Breman, Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies and Scientific Advisor to the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, attended a meeting on Standardization of Monitoring and Evaluation for Malaria Control on July 15-16.  The meeting was held in Washington, D.C. and sponsored by USAID and the Roll Back Malaria Project, WHO.

Mr. George Herrfurth coordinated the NIH review of the WHO Essential Medicines List (EML) in August in preparation for review of the list in early 2003 by the WHO Committee on Essential Medicines.

World Summit on Sustainable Development

Dr. Nugent represented NIH at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, August 26-September 4.  She made several presentations on the following topics: "Opportunities for Research Training for Developing Country Scientists" at the Science Forum, "Health, Environment and Economic Development: A New Research Program," at the WHO/South Africa Parallel Event on Health and Sustainable Development, "Health Impact Assessment: Necessary Information for Decision-Making," at the Parallel Event, sponsored by the International Environmental Impact Assessment Association, and "Health and the Media" at the Science Forum.

Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization

Dr. Dean Jamison, FIC Senior Fellow and Senior Editor, Disease Control Priorities Project, co-chaired a meeting in Oslo, Norway, August 22-23, on the "Economics of Immunization."  This meeting was the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.

XIV International AIDS Conference

FIC staff participated in several NIH-wide activities organized by the NIH Office of AIDS Research at the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona Spain in July.  Dr. Jeanne McDermott gave a presentation on two new FIC programs, the International Clinical, Operational and Health Services Research and Training Award for AIDS and Tuberculosis (ICOHRTA AIDS/TB) and the Global Health Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP) as part of the satellite session "NIH-Supported and Training Opportunities for International Scientists in HIV/AIDS."  Drs. Bridbord, Gardner, and McDermott, and Mr. Bruce Butrum led one of the six breakout groups which focused on FIC programs at a skills-building workshop "Tips on Applying for an NIH Grant: Program Opportunities and Grant Writing Skills."  During the conference, FIC hosted a reception and network meeting for over 200 FIC-affiliated participants at the conference.  In addition, Drs. Bridbord and McDermott participated in several meetings with other NIH representatives and Chinese officials in preparation for the upcoming Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Areas to be held in Beijing on November 1-3, 2002.  Dr. Bridbord participated in a workshop, organized by a number of Indian organizations, to discuss training and capacity-building for HIV-related research and public health in India.  Finally, Ms. Natalie Tomitch participated in an OAR-hosted satellite meeting with several Russian researchers and policy makers to discuss the issue of expanding U.S.-Russian collaboration in HIV/AIDS research.  An outcome of the discussion was consensus to form a joint working group to formalize research collaboration in prevention technologies, vaccines, and diagnostics for HIV/AIDS and related conditions.  Plans include a joint conference in Russia in 2003.

Mr. George Herrfurth, Division of International Relations, represented NIH at the State Department interagency meeting on cloning July 22.  The U.S. delegation, which will be headed by the State Department and will include representatives from HHS and the Department of Justice, will participate in the meeting of the UN General Assembly from September 23-27 in New York to review the merits of pursuing negotiations of a global convention to prohibit human cloning.

Mr. George Herrfurth served as the NIH representative at the August 15 meeting of the Biosafety Interagency Working Group (IWG) convened by the State Department to review the latest developments related to the anticipated entry into force of the Biosafety Protocol to the Biodiversity Convention.  The IWG also reviewed the results of recent negotiations associated with the UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.

Bilateral Activities

Norway:  Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, in her capacity as Vice Chair of the Norwegian Research and Technology Forum in the U.S. and Canada, participated in the Forum's Advisory Board annual meeting on September 17 in Washington, D.C.  She then chaired a session on Enhanced Cooperation in Medical/Biotech Research and Technology at the Forum's Annual Research and Technology Seminar.

The Americas: 

Argentina:  Dr. Luis Salicrup represented FIC/NIH in several DHHS-wide meetings chaired by the Department's Office of Global Health Affairs to develop a Department-wide strategy in response to recent requests to the Secretary's office from Argentina's Minister of Health and Dr. Alfredo Solari, Senior Health Advisor from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).  The objective of the strategy is to assist Argentina and Uruguay to address their pressing health-related problems during the current economic crisis in these countries.  As a first phase of the broader DHHS-wide strategy, Dr. Salicrup traveled to Argentina on August 11-17 to hold consultations in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Mendoza with biomedical research centers and universities, and representatives from the Argentinean Council of Science and Technology (CONICET), the Ministry of Health, and the U.S. Embassy on a proposed NIH strategy for supporting the Argentinean biomedical research community during the crisis.

Brazil: Dr. Salicrup traveled to Rio de Janeiro on August 21-22 for a planning meeting with representatives from the Oswald Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) concerning the upcoming Pan American Genetics Research Workshop to be held in Rio de Janeiro, October 22-25.  This workshop is organized by FIC in partnership with NIAID, NIEHS, NCI, FIOCRUZ, the Wellcome Trust, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).

Canada:  Dr. Rachel Nugent, Program Officer in FIC's Division of International Training and Research, was the Plenary speaker at the National Forum to Identify Research Priorities for the Environmental Influences on Health, sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ottawa, September 12-14, 2002.

Uruguay:  On August 18-20, Dr. Salicrup met with representatives of the Ministry of Health, the National Council for Innovation, Science, and Technology (CONICYT), and the National Directorate for Innovation, Science, and Technology (DINACYT), the National University, and relevant research institutions in Uruguay to discuss participation in the NIH-Uruguay Pan American Fellowship Program and other NIH programs.

Sweden:  Mr. Mark Pineda, FIC Program Officer for Europe, traveled with colleagues from the NIH Office of Technology Transfer to Goteburg, August 26-30 to explore possible collaboration on stem cell research with scientists from Goteburg University.

Russia: Dr. Keusch participated in the tenth meeting of the U.S.-Russia Health Committee, co-chaired by HHS and USAID, convened in Washington, D.C. on July 31.  The meeting focused on current collaboration in access to quality health care, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and cardiovascular disease.  The Russian Minister of Health and his delegation also spend a day at the NIH campus for additional discussions with FIC on global health issues, with NHLBI, and to visit the Vaccine Research Center.  Joining FIC for the global health discussion were representatives from NHLBI, NIAID, NIAAA, NIDA, NIMH, NICHD, and OAR.

Asia: 

South Korea:  Ms Minnie Rojo, Director, Division of International Relations, and representatives from NIH's Office of Intramural Research and NIAID met with a delegation from the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) on September 11.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss: (1) MOST's interest to develop a "central coordinating mechanism" for NIH-Korea collaboration and (2) a possible science roundtable in Spring 2003 to consider new research areas for future collaboration.  The Korean delegation, headed by Mr. Sang-Won Kwon, Director of MOST's Technology Cooperation Policy Division, included Mr. Jun Ho Shin, Deputy Director of MOST's Technology Cooperation Policy Division; Dr. Jiyoung Park, Senior Researcher in the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP); and Dr. Sang-Seon Kim, Counselor for Science and Technology at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington.

Taiwan:  On June 11, Dr. Allen Holt, FIC Program Officer for East Asia, participated in a meeting of researchers from U.S. and Taiwan biomedical research organizations to discuss bilateral cooperation in the life sciences.  The meeting, which was convened by NIH, The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative's Office (TECRO) included representatives  of NIMH, NIDA, NINDS, NHGRI, NCI, NCCAM, NLM, the Office of Education, NHLBI, and FIC.  U.S. researchers and their Taiwanese counterparts presented on existing areas of collaboration related to drug abuse and rehabilitation, genomic, research, natural products, and medicinal plants for drug development, bio informatics training and research, clinical sciences training, asthma, and epidemiology.  New areas where collaboration appears promising were also discussed.

Papua-New Guinea:  University of Papua-New Guinea's (UPNG) Vice Chancellor, Leslie Eastcott, and Professor Teatulohi Matainaho of the Faculty of Medicine visited NIH August 19-21 for meetings with the staff of the NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program, NIAID, and FIC.  Professor Matainaho, who has a FIRCA award from FIC, is working with NIAID staff to complete a CIPRA application.  The UNPG Medical School has an excellent record for training physicians from a number of countries in the Western Pacific to enable them to return to their home countries.

Africa: 

Cameroon: Dr. Barbara Sina, Program Director, Division of International Research and Training, participated in a Workshop on Laboratory Methods for Studying Placental Malaria July 30-August 2 at the Biotechnology Center of the University of Yaounde, Cameroon.  The Workshop was organized by Dr. Diane Taylor, Georgetown University, who has a FIC International Maternal and Child Health Research Training program award, in collaboration with Dr. Rose Leke at the University of Yaounde.

Malawi:  Drs. Breman, Bridbord, McDermott, and Sina met on August 12 at the FIC with Professor Cameron Bowie, Chairman, Department of Community Health, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, and Dr. Victor Mwapasa, Malawian trainee in the International Training and Research Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases linked to Michigan State University.  As Malawi is beginning a masters degree program and hopes to establish a School of Public Health, the visit focused on possible mechanisms to help develop and support this initiative.

Program Highlights

Tobacco

FIC will announce in September its first round of awards under the International Tobacco and Health Research and Capacity Building Program.  In doing so, it will establish a global network of tobacco research and control experts in the United States and partner countries in low-and/or middle-income nation(s).  FIC's partners in this program are: NCI, NICHD, NIMH, NINR, NIDA, and WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative.  The contact for the program is Dr. Aron Primack, 301-496-1653.

ICOHRTA AIDS/TB

FIC will announce in September its first round of awards through the International Clinical, Operational, and Health Services Research Training Award for AIDS and Tuberculosis (ICOHRTA-AIDS/TB) Program.  This program provides extended support for training to foster collaborative, multidisciplinary research in developing country sites where AIDS, TB, or both are significant problems.  The first round of awards will be for planning grants to foreign institutions to develop full applications in partnership with U.S. or other developed country partners.  FIC partners in this program are: NCI, NIAID, NICHD, NIMH, NINDS, NIAAA, NIDA, OAR, OBSSR, ORWH, and CDC.  The contact for the program is Dr. Jeanne McDermott at 301-496-1653. 

International Bioethics Training Program

With the completion of additional competing awards this fiscal year, FIC with the help of co-sponsoring ICs will be supporting 14 active bioethics training and research capacity building programs.  FIC partners in this program are: NIGMS, NCCAM, NHGRI, NIEHS, NICHD, NHLBI, and NIAMS.  A networking meeting of awardees under this program is scheduled at the NIH on Monday, September 23.  The meeting agenda will be available at the September 17 meeting of the IC International Representatives.

International Malaria Anemia Training Program

FIC will announce in September that it will make four awards under the International Malaria Research and Training Program.  One award will be made directly to an institution in a developing country, Colombia.  These awards are directly linked to NIAID and NHLBI research awards on malaria anemia.

International Collaborative Genetics Research Training Program

FIC will announce in September its first round of awards under the International Collaborative Genetics Research Training Program.  The program provides training to contribute to the capacity of developing country researchers and institutions to conduct human genetics research relevant to the health needs of their countries.  FIC's partners in this program are: NIA, NIDA, NIMH, NINDS, NIEHS, and NHGRI.  The contact for the program is Dr. Flora Katz, 301-496-1653.

 

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 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.  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 being planned.

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, and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, and scientists from other NIH institutes.  The full report was published by NHLBI in July 2002.  Chapter 13, Best Clinical Practices, 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 is sponsoring a conference on the "Scientific Issues Important to the Future of Cardiovascular Guidelines," to be held October 17-18, 2002 in Bethesda.  Participants from Germany, Australia, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Italy are planning to attend.

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 US-Afghanistan initiative.

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

Japan:  A joint US-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 in 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 CVS 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, September-December.  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.  Also, the U.S. and Russian coordinators have 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.

 

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

New Acting Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs, NICHD

Dr. Danuta Krotoski has been appointed Acting Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs (PRIP) at NICHD.  During the past five years she has served as the Director of Fellowships and Workshops of the Human Frontier Science Program in Strasbourg, France.  Dr. Krotoski initially came to the NICHD in 1988 as a health scientist administrator in the Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Technology Branch.  In 1990 she joined the Fogarty International Center, where she developed the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award (FIRCA) program and a series of fellowship programs for Eastern Europe and Latin America.  Dr. Krotoski returned to NICHD in 1992 as a branch chief at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, remaining in this position until 1997.  Dr. Krotoski's scientific background is in developmental biology, genetics, and neuroscience.

Workshop on Vitamin D Research

The NICHD, in co-sponsorship with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and the Office of Research on Women's Health, is organizing a workshop entitled "Vitamin D: Data Needs and Strategies for Achieving Effective Public Policy."  The meeting will address current concerns about vitamin D and related parameters with particular attention paid to women of reproductive age and infants.  The goal is to determine data needs to support evidence-based recommendations for improving vitamin D status along racial and ethnic lines, and the apparent convergence of several public health policies, e.g., concerns about UV exposure and skin cancer, that inadvertently create a potential public health problem.  The workshop is tentatively scheduled for January, 2003 and will be held in the Bethesda, MD area.  The NICHD contacts for the workshop are Dr. Daniel Ration, Health Scientist Administrator, Office of Prevention Research and International Programs, and Dr. Karen Winer, Medical Officer, Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Growth Branch, Center for Research for Mothers and Children.

Trans-NIH Subcommittee and International Nutrition Research Meeting (SCINR)

The next meeting of SCINR will be held on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in room C, Natcher Building.  The focus of discussion will be on the World Summit on Sustainable Development; the WHO/FAO Consultation Report on "Nutrition and Prevention of Diseases" and related activities; the WHO proposal on "Diet, Physical Activity, and Health;" and a proposal for an NIH conference on "Strategies for the Development of Evidence-based Interventions to Address Micronutrient Insufficiency in Resource-limited Settings."  For more information, please contact the SCINR co-chairs, Dr. Rachel Nugent, FIC, and Dr. Daniel Raiten, NICHD.

NICHD Participation in DHHS/Office of Global Health Affairs Meetings

NICHD staff participated recently in two meetings convened by the DHHS Office of Global Health Affairs (OGHA).  This included attendance at a meeting of the DHHS Interagency Working Group on Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Impact on Chronic Diseases, on September 5, 2002, with Dr. Derek Yach, Executive Director, Division of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluste, WHO.  Dr. Yach provided an overview of WHO's vision for the development process for the global strategy to be submitted to the WHO Executive Board and World Health Assembly in 2004.  NICHD staff also participated in an OGHA meeting on September 11 that focused on infant feeding in the context of HIV infection in the developing world.

Africa: 

Dr. John Robbins, Chief, Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity, has been invited to participate in the Technical Consultation Meeting on WHO Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Epidemic Meningococcal Disease in Africa.  The meeting will be held on September 21-26, 2002 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and organized by the WHO Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response.

Asia:

A delegation of Chinese health officials from the Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research (SIPPR) will visit the NICHD on September 17, 2002.  Dr. Robert Spirtas, Chief, CRHB, NICHD, has organized a small meeting, which likely will involve informal presentations on topics of mutual interest by the SIPPR group, as well as NICHD CRHB staff.  Fogarty staff will also participate in the meeting which will be held within the offices of the NICHD National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research.

In its role as Secretariat, the NICHD will host the annual meetings of two bilateral programs with India, from October 28-November 1, 2002, in Rockville Maryland.  The Indo-U.S. Joint Working Group (JWG) on Contraception and Reproductive Health Research (CRHR) will meet on October 28-29.  The meeting of the Indo-U.S. JWG on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development Research (MCHDR), will be held on October 31-November 1, 2002.  A combined meeting of both groups will also be held on October 30-31.

Europe:

Dr. Michael Weinrich, Director, National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR), represented the NICHD as an observer at the meeting of the U.S.-Russia Health Committee that was held on July 31, 2002 in Washington D.C.  Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson led the U.S. delegation, which also included Fogarty International Center (FIC) Director Dr. Gerald Keusch.  Priorities for Russian-U.S. collaboration relevant to the mission of NICHD include research related to maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, and chronic disease prevention and health promotion.  Dr. Weinrich also attended the FIC-sponsored luncheon on July 30 that was held in honor of the Russian delegation at the Lawton Chiles International House.  The NCMRR supports collaborative activity with Russian scientists in relation to prothetics research.

Dr. Peggy McCardle, Associate Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD, presented at the 19th World Congress on Reading that was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (U.K.), July 28, 2002, and then traveled to London, England, U.K. to consult with researchers involved with reading and bilingual dyslexia programs.

Dr. Stephen Suomi, Chief, Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, NICHD, attended the 4th World Congress on Stress in Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K., held on September 11-13, 2002.  Dr. Suomi presented an invited symposium paper entitled "Strategies for Coping with Social Stress in Rhesus Monkeys."  He also traveled to Rocamadour, France, September 13-14, to consult with French scientists regarding a collaborative project investigating the biological basis of aggression in Barbary macaques and to visit the prospective study population of free-ranging Barbary macaques at the Rocamadour Nature Park.  He also consulted on the same collaborative project with investigators in Wuerzburg and Trier, Germany, on September 16 and 17, 2002.

Latin America:

Dr. Lorette Javois, Health Scientist Administrator, Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Teratology Branch, attended the 33rd Annual Meeting of the South American Birth Defects Registry (Estudio Collaborativo Latinamericano de Malformaciones Congenitas - ECLAMC), in Sao Paolo, Brazil, August 10-13, 2002.  She also met with investigators from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and foreign scientists in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile to finalize protocols for their collaborative Global Network on Women's and Children's Health Research project.  The investigators are using cleft lip/cleft palate as a sentinel defect to study the impact of birth defects in general on family health and to carry out a direct intervention to decrease the recurrence of cleft lip/cleft palate through folic acid supplementation.  Dr. Javois is the NICHD staff science collaborator on this Global Network project.

Following her participation in the NICHD Aspen (Colorado) Conference on Maternal-Fetal-Neonatal Reproductive Meeting on August 21-24, 2002, Dr. Linda Wright, Deputy Director, Center for Research for Mothers and Children, NICHD, traveled to Guatemala City, Guatemala.  While there she conducted a site visit to a Global Network research unit established by the University of Colorado, Denver and the Center for Studies of Sensory Impairment (CESSIAM).  The purpose of the site visit was to certify the project's readiness to begin a randomized controlled trial to assess the health impact of low phytate corn as compared to the typical regional corn consumed by women prior to and during pregnancy.  If the study demonstrates that low phytate corn consumption can contribute to improved birth weight, this evidence-based, relatively inexpensive intervention can be made widely available to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in communities where corn-based diets prevail.  Dr. Wright also was an invited speaker at the 3rd International Symposium of Neonatology that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 28 to September 1, 2002.

The fourth annual Lawton Chiles International Lecture on Maternal and Child Health in The Americas was sponsored by NICHD, FIC, and the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies at the University of South Florida on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at the Lawton Chiles International House, NIH.  The guest speaker was Jaime E. Bernal, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Human Genetics, The Medical School Pontificia Universidad Javierana, Bogota, Colombia.  Dr. Bernal presented a fascinating lecture on his long-term, multidisciplinary, field research projects that have examined the medical, genetic, and cultural diversity among mothers and children in Colombia's Indian and Afro-Colombian populations.  Dr. Duane Alexander, Director, NICHD, gave welcoming comments.  Dr. Bernal was introduced by Dr. Charlotte Catz, Clinical Research Coordinator, NICHD, and the organizer of this lecture series.

 

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

The Associate Director for International Health is continuing to serve on the DHHS Data Council workgroup on health systems performance, which is examining issues related to measuring performance of health systems on an international basis.  In addition to DHHS agencies, USAID and the World Bank are included as working members of this group.  The workgroup met on August 20, to discuss a report on the topic by the WHO Scientific Peer Review Group, and to discuss the role of the U.S. Government and other member nations in setting WHO policy on this subject.

Staff met with the American Dental Education Association and the International Federation of Dental Education Associations to discuss ways to maintain and capitalized on the momentum generated at the meeting of African dental education institutions, held in Cape Town, South Africa this past April.  At that meeting, participants elected to launch an effort to form an African Dental Education Association.  One option being explored is for ADEA/IFDEA to hire a short-term consultant from Africa to assist in establishing the new organization.

On September 3, NIDCR hosted a group from South Korea seeking information regarding water fluoridation.  This group is trying to initiate community water fluoridation in Korea, and desired to learn more about the science supporting fluoridation and grassroots political efforts to implement fluoridation programs.  Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention and the American Dental Association also participated in the meeting.

Representatives of the Ministry of Health of Israel, Dr. Rami Rahamimoff, Chief Scientist, and Dr. Bracha Rager, former Chief Scientist, met with the NIDCR Director and members of staff regarding Israel's plans to develop a Medical Research Council which would include dental research.  Other topics addressed during various meeting between September 6-13 included:

*Potential visiting fellows from Israel for clinical dental science career development, as a pilot project in NIDCR's Intramural program.

*Participation in a bilateral symposium on women's health, possibly focusing on enhancing women's health in the context of cultural diversity.

*Potential collaborative research in areas such as Sjogren's Syndrome and CMV.

Meetings with these Israeli representatives were facilitated with staff of the FIC as well as with the Office of Research on Women's Health.

The International Health Officer has been invited to serve as a representative of the oral health research community on the American Dental Association's new Committee on International Programs and Development. The first meeting of this committee was held September 9 in Chicago.

NIDCR is helping to co-sponsor the Third International Conference on Smokeless Tobacco: Advancing Science & Protecting Public Health, which is being held September 22-25, in Stockholm, Sweden.  A staff member will participate in the conference, presenting information on the oral health effects of smokeless tobacco use.

NIDCR staff meets on a regular basis with the Executive Directors of the American Dental Association, the International Association for Dental Research, the American Dental Education Association, and the Chief of Oral Health for the Pan American Health Organization.  The purpose of these quarterly meetings is to discuss international oral health issues and initiatives.  The IADR is hosting the next meeting at its Alexandria, Virginia office on September18.

The International Health Officer will meet with representatives from the World Health Organization and the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (ICBDMS) at the ICBDMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta on September 21.  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a WHO proposal to subcontract with ICBDMS to develop and maintain a central global registry of clefts and a directory of cleft research and treatment resources.  This effort is part of the NIDCR/WHO project to develop an international collaborative network for research on craniofacial birth defects.

Staff will attend the annual meeting of the FDI International Dental Federation, to be held in Vienna, Austria, September 29-October 5.  A meeting of WHO Collaborating Centers in Oral Health will also be held in Vienna on September 30.  NIDCR is a WHO Collaborating Center for International Collaboration in Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Dame Margaret Seward, Chief Dental Officer of the UK, will visit NIDCR October 15-17.  Her U.S. counterpart, RADM Dushanka Kleinman, is the US Chief Dental Officer and Deputy Director of NIDCR.

Following the success of the workshop on bioethics in international collaborative oral health research at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR), plans are being developed with the collaboration of FIC bioethics staff to hold a second hands-on workshop at the 2003 IADR meeting in Goteborg, Sweden.

NIDCR is planning to co-sponsor with the American Dental Education Association the 2nd International Women's Leadership Conference: Global Health Through Women's Leadership.  This conference was originally scheduled for last fall in Vancouver, but was postponed following September 11.  The conference is now planned to be held in Goteburg, Sweden, June 20-23, 2003, in conjunction with the IADR meeting.

NIDCR's international research video, "Science Knows No Country," has been close-captioned for the hearing impaired.  anyone wanting copies of the captioned video can contact the NIDCR Office of International Health.

The Second Annual David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture is scheduled for October 28, 2002.  Professor Nevin Scrimshaw has been selected as the honorary lecturer, and will speak on nutrition and its impact on global health and disease.  The purpose of this memorial lecture is to raise the awareness on campus about major cross-cutting issues of global health.  Fogarty International Center and NIDCR co-sponsor this even, and this year, the lecture will serve as the first event in Fogarty's year-long celebration of its 35th anniversary.

 

Office of AIDS Research

Caribbean:  The Office of AIDS Research (OAR) is continuing its practice of asking the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) to consider international AIDS research issues.  At its next meeting on October 1-2, 2002, the OARAC will address "Research Needs in the Caribbean Basin."  The meeting will be held in Building 31 C, Conference Room 6C10, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 1, and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on October 2.

China:  In collaboration with the Fogarty International Center, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, OAR is co-sponsoring The Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Areas in Beijing, China, November 1-3, 2002.  The goal of the conference is to increase the knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS-related research needs and activities in China.  The objectives of the conference are to 1. Present the China Five-Year HIV/AIDS Action Plan and describe expansion of research activities to implement the Plan; 2. Describe current and future HIV-related research and research training activities in China; 3. Provide a forum for scientific exchange on HIV-related research among Chinese and international investigators, emphasizing China-U.S. activities; and 4. Identify strategies to strengthen HIV-related research capacity within China.