Contents

DHHS, NIH, and FIC Personnel Announcements

FIC Budget

FIC 35th Anniversary Events

FIC Programs and Initiatives

Regional Activities

Activities of FIC Staff Members

DHHS, NIH, and FIC PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dr. Jeremy Berg will be the new Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.  He will take up this position in early November.  Dr. Berg is currently Director of he Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences and Professor and Director of the Department of Bioophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is also Director of the Markey Center for Macromolecular Structure and Function and Co-Director of the W.M. Keck Center for the Rational Design of Biologically Active Molecules at Johns Hopkins.  Dr. Berg replaces Dr. Judith Greenberg, who has served as Acting Director since May 2002.

Dr. Story C. Landis has been appointed Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).  Dr. Landis, who had previously been Scientific Director of the NINDS intramural program, began her appointment on September 1.  She replaces Dr. Audrey Penn, who has been serving as Acting Director of the Institute since 2001.

Dr. Ellie Ehrenfeld, director of the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) since 1997, will step down at the end of September.  She will continue in her position as Chief of the Picornavirus Replication Section of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases within NIAID.  Dr. Brent Stanfield, CSR Deputy Director, will serve as Acting Director.

Dr. Claude Lenfant retired as Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) on August 30.  Dr. Lenfant, who served as NHLBI Director for 21 years, also served as FIC Director from 1981-1982.  He will continue to serve as President of the World Hypertension League and intends to expand his efforts to address the growing problem of chronic diseases in the developing world. Dr. Barbara Alving is serving as Acting Director of the Institute.

Dr. Kenneth Olden, Director of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), has announced his intention to step down from both positions as soon as replacements are appointed.  Dr. Olden, who has been NIEHS/NTP Director for twelve years, will continue to run his research program at NIEHS.

Dr. Jim Lavery who served as Bioethicist in the FIC Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis from October 2000 to July 2003, has left FIC to take up a new position as Staff Scientist at the Center for Global Health Research and Assistant Professor, Public Health Sciences, at the University of Toronto.

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FIC BUDGET

Fiscal Year 2004

The full House has completed action on the FY 2004 budget. The Senate Appropriations Committee has completed action and the full Senate is currently debating the Appropriations bill. The following chart summarizes the actions as of September 5, 2003:

The House did not make any changes to the President’s budget request.  The Senate added $327 million over the President’s budget request and the House level for a total increase over FY 2003 of $1 billion.

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FIC 35th ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

35^th Anniversary Symposium

FIC celebrated its 35^th anniversary with a symposium on “Global Health: A Challenge to Scientists” on May 20-21 at the Natcher Conference Center.  Approximately 600 people registered to attend this major event.  In his opening remarks, Dr. Elias Zerhouni applauded FIC’s vision, programs and initiatives to build research capacity in resource-poor countries and to address research needs on global health challenges.  He announced FIC’s newest program, the FIC-Ellison Foundation International Clinical Research Training Program for U.S. and Developing Country Students in the Health Sciences. The symposium agenda is appended to this report. Dr. Gerald Keusch, FIC Director, noted that much remains to be done and much hard work lies ahead, but praised the FIC staff, current and former, for their efforts throughout the years, and thanked FIC’s many partners across NIH, the U.S. Government and around the world, along with the many dedicated health professionals in developed and developing countries with which the Center works.  The event is archived at:  http://www.fic.nih.gov/35th/35thsymposium.html.  FIC anticipates publishing the symposium proceedings in the early spring of 2004.

The final event in FIC’s 35^th anniversary year is the sixth and last FIC global Health lecture, which will be given by Dr. Arthur Kleinman on Monday, September 22 at 3:00 p.m. in Masur Auditorium at NIH.  Dr. Kleinman will speak on “The Global Epidemic of Mental Health Problems in Developing Countries: Depression, Suicide, and Violence.”

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  PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

Programs
  At the September 16 meeting, the Advisory Board will consider a number of new FIC programs. The new programs for which awards will be made prior to the end of FY 03 are: Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan; the Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program; Health, Environment and Economic Development; and the Stigma and Global Health Research Program.  The ongoing FIC AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP), Global Health Research Initiative Program for New Foreign Investigators (GRIP); and International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) Program are currently either re-competing or receiving new applications.

Informatics Training for Global Health
A Request for Applications (RFA) for the new FIC Informatics Training for Global Health Program was released on June 30. FIC, together with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institute of Biomedical Engineering (NIBIB), and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) invite applications for the creation of informatics training programs in support of global health research in low- and middle-income countries.  Training plans should be directly integrated with research activities at the foreign institution and should address the health and informatics needs of the collaborating country.

AIDS FIRCA
With the concurrence of the FIC Advisory Board, FIC will terminate the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award for HIV/AIDS (AIDS FIRCA).  This is a consequence of an evaluation of the program’s impact in the context of other funding opportunities for international AIDS research.  The increasing number of new opportunities for such research, including through other FIC programs, significantly alters the uniqueness and need for the AIDS FIRCA program.  Funds will be reprogrammed from this program into other FIC AIDS research and training initiatives. 

Fogarty-Ellison International Clinical Research Training Program for U.S. and Developing Country Students in the Health Sciences
FIC and the Ellison Medical Foundation are jointly supporting a new program that provides early career opportunities for U.S. graduate students in the health professions to participate in mentored clinical research in developing countries.  The Association of American Medical Colleges, in collaboration with the Association of Schools of Public Health, is providing administrative support through a contract from FIC. This new program, which offers one year of mentored clinical research training at a site in the developing world, will expand international opportunities to U.S. students in the health professions, paired with students from the host country.  Initial training sites are in Botswana, Brazil, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mali, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and Zambia. The first annual competition begins this fall for training that will commence in July 2004.

FIRCA Evaluation
Phase II of the FIRCA evaluation is underway. FIC is currently assembling an advisory group for the evaluation and will shortly begin implementation of a pilot web-based survey. The survey, which must be cleared by the Office of Management and Budget, will be given to all FIRCA recipients and their international collaborators to determine the outcomes and impacts of the program. FIC will also conduct several case studies to look at international institutional capacity building under the program. 

AITRP Evaluation
Phase I (the feasibility study) of the AITRP evaluation is coming to a close. FIC has gathered representative data from trainees, PIs and partners and is currently administering a pilot survey to some of the trainees regarding their training experience and long-term impacts. FIC expects that Phase I will be completed this fall, with a report published by the beginning of 2004. 

Global Trainee Tracking and Evaluation System
FIC has received funding for Phase I of a three-phase (3 year) development of a global trainee tracking and evaluation system for FIC. This system will enhance FIC’s efforts to track, in the long- or short- term, the complex indicators and multiple levels of outcome and impact necessary to evaluate FIC international research trainees. The goals of the system are two-fold: 

• To track, evaluate and report short- and long-term output, outcomes, and impacts of international trainees involved in health research training programs.
• To facilitate global scientific projects by identifying international partnership opportunities (especially for the U.S. Principal Investigator or program alumni who desire collaboration with a specific person, international site or institution).

Planning "Needs Assessments"
FIC has received two express awards from the Office of Evaluation to hold consultations to explore investment in two new areas. The consultations planned are "Career Paths for Women in the Health Sciences: A Global Perspective" and " Trauma and Injury in Developing Countries.”  The results of the consultations will serve as part of a "needs assessment" to determine whether and in which way FIC will proceed to invest in these fields.  

FIC Seminars and Talks
May 27 – Professor Donald Burke, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,  “Exact Mechanisms of HIV Emergence in Cameroon.”
June 12 – Dr. Gail Cassel, Distinguished Lilly Research Scholar for Infectious Diseases, Eli Lilly and Company – “Global Health Inequities and the Role of Public/Private Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities in the Next Decade.”
June 17 – Dr. Jennifer Rosen, Howard Hughes Research Scholar – “The Effect of Malaria on Responses to measles and Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccines.”
June 23 – Dr. Yves Champey, Médecins Sans Frontières Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)  “Seminar on the DNDi.”
June 25 – Mr. Gray Handley, DHHS Health Attaché and Southern Africa Regional Representative, U.S. Embassy Pretoria – “Experiences in Health Diplomacy in Southern Africa.” 
July 15-16 – Dr. Jim Lavery, FIC Division of Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis (DASPA) – “Case Book on International Research Ethics” and “Systems for Protecting Human Subjects in Developing Countries.”
August 26 – Dr. Wendy Prudhomme, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – “Multi-variate Analysis of Signals Governing Differentiation Processes in Mouse Embryonic Cells.”
September 9 – Ms. Leah Belsky, NIH Clinical Center Department of Bioethics - The Ancillary Clinical Care Responsibility of Medical Researchers."

  INITIATIVES

FIC Strategic Planning
FIC has begun the process of developing a strategic plan for the period 2003-2008.  The plan will consider trends in global disease burdens and identify FIC program areas and strategic alliances to address the challenges on the horizon. Initial steps in the planning process and possible planning frameworks will be discussed with the FIC Advisory Board at the September 16 meeting of the Board.

Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP)
The DCPP secretariat, housed at FIC, has recently organized five workshops/meetings on the following topics:  personal health services; STI and HIV/AIDS interventions; psychiatric disorders, neurology, alcohol and other substance abuse; surgery; and learning and developmental disorders. These meetings are held as part of a program of consultations related to chapter development for the second edition of Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries (DCP-2).  Preparations are under way for a meeting on child survival in January. Five working papers are currently available in print, and six additional working papers will be released shortly. A complete listing of DCPP activities, reports, presentations, and other information can be found at the DCCP website: http://www.fic.nih.gov/dcpp/index.html.

WHO Health Research Systems Analysis Initiative
In conjunction with its Member States, WHO has initiated an analysis of national health research systems. The results of this analysis will help guide technical work and activities aimed at strengthening health research capacity and health research systems in the member states of the WHO, with a special emphasis on low- and middle- income countries. FIC has been asked by WHO to participate in a pilot phase study of developed countries.  Australia and New Zealand are also participating. As a first step in this effort, FIC, working closely with the NIH Director, is conducting an analysis of the U.S. health research infrastructure, with particular focus on NIH intramural and extramural mechanisms. The FIC framework was presented at a meeting of the developed world pilots in Geneva September 9-10 and was selected as the working model for the group’s efforts.  In addition, FIC’s Robert Eiss has joined the writing team for the World Health Report 2004. It is expected that the final report will identify recommendations for strengthening domestic and international biomedical research activities.

Trauma and Injury Consultation
FIC organized a consultation related to research gaps and needs in trauma and injury in the developing world, July 22-23 at NIH.  The consultation, which was co-sponsored by NIGMS, NICHD, NIMH, NIBIB, NINDS, and NHLBI, brought together approximately 36 researchers and practitioners from developing countries and the United States to consider needs and priorities for research, training and the development of new technologies and interventions to reduce the mortality and morbidity burden of trauma and injuries in developing countries. The major topics addressed included:  research gaps and training needs in the developing world; basic science and options related to diagnosis and treatment of injury; wound care, wound healing; spinal injury, brain injury and orthopedics; ethical challenges to performing trauma research; and mental health issues related to trauma and injury. Recommendations stemming from the consultation will help guide the development of an NIH research agenda on trauma and injury in the developing world.

NIH Visiting Fellows Committee
A new NIH Visiting Fellows Committee (NIHVFC) has been formed to provide a forum for foreign fellows to share experiences, information and contacts, and to work with the NIH community to identify activities that would be helpful as they start independent research careers back home. This self-governing committee was launched as a result of a close dialogue and working relationship with FIC. The Office of Intramural research and the Office of Research on Women’s Health provided additional and early support. The Committee, chaired by Dr. Kamala Tirumalai (NIAID) Dr. Valeria Coelho (NIA) and Dr. Devyani Haldar (NICHD), is leading efforts to establish chapters of the NIH Alumni Association in pilot countries with FIC and NIEHS support, and to create a mentoring network for Fellows of extramural scientists to complement intramural mentoring relationships, among other items.

Building Editorial Expertise:  Twinning Medical Editors from Sub-Saharan Africa with Western Medical Journals
FIC, NLM, and NIEHS sponsored a one-and-a-half day workshop at the British Medical Journal offices in London that united editors from the British Medical Journal, Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Public Health, and Environmental Health Perspectives with four African medical journal editors from Ghana, Mali, Malawi, and Uganda. “Twinning” arrangements were established between the western and African editors in order to establish mentoring relationships that will serve to enhance and improve the African journals.  Recommendations regarding the current challenges to publication of quality clinical research work, where the major difficulties lie, and the possible ways to improve over the current circumstances at African medical journals were discussed.  The NLM is particularly interested in the strengthening of African medical journals, so that they become a part of MEDLINE and, through PubMed, be available on-line to the world.

NIH Workshop on Using Research to Report on Public Health and Medicine in Latin America:
FIC, NCI and NIEHS are planning a symposium to provide journalists the opportunity to share experiences and ideas about reporting on a broad range of global health topics using the results of medical research.  The goals of this workshop are to: 
1)   Act as a forum for journalists from low- and middle- income countries in Latin America to exchange ideas with U.S. counterparts on how to cover major public health stories;
2)   Provide an opportunity for journalists to interact with scientists working on major communicable and chronic diseases affecting populations in their regions;
3)   Assess the resource needs and barriers faced by journalists in covering public health stories; and
4)   Build a network among journalists for potential future collaborations and information exchange. 

The workshop will take place at the Stone House on the NIH campus in October.  Similar symposia for journalists from other regions of the world, including Southeast Asia and the subcontinent, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Russia and the newly independent states (NIS) will be held at some time in the future.

Colloquium on Career Paths for Women in the Health Sciences:  A View from Low- and Middle-Income Countries
FIC, ORWH, and NIEHS are planning a Colloquium on Career Paths for Women in the Health Sciences, which will be held October 15-16.  The meeting will gather scientists and program directors from government and non-profit funding agencies from  the developed and developing world to discuss experiences, needs and priorities of women health scientists in the developing world.  The meeting will focus on identification of best practices and potential collaborative efforts that would benefit women scientists in low- and middle- income countries. 

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  REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

Asia and the Pacific

Japan
FIC, in its role as the U.S. administrative arm of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), held a review in July of applications for JSPS research fellowships. These fellowships provide opportunities for U.S. researchers to conduct cooperative research with leading research groups in universities and other research institutes in Japan.  A team of NIH reviewers conducted the review, which was also attended by Washington, D.C.-based JSPS staff.  The results of the review have been transmitted to the JSPS in Tokyo, which has the responsibility for making final decisions on these fellowship applications.

Vietnam
The Third Annual U.S.-Vietnam Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation will be held in Hanoi in November. NIH and a number of U.S. technical agencies will participate in this meeting.  Priority areas for cooperation in public health research include: toxicology, food safety, diabetes, genetics, reproductive health and bioethics.

Central and Eastern Europe
FIC, in collaboration with several NIH institutes and centers, a U.S. –Hungarian team at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and four Hungarian universities is organizing a regional meeting entitled “Bridges in Life Sciences,” to be held October 8-9 in Budapest, in conjunction with a workshop on technology transfer on October 10.  The purpose of the meeting is to bring together researchers from Central and Eastern Europe and their U.S. counterparts to highlight some of the successful research collaborations that are supported by NIH as well as CEE national governments, the EU and others.  In addition, the meeting will stimulate dialogue on how these collaborations could be strengthened through strategic, thematic and interdisciplinary, regional networking, and possibly new bridging mechanisms, in the context of the continuing transition to EU membership.

The Americas
FIC and Mexico’s Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) signed a new Letter of Intent (LOI) in June at a meeting of the U.S.-Mexico “Partnership for Prosperity.”  The LOI is intended to strengthen cooperation in the fields of biomedical and behavioral sciences, particularly related to infectious diseases, maternal and child health, occupational and environmental health, genetics/genomics, medical informatics, cancer, cardiovascular disease, brain disorders, mental health, women’s health, border health research and addictive disorders such as alcoholism. As one result of this new partnership, CONACYT will co-sponsor all FIC research and capacity building RFAs as a means of bolstering Mexican efforts in global health research.

More than sixty researchers from 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries participated in the NIH Grantsmanship Workshop for Latin American and Caribbean Scientists that was held in July in Cuernavaca, Mexico.  The goal of the workshop was to enhance the grant writing skills of Latin American and Caribbean researchers so they can compete more effectively for NIH funding. The meeting was organized by FIC, in partnership with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, NIMH, NCCAM, NICHD, NIEHS, and Mexico’s CONACYT and National Institute of Public Health.

Middle East

Egypt
The U.S.-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Board has issued a Program Announcement for the next round of awards under the U.S.-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Fund.  The Joint Board supports collaborative research grants, junior scientist development visit grants, and workshops that bring together American and Egyptian scientists under the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Agreement.  The goals are to strengthen the scientific and technological capabilities of the United States and Egypt, broaden and expand relations between the extensive S&T communities in both countries, and promote scientific and technological cooperation in areas of mutual benefit for peaceful purposes. The activities of the agreement are supported by the Joint Fund, which totals $3 million per year.

Israel
FIC and the Office of Research on Women’s Health are co-chairing the U.S. Committee to organize the 9^th U.S.-Israel Binational Symposium on Women’s Health.  The Symposium is expected to be held in Israel in late fall or early spring and will focus on prevention research on a range of priority health concerns.

In response to the Israeli Ministry of Health’s plan to embark on a process of reorganization, FIC staff briefed the Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology of Israel on the development of science policy within the U.S. Government.

Russia and the Newly Independent States (NIS)
The State Department’s Office for Assistance to Europe and Eurasia has decided to co-fund the recently developed CRDF-OAR/NIH Russia and NIS Initiative on HIV/AIDS Research by supporting a series of proposal development workshops, and is considering providing up to $1 million each in FY 2005 and 2006 to support infrastructure and equipment needs for the resulting joint research projects. The CRDF-OAR/NIH Initiative on HIV/AIDS Research will likely be announced at the upcoming Summit meeting between Presidents Bush and Putin at Camp David in late September.

South Asia

India
The first meeting of the Indo-U.S. HIV/STD Prevention Joint Working Group (JWG) was held June 18-19 at the Stone House.  Dr. Keusch, as the U.S. co-chair, led the meeting, which included representatives from OAR, NIAID, NICHD, NIMH, and NIDA, as well as from CDC and the DHHS Office of Global Health Affairs.  The Indian delegation, led by the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), included representatives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National AIDS Control Organization, the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as several ICMR institutes and selected Indian universities.  A number of research areas relevant to prevention of HIV and STD transmission were discussed, including epidemiological surveillance, HIV vaccine development and clinical testing, microbicide development, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, behavioral intervention research, and interactions between HIV/AIDS and drug abuse.

Western Europe

Italy
U.S. and Italian representatives met in June for the biennial U.S.-Italy Science and Technology (S&T) Agreement review meeting.  The two sides met under the S&T Agreement’s Health and Biomedical Research Workgroup to discuss implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DHHS and the Italian Ministry of Health that was signed last April by Secretary Thompson and the Italian Health Minister.  Members of the Workgroup discussed opportunities for increased collaboration in the areas of bioterrorism preparedness and research on rare diseases.  Separate discussions on cancer-related research under the MOU were initiated in Italy.

The U.S. and Italy signed in July a new Letter of Intent (LOI) to increase cooperation between NIH and the Istituto Superiore di Sanitá of Italy. The LOI, which also provides for inclusion of other relevant research entities on the Italian side, specifies collaboration in priority areas of mutual interest, including cancer; cardiovascular disease; pulmonary disease; women’s health; neuroscience research, including neurodegenerative disease research; medical rehabilitation research, and communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

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ACTIVITIES OF FIC STAFF MEMBERS

Dr. Gerald Keusch co-chaired the U.S. delegation at the first meeting of the Indo-U.S. Working Group on HIV/STD Prevention Research that took place May 22-23 at NIH.  Dr. Keusch also gave a presentation on Stigma and HIV/AIDS during the meeting.

Dr. Keusch attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Nutrition Foundation held on June 2 in Boston.

Dr. Keusch and Mr. Mark Pineda joined Dr. Zerhouni in a meeting on June 3 with representatives of the Istituto Superiore di Sanitá (ISS) to initiate negotiations on a new Letter of Intent to increase cooperation between the NIH and ISS.

Dr. Keusch and Dr. Sharon Hrynkow met with Dr. Moussa Traore, Dean of the School of Medicine of Mali, on June 3 to explore ways to strengthen cooperation between the NIH and Mali.  Potential opportunities to advance neuroscience were considered along with other priority areas.

Dr. Keusch gave a keynote speech “Setting the Stage for Clinical Trials” at the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Chlamidia Vaccine Development Colloquium, June 5 in Alexandria, Virginia.  The purpose of the meeting was to bring new insights and perspectives to developing a vaccine by understanding the rationale and exploring the feasibility of various vaccine approaches.

Dr. Keusch attended the forty-first session of the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research, June 10-12 in Geneva.  Subjects discussed included the WHO Health Research Analysis Initiative, mental health research, and the World Health Report 2004.

Dr. Keusch participated in a DCPP workshop on “Improving Population Health: Implementation Success Stories from Developing Countries” at the Institute Nacional de Salud Publica June 21-22 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he gave a presentation on diarrheal diseases at a session on communicable diseases.

Dr. Keusch took part in a videoconference with officials in China June 24, hosted by the Department of State.  U.S. participants in the videoconference, which focused on the HIV epidemic, particularly in the Guangzhou Consular District, shared their experience and offered successful examples of effective HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, education and awareness programs.

Dr. Keusch, Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, and Mr. Mark Pineda met on June 25 with the Head of the Health and Life Science Directorate of the German Ministry of Education and Research to discuss programs under development and potential areas of cooperation between FIC/NIH and German counterparts.

Dr. Keusch attended the Board on Global Health meeting at the Institute of Medicine on June 26.  The Board, concerned with advancing the health of populations worldwide, addresses developing country health issues and seeks to enhance the U.S. role in global health, and address health issues that have implications for U.S. health policy.

Dr. Keusch and Dr. Hrynkow gave a presentation on “Issues in Global Health” at the State Department’s National Foreign Affairs Training Center June 27 as part of a seminar for U.S. foreign service officers who serve in environmental, science, and technology offices at U.S. embassies.   On September 12, Dr. Hrynkow made the same presentation to another class of foreign service officers in the same setting.

Dr. Keusch, Dr. Kenneth Bridbord, and Ms. Mildred Hatton attended the joint meetings of the Board of Trustees of the French and American AIDS Foundation and the World AIDS Foundation (WAF) Wind-Up Symposium July 7-11 at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. Dr. Keusch spoke at the session “Past, Present, and Future” on how the WAF is helping to support the fight against the AIDS epidemic.

Dr. Keusch addressed the National Student Leadership Conference held at the University of Maryland on July 21 under a summer program entitled “Medicine and Health Care.”  He spoke on the importance of global health in the world today, particularly with respect to FIC’s role, and he outlined opportunities in health care for those interested in working in developing countries.

Dr. Keusch participated in a “Consultation on Multidisciplinary Research for Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition” at The Wellcome Trust in London.  The purpose of the consultation was to explore the opportunity and priority of an initiative on mothers, infants, and their nutrition, with the potential to reduce maternal, fetal and infant mortality; improve cognitive development, and reduce adult disease burden.

Dr. Keusch participated in a panel discussion at the World Health Organization’s Joint South East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (SEARO-EMRO) meeting on Health Research Systems Development August 10-15 in the Maldives.  The meeting addressed opportunities for collaborating and networking in health research in the Asia-Pacific region, with emphasis on maternal and child health and nutrition, surveillance and emerging diseases, ethics and public health, and health research system capacity development.

Dr. Keusch participated in a Scientific Advisory Board Meeting for the Grand Challenges in Global Health (GCGH) initiative that was held August 16-18 at Airlie House Conference Center in Virginia  The Board, chaired by Dr. Harold Varmus, is developing the Gates Foundation’s GCGH Program.  An RFA for research support for a specific scientific or technological innovation that would remove a critical barrier to solving an important health problem in the developing world with a high likelihood of global impact and feasibility will be issued soon.  Up to $20 million per successful initiative can be made available.

Dr. Keusch served as a WHO Temporary Advisor at a meeting of the Advisory Committee for the Ministerial Summit on Health Research, September 4 in Geneva.  The Summit, to be held in Mexico City in November, will highlight the major findings and recommendations of the World Health Report 2004 and its focus on biomedical research.

Dr. Keusch took part in an FIC international consultation on the topic of African biomedical journals, September 9-10 at the offices of the British Medical Journal in London.  The meeting, which was co-sponsored by NLM and NIEHS, focused on building capacity of the African journals through collaboration with medical journal editors in the US and the UK.

Dr. Sharon Hrynkow and Dr. Pierce Gardner participated in the Global Health Council’s Annual Conference, May 27-30 in Washington, D.C.  The conference was entitled “Our Future on Common Ground: Health and the Environment.”

Dr. Hrynkow traveled to San Francisco June 9-10 to sign the FIC Letter of Intent with Mexico’s CONACYT and to participate at the “Partnership for Prosperity” meeting.

Dr. Hrynkow presented in a workshop June 13 at the Institute of Medicine entitled “Ensuring an Infectious Disease Workforce: Education and Training Needs for the 21^st Century.^”  Her talk was on “Addressing the Workforce Crisis in the Developing World.”

Dr. Hrynkow represented FIC/NIH at the biennial review meeting convened by the State Department under the U.S.-Italy Science and Technology agreement.  The discussions took place on June 18.

Dr. Hrynkow participated in a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations June 19 in Washington on “Are We Prepared to Deal with Global Pandemics?”

Dr. Hrynkow, as the NIH representative on the DHHS Working Group on Iraq Restructuring, worked with all NIH Institutes and Centers and Dr. Zerhouni to develop and submit the NIH proposal for supplementary funds to assist in rebuilding Iraq’s medical research infrastructure.

Dr. Hrynkow represented FIC at a joint FIC/Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Symposium on “Globalization, Gender, and Health,” June 22 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.  This meeting was part of a year-long process, led by CIHR, FIC and ORWH, to craft a research agenda on gender and global health.

Dr. Hrynkow and Ms. Minerva Rojo joined NIH Deputy Director Dr. Raynard Kington, in a meeting on June 26 with the Australian Minister of Science to discuss Australia’s ongoing interests related to Australia-NIH collaborative research, including patents and IPR issues.  They also discussed funding levels for medical research and priority setting in both countries.

Dr. Hrynkow attended the 6th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience held in Prague, Czech Republic, from July 8 to July 14 to meet with leaders in the neuroscience community and to discuss potential international partnerships in the neurosciences.   She opened a special satellite session organized by Drs. Flora Katz and Kathleen Michels of FIC along with colleagues from NIMH and NINDS on NIH international funding opportunities and grant-writing tips.

Dr. Hrynkow and Dr. Keusch met with representatives from the Mars Foundation on July 16 to discuss potential collaborative research efforts in biodiversity and health research efforts.

Dr. Hrynkow and Ms. Judy Levin joined Dr. Zerhouni in a meeting on July 17 with the Minister of Health of Mozambique to talk about HIV/AIDS research in Mozambique and other areas of mutual concern.  On September 8, Dr. Hrynkow and Dr. Allen Holt joined Dr. Zerhouni in his meeting with the Japanese Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Hiiroyuki Hosoda to discuss priorities and systems to  manage research portfolios.

Dr. Hrynkow gave the keynote presentation at the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) conference on International Collaborative Research in Rehabilitation on July 23.  Her talk was entitled “Successful International Partnerships:  Past, Present and Future."

Dr. Hrynkow met with U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, Ambassador James Gasdsen, on September 4 to describe NIH’s organizational structure and priorities as well as approaches to international cooperation.  This meeting served as background for the upcoming HHS/NIH delegation visit to Iceland to pursue activities aimed at strengthening US-Icelandic cooperation outlined in the 2002 Letter of Intent signed by the Secretary.  Dr. Hrynkow will lead the NIH team in Iceland.  Areas of potential strengthened cooperation include genetic studies, women’s health and cancer research.

Dr. Joel Breman attended a meeting on capacity strengthening and management reform July 1-4 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr. Breman participated in the Gordon Research Conference on the Epidemiology of Malaria July 4-12 in Oxford, England.

Dr. Kenneth Bridbord attended the 2^nd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Treatment and Pathogenesis, July 13-16 in Paris.

Dr. Pierce Gardner represented NIH/FIC at the 2003 Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow meeting June 24-26 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

Dr. Gardner is the recipient of the Department of Defense Outstanding Public Service Medal, the second highest award given by the Secretary of Defense to private citizens for superior accomplishments and contributions that merit special recognition.  He was cited for his contributions to the improvement of defense operations and processes through his service on the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board.

Mr. George Herrfurth took part in an interagency meeting at the State Department to develop a U.S. position for a meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. TB, and Malaria’s (GFATM) Portfolio Management and Procurement Committee.  The Committee will develop recommendations to the GFATM Board if sufficient resources are not available to fully fund a third round of proposals that have been submitted for funding.

Dr. Karen Hofman visited the School of Public Health at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia on June 26, where she gave a talk on “Funding Research in Global Health: A View from the Fogarty International Center at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.”

Dr. Flora Katz participated in a meeting with a delegation from a consortium of Latin American National Research, Education and Networking organizations that is forming a high-performance computer networking organization for Latin America, June 13 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Jim Lavery gave a talk on “Reasonable Availability, Fair Benefits and Avoiding Exploitation in International Cllinical Trials” at the meeting of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, June 25 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Lavery gave a lecture at the Yale International Summer AIDS Institute in New Haven, Connecticut on “IRBs: General Requirements and Specific Issues Related to International Collaboration.”

Ms. Judy Levin represented NIH at the annual Board meetings of the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Fund in May.  Six of the 18 proposals reviewed by NIH staff were awarded funding.

Dr. Ellis McKenzie participated in a workshop on the Economics of Anti-malarial Drugs, July 30-31 in Oxford, England.  At the workshop, he served as the designated respondent to three presentations on malaria models.

Dr. Kathleen Michels gave a presentation on FIC/N IH international funding opportunities for brain research and mental health at the Second Meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Network on Mental Health Services Research convened by NIMH and the Pan American Health Organization, September 4-5 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Mark Miller participated in a Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) meeting held July 4-6 in Oxford, England. The meeting focused on mathematical modeling of the impact of malaria vaccines on the clinical epidemiology and natural history of P. falciparum malaria.

Dr. Miller attended the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts July 7-8 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Rachel Nugent attended the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) meeting June 8-11 in San Francisco.  During the meeting, she gave a presentation on NIH funding opportunities for social scientists; coordinated the annual network meeting for the International Studies on Health and Economic Development (ISHED) Research Group held in conjunction with the IHEA; and gave a presentation on FIC activities related to health and economics research at an FIC-Merck-sponsored dinner meeting for Latin American economists.

Dr. Nugent, Ms. Natalie Tomitch, and Dr. Aron Primack met with representatives of NASA’s Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) to discuss potential collaboration between NEESPI and FIC/NIH on FIC’s Health, Environment, and Economic Development (HEED) program.  This was in an effort to support research and capacity building in the NIS region in health and environment interactions.

Dr. Nugent attended the American Agricultural Economics Association meeting July 27-29 in Montreal, Canada, where she gave a presentation on NIH funding for social scientists at a symposium that included other U.S. Government agencies.

Dr. Nugent participated as a member of the WHO Reference Group on Diet, Nutrition and Physical Activity at a meeting in Geneva, September 8-9.  The Reference Group is charged with advising WHO on development of a Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity to combat the obesity epidemic. 

Mr. Mark Pineda participated in the 5^th meeting of the Governing Body of the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, August 28 at the Department of State.

 Dr. Aron Primack attended a Tobacco Control Program Network Meeting August 3 in Helsinki, Finland.  The meeting addressed ways and means to enhance cooperative networking activities.  Dr. Primack also participated in four workshops related to the FIC Tobacco Control and Research Capacity Building Program held during the 12^th world Conference on Tobacco and Health held in Helsinki August 4-8.

Dr. Primack attended an NCI-organized meeting August 11 in St. Petersburg, Russia, to explore areas of possible collaboration with Russian tobacco control researchers.

Ms. Minerva Rojo and Mr. George Herrfurth participated in a State Department-hosted interagency meeting to initiate U.S. Government preparations for an international strategy on chemicals management that was called for at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Ms. Natalie Tomitch participated in a briefing on HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Georgia hosted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 22 in Washington, D.C. 

Ms. Tomitch participated in the second meeting of the U.S.-Russia Working Group Against HIV/AIDS June 19-20 in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Tomitch presented an overview of the status of the impending HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and the NIS July 30 at a meeting of the NICHD AIDS Coordinating Committee. 

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