About
FIC | Advisory
Board
Meeting
Minutes
DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
John E. Fogarty International Center
for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences
Minutes
of the Advisory Board
Fifty-fourth Meeting |
May
20, 2003 |
|
The John E. Fogarty
International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences
(FIC) convened the fifty-fourth meeting of its Advisory Board on
Tuesday, May 20, 2003, at 11:00 a.m., in the Conference
Room of the Lawton Chiles International House, National
Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland.
The meeting was open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to
adjournment at 12:00 p.m. The meeting was preceded
by the closed session, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. as provided in Sections 552b(c) (4)
and 552b(c) (6), Title 5, U.S. Code, and Section 10 (d) of
Public Law 92-463, for the review, discussion, and evaluation
of grant applications and related information.
Dr. Gerald T. Keusch, Director, FIC, presided as chair. The
Board roster is appended as Attachment 1.
Board Members Present:
Dr.
Cutberto Garza
Dr. Yvonne T. Maddox (ex
officio)
Dr. Sharon L. Ramey
Dr. Robert R. Redfield
Dr. Robert E. Shope
Dr. Stephen E. Straus (ex officio)
Dr. Catherine M. Wilfert
Board Members Absent:
Mr.
Dikembe Mutombo
Dr. Theodore Reich
Dr. Burton H. Singer
Members absent themselves
from the meeting when the Board discusses applications
from their own institutions or when a conflict of interest
might occur. The
procedure applies only to individual applications
discussed, not to en bloc actions.
Members of the Public Present:
Ms. Stephanie Bursenos, former
Deputy Director, FIC
Federal Employees Present:
Dr. Martin Alilio, FIC/NIH
|
Dr. Linda Kupfer,
FIC/NIH
|
Mr. Ray Atri, FIC/NIH
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Dr.
James Lavery, FIC/NIH
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Mr.
Kevin Bialy,
FIC/NIH | Ms.
Sonja Madera, FIC/NIH
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Ms.
Danielle Bielenstein, FIC/NIH |
Ms. Elizabeth Margeson, FIC/NIH
|
Dr.
Joel Breman, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Jeanne McDermott, FIC/NIH
|
Dr.
Kenneth Bridbord, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Mark Miller, FIC/NIH
|
Mr.
Bruce Butrum, FIC/NIH | Ms.
Sherri L. Park, NICHD/NIH
|
Dr.
Lois K. Cohen NIDCR/NIH | Ms.
Amanda Percival, FIC/NIH
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Dr.
Sherry Dupere, CSR/NIH
| Mr.
Mark Pindeda,
FIC/NIH |
Ms.
Irene Edwards, FIC//NIH
| Dr.
Aron Primack, FIC/NIH |
Ms.
Lisa Foster, FIC/NIH
| Ms.
Charlotte Quinn, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Pierce Gardner, FIC/NIH | Ms.
Minerva Rojo, FIC/NIH |
Ms.
Patricia Brandt Hansberger, OLPA/OD/NIH | Dr.
Joshua Rosenthal, FIC/NIH |
Ms.
Mildred Hatton, FICI/NIH | Ms.
Laura Rowe, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Ruth J. Hegyeli, NHLBI/NIH | Dr.
Luis A. Salicrup, FIC/NIH |
Ms.
Cherice Holloway, FIC/NIH | Dr.
Hilary Sigmon, CSR/NIH |
Dr.
J. Allen Holt, FIC/NIH | Ms.
Natalie Tomitch, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Sharon Hrynkow, FIC/NIH
| Dr.
Sandy Warren, CSR/NIH |
Mr.
Andrew Jones, FIC/NIH
| Ms.
Brinah White, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Gerald T. Keusch, FIC/NIH
| Mr.
Randolph Williams, FIC/NIH |
Dr.
Richard M. Krause, FIC/NIH
| |
OPEN
PORTION OF THE MEETING
I.
CALL TO ORDER
Dr. Gerald T. Keusch called the
meeting to order. He
acknowledged the presence of several NIH colleagues: Dr. Lois
K. Cohen, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Research (NIDCR); Dr. Ruth Johnsson Hegyeli, National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); Dr. Sandy
Warren, Center for Scientific Review (CSR); Dr. Sherry Dupere,
CSR; and Dr. Hilary Sigmon, CSR.
Dr.
Keusch noted that the open session of the Board meeting would
be shorter than at previous meetings because of FIC’s
anniversary symposium, “Global Health: A Challenge to
Scientists.” He
commented that the 2-day symposium, which would begin at 2:30
p.m. after the Board meeting and continue through May 21,
would focus on major issues in global health and explore the
importance of supporting research in global health.
II.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The
minutes of the Advisory Board meeting of February 11, 2003,
were considered and accepted unanimously.
III.
REVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONFLICT
OF INTEREST PROCEDURES
The
rules and regulations pertaining to conflict of interest
were maintained.
IV.
FUTURE MEETING DATES
The
following meeting dates were confirmed:
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
All
subcommittees of the Board will meet on the Monday preceding
each Board meeting.
Dr.
Keusch asked the Board members to inform Ms. Irene Edwards,
Executive Secretary, of any scheduling conflicts they may have
with the future dates.
V.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
Dr. Keusch reported on
personnel changes, the FIC budget, FIC 35th
anniversary events, and FIC programs and initiatives.
The written Report of the Director, which was mailed to
Board members, is appended to these minutes as Attachment 2, Written
Report of the Director.
Personnel
Announcements
Dr.
Keusch reported on several personnel changes at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Dr. Eve Slater recently stepped down as Assistant
Secretary for Health, DHHS.
Dr. Richard Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General, is
serving as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health.
Dr. Bernard A. Schwetz has been named to serve as
Acting Director of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP),
DHHS. Dr. Greg
Koski, who was Director, OHRP, left the position in 2002 to
return to Boston.
Dr.
Keusch highlighted personnel changes at the NIH and FIC.
Dr. Raynard S. Kington is the new Deputy Director, NIH.
Previously he was Associate Director for Behavioral and
Social Sciences Research, NIH.
Mr. Robert Eiss returns to the FIC as Senior Advisor
for Strategic Initiatives.
He will lead FIC’s development and implementation of
strategic initiatives and, initially, will guide the
production of a comparative analysis of health research
infrastructures in the United States and other nations, in
preparation for the World Health Organization (WHO) 2004
global health report. Mr.
Eiss previously served as Director of FIC’s Division of
Advanced Studies and Policy Analysis (DASPA) and left the FIC
in 2000 to serve in the White House Office of Drug Control
Policy.
FIC Budget
Dr.
Keusch noted that the final NIH budget for Fiscal Year (FY)
2003 restores and increases the funds for FIC above those
proposed in the amended President’s Budget, which would have
reduced the FIC budget by about $300,000.
The final budget for the FIC in FY 2003 is
approximately $61.82 million.
The
budget process for FY 2004 is underway.
Included in the President's Budget for FY 2004 is
approximately $64.3 million for the FIC, or an increase of
approximately 4 percent over FY 2003.
Dr. Keusch noted that the funding of new initiatives
planned for FY 2004 is dependent on the availability of funds.
Planned initiatives include collaboration with various
NIH institutes and centers (ICs) to support, for example,
research on trauma and injuries and on gender issues in global
health.
FIC 35th Anniversary Events
Dr.
Keusch noted that FIC’s celebration of its 35th
anniversary continues with the symposium on “Global Health:
A Challenge to Scientists” which immediately follows the
Board meeting. In
addition to the symposium, the FIC is hosting six lectures
during FY 2003. Four lectures have already taken place. The presenters, topics, and dates of these lectures are as
follows: Dr. Nevin Scrimshaw, “Determinants of Global
Health: Nutrition, Immunity, and Infection” (October 28,
2002); Dr. D. A. Henderson, “Dreams and Realities in Disease
Eradication” (January 28, 2003); Dr. Alan Lopez, “Global
Health Priorities: Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors”
(April 8, 2003); and Professor Sir David Weatherall,
“Genomics and Global Health” (April 15, 2003).
The
two remaining lectures are as follows: Dr. Gail Cassell,
“Global Health Inequities and the Critical Role of
Public/Private Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities”
(June 12, 2003); and Dr.
Arthur Kleinman, “The Global Epidemic of Mental Health
Problems in Developing Countries: Depression, Suicide, and
Violence” (September 22, 2003).
Dr.
Keusch elaborated on Professor Weatherall’s participation in
the anniversary symposium and as a Fogarty
Scholar-in-Residence. As
a current Scholar supported by several ICs, Professor
Weatherall will confer with NIH colleagues during 2003, for 6
weeks during the spring and 6 weeks during the fall.
In collaboration with the ICs and the FIC, he will be
focusing on the global issue of sickle cell disease.
With the FIC, he also will explore the public health
perspective on the genomic sciences in the post-genomic era
and how best to promote genomic sciences in the global arena.
Dr. Keusch
noted that the FIC has funded an initial set of grants to
foster development of the genomic sciences in developing
countries. He
invited the Board members to communicate directly with
Professor Weatherall on these issues.
FIC Programs and Initiatives
Dr.
Keusch highlighted an FIC collaboration with the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Dr. Sharon Hrynkow, Deputy Director, FIC, presented an
update on FIC’s involvement in gender and global health.
For additional details on these activities and other
programs and initiatives, see the written
Report of the Director
FIC-NIEHS
Agreement.
Dr. Keusch reported that the FIC has entered into an
agreement with the NIEHS to foster international efforts in
the environmental sciences.
The NIEHS already is a collaborating partner in FIC’s
new Health, Environment, and Economic Development (HEED)
Program and several existing programs, including the
International Bioethics Education and Career Development
Award, the International Training and Research Program in
Environmental and Occupational Health, the International
Collaborative Genetics Research Training Program, and the
Ecology of Infectious Diseases Initiative.
Dr. Keusch said that Dr. Kenneth Olden, Director, NIEHS,
has asked the FIC to identify “frontier areas” in global
environment and health issues and to advise the NIEHS on major
new opportunities. Under
the agreement, the NIEHS will provide funds to the FIC to
support FIC’s collaboration in guiding NIEHS thinking on
international health, international meetings, and development
of international initiatives.
Dr. Keusch commented that the agreement may prove to be
a useful mechanism for formalizing interactions between the
FIC and smaller ICs or those with limited international
activities, enabling those ICs to strengthen their efforts
internationally without having to replicate functions already
offered by the FIC.
Gender
and Global Health.
Dr. Hrynkow presented an update on FIC’s efforts in
gender and global health since the Board’s previous meeting
on February 11, 2003. At
that meeting, the Board heard several presentations, from Dr.
Miriam Stewart, Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and
Health (IGH), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR),
Edmonton, Alberta; Dr. Hrynkow; and Dr. Vivian Pinn,
Director, Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), NIH.
Dr.
Hrynkow noted that FIC is encouraging development of a
research agenda on gender and global health.
She described a “cascade” of events that have taken
place since the Board’s February meeting to increase
understanding of the nexus between gender and global health
and lead to the development of programs addressing this issue. FIC helped to organize, and participated in, a CIHR/FIC/ORWH-sponsored
International Symposium on “Global Impact on Women and
Children,” held February 16-21, in Bangkok, Thailand. A focus group convened during the symposium identified a list
of gender and global health issues that will be addressed
during a more in-depth discussion, which will be held at Yale
University on June 20-22.
The Yale meeting is expected to include representatives
from other ICs and countries (e.g., Korea and Mexico), as well
as potential funding agencies.
Subsequently, a smaller group will focus specifically
on development of a research agenda and policy perspective
related to gender and health.
Dr.
Hrynkow noted that Dr. Karen Hoffman, Director, DASPA, and Ms.
Emmy Cauthen, Program Analyst, DASPA, have been instrumental
in helping FIC advance this activity.
Dr. Hrynkow also noted that FIC and staff from the
Office of the Secretary/DHHS, ORWH, NIDCR, NHLBI, and the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
represented the United States at a U.S.–Israel Working Group
on May 16 to prepare for a U.S.–Israel Binational Symposium
on Women’s Health. The
representatives included Dr. Lois K. Cohen, NIDCR, and Dr.
Ruth Johnsson Hegyeli, NHLBI.
Discussion
Dr.
Hegyeli commented that the NHLBI has been involved in
women’s health issues since 1988 when NHLBI cosponsored the
First Joint U.S.–Italy Symposium on Cardiovascular Disease
in Women. Since
1965, NHLBI has cosponsored four international conferences in
Italy and the United States on women’s health.
As followup to these conferences, NHLBI coordinated and
published in July 2002 an international book on “Women’s
Health and Menopause: A Comprehensive Approach.” This
book has been translated into 11 languages, including Russian
and Japanese. A
fifth international conference on women’s health will be
held in Italy in 2004.
The
Board noted that gender and global health issues also relate
to men, and the members encouraged FIC to address the needs of
both genders. Dr.
Hrynkow said that men’s health issues are included in the
discussions.
VI. EXPANDING GLOBAL HORIZONS OF
HEALTH CARE: THE NCCAM INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
Dr. Stephen Straus, Director,
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM),
NIH, described the mission, guiding principles, and research
and training activities of NCCAM’s Office of International
Health Research (OIHR). The
NCCAM, a small center at the NIH, has a broad research mission
focused on medical and health care practices that are
complementary and alternative to those of conventional
medicine. Dr. Straus noted that the research aim is to validate these
practices using scientific methods and to develop research
capacity in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Internationally, NCCAM aims to expand the global
horizons of health care and to include traditional medicines
and practices in the discussion of global health issues.
Dr. Straus noted that NCCAM recently established OIHR
and that he is currently interviewing applicants to head the
office.
The
mission of OIHR, which parallels that of NCCAM, is to identify
promising international CAM practices, encourage rigorous
scientific assessment of these practices, facilitate
international scientific collaborations, educate and train CAM
researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the
public and health professions.
Dr. Straus emphasized that OIHR is pursuing this
mission through both direct outreach and partnerships and
collaborations with other organizations. Two guiding
principles which NCCAM follows to define whether traditional
and indigenous medical and health care practices have a
scientific basis are to (i) conduct research on traditional
and indigenous health practices (at the most promising sites
for CAM research, in coordination with international
organizations, and with respect for the heritage and practices
of indigenous peoples), and (ii) align international programs
with existing NIH-funded and other international research
programs (to ensure the availability of research expertise and
infrastructure, maximum resources through collaboration with
other ICs, and development of long-term sustainability).
Dr.
Straus highlighted examples of NCCAM’s research
collaborations on global health issues with other ICs.
NCCAM is collaborating, for example, in the cofunding
of FIC’s International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups,
NICHD’s Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health
Research, NICHD’s Partnerships for
HIV/AIDS in African Populations, and FIC’s
International Bioethics Education and Career Development
Award. Dr. Straus
noted, in particular, that the issues of biodiversity and
women’s health are important to the CAM community and
indigenous peoples.
In
addition to research collaborations, NCCAM has an active
international outreach effort to establish connections with
other countries and regions and with global organizations such
as WHO and the World Bank. NCCAM staff are organizing and participating in international
meetings, briefing sessions, workshops, and seminars. Dr. Straus highlighted two NCCAM workshops, held in Singapore
in 2001 and in Hong Kong in 2002, to identify regional
opportunities for collaborative research and to discuss
grantmaking and funding opportunities for traditional
medicine. In July
2003, NCCAM will participate in the FIC-led Grantsmanship
Workshop for Latin American and Caribbean Scientists, to be
held in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Other
countries and regions where NCCAM is cultivating research
opportunities include India.
Dr. Straus noted that NCCAM participates in the
Indo–U.S. Science and Technology Forum and acts as a
catalyst to stimulate research collaborations between Indian
and U.S. scientists. The
ultimate goal is to increase knowledge about the use and
potential benefits of Indian systems of medicine (e.g.,
ayurvedic) and homeopathy products and therapies for
diagnosing, preventing, and treating specific health-related
conditions.
Opportunities
for international training supported by NCCAM currently
include the NCCAM Intramural Program and the NCCAM
International Postdoctoral Fellowship (F05).
Dr. Straus noted that the F05 provides 1-3 years
of support for training of researchers from other countries at
a basic or clinical research facility in the United States.
The focus in on alternative medical systems, and the
purpose is to prepare trainees to conduct high-quality
research in CAM when they return to their home countries.
The
NCCAM also supports a centers program which was recently
evaluated and reformulated.
International researchers can participate in the Phase
I (planning grants) for International Centers for Research on
CAM (PICRC), which NCCAM supports in collaboration with the
FIC, and the Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM (CERC).
The goal of PICRC is to establish partnerships and
cross-cultural exchanges that would stimulate research
collaborations between foreign and U.S. institutions focusing
on traditional indigenous medical systems within the cultures
or environments where the systems originate.
In
closing, Dr. Straus emphasized that these international
efforts are a beginning for NCCAM and that NCCAM’s efforts
can only succeed with the assistance of the FIC.
He complimented FIC staff for their outreach and
contributions to NCCAM, and he suggested that the
collaboration between NCCAM and FIC is a model for the
collaborations that NCCAM hopes to cultivate with other ICs.
Dr. Straus welcomed the opportunity to continue to
participate on the FIC Advisory Board.
Discussion
Dr.
Keusch said that it has been a pleasure for the FIC to work
with Dr. Straus as NCCAM shapes its research agenda and brings
scientific rigor and sensitivity to a breadth of global health
issues. In
response to questions, Dr. Straus commented on the difficulty
of establishing scientifically the clinical effectiveness of
indigenous practices and natural products; engaging the broad
CAM community in scientific studies of these practices and
products; educating interested groups, the public, and health
professionals and administrators about the results of research
in CAM; and encouraging appropriate, evidence-based regulation
of CAM practices and products.
Dr. Keusch noted, in particular, that NCCAM has
stimulated broader scientific exploration of two important
issues in international research: the placebo effect and
intellectual property. Dr.
Straus welcomed FIC’s continued assistance on these issues,
as well as other topics, in NCCAM’s effort to encourage the
sharing of information and research collaborations related to
indigenous practices and natural products.
VII.
CLOSED PORTION OF THE MEETING
This portion of the meeting
was closed to the public in accordance with the
determination that it was concerned with matters exempt from
mandatory disclosure under Sections 552b(c)(4) and
552b(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code and Section 10(d) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C.
Appendix 2).
There
was a discussion of procedures and policies regarding voting
and confidentiality of application materials, committee
discussions, and recommendations.
Members absented themselves from the meeting during
discussion of and voting on applications from their own
institutions or other applications in which there was a
potential conflict of interest, real or apparent.
Members were asked to sign a statement to this
effect.
VIII. REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
Dr.
Sharon Hrynkow chaired the remainder of the meeting during
which the Research Awards Subcommittee reported on its
activities. A
total of 42 scored competing applications were reviewed by the
FIC Advisory Board at the May 20 meeting.
The applications were in the following programs
Applications that were
noncompetitive or unscored or were not recommended for
further consideration by initial review groups were not
considered by the Council.
| 21
applications for the Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award (FIRCA)
program, out of a total of 46 applications; |
| 4
applications for the HIV-AIDS and Related Illnesses Collaboration Award
(AIDS-FIRCA) program, out of a total of 5 applications; |
| 17
applications for the Stigma and Global Health Research Program, out of a
total of 35 applications. |
The
Board concurred with the initial review group recommendations
for the 42 applications.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:00 p.m. on May 20,
2003.
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