HHS Weekly Report

THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AT:
www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly

Monday, Feb. 11
The Secretary will attend an Emerging Issues Conference with NC Governor Hunt at NC State University in Raleigh, N.C. at 9 a.m. At 2:30 p.m. the Secretary will introduce the President at a health care event at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Wednesday, Feb. 13
The Secretary is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the global AIDS threat.

Thursday, Feb. 14
At 10 a.m., the Secretary will testify before the Senate Budget Committee Hearing in SD-608 on the FY 2003 HHS Budget.

Saturday, Feb. 16
The Secretary will attend the American Heart Association Heart Ball at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Wisc.

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson speaks Monday to the Emerging Issues Forum at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., the heart of the state's Research Triangle, focusing on boterrorism preparedness, food biotechnology and stem cell research.

About 1,000 education, government and business leaders from throughout the Southeast were scheduled to attend the conference, originated in 1985 by North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt.

Thompson updated the audience on the NIH stem-cell registry, noting that 14 laboratories throughout the world can now distribute 78 embryonic stem cell lines that meet President Bush's criteria for federally funded research.

In addition, he focused attention on University of Minnesota research that identified what some are calling the " ultimate stem cell," an adult stem cell that can develop into every tissue in the human body. Two other labs report similar findings.

"Previously, researchers had believed that only embryonic stem cells could be developed in this way," he said. "But it now seems entirely possible that cells from one's own body could be coaxed into replacement organs and tissue that match one's body precisely."

President Bush is proposing to beef up the HHS Office on Women's Health by increasing its budget by $2.1 million for a total of $29.1 million.

The increase comes above and beyond increases for women's health in other HHS agencies and programs, including $4 billion -- a 21.5 percent increase -- for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research on women's health.

The HHS Office on Women's Health coordinates women's health activities, programs and outreach throughout the federal government and through public-private partnerships.

"We want to increase public awareness and appreciation that women have some fundamentally different health needs that need to be addressed in their own right. In addition to coordinating these vitally important services, we will expand our focus on the health issues of minority women, violence against women and women with HIV/AIDS," Thompson said.

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson will cast a spotlight Wednesday on the Department's work against HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world when he testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The President's fiscal year budget calls for contributing $200 million - half from HHS and half from USAID - to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

"The president has no intention - and neither do I - of slackening in our nation's efforts," Thompson said in a recent telephone address to the fund's board in Geneva. "We will pursue new sources of financial support from governments and the private sector worldwide. And, with $1.9 billion now pledged to the fund, it is time to move forward. Developing countries will soon be making their applications, and we can begin to put our dollars - and our ideas - to work."

HHS's fight against HIV/AIDS has many targets, including the disease's disproportionate impact on U.S. population groups.

On Thursday, Feb. 7th, the Secretary commemorated National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, noting that an estimated 54 percent of all new HIV infections occur among African Americans.

"This disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the African-American community is a critical element in improving the nation's public health, and cause for concern on the part of all Americans," he said.

The fiscal year 2003 budget dedicates $410 million aimed at reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS for racial and ethnic minorities.

Anticipating his trip to Utah for the Olympics, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson joined U.S. snowboarder Chris Klug for satellite television interviews last Thursday to promote organ donation.

Klug is the first organ transplant recipient to compete in the Olympic Games. He suffered from PSC (primary schlerosing cholangitis) - the same disease that took the life of Chicago football great Walter Payton - and underwent a liver transplant in July 2000. Since then he has become a vocal advocate for organ donation. "Hopefully I can encourage people to consider their decision and talk about it," Chris says.

Nearly 80,000 people are on the national organ transplantation waiting list. Each day about 60 people receive an organ transplant, but another 10 to 15 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available.

The President's fiscal year 2003 budget includes $25 million, an increase of $5 million, to support the Secretary's Gift of Life Donation Initiative, a variety of donation awareness efforts, the network that manages the distribution of organs throughout the United States and vital data collection that guides community leaders and policy makers.

On Thursday, the Secretary will issue a statement marking National Donor Day. Saturn Corp. and its United Workers -- which are sponsoring Chris Klug -- are marking the day by promoting donation in all 450 dealerships around the country.

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On Monday, February 4th, the Secretary swore in the new director of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.

A native of Philadelphia, Dr. von Eschenbach earned his medical degree from Georgetown University in 1967. He completed residencies in general surgery and urology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, and then was an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps.

Dr. von Eschenbach then went to the University of Texas's M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a fellowship in urologic oncology in 1976 and was invited to join the faculty the following year. He was director of the genitourinary cancer center and director of the prostate cancer research program at M.D. Anderson. He has also served as vice president for academic affairs there, and as executive vice president and chief academic officer, leading a faculty of almost 1,000 cancer researchers and clinicians.

Dr. von Eschenbach has contributed more than 200 articles, books and chapters to the scientific literature. He is an editorial board member of four leading journals and serves on the board for the National Coalition for Cancer Research. He was a founding member and leader of the National Dialogue on Cancer and, prior to his appointment as NCI director, was president-elect of the American Cancer Society.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony, the Secretary remarked, "When former NCI director Richard Klausner left, I thought we had some pretty big shoes to fill. Well, they're filled - and how." We welcome Dr. von Eschenbach to HHS and NCI.

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On Wednesday, February 6th, the Secretary bade farewell to Surgeon General David Satcher as he left office.

Speaking before the ceremony, Secretary Thompson said, "Surgeon General David Satcher is a true champion for the health of America. As the 'nation's doctor,' he has been a tireless advocate for preventing disease and promoting better health for all Americans. He has worked tirelessly to tackle the difficult issues of America's health, and, in so doing, has helped make our country a healthier place to live."

The Secretary awarded Dr. Satcher a Distinguished Service Medal for his years of public service and dedication. Dr. Satcher will shortly take up his new position as Director of the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Last updated 8 February 2002
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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