FDA Chapter of Sigma XI
The Scientific Research Society

FDA Sigma Xi Lecture

FDA Chapter of Sigma Xi is sponsoring a lecture on Friday, January 30, 2004. Other local Sigma Xi Chapter Members, guests and interested persons are invited to this exciting and important lecture. Dr. Carole Kimmel, an EPA Distinguished Lecturer, will give a talk on "The National Children's Study of Environmental Effects on Child Health and Development". The lecture will be held in the Wiley Building auditorium at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, College Park Maryland from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Abstract:
The National Children's Study is a longitudinal cohort study of environmental effects on child health and development. Mandated by the Children's Health Act of October 2000, the National Children's Study is a partnership effort between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Within the DHHS, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD/NIH) is the lead agency for planning and implementing the study. The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are also involved in the planning. Planning and protocol development for the National Children's Study is well underway, and the study is expected to be launched in late 2005. Information about the study may be obtained from the website: www.NationalChidren'sStudy.gov

The National Children's Study will enroll women as early as possible in pregnancy, and perhaps some before conception, and will follow their children into adulthood (approximately 21 years of age). Outcomes of interest include pregnancy outcomes, growth and neurobehavioral development, asthma, injuries, and obesity and physical development. The environmental factors to be studied include chemical, physical, biological, behavioral, and social factors, as well as genetic factors and their interactions with the environment. The study will serve as a national repository in that it will include collection of information to address specific hypotheses, as well as data and sample storage to address issues that arise in the future.

Biographical Information about the Speaker:
Dr. Carole A. Kimmel is a Senior Scientist in the National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dr. Kimmel earned her Ph.D. in anatomy and teratology from the University of Cincinnati, and did a postdoctoral fellowship in toxicology at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Kimmel's research career at Harvard Medical School, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, the National Center for Toxicological Research/FDA, and the EPA has focused on the causes and mechanisms of developmental toxicity, including prenatally-induced birth defects, mortality and growth retardation, as well as longer-term functional (e.g., neurological, cardiovascular) alterations. Dr. Kimmel led the EPA's efforts in the development of risk assessment guidelines for noncancer health effects, including improved methods for quantitative risk assessment for developmental toxicity. She also has served on the National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology and chaired the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Subcommittee. She is Past President of both the Teratology Society and the Neurobehavioral Teratology Society, past Councilor of the Society of Toxicology (SOT), and currently serves as President of the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section of SOT. Internationally, Dr. Kimmel has worked with the International Programme on Chemical Safety/WHO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in their joint project to harmonize risk assessment for reproductive and developmental toxicity. Dr. Kimmel has over 150 publications, including three books and several symposium proceedings. Dr. Kimmel has won numerous awards, including the EPA's Science Achievement Award in Health Sciences twice for her work in developmental toxicity risk assessment and quantitative risk assessment, the FDA Commissioner's Special Citation for her work on pregnancy labeling of drugs, and the Society of Toxicology's Arnold J. Lehman Award for her contributions in risk assessment. Dr. Kimmel chaired the Toxicology Working Group of the EPA's 10X Task Force which developed recommendations for toxicology data requirements related to protecting children's health from pesticide exposures. She also chaired the EPA's Technical Panel to re-examine the RfD/RfC process, which made a number of recommendations for improving the process. She is a member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for planning the National Children's Study, a major longitudinal cohort study of environmental effects on child health and development cosponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and the US EPA.

See attached flyer about the meeting. Share this invitation with others. Bring a friend or other interested person to the meeting.

Directions:

Metro:  Take Green line train to College Park, University of Maryland. Cross the street and enter the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building. The lecture will be held in the Wiley Building auditorium (1A-003). (for the area near the Wiley Bldg. see the map from StationMasters )

Driving:  Address is 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park MD 20740. (For a map, see http://www. mapquest.com).

From Montgomery and Fairfax counties (West and South):  Take the beltway (I-495) inner loop to exit 23, Kenilworth Ave (MD 201 South) and turn right on Paint Branch Parkway. The building is located at the intersection of River Road and Paint Branch Parkway.

From the District:  Take I-295/Kenilworth Ave north to Paint Branch Parkway. Turn left on Paint Branch Parkway. The building is located at the intersection of River Road and Paint Branch Parkway.

From Alexandria, Annapolis & points east:  Take the Beltway (I-95/I-495) outer loop to exit 23, Kenilworth Ave (MD 201 South). Proceed about a mile and turn right on Paint Branch Parkway. The building is located at the intersection of River Road and Paint Branch Parkway.

Proceed to the Guards booth. Bring government or picture I.D. Park in Visitors Parking Area.

For more information refer to our Chapter website: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sxfda.html

Submitted by: Paddy W. Wiesenfeld, Ph.D.
President, FDA Chapter Sigma Xi
(301) 827-8526
pwiesenf@cfsan.fda.gov