The NHLBI's Second Annual Public Interest Organization Meeting is Scheduled for 2001

For the second year in a row, the NHLBI will meet with representatives from public interest organizations (PIES) to learn how better to meet their constituents' needs. Compared to the agenda of the first meeting, the program for the 2001 event includes more opportunities for the representatives to exchange ideas and fewer formal presentations. Although the specific topics have not been finalized, the meeting is likely to include opportunities for the groups to share ideas on fund-raising, involvement in the legislative process, and participation in medical research.

The meeting is scheduled for January 31, 2001, which is the day before the February National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council meeting. The Council members, many of whom plan to attend the PIO meeting, hope that interested representatives will attend the public Council meeting the following day.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council's May Meeting

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC) met May 18 in Bethesda, MD. Full minutes of Council meetings are available online.

Of great interest was the presentation on the Rat Genome Sequencing Project by Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Dr. Howard Jacob of the Medical College of Wisconsin. The sequencing of the human genome is nearly completed and sequencing of the mouse genome started in 1999; Drs. Collins and Jacob believe that it is appropriate to begin sequencing the rat genome. Having a trio of mammalian genomic sequences, i.e., the human, mouse, and rat, would facilitate identification of individual genes and increase the speed of medical research. The project is especially applicable to NHLBI research because of the large number of existing rat models for diseases within the purview of the NHLBI and the vast amount of data associated with these models.

The Council received updates on several ongoing NHLBI activities. Dr. Carl Roth reported on follow-up activities to the February meeting of the public interest organizations (PIOs). He described the May issue of the FYI from the NHLBI, which was provided to the Council. The Council is enthusiastic about working with the PIOs, and many members plan to attend the next PIO meeting on January 31, 2001.

Dr. Roth also presented the NHLBI Strategic Plan for Health Disparities Research, discussed by Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, Acting Director of NIH, at the previous Council meeting.

Dr. Teri Manolio reported on the NHLBI Research Training and Career Development workshop. The dwindling number of clinical researchers will have a dramatic impact on future research if the trend does not reverse. Through implementation of the workshop's recommendations, the NHLBI's training programs will match the needs of 21st century researchers and the opportunities available to them.

In recognition of National High Blood Pressure Education Month, Dr. Lenfant introduced the National High Blood Pressure Education Program's campaign to improve control of systolic hypertension by increasing awareness of the problem among patients and their physicians.

The Council met with NHLBI representatives to discuss proposed research initiatives that have been reviewed by the Board of Extramural Advisors. In the Report of the Director, Dr. Lenfant described the projected impact of President Clinton's proposed budget for FY 2001. In 1999, the average cost of a grant rose by about $50,000. This increase was not only because of inflation, but also due to the increasing costs of performing research. If the NHLBI budget is the 5.4 percent increase proposed by the President, the NHLBI would be forced to decrease the number of competing grant awards.

At this meeting, the Council awarded 370 grants for a total cost of $139,342,000.

The Council's next meeting is scheduled for September 7, 2000, at 8:30 AM. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the NIH in Building 31C, Conference Room 10.

The FYI from the NHLBI staff thanks Mrs. Judith Simpson, member of the NHLBAC and Vice President, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, for her efforts in preparing this article.

Upcoming Events

The workshop will focus on the role of nitric oxide in various diseases and conditions and how this knowledge can be applied to developing treatments for sickle cell disease and other vascular diseases.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council Meeting is open to the public. For additional information, go to the Council's Web page.

Call Dr. Duane Bonds or Ms. Wanda Ware at (301)435-0055 for more information.

Targeted toward physicians and other health care professionals, this meeting focuses on advances in the cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation field. For additional information, go to the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation's home page.

The goal of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program is to decrease asthma-related morbidity and mortality by educating patients, health professionals, and the public.

The purpose of the American Association for Respiratory Care's meeting is to provide opportunities for health care providers to exchange information about patient care.

The Festival includes presentations on the wide range of research topics covered by the NIH intramural community.

Topics are targeted towards dietetic and health professionals and include the latest research on functional foods, genetics, complementary medicine, obesity, diabetes, and menu planning for ethnic cuisine. For additional information, go to www.eatright.org/ame/.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council Meeting is open to the public. For additional information, go to the Council's Web page.

CHEST 2000 is designed to improve physicians' skills in areas including pulmonary and critical care medicine, cardiac and thoracic surgery, sleep disorders, home care, practice administration, hypertension, and allergies.

The program is directed towards educating medical professionals about advancements in medical research.

The theme of this year's meeting, which targets physicians, educators, epidemiologists, nurses and other public health specialists, is "Eliminating Health Disparities." For additional information, go to the American Public Health Association's Web page.

This meeting, which is directed toward the research community, is to promote the exchange of information and ideas relating to blood, blood-forming tissues, and blood diseases.

September is National Cholesterol Education Month

"Keep the beat - Cholesterol counts for everyone" continues to be the theme for Cholesterol Education Month 2000. To spread the word about how people can reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by keeping their cholesterol levels down, the National Cholesterol Education Program is reaching out to program developers in health departments, hospitals, and community organizations who are interested in helping to raise cholesterol awareness. The NHLBI also is distributing an article to newspapers and magazines about the benefits of lowering cholesterol for all adults - young, middle-aged, and seniors - and is producing an online kit that can be accessed through the NHLBI's home page (under "Highlights"). In addition to news articles, the kit contains ideas for cholesterol education activities, recipes, samples of education materials, and a Cholesterol Education Month Pledge.

Although September is National Cholesterol Education Month, we hope you continue to make and maintain heart-healthy lifestyle changes throughout the year. Please, help us raise awareness about preventions and treatments for coronary heart disease and the other diseases mentioned in this issue by circulating FYI from the NHLBI to people who might be interested. This and future issues can be accessed from the NHLBI Web site.