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Summaries of Meetings
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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council's Fall Meetings |
We've reserved conference rooms, ordered food, recruited discussion leaders, and even scheduled a celebrity guest. Now, we're eagerly counting the days until you arrive for the third annual Public Interest Organization meeting. Topics are similar to last years', but with a twist - instead of learning from Institute staff and Council members, we're asking everyone to be prepared to share how your organization funds research, gets involved in clinical research, and communicates its message. Learn what others are doing, and brainstorm about what you could do differently. Dr. Lenfant will be available for an "open mike" question-and-answer session at the end of the meeting, and Council members, NHLBI staff, and other experts will describe specific opportunities for groups to partner with the NHLBI. The meeting can't be a success without your participation, however. If you received an invitation and have not yet responded, please do so by January 7, 2002.
The next National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC) meeting is scheduled for 8:30 A.M. on February 7, 2002. It is open to the public and will be in NIH Building 31C, Conference Room 10.
The FYI from the NHLBI staff thanks Ms. Paula Polite and Ms. Sue Byrnes, members of the NHLBAC, for their efforts in preparing this summary. Full minutes of Council meetings and summaries of the initiatives are available.
Dr. Lenfant began the meeting with a reminder that September is Sickle Cell Disease Month and National Cholesterol Education Month. He announced that Dr. Barbara Alving, Director, Division of Blood Diseases and Resources (DBDR), is the new NHLBI Deputy Director; Dr. Charles Peterson, Director, Blood Diseases Program, will be Acting Director of DBDR. Dr. Lenfant also mentioned a recent visit from Mr. Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Council discussed how the NHLBI can implement recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical trials and to recruit and retain minority Americans in research careers. They also received updates on NHLBI health education activities including
Dr. Raynard Kington, Director, NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, described the National Research Council report New Horizons in Health: An Integrative Approach. Dr. Peter Kaufmann, NHLBI, outlined related NHLBI activities.
During the closed portion of the meeting, the Council concurred on the award of 107 grants for a total cost of $56,005,231.
Dr. Lenfant called the Council's 204th meeting to order and thanked four Council members whose terms expire in October 2001. He noted that the NHLBI is operating under a continuing resolution until Congress approves the fiscal year (FY) 2002 budget.
The Council discussed two proposed changes to large grant programs sponsored by the NHLBI. Beginning in FY 2003, applicants for selected programs will be able to apply for an additional $100,000 to create Skills Development Cores to help new investigators gain experience in multidisciplinary research. The NHLBI is also revitalizing its Specialized Centers of Research so that they focus predominantly on the clinical aspects of research; the centers will now be called Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research, to emphasize the change.
Drs. Gregory Burke, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Lori Mosca, Columbia University Medical School and New York Presbyterian Hospital, summarized recommendations of the Task Force on Research in Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. The task force's objective was to develop a research agenda and an action plan to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Richard Childs of the NHLBI Hematology Branch described the results of an NIH clinical trial for patients with renal cell carcinoma. The protocol takes advantage of the observation that transplanted stem cells can launch an immunologic assault on cancer cells. Results from the first 19 patients were published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 343[11], pages 750-758). Dr. Childs also discussed advances in treating graft-versus-host disease and their profound effect on patients who otherwise might have died from transplant-related complications.
The Council discussed 24 research initiatives that the NHLBI has considered supporting. During the closed portion of the two-day meeting, the Council concurred on the award of 209 grants for a total cost of $86,509,347.