5th Annual PIO Meeting Promoted Sharing and Interaction

The NHLBI hosted the fifth annual Public Interest Organization (PIO) Meeting on February 11, 2004, in Bethesda, Maryland. This year's meeting was the largest ever, with more than 130 people in attendance and nearly 70 PIOs represented. Two main themes of the meeting were fostering collaborations and sharing best practices. The meeting agenda was designed to encourage interactions among the PIOs and to provide them time to share ideas.

Meeting highlights included:

• Remarks by Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director, NIH, on the NIH Roadmap
• Presentations describing the American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable
• Discussions of collaborations in disseminating public information, helping patients, and promoting relevant research
• Scientific tutorials on nanotechnology; gene therapy; tissue engineering; and genetics, genomics, and proteomics
• A research presentation on sleep and its disorders
• Roundtables for PIOs to share best practices and lessons learned

The NHLBI extends a warm thank you to all PIOs who participated, especially those who facilitated group discussions. We welcome your feedback and look forward to seeing you again next year.

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month

Help increase public awareness of the risks of high blood pressure and promote improved prevention and control by taking action at the local level. Activity ideas, fact sheets, media tools, and other easy-to-use materials are available in the National High Blood Pressure Education Program's Community Kit.

For more ideas, check out the activity registry to see what events will be held throughout the United States and the world, and be sure to register your event.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council's February Meeting

Dr. Barbara Alving, Acting Director of the NHLBI, welcomed members to the 213^th meeting of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC). Dr. Alving reminded everyone that February is American Heart Month and she introduced four new Council members.

Ms. Sandra Gault, Financial Management Branch, gave an update of the President's FY 2005 budget request for the NHLBI. Ms. Terry Long, Office of Prevention, Education, and Control, discussed The Heart Truth campaign.

Dr. William Baumgartner, Cardiac Surgeon-in-Charge, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, gave a presentation on cardiothoracic surgery. Dr. Alice Mascette, Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases (DHVD), described some of the activities in cardiothoracic surgery supported by the Institute and discussed future initiatives.

Dr. Milton Packer, Chief of Circulatory Physiology in the Department of Medicine, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and chair of the NHLBI Working Group that addressed future directions for congestive heart failure research, provided an overview of the group's recommendations. Dr. John Fakunding, DHVD, summarized current NHLBI research support in heart failure and outlined plans to address the recommendations of the working group.

Ms. Sue Byrnes, Executive Director of The LAM Foundation and member of the NHLBAC, reported on the PIO meeting, describing the tremendous synergy that it generated. She thanked the NHLBI for sponsoring it and for allotting more time in the agenda for PIO representatives to interact.

Dr. James Kiley, Division of Lung Diseases, presented three new initiatives for Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research. Council members enthusiastically supported all three initiatives. Dr. Robert Musson, Division of Extramural Affairs, described the Institute's recent efforts to streamline its interaction with the Council.

During the closed portion of the meeting, the Council concurred on the award of 294 grants for a total cost of $143,954,939.

Upcoming 2004 Events

National Stroke Awareness Month

Date: May 1-31
Details: During May, the National Stroke Association urges people to take charge of their health by asking their doctor about stroke prevention and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council

Dates: May 13 and September 2
Location: Building 31C, Conference Room 10, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD.
Details: 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Meetings are open to the public.

100th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society

Dates: May 21-26
Location: Orlando, FL.
Details: The conference, which is focused on respiratory diseases, will offer the latest information relating to clinical practice, clinical and basic research, advocacy, and education.

2004 Scleroderma Foundation National Conference

Dates: June 26-28
Location: Los Angeles, CA.
Details: Patients will hear experts in the field present the latest in research and management of scleroderma. Special sessions will be offered for newly diagnosed patients.

Sixth International Pulmonary Hypertension Conference

Dates: June 24-27
Location:Miami, FL.
Details: The Conference provides an opportunity for PH patients, caregivers, and medical professionals to learn about advances in treatment and research.

Aplastic Anemia MDS International Foundation Patient and Family Conference

Dates: July 8-10
Location: Linthicum, MD.
Details: Patients and their families will hear the latest medical research findings for treatment of aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and related disorders.