May 23, 1995Vol. XLVII No. 11
U.S. Department of Healthand Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health
“StillThe Second Best Thing About Payday”
The NIH Record
Nobel Laureate EigenGives Fogarty Lecture
P
rof. Manfred Eigen, head of thedepartment of biochemical kinetics atthe Max Planck Institute for BiophysicalChemistry in Göttingen, Germany, willdeliver the Third Annual Fogarty Interna-tional Lecture on Wednesday, May 31 from 3to 4 p.m. in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10.The lecture was established to foster informa-tion exchange within the internationalbiomedical community.Annually, an eminent scientist from abroadis invited to lecture on a topic of currentinterest, and, while on the NIH campus, toengage in informal discussions with scientificstaff. This year, the lecture, which is also apart of the NIH Wednesday AfternoonLecture series, is entitled “Sorting SingleMolecules in Evolutionary Research.”Eigen will describe a method, developed inconjunction with Dr. Rudolf Rigler of theKarolinska Institute in Stockholm, thatenables detection and identification of singlemolecules in solution at concentrations lessthan 10
-15
M. The method has greatpotential for application to molecular
Anderson Heads New NIHSocial Sciences Office
D
r. Norman B. Anderson has beennamed to the newly establishedposition of NIH associate director forbehavioral and social sciences research. Hisappointment is effective on July 1.Anderson is an associate professor in thedepartments of psychiatry and psychology:social and health sciences at Duke University.He is also founderand director of Duke’s Programon Health,Behavior, andAging in Black Americans anddirector of Duke’sExploratory Centerfor Research onHealth Promotionin Older Minori-ties. In addition,he is a seniorfellow at Duke’sCenter for the Study of Aging and HumanDevelopment, and is a research psychologistin the Geriatric Research, Education andClinical Center at the Durham VeteransAffairs Medical Center.“The creation of the Office of Behavioraland Social Sciences Research is a recognitionof the vital role of behavioral and social
Dr. Norman B. Anderson
(See EIGEN, Page 2) (See ANDERSON, Page 2)
‘Invest in Your Future’
Annual U.S. Savings Bonds Drive Launched
T
he 1995 U.S. Savings Bonds drive kicked off at NIH on May 3 with a new attractionto add to its longstanding reputation of being a secure and easy way—especially viapayroll deductions—to save money. As of May 1, theDepartment of the Treasury simplified its bond regulations, ensuringthat Series EE bonds—the most widely held—will earn market-basedrates from the date of purchase.“For the first time, savings bond investors will get market-basedrates right from the start,” said Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, ina statement released Mar. 20. “Whether interest rates are high orlow, savings bond investors will always get a return linked to marketrates, a fair return on their money. This is the latest in a series of changes Treasury has made over the years to keep savings bonds thesafest and most convenient way for Americans to save.”Two different market-based rates will be announced each May 1and Nov. 1: a short-term rate for the first 5 years bonds are held,and a long-term rate, from 5 through 17 years. Harold Scott, aTreasury spokesman who addressed a modest crowd on the lawnbehind Bldg. 10 on kickoff day, said the new short-term rate is 5.25percent and the new long-term rate is 6.3 percent; neither figure, hecautioned, takes into account the value of tax exemptions/deferrals that accrue to bond holders
NCRR director Dr. JudithVaitukaitis speaks at bond rally May 3 at Bldg. 10.
NIH, Howard Host Forum on Heart Disease, Blacks
A
bigger issue demands a bigger team,”said one speaker at the “Forum on theStatus of Coronary Heart Disease(CHD) in Blacks.”He was referring to the health gap betweenAfrican Americans and white Americans.African Americans have a higher death rate fromCHD than whites. Their death rate from strokeis almost twice that of whites, and they get highblood pressure earlier and more severely thanwhites.To help build that “bigger team,” NIH joinedforces with Howard University in the first of aseries of forums aimed at decreasing CHDamong African Americans.The forum’s sponsors were the NIH Office of Research on Minority Health, the National
(See CHD IN BLACKS, Page 4)
Panel member Dr. John M. Flack responds to aquestion as Dr. Robert Taylor looks on.
By Louise Williams
Mary Dufour Named NIAAA Deputy Director
D
r. Mary C. Dufour has been named NIAAA deputy director, effective last month.“Dr. Dufour’s background in anatomic and clinical pathology, epidemiologyresearch, and preventive medicine will be tremendous assets to NIAAA,” said NIAAAdirector Dr. Enoch Gordis, who made the appointment. “Inaddition, Mary is well-known throughout the NIH community asboth a talented scientist and an able administrator.”A nationally recognized expert in alcohol epidemiology, Dufourserved from 1987 to 1993 as chief of the Epidemiology Branch inNIAAA’s Division of Biometry and Epidemiology (DBE). In 1993,she became DBE deputy director. In her new post, she also will serveas acting director, DBE.The only NIAAA division with both intramural and extramuralresearch programs, DBE measures dimensions, monitors changes, andelucidates causal factors in multiple aspects of alcohol use and alcoholdisorders. As division deputy, Dufour coordinated the design andimplementation of major intramural projects, including a national
(See BOND DRIVE, Page 6)
Dr. Mary C. Dufour
(See DUFOUR, Page 7)
The Record
pageMay 23, 19952
NIH Record Office
Bldg. 31, Room 2B-03Phone 6-2125Fax 2-1485
Editor
Richard McManusrm26q@nih.gov
Assistant Editor
Carla Garnettcg9s@nih.gov
The NIH Record
reservesthe right to makecorrections, changes, ordeletions in submittedcopy in conformity withthe policies of the paperand HHS.
Published biweekly at Bethesda, Md., by the EditorialOperations Branch, Division of Public Information, fortheinformation of employees of theNational Institutes of Health, Department of Healthand Human Services. Thecontent is reprintable without permission. Pictures maybeavailable on request. Use of funds for printing thisperiodical has been approved bythe director of the Office of Management and Budget through September 30, 1995.
The NIH Record
Correspondents:
CC, Sara ByarsDCRT, Mary HodgesDRG, Judith GroverFIC, Irene EdwardsNCI, Patricia A. NewmanNCHGR, Leslie Fink NCRR, Lori MulliganNEI, Linda HussNHLBI, Louise WilliamsNIA, Vicky CahanNIAAA, Ann M. BradleyNIAID, James HadleyNIAMS, Janet HowardNICHD, Carol FloranceNIDA, Mona BrownNIDCD, Gail BlattNIDDK, Eileen CorriganNIDR, Mary DaumNIEHS, Thomas HawkinsNIGMS, Wanda WarddellNIMH, Marilyn WeeksNINDS, Shannon E. GarnettNINR, Marianne DuffyNLM, Roger L. Gilkeson
factors in health promotion and diseaseprevention,” explained NIH director Dr.Harold Varmus, who made the appointment.“Dr. Anderson will be responsible fordirecting, planning, and coordinating trans-NIH efforts in behavioral and social sciencesresearch. He is uniquely qualified to ensurethe excellence of research in these areas acrossNIH institutes.”Anderson earned his Ph.D. in clinicalpsychology at the University of NorthCarolina at Greensboro in 1983. He thencompleted a clinical psychology internship atBrown University School of Medicine andfinished two postdoctoral fellowships(psychophysiology and aging) at Duke. Hehas published widely in basic and clinicalresearch, primarily in the area of hyperten-sion in African Americans, focusing on theinteraction of psychosocial, behavioral, andphysiological processes. His research hasbeen funded by three NIH institutes.He has received several honors and awardsincluding the 1986 New Investigator Awardfrom the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the1991 Award for Outstanding Contributionsto Health Psychology from the AmericanPsychological Association (APA), and holds aResearch Scientist Development Award fromthe National Institute of Mental Health.Most recently he was the recipient of the1994 Julian Abele Award for OutstandingScholarly Accomplishments from the DukeUniversity Black Graduate and ProfessionalStudent Association. In addition, he is afellow of the APA, the Society of BehavioralMedicine, and the Academy of BehavioralMedicine Research.His editorial positions include serving asassociate editor of
Ethnicity and Disease
andas a member of the board of editors of
HealthPsychology
,
Journal of Gerontology: Psychologi-cal Sciences
, and
Women’s Health: Research onGender, Behavior and Policy
. He recentlycompleted a term on the APA board of scientific affairs.
❑
ANDERSON
(Continued from Page 1)
EIGEN
(Continued from Page 1)
Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy,the Academie de France and the RoyalSociety, among others.A musician as well as a scientist, Eigen hassaid that he approaches all of his intellectualendeavors with the passion of the basicscientist. “Without scientific curiosity,” hehas written, “we would be a mere episode, awhim of nature.”All who are interested are welcome toattend the lecture and to meet with Eigen atan informal reception that will follow thetalk, which has been approved for continuingmedical education credit.
❑
Prof. Manfred Eigen
diagnostics and evolutionary biotechnology.Eigen received the Nobel Prize for Chemis-try in 1967 for his groundbreaking work indeveloping new physical techniques for theinvestigation of fast chemical reactions andtheir mechanisms. In more recent years, hehas focused his research on the significance of the information concept to molecularevolution and its technological applications.A graduate of the University of Göttingen, hehas been associated with the Max Planck Institute for his entire professional life.A true member of the internationalscientific community, he holds honorarydoctorates from leading universities inGermany, the United States, England, andIsrael, and is a foreign associate of the U.S.National Academy of Sciences, the Russian
BIG Fundraiser Set, June 17
The Blacks in Government NIH chapter ispresenting its annual Scholarship DinnerDance Fundraiser, Saturday, June 17, 8-midnight. The event will be held at LaFontaine Bleu, 7963 Annapolis Rd., Lanham,Md. The donation to attend is $40. Thereare no sales at the door. For information ortickets, call Albert Harris, 6-3706, orRoosevelt Ingram, 6-5371.
❑
Race for the Cure, June 17
Sign up now for the sixth annual Race forthe Cure, which includes a 5K run, 5K walk and 1-mile fun walk. The date is Saturday,June 17, 8:30 a.m. at the corner of 12th andConstitution Ave. NW, in Washington, D.C.There will be refreshments, celebrity guests(including actresses Sharon Stone, LindaCarter [TV’s “Wonder Woman”] and formerRedskins kicker Mark Moseley), prizes andcommemorative T-shirts. Race benefitsbreast cancer research, education, screeningand treatment. Pick up registration ($17before May 31) at the NIH Visitor Informa-tion Center (VIC), Bldg. 10, Rm. B1C218,or the R&W Activities Desk, Bldg. 31, Rm.B1W30. For more information, contact theNIH team coordinator, Peggy Brandenburg,6-1776, at the VIC, which is also site of racepacket pickup the week preceding the race.
❑
NIEHS Recycling Effort Lauded
The National Institute of EnvironmentalHealth Sciences has been honored for itsinnovative recycling program. Chosen torepresent the numerous agencies across thedepartment, NIEHS was selected for havingthe best and most innovative recyclingprogram. The institute becomes thedepartment’s 1995 nomination for the WhiteHouse “Closing the Circle Award” forrecycling.The NIEHS recycling program has reducedthe amount of incinerated waste over the past2 years by 32 percent, while recoveringapproximately 18,000 pounds of recyclableseach month, and providing a use for somenonrecyclable paper from the community.New materials are being added forcollection. The institute promotes a moreresource-conscious approach to its missionthrough a constant employee education andinformation effort. NIEHS also activelyprocures recycled-formulated products.Dr. Kenneth Olden, NIEHS director, hadspecial praise for the environmental aware-ness advisory committee at NIEHS, and itschairperson, Dr. Robert E. Chapin, andCharles E. Leasure, NIEHS associate directorfor management, who has worked closelywith the committee. “This recognitionacknowledges very intensive efforts overseveral years,” he said. “The institute is justly proud of the excellent program that thecommittee has so energetically developed.”
❑
The Record
pageMay 23, 19953
NHLBI Launches Inner-City Advertising Campaign
N
HLBI has launched its first-evercomprehensive outdoor public serviceadvertising (PSA) campaign, attempting toreach African Americans with messages aboutasthma.The campaign is being run in eight citieswith large numbers of asthma cases—Washington, New York, Philadelphia,Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, Phoenix andSacramento. The death rate from asthma inmost of these cities also is disproportionatelyhigh. Recent data show that more than 5,000Americans die each year from asthma andthat the death rate from asthma amongAfrican Americans is three times higher thanit is among whites.NHLBI partnered with several groups tosecure placements of its PSA: the OutdoorAdvertising Association of America (OAAA),through member companies, donated morethan 150 8-sheet and computer-painted vinylbulletins in Philadelphia, Baltimore and St.Louis; Transportation Displays Inc. securedenough free bus-system ad space to constitutea quarter showing in Washington, New York,Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Sacra-mento; the Washington Metropolitan AreaTransit Authority contributed space for 10posters in its Metrorail system; and twoairport advertising companies, Ackerly andInterspace, posted the PSA in airportsnationwide.“We were compelled to ask our members to join in this effort by the important publichealth message of the NHLBI campaign,”said Nancy Fletcher, president and chief executive officer of OAAA. “The free adspace donated by our members will helpNHLBI reach critical target audiences withkey messages about asthma.”More than 12 million Americans sufferfrom asthma, the only chronic disease that ison the rise throughout the world. Recentdata suggest that asthma-related deaths aremore common in inner city areas.Many people with asthma don’t know theyhave it, or confuse their symptoms withchronic bronchitis, a cold, or allergies. But if asthma is not diagnosedand treated properly, it canbe life-threatening.“With the prevalence of asthma on the rise,especially in urbancommunities, we felt thatan outdoor campaignwould be an extremelyeffective means to reachthe populations at greatestrisk,” said NHLBI directorDr. Claude Lenfant. “Ourgoal is to encourage peoplewho are experiencingasthma symptoms to see adoctor and get a diagnosis.Once diagnosed, asthmacan be treated, and mostasthma patients can leadregular, active lives.”The major symptoms of asthma include: a coughthat won’t go away;wheezing, especially atnight or after running;shortness of breath; andtightness in the chest.The outdoor PSAs are part of an annualpublic service advertising campaign, devel-oped by NHLBI’s National Asthma Educa-tion and Prevention Program, to increasepublic awareness of asthma’s warning signsand potential seriousness. This campaign,which runs throughout the spring allergyseason, also includes nationally distributedradio public service announcements.
❑
NHLBI teamed up with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Association (WMATA) and other outdoor advertising organizationsto reach into African American communities with health preventionmessages about asthma. Shown here are NHLBI director Dr. Claude Lenfant and WMATA Assistant General Manager Gwendolyn Mitchell in front of an NHLBI public service advertisement at WMATA’s Metro Center station.
Rockledge Credit Union Opens
The NIH Federal Credit Union isrelocating its Westwood Branch to a newsite at Two Rockledge Center, 6701Rockledge Dr., 1st floor, Bethesda, MD20817. Hours of operation are 8:15 to 11a.m. and noon to 4 p.m., Monday throughFriday.The move will accommodate the 2,500employees that NIH has transferred to newoffice space. The Rockledge Branch’sgrand opening is scheduled for June 6 from11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All NIH’ers are invitedto stop by and enjoy a brief ribbon-cuttingceremony and cake. For more informa-tion, call the credit union’s telephoneservice center, (301) 718-0208.
NIAID’s Kindt To Lecture
Dr. Thomas J. Kindt, chief of NIAID’sLaboratory of Immunogenetics (LIG), willpresent a seminar titled “Use of MolecularClones to Investigate HTLV-I Infection andDiseases” at Stone House on Tuesday, May30, at 2 p.m.Kindt has long been recognized for hisexpertise in the field of immunology andrecently has made contributions to the studyof human T cell leukemia virus-I (HTLV-I).This virus infects an estimated 10 million to20 million people worldwide and is spreadthrough contact with infected blood, sexualactivity, and frominfected mothers totheir infants.Although 90percent of peopleinfected with thevirus have noapparent symptoms,researchers havefound a linkagebetween HTLV-Iand diseases such ascutaneouslymphoma, uveitis,and certainmusculoskeletal disorders. HTLV-I is alsoknown to cause adult T-cell leukemia orlymphoma (ATLL) and another disease,called HAM/TSP, which produces progres-sively debilitating neurologic symptoms.The rabbit has proved to be a most usefulmodel for studying HTLV-I infectionbecause it is highly susceptible to the virusand, as in humans, infection in rabbits isgenerally benign. Kindt and his colleagues,however, found that certain groups of HTLV-I-infected T-cells cause a disease inrabbits that is similar to the human diseaseATLL and that others are associated withasymptomatic infection. LIG scientistsrecently have isolated and characterizedmolecular clones of HTLV-I from these celllines. These molecular clones are the toolsthat scientists have sought for years for thestudy of HTLV-I. They anticipate that theclones will shed light on the mechanisms bywhich HTLV-I causes disease and perhapsprovide approaches to prevention of diseasescaused by the virus.
❑
Life Insurance Open Season
The Office of Personnel Management hasannounced a limited open season for theFederal Employees’ Group Life Insurance(FEGLI) Program. This open season beganMay 22 and continues through July 21.Only those employees who are eligible toenroll in FEGLI, but have a current waiver of life insurance on file, are eligible to enrollduring this open season. Those employeesmay enroll in basic coverage only.If you believe you are eligible to enroll,contact your personnel office for details.They will also provide you with the enroll-ment form and the FEGLI booklet.
❑
Dr. Thomas Kindt
of 00
National Institutes of Health: 05 23 1995
312 Reads
Info and Rating
| Category: | Uncategorized. |
| Rating: | |
| Upload Date: | 01/19/2008 |
| Copyright: | Attribution Non-commercial |
| Tags: |
Leave a Comment