AIDS

• NIAID Recognizes Volunteers on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
  When: May 18, 2003
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  Preventive vaccine clinical trial sites, supported by NIAID, will sponsor a variety of activities for the Sixth Annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18. The events honor thousands of HIV-negative, healthy volunteers who have literally rolled up their sleeves to receive one of 33 different experimental vaccines to prevent HIV. This year's events emphasize educational and outreach efforts to help people understand why a vaccine would be the best way to stop the spread of HIV, what it will take to develop an effective vaccine and how ordinary people can be part of the international effort to find a way to prevent HIV from ravaging their communities.

  Next steps:
  For more information, contact James Hadley at (301) 435-8598 or by e-mail at jhadley@niaid.nih.gov.

• An Upside-Down AIDS Ribbon?
  When: May 18, 2003?
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  The red AIDS ribbon has been a symbol of compassion and caring for nearly 20 years. On May 18, NIAID is urging everyone to wear their red AIDS ribbon upside-down to form a "V" to show others that you believe in the need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. By turning the AIDS ribbon upside-down to form a "V" for "Vaccines," we can help turn complacency on its head. An upside-down AIDS ribbon dares us to challenge our thinking about the AIDS epidemic. It allows us to think of AIDS not only in terms of the loved one's we have already lost, but of the hope and promise for the future--a future that includes a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. As we strive to develop a vaccine, we must continue to implement strong, comprehensive HIV prevention and care and treatment programs.

  Next steps:
  For more information, including a communications toolkit, please visit www.niaid.nih.gov on or around May 18 or call (800) 874-2572.

Alcohol / Alcohol Abuse / Alcoholism

• "Drunken Brain" Exhibit Displayed at Activities in Washington, DC Area
  When: July 23, 2003
  Where: Fort Detrick, MD
  Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Children throughout the Washington, DC area are exploring the "Drunken Brain" exhibit, a four-foot model constructed from chicken wire and flashing Christmas lights. Dennis Twombly, Ph.D., of NIAAA, recently displayed his novel exhibit at the 2003 Brain Awareness Week activities at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Bethesda, MD in March and at the "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work" day on the NIH campus in Bethesda in April. The exhibit will next be displayed at the "Take Your Child to Work Day" at the National Cancer Institute's Frederick, Ft. Detrick facility on July 23. More

Next steps:
For additional information, contact Dennis A. Twombly, Ph.D., Program Director of Neurophysiology & Pharmacology, Division of Basic Research, NIAAA at (301) 443-9334 or at dtwombly@mail.nih.gov.

• National Alcohol Screening Day 2003
  When: April 10, 2003
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) is a national, one-day outreach, educational, and screening event that is conducted by hospitals, clinics, treatment centers, colleges, physicians, faith-based organizations, and community groups. The program provides free, anonymous screening for alcohol problems, public education in health fair settings at various community settings, and where necessary, referrals to treatment. In an effort to raise awareness of the consequences of at-risk drinking across the nation, the theme is "Alcohol and Your Health: Where do you draw the line?" More

  Next steps:
  For additional information about National Alcohol Screening Day or to locate a screening site, please visit www.NationalAlcoholScreeningDay.org or call 1 (800) 405-9200.
  
  Note: Additional screening dates may be available in some communities throughout April, Alcohol Awareness Month. Check web site above for more information.

• NIAAA Sponsors Upcoming Demand Treatment! Institute

  When: April 2–5, 2003
  Where: San Francisco, CA
  Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  

  NIAAA continues its collaboration with Join Together and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to sponsor Demand Treatment! Institutes. Upcoming institute sessions will provide information on screening, brief interventions, and referrals to treatment; information about National Alcohol Screening Day; different methods and instruments for screening; links between alcohol and other diseases, particularly infectious diseases and more. More

  Next steps:
  For additional information, visit www.jointogether.org/sa/action/dt or contact Kelly Green Kahn, NIAAA Public Liaison Officer, at kgreenka@mail.nih.gov or (301) 443-0347.

Alternative Medicine

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine Course Offered to Public
  When: Monday evenings from April 21 to June 2 at 6 p.m.
  Where: Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
  Institute: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
  
  The Smithsonian and NCCAM are co-sponsoring a six-week course for the public on "Complementary and Alternative Medicine, from Acupuncture to Yoga." The course will feature scientists and researchers who are directly involved in evaluating various complementary and alternative medicine practices, including NCCAM's Director, Stephen E. Straus, M.D. Speakers will present important information on topics such as herbals and other dietary supplements; mind-body medicine; manipulative and body-based therapies such as chiropractic; and traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture; and alternative medicine approaches that relate to aging. In particular, speakers will discuss which therapies have proven effective, which have not, and the future of complementary and alternative medicine.
  
  Next steps:
  This course is part of the Campus on the Mall continuing education program. To register or to obtain additional information, visit www.residentassociates.org/com/yoga.asp, call (202) 357-3030, or send an e-mail to rap@tsa.si.edu. Ticket prices are $123 for general admission, $78 for Resident Associate Members, and $70 for Senior Associate Members.
  
  
• Lecture to Address Mind/Body Interventions in Medical Setting
  When: Tuesday May 6, 2003
  Where: NIH Campus (Building 10) in Bethesda, MD
  Institute: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

  As part of NCCAM's Distinguished Lectures in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the Center has invited David Spiegel, M.D., to speak about mind/body interventions in the medical setting. He will explore the use of hypnosis in managing illness as well as discuss group support for cancer patients.

  Dr. David Spiegel is Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Psychosocial Treatment Laboratory, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford Medical Center. He has published six books and 300 journal articles and chapters on psychosocial oncology, hypnosis, and psychotherapy.

  Next steps:
  This lecture is open to the public and will be videocast on the Web. For more information, visit http://nccam.nih.gov/news/lectures/upcoming.htm.

Asthma

• World Asthma Day
  When: May 6, 2003
  Where: Worldwide
  Institute: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  Join millions of people around the world to increase awareness of the global burden of asthma and the need for improved patient care. The U.S. theme for World Asthma Day 2003 is "Communities Working for Life and Breath," which speaks to the collective effort needed at the national, state, and local levels to lessen the burden of asthma in the United States.

• Next steps:
  Visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute World Asthma Day 2003 web site for information about how you can participate.
  

Eyes and Vision

• THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers
  When: March–August 2003
  Where: Nebraska, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Colorado
  Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

  THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers will visit five states and the District of Columbia in 2003. The NEI developed the exhibit to help people understand low vision (vision problems that interfere with the ability to perform everyday activities) and explain what they can do to stay independent despite vision loss. The exhibit will be visiting malls in Nebraska, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Colorado through August 2003. More

  Next steps:
  The public can visit the exhibit during regular business hours at any mall on the tour. For more information and to view a list of locations, visit THE EYE SITE web site at www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/eyesite.

• V I S I O N Traveling Exhibit in South Dakota
  When and Where: Through July 19, 2003: Children's Science Center, Rapid City, SD; July 25 - January 5, 2004: South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium, Pierre, SD
  Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

  The NEI's V I S I O N traveling exhibit will be on display in South Dakota from March 2003 through January 2004. V I S I O N was developed as part of NEI's 25th anniversary celebration. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit illustrates how the eye and brain work together to create vision and how researchers are developing ways to protect our sight from visual disorders and diseases. The exhibit includes 10 interactive modules developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. These modules demonstrate how the eye focuses light, how we perceive motion and color, and how the brain processes visual information into a meaningful picture.

  Since the exhibit tour was launched in 1993,
  V I S I O N has visited science museums in 26 cities and been seen by more than 4 million visitors.

  Next steps:
  The public can visit the exhibit at the Children's Science Center, www.hpcnet.org/sdsmt/csc, and the South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium, www.sd-discovery.com.

Health Care

• First Annual Epidaurus Conference on Patient-Centered Care
  When: May 23, 2003, 8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., with continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
  Where: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland.
  Institute: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  

  This conference will bring together leaders in the field of patient-centered care, including physicians, administrators, architects, and bioethicists, along with patient advocates, to examine the challenges and principles of patient-centered program and facility design. Participants will look at what is possible in changing health care delivery and how to get there. Cosponsors include USUHS, Association of Academic Health Centers, Georgetown University, and the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  Next steps:
  Register on-line at http://hsa.usuhs.mil/epidaurus.

Hearing Disorders and Deafness

• Display Promotes Noise Awareness Day
  When: April 30, 2003
  Where: Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
  Institute: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

  A display featuring eardrum demonstrations and earplug give-ways will be featured in the lobby of the Oregon Health and Science University to inform the public about the importance of protecting their ears. The display is being organized by two NIDCD WISE EARS!^® Coalition partners—Dangerous Decibels and the Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology at Oregon Health and Science University. WISE EARS! is a national campaign to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

  Next steps:
  Additional information is available on the Dangerous Decibels web site.
  

• May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
  When: Month of May

  Every May, the nation's attention is focused on hearing loss and the importance of screening during Better Hearing and Speech Month. Organizations around the country team up to get the word out to the public about hearing loss and to offer free or reduced price hearing tests and assistance in obtaining hearing aids. NIDCD, for example, has provided health education materials to the University of Wyoming for a "May is Better Hearing and Speech Month" campus event. An activity book for elementary school-aged children can also be downloaded and printed from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) web site at www.asha.org. Other events and activities include a product fair organized by ASHA in coalition with other organizations, which will be held on Capitol Hill to raise awareness among members of Congress and their staff about speech, language, and hearing loss.

  Next steps:
  For additional information, ASHA at 1-800-638-8255 or visit association's web site at www.asha.org. A tip sheet on Better Hearing and Speech month is available at http://www.asha.org/press/BHSM_tip_sheet.cfm.
  

Kidney Diseases

• National Kidney Disease Education Program Launched with Pilot Programs
  When: March 2003 through March 2004
  Institute: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK)

  NIDDK is initiating an education program for the prevention of kidney disease by launching pilot programs aimed at African Americans and their health care providers in four U.S. cities over the next year. Local coalitions of interested members of the public have formed in Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta Georgia; and Jackson, Mississippi to bring the message, "You Have the Power to Prevent Kidney Disease" to African Americans who are at risk for kidney failure because they have diabetes, high blood pressure or family member(s) with kidney failure. More
  
  Next steps:
  More information about the NKDEP is available on the NKDEP web site and by calling 1 (800) 891-5390. Dr. Thomas Hostetter, NIDDK, is the Director of NKDEP. Ms. Elisa Gladstone, M.P.H., is the Assistant Director of NKDEP. People who are interested in joining the program can call NIDDK OCPL Director Elizabeth H. Singer at (301) 496-3583.
  

Medical Science

• Science in the Cinema Series Begins in July
  When: July 10–August 14, 2003 at 7 p.m.
  Where: NIH campus, Bethesda, MD
  Office: Office of Science Education (OSE)

  Science in the Cinema, a free summer film and discussion series sponsored by OSE, begins its tenth season at the NIH on July 10. A different film with a medical science theme will be shown every Thursday evening for six consecutive weeks. An invited guest speaker with expertise in the film’s subject area will lead an audience discussion about the science that is depicted in the film immediately following each screening. This series is open to the general public and is intended for a broad range of individuals who enjoy the cinema as well as learning about medical science issues.

  Next steps:
  The series will take place in the Natcher Auditorium, Building 45, on the NIH campus.

  Advanced registration is not required. Seating will be on a first come, first-served basis. Each film will be shown with captions. Sign language interpretation and real-time captioning of the post-film discussion will be provided. If other reasonable accommodations are required, please contact OSE at least three business days prior to each applicable film date. For further information about this and other OSE science education program activities, please visit http://science.education.nih.gov, or contact Ms. Cheryl Moore at: (Voice) 301 402-2470, (TTY) 301-496-9755, (Fax) 301-402-3034, or e-mail at ose@science.education.nih.gov.

Mental Health

• Public Outreach Meeting Planned for "Four Corners" States
  When: April 24, 2003
  Where: Albuquerque, NM
  Institute: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  The NIMH planned a regional public outreach meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 24, 2003, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Albuquerque, 330 Tijeras Street. Dialogue Four Corners: Mental Health was an all-day meeting that focused on mental health issues in the "four corners" area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The meeting featured presentations about mental health research by distinguished leaders and NIH-supported scientists. It offered opportunities for participation in small group dialogues to help shape future research directions about co-occurring disorders, cultural issues in mental health, and barriers to seeking and receiving treatment, among other topics. These exchanges will allow NIH to gather vital information from the public to be used in its priority setting process. More

  Next steps:
  To view and print an agenda and registration information, see www.nimh.nih.gov/events/fourcorners.cfm. You may sign up for the Dialogue Four Corners: Mental Health listserv on the web site. If you have questions, send an email to nimhfourcorners@mail.nih.gov. For more information on past meetings see www.nimh.nih.gov/events/townmeetings.cfm

NIH Program Funding and Grants Administration

• When: June 11–12, 2003
  Where: University of Maryland, Baltimore
  Office: Office of Extramural Research (OER)

  OER sponsors semiannual NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration. These seminars are intended to help demystify the application and review process, clarify Federal regulations and policies, and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. The seminars serve the NIH mission of providing education and training for the next generation of biomedical and behavioral scientist. NIH policy, grants management, review and program staff provide a broad array of expertise and encourage personal interaction between themselves and seminar participants. The seminars are appropriate for grants administrators, new researchers, and graduate students.

  Next steps:
  The seminar program, on-line registration, and logistical information are available at http://www.ord.umaryland.edu/nih/. For more information, contact Megan Columbus (megan.columbus@nih.gov) at 301-435-0937.

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