Conferences, Workshops, and Meetings
- 15th Annual Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Conference
- 2012 Human Genome Variation Meeting in Shanghai, China
- 2012 NIAID-Sponsored Behavioral and Social Science in HIV Prevention Workshop
- 2012 NIH Summer Institute on Social and Behavioral Intervention Research
- 5th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation Research
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting
- Asthma Birth Cohorts Workshop
- Autism-Epilepsy Workshop
- Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) Meetings
- Consultation on Child Survival and “Ending Preventable Child Deaths”
- Developing a Resource for Genetic Epidemiology Research in Adult Health and Aging
- Down Syndrome Consortiums
- Enrolling Pregnant Women in Clinical Trials of Vaccines and Therapeutics
- Finding the Way Forward in Tourette Syndrome Genetics
- Fragile X
- Functional Glycomics in HIV Vaccine Design
- Genomic Nursing Science Blueprint Workshop
- Global Cohort Collaborations
- Global Cohort Collaborations and the Role of Extremely Large Datasets in HIV/AIDS and other Diseases
- Hepatitis E in the United States: An NIH Research Workshop
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
- Moving the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Research Training Program Forward
- New Clinician-Investigators in Communication Disorders: Strategies for Success
- NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series
- NIH mHealth Summer Institute Training
- NIH Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Clinical Decision Support-Application for Enhancing Clinical Decision Making
- Postpartum Remodeling, Lactation and Breast Cancer Risk: Towards Improved Risk Assessment and Prevention
- Rare Disease Day at NIH 2012
- Regional Grant Writing and Scientific Peer Review Workshop
- Research to Improve Health and Longevity of People with Severe Mental Illness
- Society for Research on Adolescence
- Specimen Resource Locator Working Group
- Strategies for an HIV Cure
- Stress Erythropoeisis Workshop
- Third Pan American Dengue Network Meeting
- Translational Research in Primary Mitochondrial Diseases: Obstacles and Opportunities
- Treatment Outcomes in HIV Positive Patients
- Whole Genome Approaches to Complex Kidney Disease
- Workshop on Chromatin Control of Virus Infection
- Workshop on Natural History Studies of Rare Diseases: Meeting the Needs of Drug Development and Research
- Workshop on Research Gaps and Opportunities for Exploring the Relationship of the Arts to Health and Well-Being of Older Adults
15th Annual Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Conference
The 15th Annual CFAR Conference was hosted by Duke University on October 26-28 and included the National CFAR Scientific Symposium held on October 27th. A poster session, in conjunction with the CFAR Gala Dinner, allowed junior investigators from each of the 21 CFARs to present their research. The CFAR Conference hosts the 21 CFAR Directors and their key staff at the Institution of the current chair of the CFAR Executive Committee.
NIH Participants: NIAID, FIC, NCI, NHLBI, NIA, NICHD, NIDA, NIMH, OAR
Website: http://cfar2011.com/
2012 Human Genome Variation Meeting in Shanghai, China
This scientific meeting convened approximately 150 geneticists to discuss the scientific implications of genomic variation.
Website: http://hgvmeeting.org/
2012 NIAID-Sponsored Behavioral and Social Science in HIV Prevention Workshop
This workshop/meeting was held on August 27-28, 2012 and continued discussions and activities initiated at the 2011 meeting addressing risk assessment and adherence (as it relates to risk) in HIV prevention trials. The focus of this meeting was to develop a reference or ‘points to consider’ document to provide clinicians and researchers guidance on how to enhance the integration of behavioral and social sciences in HIV prevention research. This was a collaborative effort to develop a resource document that would be useful for a wide range of audiences from behavioral scientists and clinical trialists to community and advocacy stakeholders. To address the focus areas, five working groups were created: risk assessment, adherence assessment, interventions to reduce risk, interventions to promote adherence, and community and stakeholder engagement. The working groups drafted sections of the reference document addressing key strategic questions, key concepts, contexts, methodology and measurement. Work on the reference document continues. A final product is expected in the fourth quarter of 2013.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NIMH, OAR, OBSSR
2012 NIH Summer Institute on Social and Behavioral Intervention Research
The NIH Summer Institute addressed essential conceptual, methodological, and practical issues involved in planning and carrying out research on the impact of behavioral and social interventions on health outcomes, health behavior, and treatment. Such interventions are relevant to NIH public health goals of preventing morbidity and mortality and promoting health and well-being for persons with medical and behavioral disorders and conditions. The Institute is intended for junior investigators who have completed their doctorate and who plan to develop NIH grant applications for research in this area. Faculty (mentors) include established investigators from relevant social work and other fields.
NIH Participants: OBSSR, NCI, NIA, NIAAA, NIDA, NIMH, OD, DPCPSI
Website: http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/obssrinstitutes/si2012/about.html
5th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation Research
Health scientists have successfully developed and tested a plethora of clinical and community interventions demonstrated to treat and prevent medical and behavioral illnesses. However, as leaders in research and clinical practice have noted, there is still an enormous gap between what we know can maximize the quality of health care and what is currently being delivered in practice and community settings. More present than ever within the research community is the belief that to optimize public health we must not only understand how to create the best interventions, but how to best ensure that they are effectively delivered within clinical and community practice. This is the focus of dissemination and implementation research, and building this knowledge base is imperative to get the best return on decades of investment in biomedical and behavioral research.
NIH Participants: OBSSR, NCCAM, NCI, NIMH, ODP
Website: http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/OBSSRinstitutes/TIDIRH2012/index.html
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting
At the AACAP meeting, several NIH Institutes and Centers led workshops on grant writing and priorities to provide technical assistance for early and new research career investigators.
NIH Participants: NIDA, NIAAA, NIMH
Website: http://www.aacap.org/cs/AnnualMeeting/2012
Asthma Birth Cohorts Workshop
This workshop brought together leading international scientists conducting research on asthma and allergy through observation of birth cohorts. Participants identified key findings from existing birth cohort studies, gaps in knowledge, and the most important scientific questions to move the field forward. The participants also developed strategies to harmonize existing birth cohort data and recommended use of new technologies to increase the comprehensiveness and robustness of data for future collaborative analyses.
NIH Participants: NHLBI, NIAID
Autism-Epilepsy Workshop
The National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS), in conjunction with Autism Speaks, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), sponsored a workshop on May 29-30, 2012, on epilepsy and autism. Despite the long recognized association between autism and epilepsy, little is understood about the underlying pathophysiology relevant to the intersection of the two disorders. Possible shared mechanisms, possible treatment approaches, and scientific questions such as the high rate of abnormal electroencephalograms in children with autism were addressed, along with promising avenues for future research.
NIH Participants: NINDS, NICHD
Other Participants: non-profit groups
Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) Meetings
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development held six conferences concerning an initiative entitled Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND). The goal of the BOND initiative is to provide information and service to support the entire nutrition research and global health enterprise and to include core elements of discovery, development and delivery/implementation. Each BOND conference focused on one of the six case study nutrients - Vitamin A, Iron, Zinc, Folate, Iodine and Vitamin B12. These nutrients were selected by the BOND Steering Committee based on their perceived public health importance and unique challenges related to the biomarker agenda.
NIH Participants: NICHD, FIC, NCI, NHLBI, NIDDK, OD, ODP
Other Participants: Nutrition Coordinating Committee
Consultation on Child Survival and “Ending Preventable Child Deaths”
In partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Fogary International Center's (FIC) Center for Global Health Studies held a one-day consultation with child survival experts from the NIH, U.S. Government, and broader health community to: 1) Review overall and cause-specific child mortality as well as current trends in intervention coverage and malnutrition, 2) consider a proposed global target for child mortality of 20/1000 live births by 2035 either nationally or among the most disadvantaged within a country, and 3) discuss how this target might be achieved through scaling up current services and with new interventions or service innovations. Following the consultation, Dr. Roger I. Glass of Fogarty, Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher of NICHD, and Dr. Robert E. Black of Johns Hopkins authored a commentary in JAMA entitled “Ending Preventable Child Death in a Generation.” Published to coincide with a Child Survival Call to Action conference in Washington, the commentary proposed new benchmarks: that all countries should achieve a national under-five mortality rate of 20 deaths per 1,000 births by 2035, with a global average of 15 deaths per 1,000.
Website: http://www.fic.nih.gov/News/GlobalHealthMatters/may-june-2012/Pages/child-mortality.aspx
Developing a Resource for Genetic Epidemiology Research in Adult Health and Aging
In June 2012, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the NIH Office of the Director jointly sponsored a symposium focused on the Kaiser Permanente/University of California, San Francisco Resource for Genetic Epidemiology Research in Adult Health and Aging. The project includes one of the largest U.S. genome-wide association studies to date, combining genetic data, measures of telomere length, and longitudinal environmental and health information on over 100,000 participants in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Health Maintenance Organization. The cohort is highly diverse in ethnicity, including 25 percent minority representation, with substantial numbers of individuals with African, West Asian, South Asian, East Asian, Pacific Island, and Native American ancestry. The purpose of the symposium was to introduce the resource to NIH staff and provide a progress report on genotyping, initial findings, data sharing and future plans. The data will be made available to the research community.
NIH Participants: NIMH, NIA, OD
Down Syndrome Consortiums
The NIH has joined with organizations interested in Down syndrome to form a consortium that fosters the exchange of information on biomedical and biobehavioral research on the chromosomal condition. The consortium held three conferences during fiscal year 2012. The consortium allows NIH to inform the Down syndrome community of advances in the field, ongoing studies, and potential avenues for future research. In turn, those who work in Down syndrome research and patient care can share their experiences and ideas for potential research. A single, comprehensive forum makes the research effort to address Down syndrome more effective, minimizing duplication of effort and capitalizing on the knowledge of those with the greatest experience in the field. A focus of the consortium was implementation of the NIH Down syndrome research plan, which set research goals for Down syndrome, based on previous research accomplishments and the need for research in areas in which evidence is lacking. Individuals with Down syndrome and family members were represented on the consortium, which also included the NIH Down Syndrome Working group, an internal NIH group that coordinates NIH-supported Down syndrome research, and representatives from prominent Down syndrome and pediatric organizations.
NIH Participants: NICHD, NCI, NHLBI, NIMH, NINDS, ORS
Enrolling Pregnant Women in Clinical Trials of Vaccines and Therapeutics
These were a series of consultative conferences to discuss the study design and the assessment of safety in clinical trials of vaccines and antimicrobials conducted in pregnant women. Experts in obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, infectious diseases, and pediatrics participated.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NICHD, ORWH
HHS OPDIVs Participants: FDA, CDC
Finding the Way Forward in Tourette Syndrome Genetics
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) jointly sponsored this meeting in July 2012 with the goal to review progress in current NIH-supported projects in Tourette Syndrome genetics, and to develop a strategic plan for accelerating gene discovery and therapeutics progress. Participants included the two research teams currently working on Tourette Syndrome genetics, and senior scientists from outside the field of Tourette Syndrome genetics. Participants focused on leveraging genomic analyses of existing samples before making large new investments, and ensuring that all groups make the samples and data available as a resource to the scientific community.
Fragile X
On May 7-8, 2012, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) convened a meeting, "Revisiting the NIH Research Plan on Fragile X and Associated Disorders", with the intent of reevaluating the existing goals of the Research Plan and providing input to determine whether progress was being made in meeting the goals or if it was necessary to modify the goals or add new ones. Participants included scientific experts from the research and clinical communities, along with representatives from advocacy groups for affected individuals and family members, other pertinent federal agencies and invested NIH Institutes and Centers.
NIH Participants: NICHD, NIA, NIMH, NINDS
Functional Glycomics in HIV Vaccine Design
This workshop was held April 30-May 1, 2012 in Bethesda, MD and brought together glycobiologists, virologists, immunologists, clinicians, and other stakeholders to promote multi-disciplinary HIV-glycomics research. The workshop goals were to explore new avenues for HIV vaccine discovery research. Over the 1.5 day meeting, participants: reviewed the role and functions of HIV envelope glycans in viral transmission and potential vulnerability; identified glycans in the induction and maturation of broadly neutralizing antibodies; discussed new tools to characterize glycosylation patterns; and described the role of glycans in immunoglobulin effector function.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NCI, NCRR, NIGMS
Website: http://www.vaccineenterprise.org/hive/feature/955
Genomic Nursing Science Blueprint Workshop
The Genomic Nursing Science Blueprint Workshop planning committee commenced its activities in 2012. The purpose of the Genomics Nursing Science Blueprint Workshop, currently planned for 2013, is to refine and expand the Genomic Nursing Science Blueprint that was developed by the Genomic Nursing State of the Science Advisory Panel. The Advisory Panel established the Blueprint based on gaps in the evidence, expert evaluation of the current state of the science, and public comment. The Blueprint provides the framework for furthering genomic nursing science to improve health outcomes. The Workshop will move the Blueprint forward by convening an Expert Panel to dialogue on, identify, and prioritize specific genomic topics aligned with the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Strategic Plan areas. The priority topics can be addressed by nurse scientists and their colleagues in research studies.
NIH Participants: NINR, NCI, NHGRI
Global Cohort Collaborations
This workshop highlighted progress and opportunities in global data collaborations, in particular, the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium. Posters were presented outlining work of IeDEA for attending participants. Participants were encouraged to develop collaborations and share ideas for future work in the field.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NCI, NICHD
HHS OPDIVs Participants: CDC
Global Cohort Collaborations and the Role of Extremely Large Datasets in HIV/AIDS and other Diseases
This satellite presentation at the International AIDS Society meeting highlighted the potential for large databases to address key health questions in HIV/AIDS and, by extension, other conditions. The satellite also described the rigorous standards necessary for these databases to achieve that end including appropriate adjustment for loss to follow-up and standardization of data definitions. Novel applications of these data were highlighted, including modeling and geographical information systems applications research on rare populations.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NCI, NICHD
HHS OPDIVs Participants: CDC
Other Participants: USAID
Website: http://www.aids2012.org/
Hepatitis E in the United States: An NIH Research Workshop
The purpose of the meeting was to assess the status of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in the United States, with particular focus on its distinct epidemiology, clinical features, serology, and burden of disease in the general population as well as in high-risk groups. The meeting addressed the issues of the peculiar epidemiology and clinical course of the sporadic, non-travel-associated HEV that occurs in the United States and other developed countries that usually is due to genotype 3 HEV infection, a strain that is considered a zoonosis and is common among domestic swine and wild game animals. The meeting addressed the reliability of diagnostic tests to identify HEV, the possible role of treatment in chronic infection, and approaches to prevention, including public health measures, particularly in immunosuppressed or immunodeficient patients.
NIH Participants: NIDDK, NIAID
Website: http://www3.niddk.nih.gov/fund/other/HepE2012/index.htm
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Workshop, Charting a New Course for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Research, was organized to identify key research areas, resources and integration strategies needed to move the field of IDD forward over the next decade. The conference built on the recent advances in our understanding of genomics, proteomics, gene-environment interactions as well as developmental pathways and plasticity in the nervous system that provide an excellent baseline on which to develop new approaches to prevention and treatment of developmental disorders. The conference also included discussions of application of new technologies, such as imaging modalities or genomic sequencing, among others, to enable integration of genetic, neural and behavioral trajectories.
NIH Participants: NICHD, NHGRI, NIMH, NINDS
Moving the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Research Training Program Forward
This one-day research training workshop focused on developing an agenda for NIDCD’s individual and institutional National Research Service Award training programs.
Website: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/training/Pages/Moving-NIDCD-Research-Training-Forward-2012.aspx
New Clinician-Investigators in Communication Disorders: Strategies for Success
Participants in this one-day workshop discussed ways to facilitate and accelerate entry of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)-funded mentored K08 and K23 awardees into funded, independent, career-stage investigators.
NIH Participants: NIDCD, NIAID
NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) sponsors the monthly NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series. The forum disseminates information on advances, gaps, and current issues related to health disparities research. It features national and international health disparities research experts, including many funded by NIMHD, other NIH Institutes and Centerss, and federal agency partners. Each seminar focuses on a specific theme.
NIH Participants: NIMHD, All NIH ICs
Website: http://www.nimhd.nih.gov
NIH mHealth Summer Institute Training
The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and many NIH Institutes, Centers, and federal partners hosted a five-day training Institute July 30-August 3, 2012 at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. The Institute brought together leaders in mobile technology, behavioral sciences and clinical research to lead a cross-training event for investigators with interest in mHealth. The training curriculum covered the current state of the science in mobile technology and engineering, behavior change theory and clinical applications, and highlighted the intersection among these areas for research related to health. Daily didactic sessions targeted the major cross-cutting research issues. Afternoons were devoted to small, mentored, interdisciplinary teams developing potential mHealth research projects. Participants left the Institute with experience creating mHealth projects in an interdisciplinary setting.
NIH Participants: OBSSR, FIC, NCI, NHLBI, NIDA
Website: http://obssr.od.nih.gov/mHealth_Summer_2011/index.html
NIH Workshop on Natural Language Processing and Clinical Decision Support-Application for Enhancing Clinical Decision Making
The objective of the workshop was to have a discussion about the current state of the art, challenges, and opportunities of natural language processing and probabilistic analysis in clinical decision support and healthcare outcomes.
NIH Participants: NCI, CC, NHLBI, NIBIB, NICHD, NIGMS, NLM
Website: http://www.tech-res.com/NLPCDS/agenda3.aspx
Postpartum Remodeling, Lactation and Breast Cancer Risk: Towards Improved Risk Assessment and Prevention
The meeting convened a multi-disciplinary group of epidemiologists, basic scientists, clinicians and public health researchers to review the state of knowledge related to breastfeeding and its relationship to breast cancer risk and to identify key topics for future research. A summary of the meeting will be published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Website: http://ncifrederick.cancer.gov/events/BreastCancer/
Rare Disease Day at NIH 2012
This one-day conference celebrated and recognized the various rare diseases research activities supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)/Office of Rare Diseases Research, the NIH Clinical Center, and the Food and Drug Administration’s offices that focus on rare diseases.
NIH Participants: NCATS , CC
HHS OPDIVs Participants: FDA
Website: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/files/RareDiseaseDay2012_NIH.pdf
Regional Grant Writing and Scientific Peer Review Workshop
The workshop was organized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other NIH Institutes in conjunction with the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection and was held in Bogota, Colombia. The three primary objectives of the workshop were to (1) increase the participation of scientists from mid- to low-income countries in the research grant process, (2) develop strategies for sustainable research support and collaborations, and (3) use competitive research as a tool to address global health issues. Future workshops will be held in other regions of the world in conjunction with regional partners.
NIH Participants: NCI, FIC, NHLBI, NIAID, NICHD, NIDA
Research to Improve Health and Longevity of People with Severe Mental Illness
In September 2012, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) convened a meeting to assess the state of the science in preventing and treating medical comorbidities in people with severe mental illness (SMI) and identify the most critically needed research to reduce premature mortality in this vulnerable group. NIMH brought together representatives from other NIH Institutes, who also served on the meeting’s planning group, along with leading researchers on medical comorbidities in people with SMI and on prevention and treatment within the general population for diabetes, heart disease, tobacco use, and drug abuse. They were joined by policy leaders, advocates for people with SMI; community mental health center leaders and representatives from key federal agencies, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
NIH Participants: NIMH, NCI, NHLBI, NIDA, NIDDK
HHS OPDIVs Participants: AHRQ
Other Participants: SAMHSA
Society for Research on Adolescence
At the Society for Research on Adolescence, the NIH led workshops on grant writing and priorities to provide technical assistance for early and new research career investigators.
NIH Participants: NIDA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIMH
Other Participants: DOJ
Website: http://www.s-r-a.org/biennial-meeting
Specimen Resource Locator Working Group
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Office of Rare Diseases Research are collaborating on a single system for researchers to locate biorepositories or other organizations which can supply the biospecimens they are seeking for their research. The initiative is also open to other Institutes who wish to participate and involves biorepository vendors who supply software to many NCI institutes. The project is being developed within the scope of the BigHealth and caBIG initiatives.
NIH Participants: NCI, NCATS , NIDDK
Strategies for an HIV Cure
The purpose of this 2.5 day meeting was to bring together researchers both within and outside the HIV/AIDS field to discuss the merits of different strategies that have been proposed to eradicate HIV from the infected individual. A satellite meeting was also held to discuss, with community members, a proposal to establish a community advisory board for the Martin Delaney Collaboratories.
Website: http://www.blsmeetings.net/HIVCureMeeting/
Stress Erythropoeisis Workshop
This workshop explored differences in erythropoiesis following acute stress, chronic stress and during normal homeostatic production of erythrocytes. A spectrum of extrinsic and intrinsic processes that occur under various stress conditions was discussed. Consequences and changes in erythropoietin response, fetal hemoglobin expression, and iron metabolism were considered in normal and disease states.
NIH Participants: NIDDK, NHLBI
Website: http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/NIDDK/StressErythropoeisis/
Third Pan American Dengue Network Meeting
In collaboration with the NIH Office of Disease Prevention, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Dengue Vaccine Initiative, Pan American Health Organization, and several pharmaceutical/biotech companies, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) organized a workshop on dengue research in Colombia on September 2-15, 2012. The objective of this scientific meeting was to provide a forum for the exchange of current information on dengue research, identify research gaps and priorities, and promote and stimulate new research collaborations in the Americas. The topics addressed several research areas related to dengue, including basic and applied science in areas from epidemiology, virology, vector biology, pathogenesis, immunology, and the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Two-hundred forty participants from 23 countries attended this meeting.
Website: http://eventos.aviatur.com.co/dengue/about.html
Translational Research in Primary Mitochondrial Diseases: Obstacles and Opportunities
More than 80 clinicians, scientists, and researchers from leading medical institutions and universities gathered in Rockville, MD, for a meeting with representatives from numerous institutes at the NIH. The day and a half long session was designed to develop specific goals. The goals included sharing information about primary mitochondrial disease among researchers; developing ways to facilitate future collaboration and sharing of information; determining the obstacles, needs, and priorities of primary mitochondrial disease research; and developing ways to translate basic science discoveries into better diagnostic and therapeutic measures for patients.
NIH Participants: NCATS , CC, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIAID, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDDK, NIEHS, NIGMS, NINDS, ODP
Treatment Outcomes in HIV Positive Patients
The purpose of this 2.5 day meeting was to review research conducted in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort and the Women''s Interagency HIV Sudy domestic cohorts and long term outcomes in HIV treated and untreated patients. The meeting highlighted inflammation markers and genetics.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NCI, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIMH
Whole Genome Approaches to Complex Kidney Disease
This workshop addressed several cross-cutting questions regarding whole-genome approaches to complex kidney disease: (a) What are the technologies that will be most useful for human genetics over the next 3-5 years? (b) What populations, clinical samples, and phenotypic information do we need to most effectively identify susceptibility genes for complex glomerular diseases? (c) How can we best use existing repositories and databases to extract information about kidney disease? (d) How can we analyze, interpret, and share the massive datasets that will be generated by whole genome/exome approaches? (e) What are the relevant ethical, legal, and social issues now and what is on the horizon? (f) How can we enhance public access to genetic information and help individuals understand the concept of genetic susceptibility in general and their own genetic profiles in particular? (g) Which professionals will counsel individuals about their genetic risk for kidney disease, and what resources and training do they need? and (h) How might genetic susceptibility information be integrated into nephrology and primary care practice to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden of chronic kidney disease?
NIH Participants: NIDDK, NHGRI
Website: http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/News/Calendar/Genetics2012.htm
Workshop on Chromatin Control of Virus Infection
The goal of this two-day symposium was to advance understanding of the basic biology of chromatin deposition, modification, and modulation/remodeling in the context of different viral infections, with the purpose of discovering novel opportunities for the prevention or treatment of viral diseases. The workshop brought together virologists and experts in general chromatin biology from academia and government; 27 oral presentations and 32 poster presentations examined the impact of chromatin on viral systems including herpesviruses, papillomaviruses, human immunodeficiency virus, influenza, and adenoviruses. The potential impact of this area of research on novel antiviral therapies was explored.
NIH Participants: NIAID, NIDCR
Website: http://www.blsmeetings.net/ViralChromatin2012/
Workshop on Natural History Studies of Rare Diseases: Meeting the Needs of Drug Development and Research
Natural history studies are an important tool for understanding the etiology, range of manifestations, and progression of rare diseases. Well-conducted natural history studies can yield information on biomarkers and other correlates of clinical outcome. Obtaining maximum value to support drug development programs depends on conducting these natural history studies early, often long before potential therapeutic agents are identified for development. Comprehensive, good quality natural history studies designed with an eye toward supporting drug development programs can avoid some of the common problems that lead to stalled, slow, or inefficient drug development for rare diseases. This workshop aims to bring together thought leaders in the design, conduct, and evaluation of natural history studies to discuss the role of these studies in the development of therapeutic candidates.
NIH Participants: NCATS , NICHD, NINDS
Website: https://events-support.com/events/Natural_History_Studies
Workshop on Research Gaps and Opportunities for Exploring the Relationship of the Arts to Health and Well-Being of Older Adults
This workshop was presented by the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on National Statistics, at the request of a consortium of the National Endowment for the Arts and three units within the NIH: the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The purpose of the workshop was to identify research gaps and opportunities for exploring the relationship of arts participation and creativity to physical health and psychological well-being in older adults. It provided a critique of the field, including challenges in undertaking research capacity-building; and it offered guidance for the design of future studies and research.
NIH Participants: OBSSR, NCCAM, NIA
Other Participants: National Endowment of the Arts
Website: http://www.arts.gov/research/Older-Adults/Agenda.html