Announcements

LASKER CLINICAL RESEARCH SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Accepting Applications until August 26
Website: http://www.nih.gov/science/laskerscholar/

The NIH is accepting applications for this year’s Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, which is a competitive opportunity for early-stage physician-scientists to conduct independent clinical and translational research as tenure-track investigators at the NIH and in academia. The program was established in 2011 to create career research opportunities for physician-scientists as well as for dental and nurse scientists. It is targeted to outstanding post-fellowship physicians and other clinicians who have strong research interests and credentials. Funding provides full research and salary support for five or more years at the NIH followed by three years in academia (up to $500,000 per year) or continued appointment in the NIH intramural program. Applicants must have completed their core residency program in June 2006 or more recently. Current NIH clinicians are eligible. More information can be found at the website or by sending an e-mail to Chuck Dearolf in the Office of Intramural Research at LaskerScholar@nih.gov.

NIH GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL FAIR

Tuesday, July 14, 2016, 8:45 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Exhibits Open: 9:45 a.m.–2:15 p.m.
Natcher Conference Center (Building 45)

The fair provides an opportunity for NIH summer interns (especially those in college) and postbacs, as well as other college students in the Washington, D.C., area, to prepare for the next step in their careers by exploring educational programs leading to the Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., M.D.–Ph.D., and other graduate and professional degrees. More than 150 outstanding colleges and universities from across the United States will be sending representatives from their graduate schools, medical and dental schools, schools of public health, and other biomedically relevant programs to the fair in the hopes of recruiting NIH trainees. The day will also include workshops on getting to graduate and professional school, M.D.–Ph.D. programs, interviewing, careers in public health, computational biology and bioinformatics, psychology, and dentistry. A list of institutions planning to attend and registration information can be found at https://www.training.nih.gov/gp_fair.

MARINE MICROORGANISMS PROVIDE ACCESS TO NEW DRUG TARGETS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER

July 15, 2016, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Masur Auditorium (Building 10)

William Fenical (Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego in La Jolla) will deliver the lecture in memory of John Daly, a noted natural-products chemist and pharmacologist in NIDDK.

Marine microorganisms, and in particular marine actinomycete bacteria, are a genetically unique and chemically rich source for the discovery of new drug leads. The development of novel isolation and culture methods has allowed access to a variety of previously uncultured strains that now form the foundation for innovative cancer drug-discovery efforts. Examining this new chemical source and coupling it with a program to identify new intracellular protein targets has provided several new and unpredicted pathways that can be exploited for cancer treatment. Cytotoxic marine microbial metabolites such as the ammosamides, marinopyrroles, napyradiomycins, and more recently the seriniquinones show binding affinity to a diversity of new protein targets, illustrating that new approaches exist to treating various cancers. These and more recent discoveries will form the content of this presentation.

A reception in the FAES atrium will be held after the lecture. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Dr. Carole Bewley, NIDDK, at 301-594-5187 and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339).

MANAGING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS AND CONFLICT AT NIH WORKSHOP (NIHTC4203)

Tuesday, August 16, 2016, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
NIH Training Center (Rockledge 1)
Register at: https://trainingcenter.nih.gov/ShowDetails.aspx?cid=NIHTC4203

In this highly interactive one-day workshop, you will learn and practice techniques for dealing with challenging situations and people. Case studies will include topics such as negotiating budgets and project plans, giving and receiving performance feedback, and dealing with interpersonal conflicts in the lab or office. Through this framework, you will explore the impediments to successful management of these situations and will learn how your personality and behaviors influence your ability to perform successfully under stress. You will receive easy-to-remember, practical approaches to conflict resolution and negotiation to help you deal with stressful interactions productively. By the end of the session, you will be better prepared to handle challenging situations and feel more confident when engaging in difficult conversations—skills essential for effective leadership.
Explore similar upcoming courses by visiting https://trainingcenter.nih.gov/news.html.

WALS RETURNS IN SEPTEMBER

Wednesdays, 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Masur Auditorium (Building 10)
Web site: https://oir.nih.gov/wals

The 2016–2017 Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series (WALS) starts September 21 with Harvard geneticist David Reich. The schedule is coming together and, when completed, will be posted on the WALS Web site.

FIBROSIS SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUP INAUGURAL MEETING

Wednesday, September 7, 2016, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
CRC conference room 5-2550 (Building 10)

The Fibrosis Scientific Interest Group provides a forum for individuals from NIH and the extramural community to discuss basic, translational, and clinical research related to fibrosis. Trainees, basic laboratory researchers, and clinicians from academic institutions or medical centers are welcome to attend the group’s inaugural meeting. For information about the Fibrosis Scientific Interest Group or to join the LISTSERV, contact Resat Cinar (resat.cinar@nih.gov) or Bernadette Gochuico (gochuicb@mail.nih.gov).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TRAINING

Wednesday, September 14, 2016, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
NIH Training Center (Building 45)
Cost: $339
Register at: https://trainingcenter.nih.gov/ShowDetails.aspx?cid=NIHTC9522

This new class for the NIH community explores statutes and regulations that govern the creation, allocation, and preservation of intellectual property rights under government contracts. Real-world examples—fact patterns, negotiation positions, and contract clauses—are provided and are reviewed with the goal of developing responses that reflect defensible applications of specific legal requirements. Key topics include the discussion of patents and the government’s authority to authorize patent infringement; copyright and trademark law; and a review of trade secrets, technical-data rights, and computer-software data rights. For more information, contact the NIH Training Center at 301-496-6211 or training1@od.nih.gov.

2016 NIH RESEARCH FESTIVAL

Wednesday, September 14 through Friday, September 16, 2016
Masur Auditorium, Lipsett Amphitheater, FAES classrooms (Building 10)
Website: http://researchfestival.nih.gov (to be updated soon)

Mark your calendars now so you won’t miss this annual showcase of NIH intramural research. Activities will include plenary talks and symposia, poster sessions, the Green Labs Fair, the Technical Sales Association Vendor Show, NIH Library events, NIH tours, and a few other surprises. For questions, contact Jacqueline Roberts at researchfest@mail.nih.gov.

HHS LAUNCHES DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will launch a Department-wide survey on July 20, 2016, to update Federal employee records on race, ethnicity and disability status. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Census previously updated the categories for race and ethnicity, and HHS is conducting this survey to ensure that we have accurate and up to date demographic information for employees within the Department.

Currently, NIH and other agencies within the Department do not have updated information for employees who were onboard prior to the changes in the OMB and Census standards. These changes include the ability to identify with more than one racial category, separation of the Asian and Pacific Islander racial categories, addition of a racial category for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders, and the option to identify ethnicity (Hispanic/Latino) and race.

In addition to providing an opportunity to update demographic data for our workforce and correct any errors that may exist in our database, the survey will also provide an opportunity to update the disability status of employees. Employees may develop disabilities throughout the course of their careers that did not exist when they entered the workforce.
This information is imperative as we benchmark our workforce against the available labor pool, and develop strategies to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce. Additionally, having an accurate count of the number of employees with disabilities and the types of disabilities prepares us to identify and provide effective accommodations.

Federal employees will receive an email from HHS with a link to the survey. The survey is housed in the Access Management System’s (AMS) secure environment. Please take five minutes to participate in this voluntary survey to ensure that we have accurate demographic data for our workforce. Questions about the survey should be sent to PiSurvey@hhs.gov. To learn more about NIH efforts in advancing diversity and inclusion, visit the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’s website at http://edi.nih.gov/.

NIH FEDERAL CREDIT UNION LAUNCHES NEW FINANCIAL PROGRAM AIMED AT VISITING FELLOWS

Many visiting fellows have restricted access to financial services and a limited understanding of the U.S. banking system. As a result, most of financial institutions are hesitant to serve them or will do so at excessively high interest rates and unfavorable terms. To fill this void, the NIH Federal Credit Union (NIHFCU) has launched its Fellows Advantage Program to help visiting fellows gain access to needed credit and build a credit history that will make it easier for them succeed financially in the future.

With the Fellows Advantage Program, visiting fellows possessing a social security number but no credit history can borrow from NIHFCU for a variety of their basic needs including Visa credit cards (up to a $2,500 credit limit), mortgages, auto loans, and unsecured loans. In addition, the program offers free multilingual financial counseling, online financial-education tools, and with the help of FAES, seminars on various financial topics. To learn more, visit https://www.nihfcu.org/fellows, call 800-877-6440, or stop by an NIHFCU branch.

NIHFCU membership and services are open to all employees, independent contractors, or self-employed persons who work regularly in the biomedical and health-care industries in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and North Carolina. For information, go to https://www.nihfcu.org. As always, NIH fellows who may not qualify for the Fellows Advantage Program are welcome to join the NIHFCU (as are any persons in the NIH workforce) and apply for any of the loan programs.