Features

The Dermatology Branch at NIH

Research, Colleagues, and a Shift from NCI to NIAMS

BY MOHOR SENGUPTA, NEI, AND LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER, OD

In Spring 1975, desperate parents brought their six-year-old daughter to NCI's Dermatology Branch to be treated for a rare, chronic skin disease—coupled with arthritis—that had plagued her for more than four years and was making her miserable. Her other doctors had been stumped, but Stephen Katz figured out what was wrong and treated her successfully. Katz, who who later became chief of the branch and then the director of NIAMS, trained dozens of people who have gone on to play significant roles in dermatology. It’s all part of the Dermatology Branch’s rich history.

Gene Therapy Turns 30 Years Old

An NIH First That Almost Didn’t Happen

BY CHRISTOPHER WANJEK, OD

“Thirty years ago this May, Dr. [Steven] Rosenberg and colleagues shepherded in the era of gene therapy when they removed, genetically altered, and returned cells to a patient with malignant melanoma,” read an email announcing a symposium where he would be giving a keynote address. Rosenberg was the first to insert foreign genes into a human.

Remembering Stephen Katz

Former Colleagues and Postdocs Who Were Inspired By Stephen Katz

Some of the people who trained and/or worked with NIAMS Director Stephen Katz, who died on December 20, 2018, shared their memories of him.

My Room, Your Room

Room 212, The Cloister

BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER, OD

NIH Medical Research Scholar Nicole Dalal knew she was living in a historic building once occupied by nuns. But what she didn’t know was that her residence—Room 212 in the Cloister (Building 60), built in 1923 and taken over by NIH in 1984—had its own special history: Former National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director—now Acting Commissioner of the FDA—Ned Sharpless had lived there in the early 1990s.

NINDS Welcomes Lorna Role as New Scientific Director

Plans to Expand Mentorship and Training Opportunities

BY EMILY PETRUS, NINDS

The first email from Lorna Role to the scientists and staff of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) read “TALK TO ME.” And, as the new NINDS scientific director (SD), that’s exactly what she wants people to do.

From Deep Sea Vents to Our Own Stomachs

Demystifying How Bacteria Thrive in Extreme Environments

BY MEGAN ROEGNER, NIDDK

What could microorganisms that exist in extreme environments such as hot springs in the crushing depths of our oceans have to do with bacteria that reside in our own bodies? This is the question that the “Demystifying Medicine” lecture series attempted to answer on February 5, 2019.