The COVID-19 pandemic has brought dramatic changes to the way we operate our laboratories and clinics at NIH. We are continually making adjustments as the pandemic progresses and we learn more about how COVID-19 spreads. Although NIH leaders have to respond to a variety of changing circumstances, I want to assure you that there is one overriding principle: Safety first!
Learning As We Go Along: Reflections on Returning to Work During a Pandemic
BY THU-LAN LILY NGUYEN, NCI
I woke up on Monday morning, June 22, feeling excited and nervous. It felt like the first day of school after a long summer break. I had been on a long break—since March 16 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced most NIH labs and offices to shut down.
Welcome five new institute directors: Rick Woychik (NIEHS), Shannon Zenk (NINR), Michael Chiang (NEI), Lindsey Criswell (NIAMS), and Rena N. D’Souza (NIDCR).
NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST GROUPS
COVID-19 SIG Lecture: NCI’s David Kleiner and Stefania Pittaluga Discuss What Autopsies Have Taught Us About COVID-19
BY EMMA ROWLEY, NIAID
Autopsies can offer a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of COVID-19, the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory-syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). But few autopsies have been performed.
Read about NIH scientific advances and discoveries by intramural scientists: how the lack of a DNA-repair protein is lethal to certain cancer cells; gum disease is linked with dementia; the lure of high-fat diets; turning off “junk” DNA may free up stem cells to become neurons; starving a malaria parasite may help stop malaria; and more.
FROM THE OFFICE OF INTRAMURAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Train-the-Trainer Workshop
BY CHARLESICE HAWKINS, OITE
During the COVID-19 pandemic, research universities, scientific institutions, and other high-stress organizations have begun to pay closer attention to the mental-health needs of their workers. Many have come to appreciate that prioritizing good mental health and wellness practices can enhance productivity and success rather than diminish it.
New Policy Extends Paid Family Leave Benefits for NIH Trainees
BY SOFIYA HUPALO, NIGMS
A recent shift in policy extends paid family leave from eight to 12 weeks for NIH trainees. The new policy, which started in March 2020, provides any trainee—appointed under the Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA), the Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA), visiting fellow (VF) award, or Title 42 clinical or research fellow mechanisms—a 12-week paid excused-absence related to the birth, adoption, foster-care placement of a child, or other family medical needs (such as serious illness or an illness of a close family member).
News about events, deadlines, lectures including WALS, COVID-19 lecture series, Cyber Safety Aweness campaign, virtual Town Hall meeting, Anita Roberts Lecture with Julie Segre, Women Scientists Advisors Scholars Symposium, and more.
