March–April 2021 | NIH Intramural Research Program

The 1918 Flu and COVID-19: A Tale of Two Pandemics

Anthony Fauci and Jeffery Taubenberger Launch Demystifying Medicine’s 2021 Season

BY EIMEAR HOLTON, NIAID

The COVID-19 pandemic is not our first rodeo with battling a deadly virus, and it likely won’t be our last. As we continue to process the past year, the juxtaposition of the COVID-19 pandemic and the influenza pandemic of 1918 puts today’s challenges into perspective. Two prominent NIH scientists shared their perspectives (virtually): NIAID Director Anthony Fauci and Jeffery Taubenberger, chief of NIAID’s Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section.

From the Deputy Director for Intramural Research

How the NIH Intramural Program Is Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic

BY MICHAEL M. GOTTESMAN, DDIR

Given the constant presence of NIH leaders such as NIH Director Francis Collins and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci in the media and in commentaries in academic journals, it is clear that the NIH has played a major role in strategic planning, communication of public-health requirements, and development of strategies to prevent, detect, and treat COVID-19. What may not be as clear are the major contributions that have been made by intramural—and extramural—scientists to this effort.

From the Annals of NIH History

From Yellow Berets to Nobel Laureates

The Vietnam War and NIH’s Clinical Associates Program

BY ETHAN SMITH, NINR

It may seem like a coincidence that Nobel laureates Michael Brown, Joseph Goldstein, Harold Varmus, and Robert Lefkowitz all started their training at NIH in the summer of 1968. But it wasn’t just happenstance according, to Raymond Greenberg, a professor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Center at Houston (Houston) and author of Medal Winners: How the Vietnam War Launched Nobel Careers. In a virtual presentation he gave at NIH in November 2020, he highlighted how his book tells this overlooked story through the lives of those four men.

From the Annals of NIH History: Lefkowitz

My Adventures as an NIH Yellow Beret

BY ROBERT LEFKOWITZ WITH RANDY HALL

Excerpts from Robert Lefkowitz’s memoir in which he describes being a “Yellow Beret” at the NIH, his time as a cardiologist, his transition to biochemistry, his work that led to the Nobel Prize, and more.

Introducing NIH’s Newest Lasker Scholars

Program Gives Boost to Early–stage Investigators

BY BRANDON LEVY, OD

Congratulations to the six investigators who recently joined the ranks of the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program, NIH’s collaborative effort with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to nurture the next generation of clinical researchers: Yogen Kanthi (NHLBI), Jacqueline Mays (NIDCR), Ian Myles (NIAID), Stephanie Chung (NIDDK), Derek Narendra (NINDS, pictured), and Alison Boyce (NIDCR).

Stadtman Investigators Pursuing Their Passion for Science

Trans-NIH Recruitment Attracts a Diversity of Researchers

BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER

“Being a scientist at NIH is one of the greatest jobs you can dream of,” said Eric Calvo, a Stadtman Investigator in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and one of 18 investigators in the 2017-2018 class of Stadtman recruits. Meet all 18 of these Stadtmans in this article. (Pictured: Faustine Williams, Ph.D., NIMHD.)

Fueling the Next Genomic Revolution

WALS Panel Discussion Highlights Achievements in Genomics

BY NATALIE HAGEN, NCATS

NIH celebrated three special anniversaries at a Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series (WALS) special event on January 13, 2021: the 25th-year anniversary of the first complete bacterial genome; the 20th anniversary of the publication of the human genome; and the 15th anniversary of the first human metagenome (of microbial communities).

COVID-19 Timeline at NIH (JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021)

COVID-19 Research and Activities at NIH

Highlights of the COVID-19-related activities that were going on at NIH in January and February 2021.

Research Briefs

Read about NIH scientific advances and discoveries by intramural scientists: transcription factor FOXL2 linked to endometriosis; new blood test for early detection of heart–transplant rejection; salmonella swimming behavior may provide clues to infection; surprising findings comparing low-fat and low-carb diets; and more.

Research Briefs: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality

Journal of Women’s Health Special Issue Discusses Maternal Morbidity and Mortality

A special issue of the Journal of Women’s Health (JWH) characterizes the increasing problem of maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM) in the United States. The issue features articles by many NIH scientists.

Research Briefs: Kidney Disease

New Insights into What Fuels an Aggressive Form of Kidney Disease

ADAPTED FROM AN NCI-CCR NEWS ARTICLE

NCI scientists have uncovered an important mechanism that fuels an aggressive form of kidney disease.

The Training Page

FROM THE FELLOWS COMMITTEE

Becoming a Resilient Scientist During My Trip to the Zoo

BY ERICA WYNNE-JONES, NIAID

I first heard about resilience when I was in primary school in rural Australia. It was part of a cognitive-behavioral program at the school called “You can do it!”

Announcements: Kudos to Dan Kastner

NHGRI Scientific Director Dan Kastner Awarded Crafoord Prize in Polyarthritis

BY ALYSSA JONES, NHGRI

The National Human Genome Research Institute’s director of intramural research, Dan Kastner, has been awarded the prestigious Crafoord Prize in polyarthritis by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for his pioneering work in “establishing the concept of autoinflammatory diseases.”

Photographic Moment

A Visit From the New President

President Joseph Biden met with scientists at NIH’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC) on February 11, 2021, and then gave a virtual pep talk to NIH staff.

Announcements

News about events, deadlines, lectures including the reopening of the FAES Bookstore; UNITE initiative to end structural racism and racial inequities in biomedical research; Management Intern Program; ORWH website; NLM History of Medicine Talks; Postbac Poster Day; and NIH Library Classes.

This page was last updated on Tuesday, February 15, 2022