Worldwide Outbreak Puts a Fresh Focus on Monkeypox Research
For decades, monkeypox has been exclusively endemic to parts of Central and West Africa. But in 2003, 3-year-old Schyan Kautzer of Dorchester, Wisconsin, developed flu-like symptoms and a painful rash of raised welts after being bitten by her pet prairie dog. She was the first person diagnosed with monkeypox in the Western Hemisphere, followed by more than 70 suspected or confirmed cases in six midwestern states reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the likely culprits? Infected Gambian pouched rats imported from Ghana.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NIH Big Read resumed its annual lectures on September 27, 2022, with a virtual presentation by Ibram X. Kendi, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller How to Be an Antiracist (2019).
The Independent Research Scholar program was established in 2019 to address a key weakness within ongoing efforts to combat disparities in research: Representation of minority groups remains poor at the highest levels of the scientific enterprise despite recent inroads in attracting diverse trainees. Meet two of the scholars—Tasha Morrison (NIAMS) and Shahriar SheikhBahaei (NINDS).
