DAY OF DISCOVERY
NIH’s Take Your Child to Work
Event Celebrates 30
th
Year
BY DANA TALESNIK
Lots of folks might be grossed out by
blood, brains and bacteria, but the throngs
of curious kids who accompanied their
grown-ups to Take Your Child to Work Day
(TYCTWD) were eager to experience these
wonders, and many got an up-close look.
On Apr. 25, more than 3,700 children
participated in more than 350 dierent
in-person, hands-on activities as well as
virtual and pre-recorded sessions. Children
in grades 1-12 conducted all kinds of science
experiments, marveled at cool demonstra-
tions, toured labs and facilities, participated
SEE TYCTWD, PAGE 6
NIBIB’s Dr. Manu Platt demonstrates pipetting.
PHOTO: ANNA CONREY/NHLBI
POWER OF COMMUNITY
New Police Chief Spruill
Settles In
BY AMBER SNYDER
NIH welcomed
new police chief
Cleveland Spruill
Sr. on Nov. 6,
2023. His career
has spanned
30-plus years
and multiple
departments.
Growing up in
a disadvantaged
part of New
York City, Spruill didn’t have a favorable
view of law enforcement, but that began
to change as he relocated to Richmond,
Va., with his family, entered adulthood and
enlisted in the Army. He served for four years
and then decided to pursue a career as a
lawyer. A police ocer seemed like a natural
SEE CHIEF, PAGE 4 SEE NIA, PAGE 8
ALSO THIS ISSUE
Weiss To Deliver Khoury Lecture ............3
Pay Raises Planned for NRSA Scholars ......3
AAPI Heritage Month Events Announced .....5
‘Blind Poet’ Visits NIH, Children’s Inn .........5
‘The Ladder’ Sculpture Erected at NIH on
National DNA Day .........................9
Milestones ................................11
The NIH Record Hits 75 ....................12
A South Korean astronaut will visit NIH as part of
Asian Heritage Month events. See details, p. 5.
in educational games and got all goopy doing
art. Swarms of youngsters and grown-ups
also stopped by Earth Day exhibits outside
of Bldg. 1.
Each year, the Clinical Center (CC) is
abuzz with many TYCTWD activities. An
annual favorite, Clinical Lab Experience
lets kids get up close with blood, bacteria
May 24, 2024
Vol. LXXVI, No. 11
Science meets art: “Make
Your Own Neuron”
and parasites.
At stations
around the
room, children
peered
through
microscopes at
ticks and lice;
at petri dishes
of staph, strep
and other
bacteria; and
at cholesterol
and neutro-
phils in blood cells.
“It all starts with the blood,” said Michael
Guyah, a technician in the CC’s department
of laboratory medicine, demonstrating how a
phlebotomist collects blood.
One floor up, kids inflated preserved pig
lungs, including one blackened by tobacco,
Aging Well—NIA at 50
This year marks the 50
th
anniversary of the
National Institute on Aging (NIA). Since
1974, NIA has led research on aging and the
well-being of older adults, including studies
on the genetic, biological, clinical, behav-
ioral, social and economic aspects of aging.
What was viewed with skepticism 50 years
ago—studying aging—is today a critical part
of NIH’s work to extend the healthy, active
years of life.
Celebrating an NIA milestone in 1983 are
(from l) NIH Director Dr. James Wyngaarden,
HHS Assistant Secretary Dr. Edward Brandt,
HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler and newly
appointed NIA Director Dr. T. Franklin Williams.
Chief Cleveland Spruill Sr.
PHOTO: ERIC BOCK
2 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
Israel’s Chief
Epidemiologist Visits VRC
The National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases’s (NIAID) Vaccine
Research Center (VRC) hosted Dr.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the Public
Health Directorate at the Israeli Ministry
of Health and chief epidemiologist for
Israel on Apr. 3.
During the visit, Alroy-Preis received an
overview of the VRC’s research activities
involving development of mucosal
vaccines to prevent Covid and development of monoclonal antibodies for prevention of malaria.
NIH Joins the Mindful FED Program
All staers are welcome to enjoy the benefits
of the Mindful FED Program—beginning with a
weekly NIH class. Brought to you by the Oce
of Personnel Management (OPM), Mindful FED
is a first-of-its-kind interagency community of
practice, complementing agencies’ wellness goals
by integrating mindfulness strategies and practices
into workplace culture, enhancing sta health and
resilience, performance and leadership develop-
ment. The community, and its services, are open to
any employee expressing curiosity and intention for
cultivating self-awareness and self-management.
There are several ways to participate:
View an NIH video intro https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=geeiuFFRV3E
Join the listserv—send a blank email to Mindful-
FED-subscribe-request@listserv.gsa.gov and
receive weekly resources
Attend NIH’s Mindful FED Oering with Dr.
Rezvan Ameli on Thursdays from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET
Listen to Mindful Musings audio blog series
Take in the weekly class schedule
View/attend any interagency oerings, held
multiple times/day
Register for the Mindful Approaches to AI
Webinar Series (May to September)
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3wBYlKl.
Questions? Email Leslie Pont, NIH Wellness
Program manager at leslie.pont@nih.gov. Go to
https://go.nih.gov/mDL7VOm for weekly news and
events.
NIAID Shares Successful Workplace
Training Strategy
The Scientific Review Program (SRP) at the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
(NIAID) developed a strategic training plan to
emphasize the importance of quality relationships
with stakeholders, a
commitment to best
practices in peer
review, innovation in
program and branch
leadership, and devel-
opment of leadership
skills. The roadmap
provides an integrated
BRIEFS
Chief Epidemiologist for Israel Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis (l) listens with Dr. Daniel Douek (c), chief of
the VRC human immunology section, as Dr. Robert Seder, chief of the center’s cellular immunology
section, provides an overview of the VRC’s development of monoclonal antibodies to prevent malaria.
Involved in the visit are (from l) Abe Mittelman, VRC senior advisor; Dr. Christina Harris, VRC deputy
associate director for management and operations; Dr. Jennifer Anderson, VRC associate director for
management and operations; Alroy-Preis; Pierson; Douek; Dr. Karin Bok, VRC acting deputy director;
Seder; and Dr. Masaru Kanekiyo, chief of the VRC molecular immunoengineering section.
VRC Director Dr. Ted Pierson and Alroy-Preis chat.
PHOTOS: CHIA-CHI CHARLIE CHANG
training series coordinated and customized
specifically to support evolution across these four
areas over time.
SRP partnered with NIAID’s Oce of Workforce
Eectiveness to build a strong foundation with
psychological safety
and emotional
intelligence training
and then collaborated
with NIH’s Ombuds
Oce to create a
monthly Lunch and
Learn Series focused
on relevant follow up
topics to help ensure sustainable implementation
of knowledge and skills.
As a part of implementing the plan, the program
also partners with the NIH Training Center to help
identify facilitators. SRP’s workplace culture con-
tinues to evolve, in part, based on relevant training
that supports the program’s pursuit of excellence
in peer review, and is seeing low attrition, a
continued positive work culture and outstanding
FEVS results year after year with 2023 showing all
core items as strengths.
For details, email NIAIDReviewMT@mail.nih.gov.
NIAID’s Scientific
Review Program
created a training
strategy based on
FEVS results.
NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024 • 3
Dr. Susan Weiss
ON THE COVER: Image shows a section of
mouse bone near a fracture, with marrow full of
red blood cells at the bottom and healthy bone
above it (tan). New bone (green) and cartilage
(dark blue) are in the upper layer.
IMAGE: PHILIPP LEUCHT/NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WITH
SUPPORT FROM NIAMS
NIH Announces Pay Increases
for NRSA Scholars
NIH will increase annual pay levels for predoctoral
and postdoctoral scholars at NIH-funded external
institutions who are
recipients of the Ruth
L. Kirschstein Nation-
al Research Service
Awards (NRSA). The
increase applies to
more than 17,000
research trainees.
Predoctoral scholars
will receive an
approximate 4%
increase in their
pay level bringing
it to $28,224; postdoctoral scholars will receive
an approximate increase of 8%, with pay levels
beginning at $61,008 and upwardly adjusted based
on years of experience. NIH aims to increase these
pay levels over the next five years.
Eligible recipients also will receive a $500 increase
in subsidies for childcare and an additional $200
for training-related expenses. The updated fiscal
year 2024 pay levels are informed by recommen-
dations from the advisory committee to the NIH
director (ACD). The new NRSA pay levels incorpo-
rate the largest year-over-year update since 2017.
“NIH and our grantee institutions must invest in
pre- and postdoctoral scholars to ensure the future
of the biomedical research workforce and enter-
prise remains strong and globally competitive,” said
NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli. “This revision
of pay levels for NRSA recipients is just a first step
toward rearming their value and ensuring they
are appropriately compensated. I am hopeful these
continued eorts help us attract and retain our
nation’s brightest scientific minds.”
While the amended pay levels do not reach the full
funding increase recommended by the ACD, NIH
selected the current plan to allow for an immediate
pay increase without drastic cuts to
the number of available NRSA awards,
though a small reduction in the number of
positions is expected. The increase is based
on current NIH funding levels, which remain
flat in the constrained budget environment.
Pending availability of funds via future
appropriations, NIH plans further stipend
boosts over the next three to five years.
“I believe implementation of these
recommendations will go far in giving
these scholars the sense of job security
and career prospects that will lead to long careers
in biomedical research,” said Dr. Mike Lauer, NIH
deputy director for extramural research.
Perelman’s Weiss To Deliver
Khoury Lecture, May 29
Noted microbiologist Dr. Susan Weiss will deliver
the annual Dr. George Khoury Lecture on May 29
at 2 p.m. ET. Titled “Coronavirus Activation and
Antagonism of Interferon Signaling Pathways:
From MHV to SARS-CoV-2,” the talk will be held in
person in Lipsett Amphitheater, Bldg. 10, and live
online at https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=52621.
Part of the Wednesday
Afternoon Lecture Series
(WALS), the event
honors the late Khoury,
who was highly regarded
as a superb scientist and
caring mentor, and who
served as chief of the
Laboratory of Molecular
Virology at the National
Cancer Institute.
Weiss is professor
and vice chair of the
department of microbi-
ology and co-director
of the Penn Center for
Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging
Pathogens at the Perelman School of Medicine at
the University of Pennsylvania. She is a fellow and
a current governor of the American Academy of
Microbiology, a fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, and in 2023 was
elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Continuing Medical Education credits will be
available. More information about WALS is posted
at https://oir.nih.gov/wals.
Annual Wellness Day Set, June 18
NIH’s annual Safety, Health and Wellness Day will
be held on Tuesday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
in the 6th fl. conference center, Bldg. 31, C wing.
This year’s theme is “Fostering Safety, Belonging
and Well-Being.”
Held in person and virtually every June during
National Safety Month, the half-day event cele-
brates and brings awareness to workforce health,
safety and wellness. The 2024 focus is to enhance
sta awareness of belonging, inclusion, well-be-
ing, fitness and safety in the NIH community.
Everyone is welcome.
Activities planned:
• More than 40 exhibits on a wide variety of topics
presented by multiple NIH components
• Hybrid mini-information sessions via webcast
• CPR demonstrations and fitness classes
• Food demonstrations, including a BBQ World
Tour and more
Mark your calendars to attend and have fun with
a coworker.
The event is
hosted by NIH’s
Oce of Research
Services with 2024
co-sponsor, the
National Center for
Complementary
and Integrative
Health, in col-
laboration with
the Foundation
for Advanced
Education in the Sciences, 8 Changes for Racial
Equity, and NIH’s Sexual & Gender Minority
Research Oce and Oce of Equity, Diversity
and Inclusion.
For details, visit https://go.nih.gov/NMPcSuN to
view agenda and register.
Sign language interpreting and CART services
available upon request; email roxy.grossnickle@
nih.gov. Make requests at least five days in
advance. To access Telecommunications Relay
Services, call 711.
The NIH Record
Since 1949, the NIH Record has been published
biweekly by the Sta News and Public Inquiries
Branch, Oce of Communications and Public
Liaison, National Institutes of Health Department
of Health and Human Services. For editorial
policies, email nihrecord@nih.gov.
Editor:
Carla Garnett • Carla.Garnett@nih.gov
Associate Editor:
Dana Talesnik • Dana.Talesnik@nih.gov
Assistant Editor:
Eric Bock • Eric.Bock@nih.gov
Sta Writer:
Amber Snyder • Amber.Snyder@nih.gov
Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps
Subscribe via email:
https://go.usa.gov/x6mgQ
Follow: nihrecord.nih.gov/
IMAGE: PEOPLEIMAGES-YURI A/SHUTTERSTOCK
4 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
Chief
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
steppingstone, so Spruill took a job with the
police department in Alexandria, Va.
“I’d planned on being there for two or
three years, but ended up staying for 27,” he
recalled. The action-packed nature of the
job appealed to him, but so did the opportu-
nities to have meaningful connections with
the community.
One opportunity has come through
Spruill’s love of football. The Alabama
Crimson Tide fan has coached all ages of
youth football, from five-year-olds through
high school, and he appreciates how the
sport enables him to direct his players in a
positive direction and also connect with the
community.
In Alexandria, Spruill was far more
well-known in the neighborhood as a football
coach than as a police ocer.
“If you asked people who Ocer Spruill
was, a few might know. But if you asked them
if they knew Coach Spruill, a lot more people
would start nodding,” he said.
The rapport he developed as Coach
Spruill meant people felt comfortable
confiding in him in areas that Ocer Spruill
could help—ranging from food insecurity to
domestic violence.
He has also encouraged community
engagement activities among the police
forces he has worked in, such as Halloween
“trunk”-or-treat events, volunteering with
Special Olympics and hosting food giveaways
during Covid. Other events, such as “Shop
with a Cop” or “Cops and Barbers,” allowed
children special one-on-one time with
ocers as the kids hunted for Christmas
presents or got haircuts—which were paid
for by the police force.
In the Alexandria Police Department,
Spruill “served in pretty much every aspect
of policing you could think of,” eventually
ascending to deputy chief. He later served as
chief of Huntersville Police Department in
North Carolina, followed by Athens-Clarke
County Police Department in Georgia.
The Covid-19 pandemic struck when
Spruill was in Georgia. His then-fiancée lived
in Maryland, and due to pandemic-induced
restrictions, he was only able to see his
partner and family twice in 2020.
“I came to realize that I needed to put
family ahead of work,” he said.
He moved to Maryland permanently
in April 2022. He had no job lined up, but
also knew he wasn’t ready to retire. He
became the chief of police and public safety
director for the University of the District of
Columbia, and then applied for his current
NIH position a year later.
What inspired the change? Spruill had a
high opinion of the NIH police force already,
from interactions during training exercises
and other joint activities while he worked in
Alexandria.
“I’ve always considered NIH law
enforcement to be a high-performing and
professional [department],” he said.
What piqued his interest, though, was his
stepson’s internship experience that led to a
budding biology career.
“The experience he had here at NIH
transformed him into a contributing citizen
and scientist,” and inspired Spruill to apply.
He began in early November and is “very
happy to be here.” As there was a two-year
gap between Spruill’s appointment and the
previous chief’s departure, there is a lot to
do, but Spruill is confident in his employees.
“[The NIH police force] is an outstanding
organization with highly committed and
outstanding employees,” he said.
Are there any dierences when it comes
to policing a federal agency after a career of
municipal policing?
Not really, according to Spruill: “Policing
is the same no matter where you are.”
NIH does have more of an emphasis on
security, he noted, from protecting scientists
and their research to ensuring safe and
uneventful visits of public figures.
One major priority for Spruill is
increasing rapport with the broader NIH
community. With his background as a
disadvantaged youth and later as a police
ocer working with the public, he under-
stands that there is a disconnect between law
enforcement and the people they serve.
“I think that, not just at NIH, but globally,
we as law enforcement need to do a better
job of explaining what our rules are and why
we have to do things a certain way,” he said.
He sees opportunities to do that in
engagement.
“I’d like to let the public see our employ-
ees in a positive light, rather than have their
first encounter be in an accident or getting a
ticket,” he reasoned.
Spruill is also committed to promoting
equity, diversity and inclusion. He is keenly
aware of its importance in his line of work.
“People inherently trust other people who
look like them…the more that we look like
the community we serve, the more comfort-
able they are going to be in engaging with us.”
What can NIH’ers expect from the police
department in the future?
Expect to see some education and aware-
ness initiatives on trac safety on campus,
Spruill said. Drivers should also slow down
and pay attention, and pedestrians should
consider staying o their phones while
crossing the street.
If any oces or community stakeholders
would like to collaborate with Spruill, his
door is open.
“I would love to have the opportunity for
folks to interact with us and talk about how
we can work together,” he said.
Spruill, shown here in 2020, has served as chief
of Huntersville Police in North Carolina and
Athens-Clarke County Police in Georgia.
Volunteers Sought for NCI Study
NCI is looking for volunteers who have endo-
metrial cancer. The purpose of the study is to
test two investigational study drugs, a vaccine
that targets HER2 (AdHER2DC) and a drug
that improves immune cells that destroy tumor
cells (N-803). Both drugs will be combined with
two FDA-approved cancer treatment drugs
for people with endometrial cancer. Research
procedures will be provided at no cost; travel
assistance may also be available. For details,
contact the Clinical Center’s Oce of Patient
Recruitment at 866-444-8810 or ccopr@nih.
gov and refer to study #001557-C. To learn
more online, visit https://go.nih.gov/NEJnMuT.
VOLUNTEERS
NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024 • 5
‘Blind Poet’ Steele Visits NIH
Dave Steele, also known as “The Blind Poet,”
brought his metered
message of hope and inspi-
ration to the NIH campus,
Apr. 9-10. He visited NIH
at the request of NEI
Scientific Director Dr. Kapil
Bharti, who co-organized
a retreat for NEI intramural
research sta.
Steele gave introductory
remarks at the retreat,
sharing his personal
journey with vision loss and
a poem he’d written for
NEI, including the following
lines:
…The impact of your
research stretches far beyond the eye, touching
hearts, changing lives, let this poet be your why.
In the laboratories and in the clinics where your
Above, NEI Scientific Director Dr. Kapil
Bharti listens as Steele reads to NEI retreat
attendees. Below, Steele performs a reading
outside the CC chapel.
Dave Steele reads to families at the
Children’s Inn at NIH.
magic paves the way, lies a future bright with
promise, and it’s why I’m here today…
Steele hails from Manchester, United Kingdom.
A former singer and car salesman, he has
an inherited eye
disease called retinitis
pigmentosa (RP),
which progressively
degenerates the eye’s
light-sensing retina. His
diagnosis 10 years ago,
he said, marked the
beginning of a major
transition in his life,
career and identify.
“I lost my job,” he
recounted. “I was
working in car sales
at the time. I was also
working as a singer.
Everything I did involved
driving, getting around
independently. And that started what was a
very tough time for me and my family.”
To cope with the emotional toll of losing his
sight, Steele began writing and performing
poetry. He has so far published four books of
poetry: Stand By Me RP volumes 1, 2 and 3, and
Austin’s Amazing Adventures.
Through these collections, he relays the expe-
rience of growing blind, learning to embrace
his disability, navigating his world in a new way
and discovering new talents.
Steele claims that he is happier now than
before he went blind. He is happily married
with children and now makes a living by selling
his poetry and making appearances around the
world as a motivational speaker. He also advo-
cates for the blind and rare disease research.
“I hope Dave’s message reminds you—as it
does me—of how meaningful our work is,” said
Bharti in closing remarks.
Steele hosted a lunchtime poetry workshop for
retreat participants. He also gave readings at
the Clinical Center and the Children’s Inn at NIH.
Learn more about Steele’s poetry on his
website: https://www.theblindpoet.net/.
‘EMBRACING BELONGING’
NIH Hosts AANHPI Heritage
Events, May 30
NIH is hosting a daylong series of events on
Thursday, May 30 to celebrate Asian American
Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)
Heritage Month. The series, “Innovating Future
Biomedical Health Care with Embracing
Belonging,” will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
throughout Bldg. 10.
Enjoy a “music as
medicine” performance
by Sehwang Kim, a South
Korean guitarist and
singer/songwriter from
10 to 11:30 a.m. in the
Clinical Center atrium.
Then head over to try
some bibimbap and other
Korean food on the FAES terrace from 11:40 a.m. to
12:40 p.m. During this event, there will be a meet
and greet with Kim and Soyeon Yi, a South Korean
astronaut and scientist.
At 12:45 p.m., Yi and Kim will speak on “Bridging
NIH Clinical Research with Innovative Concepts to
Shaping the Future of Human Health” at a fireside
chat in Lipsett Amphitheater that will also feature
speakers from the National Eye Institute and
the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Research (NIDCR). Afterwards, a symposium
will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. featuring investi-
gators from NIDCR and the National Institute of
Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
The events are presented by the Clinical Center,
NIDCR, NIH’s chapter of KWiSE (Korean-American
Women in Science and Engineering) and NIH’s
Oce of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Annual ‘Take a Hike’ Day Scheduled for June 6, Oers Remote Option
Come together for a day of physical activity and camaraderie. NIH’s 16th annual Take a Hike Day will
be held on Thursday, June 6, starting at Bldg. 1’s front lawn at 11:30 a.m., rain or shine. Participants will
walk, run and roll the 3.25-mile perimeter of the Bethesda campus.
Take note: Participants may select from 10 NIH locations and routes at which to participate in the
event, including a “remote” option. For more information and to register, visit:
https://ors.od.nih.gov/pes/dats/wellness/hike/Pages/hike.aspx.
To volunteer to help with the event or to sponsor a break station along the route, emailorganizers at
[email protected].nih.gov.
AANHPI Heritage Month events will feature
South Korean astronaut Soyeon Ye (shown
above) and guitarist Sehwang Kim (below).
6 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
TYCTWD
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Fury (seated on sidewalk at right) awaits his handler’s commands during a K-9 demo outside Bldg. 31.
PHOTOS: CHIA-CHI CHARLIE CHANG
At left at NIH’s Earth Day observance, NIH Record cub reporter Ethan Talesnik, age 8, listens as Chris
Wanjek, communications director for the Oce of Intramural Research, describes composting in action,
showing his bin of thousands of worms feasting on food scraps. At right, children pet Spike, the alligator.
At left, kids touch and inflate healthy and diseased pig lungs; at right, kids participate in a simulated
bronchoscopy led by NHLBI’s Dr. Amisha Barochia.
PHOTOS: CHI-CHIA CHARLIE CHANG
in a session hosted by the National Heart,
Lung and Blood Institute. Across the room,
young people blew air into a tube to assess
pulmonary function.
“We wanted the kids to appreciate a
visual of how much air moves in and out of
their chests with
a single breath
by capturing it
in a plastic bag,”
said Dr. Amisha
Barochia,
NHLBI sta
clinician.
Barochia also
led a simulation
to show how a
pulmonologist
would assess,
navigate
and sample
aected parts
of the lung. “We
wanted the kids to have a go at manipulating
the bronchoscope through a model of the
airways,” she said.
Over in the Audiology Clinic, a lab tech
spun around in a rotary chair to show how
balance is connected to the eyes and ears.
Dr. Chris Zalewski, an audiologist with
the National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders, told the
wide-eyed young participants, “If someone
doesn’t have a vestibular system, their eyes
can’t move.”
Children on that tour also visited a series
of soundproof booths,
where they tested each
other’s hearing and saw
real-time graphs of how
the eardrum moves in
response to sound.
Outside, on the crisp
spring day, various
open events with no
space limit kept kids
engaged, from police
K-9 demonstrations
to outdoor fitness
challenges to a walking
tour of the NIH stream.
At the Earth Day
event—which NIH
traditionally holds
Ian Levy, 8, makes a
get-well card for a young
patient staying at the
Children’s Inn at NIH.
PHOTO: REBECCA LEVY/OHR
simultaneously with TYCTWD—exhibits
taught about pollution dangers, lab safety,
recycling, composting and other ways to
protect the planet. By far the biggest crowds
gathered around the reptile rescue, which
featured a Gila monster (the venomous
lizard fully enclosed in his tank), box turtles
and several kinds of snakes. Kids especially
loved petting the star attraction, a three-
year-old alligator named Spike.
“It was an amazing day! We loved every
second of it,” said one mom whose young
son especially enjoyed visiting the NIH fire
station. “When I told him we had to take
a shuttle, he asked if we were going into
space,” she said with a laugh.
Who knows where the day’s memories
will one day take these kids? The sky’s the
limit.
NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024 • 7
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
TYCTWD Inspires Student to
Pursue STEM Creer
When Devon Petty signed up for Take
Your Child to Work Day back in 2015, he
didn’t realize the
life-changing impact
that experience
would have on his
then-11-year-old son.
“My son Jonah
decided his career
path after his
visit to NIH,” said
Petty, who is an IT
professional in the
Oce of Research
Services Development and Support Branch.
Now, Jonah is a sophomore at the University of
Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) studying
bioinformatics and computational biology.
Last summer, Jonah participated as a trainee
in the NIH-funded STEM BUILD program at
UMBC, during which he co-authored a paper
based on his mentored research experience.
And the NIH connection continues. This
summer, Jonah will be an intern in the
National Human Genome Research Institute’s
computational genomics unit.
A Fantastic Voyage: Jonah Petty, age 11,
learns about phlebotomy at TYCTWD in
2015
NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives Dr. Tara Schwetz (c)
smiles with her trivia team at the NIH Directors’ Trivia Challenge in Wilson Hall in Bldg. 1.
Scenes from the day (clockwise, from above):
Aaron Valera Walter, 11, son of NCI’s Drs. Vlad
Valera Romero and Beatriz Walter-Rodriguez,
checks out 3D-printed creations at the NIH
Library; kids get goopy making elephant
toothpaste; young apprentices peer up close
at bone; Teresa Bauch, an NIH medical tech,
shows strep and other bacteria in petri dishes;
a future scientist conducts an experiment.
ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT: CHIA-CHI CHARLIE CHANG
Jonah Petty
At left, Dr. Peter Grayson of NIAMS and daughter Poppy pose with Mr. Bones; at right NCI’s Dr. Meryem
Malik and daughter Amal go glam alongside the superstar skeleton.
PHOTOS: COLLEEN DUNDAS/NIAMS
8 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
NIA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
NIA’s roots stem from founding director
Dr. Robert N. Butler, who worked tirelessly
to liberate the rapidly growing population
from the stigmas associated with older age.
Simultaneously, he increased broad aware-
ness of age-related diseases and conditions,
including Alzheimer’s disease, cementing a
strong foundation for the institute.
Since then, the importance of aging
research has continued to increase as the
aging population grows. Over the last three
decades, NIA has made enormous strides in
the field, and been the catalyst for positive
change.
“We’ve seen the growth of cutting-edge
aging research across a spectrum of molecu-
lar, cellular, behavioral and clinical sciences
that’s widely recognized in the research com-
munity and reflected in high-impact findings
and publications across these fields,” said
Dr. Richard Hodes, who has served as NIA
director for the past 31 years. “We’ve also
seen the translation of research findings into
clinical practice and policy to benefit quality
of life for older
adults and across
the lifespan, as well
as an increased
appreciation of
population diver-
sity and individual
dierences relevant
to healthy aging and
disease outcomes.”
Hodes also noted
NIA’s progress in
enhancing open
access to data and resources, as well as
research collaborations across NIH insti-
tutes, centers and oces and with other
federal agencies.
“Last but not least,” Hodes said, “I would
note the advances in understanding and
approaches to diagnosis and treatment of
Alzheimer’s and related dementias.”
NIA Deputy Director Dr. Amy Kelley
spoke to the scope of NIA’s research. “NIA
has a pivotal role in improving quality of life
and the health span for older adults because
we support the full breadth of science from
fundamental discovery related to the biology
of aging up through the environmental and
societal factors that impact aging and health
over the lifespan,” she said.
One of the most important ways NIA has
influenced changes in health care for older
adults has been through supporting their
inclusion in clinical studies and clinical
trials, Kelley pointed out.
“NIH policy now requires inclusion of
research participants across the lifespan,
thus ensuring the science we
support has broader applica-
bility to all people,” she said.
“In addition, NIA supports
the Baltimore Longitudinal
Study of Aging—the nation’s
longest running scientific
study of human aging—and
has supported multiple
large-scale clinical trials
that have yielded important
findings specifically for older
adults.”
In addition to those
accomplishments, Hodes said he’s proud of
maintaining the commitment of NIA sta
to its mission, creativity, and collegiality
through a period of unprecedented growth
and complexity. NIA’s budget has more than
tripled over the past
decade, particularly
in the area of
dementia research,
and the institute
has grown with it.
“I would also
recognize NIA’s
work in creating
an increasingly
diverse workforce
with outcomes of
enhanced produc-
tivity and a sense of inclusive community,”
he said.
Looking ahead, what would the two
leaders say to those just starting out in the
field?
“Early-career sta bring with them new
ideas and perspectives that are important to
maintaining our vitality as we move into the
future and are the face of the next generation
of aging research,” Hodes said.
“The pace of science has accelerated and
the opportunities for high-impact discovery
are unprecedented,” added Kelley. “We need
all of their passion, intellect and creativity
to address the needs of the population we
serve and maximize the positive impact
biomedical research can have on the lives
and well-being of older adults in the U.S. and
around the world.”
To learn more about NIA’s history and
50
th
anniversary activities, visit www.
nia.nih.gov/50years or read a Journal of
the American Geriatrics Society article—
https://bit.ly/3wr7cP8.
At left, in Bldg. 1’s Wilson Hall, NIH Director Dr. James Wyngaarden (l) administers the oath of oce to Dr. T. Franklin Williams,
who was sworn in as the second director of NIA on July 5, 1983. Observing the ceremony are Williams’s daughter Mary and
wife Catharine, HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler and HHS Assistant Secretary Dr. Edward Brandt. At right, at an NIA-NASA
workshop held January 1999 in the Clinical Center, NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes greets former astronaut and U.S. Sen.
John Glenn, who flew in the 1998 Space Shuttle Discovery mission as part of a study on aging.
Hodes and NIA Deputy Director Dr. Amy Kelley
In 1979, First Lady Rosalynn Carter and first
NIA Director Dr. Robert N. Butler (c), who
both spoke at a National Conference on
Mental Health and the Elderly, stand with
U.S. Rep. Claude Pepper, chair of the House
Select Committee on Aging (and NIH Bldg. 31
namesake). According to the June 12, 1979 NIH
Record report on the conference, “Butler urged
that geriatrics be incorporated into medical,
nursing, social work and psychology curricula,
and that funds be increased for studies on
senile dementia and related disorders.”
NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024 • 9
New Sttue Erected t NIH on Ntionl DNA Dy
NIH welcomed a new sculpture on its Bethesda campus. Titled, “The Ladder,” the statue
celebrates DNA and children. It was dedicated at a ceremony on Apr. 25, National DNA Day.
The statue and dedication were hosted through a collaboration involving the Clinical
Center, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
“The Ladder” creator Mary Ellen Scherl said she took inspiration from biblical imagery
and modern science, drawing parallels between a ladder leading to heaven in the Old
Testament book of Genesis and the structure of DNA. The bend in the path of the ladder is
translated into the familiar double-helix.
“I want people to walk away with a sense of joy and celebration of humanity and science, of
their inclusiveness,” Scherl said.
The four messengers “ascending and descending” the sculpture take the form of children,
representing the four nucleic acids that encode our genetic information and the diversity of
humanity, according to Scherl.
“The Ladder” embraces a personal subject for the artist. Adopted at infancy, Scherl
reconnected with her birth family with the help of modern genetics.
Using a commercial genetic test, she embarked on a years-long search for her relatives.
One of those relatives, her half-brother Dr. John Constantino, an NIH grantee, spoke at the
statue dedication.
The artwork is one of many that Scherl has created to engage with social issues. She was
inspired to work on projects with public impact after seeing the profound eect her project
“Mamorial,” a breast cancer initiative that invites breast cancer survivors to make a mold of
their aected chests, had on survivors. Scherl has since created works that address diverse
topics, including body image, genetics and women in military service.
Scherl’s work is exhibited at Vanderbilt University; the Contemporary Museum of
Sculpture in Datong, China; the New York University Langone Medical Centers; and the
Miami Military Museum.
In addition to Scherl and Constantino, featured speakers at the Apr. 25 dedication
included Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, NIH director; Dr. Diana Bianchi, NICHD director; Dr.
James Gilman, Clinical Center CEO; Dr. Eric Green, NHGRI director; and Frank Piatkowski
of the Oce of Research Facilities.
National DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003
and the discovery of DNA’s double-helical structure in 1953.
Speakers at the artwork’s debut included (from l) Dr. Eric Green, NHGRI director; Dr. John Constantino,
an NIH grantee; Mary Ellen Scherl, “The Ladder” creator; Dr. Diana Bianchi, NICHD director; Dr. James
Gilman, Clinical Center CEO; and Frank Piatkowski, senior architect in NIH’s Oce of Research Facilities.
NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli gives
remarks at the statue’s dedication event.
The four messengers “ascending and
descending” the sculpture take the form of
children, representing the four nucleic acids
that encode our genetic information and the
diversity of humanity, according to the artist
(shown at podium).
PHOTOS: ERNESTO DEL AGUILA/NHGRI
10 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
Executive Leadership Program Alumni Reunite at NIEHS
This past March, graduates of the NIH
Executive Leadership Program (ExLP)
convened at the National Institute on
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
for two days to explore how to best
leverage coaching, mentoring and sponsor-
ship activities to ensure employees receive
equitable access to growth and advance-
ment opportunities.
ExLP alums also examined research
about eective leadership in a hybrid
work environment and shared best prac-
tices relating to employee engagement in
the hybrid workplace. Five ExLP cohorts
were represented, dating back to the first
cohort in 2010.
Hosted by ExLP alum and NIEHS
Deputy Director Dr. Trevor Archer, the
event gave participants a unique opportu-
nity to engage with NIEHS leadership via a
panel discussion/Q&A, visit NIH labs and
meet with intramural scientists to learn
more about ongoing research initiatives.
Participants also took a tour of the expan-
sive NIEHS campus.
If you are an aspiring or existing “top
six” NIH leader, recruitment is underway
for the 2024-2025 ExLP.
To learn more about this seven-month
intensive leadership experience, visit:
https://go.nih.gov/CcfY44y.
ExLP alumni visiting NIEHS include (seated, from l) Dr. Xavier Soosai, Dr. Alice Chen, Dr. Colleen
Hadigan, Julie Berko, Keisha Berkley (ExLP program sta), Dr. Trevor Archer, Dr. Roland Owens, Dr.
Rohan Hazra; and (standing from l) Dr. Anita Kishore (ExLP program sta), Cyrena Silvera (ExLP
program sta), Ellen Rolfes, Dr. Meredith Temple O’Connor, Dr. Jonathan Odim, Dr. Douglas Sheeley,
Dr. Maryland Pao, Dr. Carolyn Hutter, Dr. Gwen Collman, Bekah Geiger, Dr. LaShawndra Price, Dr.
Janet Hall, Dexter Collins, Dr. Lisa Cunningham, Dr. Patrick Bellgowan, Rodney Rivera, Dr. Patricia
Jones, Dr. Anna Ramsey-Ewing, Victor Voloshin, Dr. Helene Langevin, Dr. Cheryl Boyce and Amico
Matsumoto (ExLP program sta).
Researchers Find Brain
Connections Related to ADHD
NIH researchers have discovered that
symptoms of
attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) are tied to
atypical interactions
between the brain’s
frontal cortex and
information-processing
centers deep in the
brain. The study was led
by researchers at the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) and National Human
Genome Research Institute.
Scientists examined more than 10,000
functional brain images of youth with ADHD
and published their results in the American
Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr. Luke Norman, a sta scientist in the
NIMH Oce of the Clinical Director, and
colleagues analyzed brain images supplied
by more than 8,000 youth with and without
ADHD, sourced from six dierent functional
imaging datasets. Using these images, they
examined associations between functional
brain connectivity and ADHD symptoms.
They found that youth with ADHD had
heightened connectivity between structures
deep in the brain involved in learning,
movement, reward and emotion (caudate,
putamen and nucleus accumbens seeds)
and structures in the frontal area of the
brain involved in attention and control of
unwanted behaviors (superior temporal gyri,
insula, inferior parietal lobe and inferior
frontal gyri).
While neuroscience researchers have
long suspected that ADHD symptoms
result from atypical interactions between
the frontal cortex and these deep informa-
tion-processing brain structures, studies
testing this model have returned mixed
findings, possibly due to the small nature
of the studies, with only 100 or so subjects.
Researchers suggest these smaller studies
may not have been able to reliably detect the
brain interactions leading to the complex
behaviors seen in ADHD.
Findings from this study help further
our understanding of the brain processes
contributing to ADHD symptoms—informa-
tion that can help inform clinically relevant
research and advancements.
Dr. Luke Norman
Engaging in a panel discussion are (from l) Dr. Lashawndra Price (seated), Keisha Berkley, Dr.
Jerry Yakel, Dr. Gwen Collman, Dr. Trevor Archer and Dr. Janet Hall.
LEVERAGING EXPERIENCE
NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024 • 11
Six NIHer’s Among Newly Elected AAAS Fellows
MILESTONES
The American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS) elected 502 scientists,
engineers and innovators from around the
world and across all disciplines to its 2023 class
of fellows. Six NIHer’s are among the electees.
AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific
society and publisher of the Science family of
journals.
Newly elected fellows are recognized for
scientific and socially notable achievements
spanning their careers. Election is one of the
most distinguished honors in the scientific
community.
Section on Biological Sciences
Dr. Stephen Chanock, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Julie Segre, National Human Genome
Research Institute
Dr. Gisela Storz,Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development
Section on Engineering
Dr. Erin Lavik,National Cancer Institute
Section on Medical Sciences
Dr. Daniel Salo Reich, National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Section on Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. Jürgen Wess, National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
AAAS fellows have been recognized for
their achievements across disciplines—from
research, teaching and technology, to
administration in academia, industry and
government, to excellence in communicating
and interpreting science to the public.
AAAS first launched this lifetime recognition
in 1874. Individuals are elected annually by the
AAAS council. New fellows are recognized at
a ceremonial forum during the AAAS annual
meeting, where they are presented with a
certificate and blue and gold rosette.
NIHer’s Win HHS Departmental Awards
Three National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers are among winners
of the 2024 HHS Departmental Awards, the highest awards issued
by the department.They were honored May 7 in the Great Hall of the
Humphrey Bldg.
Every year, HHS’s Departmental Awards honor HHS employees and
teams who distinguished themselves in the previous year. These
employees faced and overcame some of the world’s biggest and
most pressing health-related challenges as they worked to enhance
the health and well-being of all Americans.
Dr. W. Marston Linehan received the Secretary’s Award for
Distinguished Service, the highest honor award granted. He is a
senior investigator in NCI’s Urologic Oncology Branch. Linehan and
his group reported the discovery of the VHL gene, the gene for the
hereditary form of clear cell kidney cancer, von Hippel Lindau, as
well as the common form of sporadic, non-familial clear cell kidney
cancer.
Dr. Brigitte Widemann received theSecretary’s Award for
Meritorious Service, the second highest honor award granted. It
recognizes HHS employees for their achievements and for inspiring
others to improve their performance. Widemann is chief of NCI’s
Pediatric Oncology Branch. Her leadership and support of branch
investigators have directly contributed to development of the next
generation of outstanding physician-scientists and enabled many
additional important discoveries by her colleagues.
Dr. Andre Nussenzweig received the HHS Career Achievement Award,
which recognizes HHS employees with 10 or more years at HHS
for their dedication to the department. Nussenzweig is chief of the
Laboratory of Genome Integrity in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research.
One of the world’s leading authorities and contributors to the study
of DNA repair, Nussenzweig has made groundbreaking advances in
understanding molecular pathways that maintain genome stability.
This year, the Oce of Human Resources at HHS received more
than 120 nominations from which leadership selected 32 individual
and team recipients.
NIH’ers newly elected to AAAS are (from l) Dr. Stephen Chanock, Dr. Erin Lavik, Dr. Daniel Salo Reich, Dr. Julie Segre, Dr. Gisela Storz and Dr. Jürgen Wess.
Dr. W. Marston Linehan, Dr. Andre Nussenzweig and Dr. Brigitte
Widemann were recently honored by HHS.
12 • NIH RECORD • MAY 24, 2024
NIH’s ‘Hometown Newspaper’
Turns 75
The year was 1949. RCA introduced 7-inch vinyl
records that came to be known as “45s” and the
first polaroid camera went on sale for about $90.
That was 75 years ago and the National Institutes
of Health had a media debut of its own: The first
NIH Record, a newsletter for sta, rolled o the
presses. Containing items about everything from
NIH’s help combatting malaria in Africa to Dr.
Margaret Pittman’s election as president of the
D.C. Society of American Bacteriologists to the
spring opening of the NIH Softball Association
season, the four-page publication, produced
every two weeks on payday, painted the agen-
cy’s portrait with broad strokes.
Now, sharing its milestone anniversary with the
likes of the National Basketball Association,
Jolly Ranchers candy and Lego building blocks,
the Record—NIH’s hometown news outlet—has
grown to 12 pages and is still published in print
and online biweekly, continues to tell stories
for, by and about the greater NIH biomedical
research community, and—we hope—maintains
its reputation as the “second best thing about
payday.”
Look for us regularly on the Bethesda campus
at kiosks in Bldgs. 1, 10 and 31. And check out
our archives online at https://nihrecord.nih.
gov/past-issues, where you can find every
edition since the beginning.
SEEN
