NIH CLINICAL CENTER • DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT 

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services • National Institutes of Health

PROFILE 2012

There’s No 

Other Hospital 

Like It
Keep in touch with the 

NIH Clinical Center

Go online, clinicalcenter.nih.gov

Find us on Facebook, Twitter

and YouTube

 

Dr. Melinda Merchant, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National 

Cancer Institute, snapped these shots of the Healing 

Waters statue and fountain in each season. Healing Waters, 

a work of art by Azriel Awret, is located in the Clinical Center’s west Atrium courtyard. The bronze sculpture depicts 

a young woman drinking water from her cupped hands, 

referencing the Biblical healing waters of Bethesda.
Message from the Director

Mission/Vision

2011 Lasker~Bloomberg Public 

Service Award

Patient Activity and Support

Advancing Clinical Research

Training the Next Generation

Organizational Improvement/Teamwork

Noteworthy

Organization and Governance

C O N T E N T S 2 0 1 2

PROFILE 2012

There’s No 

Other Hospital 

Like It

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A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3

On September 23, 2011, the NIH Clinical Center received an historic honor for its 

decades of service as a model clinical research hospital. The Mary and Albert Lasker 

Foundation named the Clinical Center as recipient of the 2011 Lasker~Bloomberg 

Public Service Award. The award recognizes the Clinical Center’s rich history in 

medical discovery and clinical research training. The award also honors the nearly half 

a million patients and healthy volunteers who have participated in clinical research 

here since the hospital opened in 1953. I invite you to read more about the award 

and the community’s celebration in this edition of Profile.

The Lasker Award honors a collective body of work and inspires future endeavors. 

In 2011, progress was made in carrying out recommendations from the 

Congressionally mandated NIH Scientific Management Review Board’s “Report on 

the NIH Clinical Center.” The report’s call for a streamlined governance structure led 

to the creation of the Clinical Center Governing Board, made up of Institute Directors, 

that will complement the existing NIH Advisory Board for Clinical Research. The 

Clinical Center Governing Board will explore new, more stable funding models and 

new approaches for opening the doors of the Clinical Center to external collaborators. 

During 2012, one goal we have is to provide external investigators with new 

partnerships with intramural investigators that will allow access to the Clinical Center’s 

special resources. These resources include our imaging capabilities, the pharmacy’s 

“good manufacturing practices” facility for formulating drugs for clinical trials, the 

portfolio of clinical research training programs, our unique patient populations, and 

informatics tools. 

As President Harry S. Truman said when he placed the Clinical Center’s cornerstone 

in 1951, “Modern medicine must find ways of detecting...diseases in their early stages 

and of stopping their destructive force. That will be the major work of this clinical 

research center.” And it continues to be the Clinical Center’s work, centered on 

exceptional patient care and an unrivaled environment for clinical research.

John I. Gallin, MD

CC Director

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R
There’s No Other Hospital Like It

O U R V I S I O N

O U R M I S S I O N

As America’s research hospital, we will lead the global effort in 

training today’s investigators and discovering tomorrow’s cures. 

To provide a versatile clinical research environment enabling the NIH mission 

to improve human health by:

• investigating the pathogenesis of disease;

• conducting first-in-human clinical trials with an emphasis on rare diseases 

and diseases of high public health impact;

• developing state-of-the-art diagnostic, preventive, and 

therapeutic interventions;

• training the current and next generations of clinical researchers; and,

• ensuring that clinical research is ethical, efficient, and of high 

scientific quality.

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A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 5

R E C E N T N I H C L I N I C A L C E N T E R A C H I E V E M E N T S

In 2011, The Clinical Center:

• Received the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Award “For serving since its inception 

as a model research hospital — providing innovative therapy and high-quality 

patient care, treating rare and severe diseases, and producing outstanding 

physician-scientists whose collective work has set a standard of excellence in 

biomedical research.”

• Continued the NIH-Project SEARCH project. The NIH-Project SEARCH 

program graduated 12 young adults with disabilities from a 30-week unpaid 

internship at the CC in June. The Clinical Center was chosen as the 2011 

Employer of the Year by Maryland Works, Inc., for its NIH-Project SEARCH pilot. 

• Made strides in opening the doors of the Clinical Center to external 

investigators. Input from potential collaborations was sought through a formal 

call for information and will guide future plans. 

• Explored a new Bench-to-Bedside program that will complement the one 

established by the CC in 1999. Funded projects will use CC facilities and 

involve extramural and intramural collaborators. 

• Launched a new Medical Research Scholars Program for medical and 

dental students. The program will offer research experiences with intramural 

investigators from across NIH in basic science laboratories and in clinical and 

translational research conducted at the Clinical Center.

• Expanded international training initiatives in clinical research. The CC’s 

Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research course 

was offered in Russia for the first time in November. Nursing leaders taught 

evidence-based practice in China in April.

• Acquired a fully integrated whole-body simultaneous positron emission 

tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. The 

purchase of the scanner was made possible through the Center for 

Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, a Department of Defense-funded 

collaboration between NIH and the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences.

• Implemented new resources in the Biomedical Translational Research 

Information System. BTRIS currently has more than 3.5 billion rows of data. 

• Activated electronic documentation in the intensive care unit. Electronic 

documentation in patient medical records will streamline clinical 

documentation, increase efficiency, and improve patient safety.
6 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

The NIH Clinical Center received the 2011 

Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award in ceremonies on Sept. 23 at the Albert and Mary Lasker 

Foundation, which has recognized outstanding 

advances in medical research each year since 1945, 

in New York City. The award honors the Clinical Center for serving as a model institution that 

has transformed scientific advances into innovative 

therapies and provided high-quality care to patients.

The award recognizes the Clinical Center’s rich history of medical discovery through clinical research 

since it opened in 1953. Over the decades, nearly 

half a million volunteers have participated in clinical research at the Clinical Center. Its mission has 

remained providing exceptional clinical care for 

research volunteers, an environment for innovative 

bench-to-bedside clinical research, and training for 

clinical researchers. 

“The Clinical Center, the world’s largest clinical 

research hospital, exists to help scientists who are 

clinicians rapidly translate promising discoveries in 

the laboratory into new and better ways to treat 

and prevent disease,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, 

NIH director. “The Clinical Center’s 58-year 

research portfolio has resulted in remarkable medical 

advances.”

Those medical milestones include development 

of chemotherapy for cancer; the first use of an 

immunotoxin to treat a malignancy (hairy cell 

leukemia); identification of the genes that cause 

kidney cancer, leading to the development of six 

new, targeted treatments for advanced kidney cancer; 

the demonstration that lithium helps depression; the 

first gene therapy; the first treatment of AIDS (with 

AZT); and the development of tests to detect AIDS/

HIV and hepatitis viruses in blood, which led to a 

safer blood supply.

“The Clinical Center’s work has always depended 

on patients and healthy individuals from around the 

world who volunteer for clinical research here,” said 

Dr. John I. Gallin, director of the Clinical Center. 

“Our patients include those with rare diseases, 

common disorders, and undiagnosed conditions. 

There are about 1,500 clinical research studies under 

way today and the patients and healthy volunteers 

who participate in them are true partners in 

research.” 

NIH Clinical Center receives 

2011 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award 

Dr. John I. Gallin, CC director 

(second, from left), accepted 

the 2011 Lasker~Bloomberg 

award on behalf of the CC 

and the NIH from (from left) 

Dr. Maria Freire, Lasker 

Foundation president; Michael 

Bloomberg, New York City 

Mayor and the award’s 

namesake; Dr. Alfred Sommer, 

Lasker Foundation chair; and 

Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president 

of the Institute of Medicine 

and chair of the 2011 Lasker 

Foundation Public Service 

Award Committee.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 7

For serving since its inception as a model research hospital — 

providing innovative therapy and high-quality patient care, 

treating rare and severe diseases, and producing outstanding 

physician-scientists whose collective work has set a standard 

of excellence in biomedical research.

For more about the award and the Clinical Center, 

visit clinicalcenter.nih.gov/ccaward.html

Advancements through clinical research also depend on 

having a cadre of investigators trained to do it, Gallin 

added. “Students in the health sciences and clinicians come 

here to learn how to conduct clinical research by working closely with NIH investigators. Since 1995, more than 

22,000 students around the world have participated in the 

Clinical Center’s clinical research training curriculum 

offered through distance-learning programs.” 

The original hospital opened in 1953. A new research 

hospital, the 240-bed Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research 

Center, opened in 2004. Most of NIH’s 27 institutes and 

centers conduct clinical research at the Clinical Center 

through their programs on the NIH campus in Bethesda, 

Md. NIH plans to open the facility for use by external 

researchers, based on the 2010 recommendations from 

the Scientific Management Review Board, established 

under the NIH Reform Act of 2006, which will allow the 

Clinical Center to facilitate clinical research on a broader 

scale. On September 28, 2011, patients, staff and other 

members of the CC family gathered for a community 

celebration in the CC atrium.

The award—a replica of the 

“Winged Victory of Samothrace,” 

also called “Nike of Samothrace,” 

sculpture created by the Greeks 

in 190 BC to honor the goddess 

of victory—was chosen by Mary 

Lasker because it represented in 

her words, “victory over disability, 

disease, and death.” The CC’s 

award is on permanent display 

on the first floor to the east of 

the South elevators, across from 

the wall honoring the NIH Lasker 

awardees. 

THE CLINICAL CENTER OF THE 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

Patients Jerry Sachs and 

Mandy Young represented the CC’s partners 

in research at the Lasker 

Award ceremony
8 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

HOME STATES OF ALL ACTIVE CLINICAL CENTER PATIENTS

WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION FY 2011 BUDGET BY MAJOR CATEGORY

384.8 MILLION

Patients come to NIH from 

every corner of America 

seeking answers to their 

scientific and medical questions. 

Finding these answers through 

leading-edge clinical research 

is the sole mission of the 

NIH Clinical Center, guiding 

all of its activity. 

VT 79

NH 138

MA 632

RI 87

CT 432

NJ 1,255

DE 348

DC 5,664

MD 24,970

Nursing & patient care/support 

services 42% 

Administrative & operations 17.3%

Clinical departments & 

imaging sciences 

departments 40.7% 

Salaries and benefits 57%

NIH assessments 7%

Drugs 10% 

Contracts (labor) 7%

Contracts (non-labor) 8%

Equipment 3%

Supplies 6%

All other 2%

The Clinical Center has a staff of 

approximately 2,000.

WA

445

OR

274

CA

1,624

ID

127

MT

102

WY

48

NV

128 UT

338

CO

485

AZ

413

NM

143

ND

40

SD

27

NE

161

KS

218

OK

261

TX

1,112

MN

446

IA

191

MO

429

AR

116

LA

328

WI

416

IL

888

IN

467

OH

905

MI

716

TN

427

MS

167

AL

242

GA

725

NC

2,067

SC

475

FL

1,704

VA

10,822

PA

2,335

NY

2,099

ME

142

WV

KY 498

333

AK

48

HI

68

Patient Activity and

Support
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 9

O N S I T E C L I N I C A L A C T I V I T Y F O R 2 0 0 7 – 2 0 1 1

P A T I E N T A C T I V I T Y 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 1

2009

2010

2011

Admissions 5.3% Ó

6.6% Ô

1% Ó

6,426

6,000

6,082

2009

2010

2011

New patients 9% Ó

2.2% Ô

6% Ó

10,315

10,086

10,696

2009

2010

2011

Inpatient days 8.5% Ó

1.5% Ó

0.2% Ó

55,664

56,502

56,594

2009

2010

2011

Average length of stay (days) 2.6% Ó

7.6% Ó

2% Ô

8.7

9.4

9.2

2009

2010

2011

Outpatient visits 6.8% Ó

0.3% Ó

10% Ó

96,372

96,664

106,134

Active Protocols 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

New Protocols 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Principal Investigators 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

1,390

1,449

1,451

1,443

1,513

166

155

162

158

207

484

478

481

474

489
1 0 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

The Clinical Center hosted its second annual NIH 

Family Caregiver Day November 8. The event 

recognizes critical role of family caregivers. Family 

members and friends who provide emotional and 

physical patient support are essential components 

of the clinical research team here. According to the 

National Alliance for Caregiving, about 65.7 million people living in nearly 36 million households 

serve as unpaid family caregivers. Caregivers often 

maintain home responsibilities in addition to being 

at the bedside of their loved one. They administer 

medications, drive their loved ones to and from 

medical appointments, and help coordinate their 

care. 

Event guest speaker Dr. Gary Epstein-Lubow addressed “Strategic Directions for Assisting Family 

Caregivers in Hospital Settings.” He is assistant 

professor of psychiatry and human behavior at 

Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. 

“Every day at the Clinical Center we have caregivers who are balancing their own needs with 

those of their loved one,” said Dr. Margaret Bevans, 

CC co-organizer of NIH Family Caregiver Day. 

“We need to understand their experience and help 

them identify what resources are out there to support them.”

Activities included an informational fair where 

CC staff and representatives from local and national caregiver organizations shared educational 

and health oriented resources, including information about maintaining physical, social, and mental 

health.

Bevans and event co-organizer Leslie Wehrlen said 

the take-home message for caregivers is that it is 

important to R.E.S.T. (relax, eat healthy and stay 

active, sleep, and take care of yourself). To reinforce 

that point, the day included a campus nature walk 

and several stress-reducing activities, including 

interactive sessions on mind-body techniques, 

seated massage, walking meditation using a guided 

labyrinth, and relaxation chair sessions. 

To learn more about CC’s caregiver resources, 

visit: clinicalcenter.nih.gov/wecare.

CARING FOR CAREGIVERS

CC patients and budding professional musicians 

Bennett and Mina Burnside performed a set of 

instrumental jazz, funk, and folk to listeners in the 

atrium in June. The pair has already started making 

names for themselves within the music industry. 

Bennett has written songs for use in computer 

games and hopes to write music for movies, television shows, and radio. Mina was recently chosen to 

be one of nine teenage “Got Milk?” spokespersons. 

In addition to playing with each other, they each 

perform with a variety of bands and other musical 

groups in their hometown of Nashville. The Burnsides 

have been patients at the CC for more than 13 years, 

and as they played their sound check their mother 

Jeni Burnside recalled watching them run down the 

halls as toddlers. “I am so happy they had the opportunity to do this,” she said. 
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 1 1

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 1 • 1 1

(Left) Supervisory health technologist Belinda Avila 

gave the Super Sibs a tour of the operating room. 

Sibling Day concluded with an awards ceremony at 

The Children’s Inn where each sibling was presented with a certificate commemorating their participation and role as a “Super Sib.”

SIBLING DAY ACKNOWLEDGES IMPORTANT 

ROLE OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS

(Right) CC art therapist Tosha Davis helped some of the super 

siblings make worry dolls out of fabric and yarn during July’s 

Sibling Day celebration. “It’s been very clear over the years that the 

pain the brother or sister experiences is pretty invisible compared 

to what they witness going on in the family, which is why we 

have created one day a year where siblings can be recognized for 

their role in the family,” said Dr. Lori Wiener, head of the National 

Cancer Institute’s Pediatric Psychosocial Support and Research 

Program and a founder of The Children’s Inn at NIH. Sibling Day 

is a collaboration between Wiener’s program, the Clinical Center 

Rehabilitation Medicine Department Recreation Therapy Section, 

and The Children’s Inn.

TEEN RETREAT

Recreation Therapy section intern Brandon Fitts (center) 

plays a game with Michael Ortiz (left) and Juan Carlos 

Guerrero Lira during June’s Teen Retreat. A collaboration 

between the Clinical Center Rehabilitation Medicine 

Department Recreation Therapy Section and The Children’s 

Inn at NIH, the Teen Retreat unites young adult patients 

over good times and therapeutic events. One of the 

highlights of the Teen Retreat is a panel of survivors of an 

illness or condition they suffered from while a teenager. 

“We have one young adult who is an amputee, and he 

shares his story of being diagnosed at 18. And he’s now 

in medical school,” said Recreation Therapy Section 

Chief Donna Gregory. “So it sends the message to these 

teenagers, who are wise beyond their years, that there is 

life after treatment.”
1 2 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

The Clinical Center Spiritual Care Department 

has much to celebrate after successfully completing 

its 10-year accreditation review from the 

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

“We were indeed very pleased to receive notice of 

our continued accreditation,” said Chaplain John 

Pollack, chief of spiritual care. “That the continued 

accreditation was granted without any notations 

validates all of the hard work and effort that have 

gone into revitalizing this program.”

The accreditation allows the spiritual care 

Department to host Clinical Pastoral Education 

(CPE) interns, six of whom graduated from the 

program in April 2011. The multi-faith group 

participated in a 25-week program designed to 

provide participants with the opportunity to hone 

pastoral skills while working under supervision 

with patients and families facing medical 

challenges.

Rev. Ellen Swinford, CC chaplain and Clinical 

Pastoral Education program supervisor who 

coordinates the program, explained the benefits 

of working in the CC’s unique patient-care 

environment, “People who participate in research 

have been dealing with serious medical challenges 

that often impact their lives for years,” she said. 

“Many of our patients have exhausted other 

resources, which can raise significant spiritual 

questions and faith concerns. Providing spiritual 

care in the face of these questions is a very 

powerful experience, and a good way for spiritual 

leaders to develop competencies that they can 

take with them into other contexts of spiritual or 

pastoral ministry.” 

According to Swinford, program participants grow 

to understand the impact of suffering on people’s 

spiritual lives, while building the skills necessary 

to work collaboratively with health-care providers 

to ensure that the needs of patients are addressed 

with respect and sensitivity. The CC is one of more 

than 300 centers accredited by the Association for 

Clinical Pastoral Education.

CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION PROGRAM CELEBRATES 

MILESTONES

The Spiritual Care 

Department’s Clinical 

Pastoral Education program 

celebrated a 10-year 

accreditation in 2011, along 

with the graduation of 

six program participants, 

including (back row from left) 

chaplain interns David Rose, 

Rick Hudock, Peter Hanke, 

Bruce Lugn, and (front row, 

from left) chaplain intern 

Barbara Bordelon, Rev. Ellen 

Swinford, and chaplain intern 

Cynthia Hill Dopp.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 1 3

PATIENT FAMILY’S GIFT SUPPORTS CC STAFF AND RESEARCH

The family of a former Clinical Center patient 

returned to the intensive care unit in March 

to bestow a gift of appreciation to staff and 

researchers. David de Give received a stem cell 

transplant to treat his myelodysplastic syndrome—

in which the bone marrow does not make enough 

healthy blood cells—at the CC in 2008. He 

returned home and enjoyed life for many months, 

said his wife Josephine (Jolly). With complications, 

David was admitted to the ICU in April 2009 and 

died that June.

“Not only did we have the best and most skilled 

care from the wonderful physicians and nurses, but 

everyone, from the top physicians to the parking 

attendant who stamped our parking ticket each 

morning, were universally friendly, warm, and 

caring. This atmosphere helped so much when 

things were going well, and it helped even more 

when things were not going well,” Jolly said.

She, along with many family members, visited in 

March to see the renovated ICU staff lounge and 

new fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) 

machine bought with a generous gift from their 

family trust, the Friendship Fund, in cooperation 

and with assistance from the Foundation for NIH 

(FNIH).

“We really appreciate your acknowledgement of 

the staff and how important they are,” Dr. Henry 

Masur, chief of the CC Critical Care Medicine 

Department, told the de Give family. “We will 

remember your contribution every time we use 

the room.”

The FACS machine uses antibodies to “label” 

the different “flavors” of white blood cells—

suppressor, effecter, memory cells, for example. 

Monitoring the presence of different cells in the 

event of disease such as graft-versus-host can help 

develop diagnostics and treatments.”We use the 

machine every day,” said Dr. Austin John Barrett, 

principal investigator in the hematology branch 

of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

The visit was jointly arranged by the CC and 

the FNIH. Dr. Scott Campbell, FNIH executive 

director, added that, “FNIH frequently hears from 

grateful patients and their families about the care 

they’ve received from the ICU staff and doctors. 

We are honored to be part of this tribute to David 

and the outstanding staff of the ICU.”

“Santa’s Radiation Workshop” took 

first place honors in the Clinical Center’s 2011 

gingerbread house contest. Dr. John I. Gallin, 

CC director (forth from left), made the announcement. Representing the team were (from left) 

Arlene del Mundo, Matthew Masciocchi, Ava 

Stevens, Pete Guion, Theresa Cooley-Zgela, 

John Ondos, Kristopher Van Amburg, and Elena 

Lita. More than 2,400 paper votes were cast for 

42 entries coming from across NIH.
1 4 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

STELLAR CLINICAL CENTER PERFORMANCE

Renowned composer and conductor Marvin 

Hamlisch (above) presented his seventh annual 

holiday concert at NIH—and his first in the 

Clinical Center’s atrium—on December 20. He 

delighted the packed house of patients, families, 

visitors, and members of the NIH family with his 

talents. Joining him in the performance was tenor 

Gary Mauer (right), who appeared in Broadway’s 

The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. 

Hamlisch is principal pops conductor for the 

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Milwaukee 

Symphony Orchestra; Dallas Symphony Orchestra; 

Pasadena Symphony and Pops; Seattle Symphony; 

and the San Diego Symphony. If an award exists 

in the entertainment field, he’s won it—as a 

composer he has three Oscars, four Grammys, four 

Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globes. 

Previous performances have been at the Edmond 

J. Safra Family Lodge. Hamlisch’s friend, Mrs. 

Lily Safra, along with the Edmond J. Safra 

Philanthropic Foundation, provided the principal 

private funding for the Family Lodge construction. 

She invited him to the Family Lodge’s opening 

celebration on May 26, 2005, and he’s been 

returning every holiday season since.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 1 5

PROTOCOLS BY RESEARCH TYPE 

(ONSITE INTRAMURAL PROTOCOLS, FISCAL YEAR 2011)

Clinical studies are medical research studies (or protocols) 

in which human volunteers participate. Clinical trials

are studies developing or investigating new treatments 

and medications for diseases and conditions. Natural 

history studies investigate normal human biology and 

the development of a particular disease. Screening studies 

determine if individuals may be suitable candidates for 

inclusion in a particular study. Training studies provide 

an opportunity for staff physicians and other health-care 

professionals to follow particular types of patients.

Clinical trials phases 

Phase 0: An initial first-in-human study (20-30

participants) under an exploratory IND 

(investigational new drug) for early 

identification of biologic and molecular 

markers in new clinical agents. There is very 

little agent exposure with no therapeutic or 

diagnostic intent.

Phase I: Researchers test a new drug or treatment 

for the first time in a small group of people 

(20–80) to evaluate its safety, determine a safe 

dosage range, and identify side effects.

Phase II: The study drug or treatment is given to a 

larger group of people (100–300) to see if it is 

effective and to further evaluate its safety.

Phase III: The study drug or treatment is given to 

large groups of people (3,000 or more) to 

confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, 

compare it with commonly used treatments, 

and collect information that will ensure 

safe usage.

Phase IV: These studies are done after the drug 

or treatment has been marketed. Researchers 

continue to collect information about the 

effect of the drug or treatment in various 

populations and to determine any side effects 

from long-term use.

Total active protocols: 1,513

Clinical trials: 707 (47%)

Training: 22 (1%)

Screening: 71 (5%) 

Natural history: 713 (47%)

Breakdown of clinical trials

Total clinical trials: 707

Phase I: 243 (34%) 

Phase 2: 412 (58%)

Phase 3: 36 (5%)

Phase 4 16 (3%)

Advancing Clinical 

Research
1 6 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

The Clinical Center is now home to a fully 

integrated whole-body simultaneous positron 

emission tomography (PET) and magnetic 

resonance imaging (MRI) device.

The new simultaneous PET/MRI will contribute to study of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 

related post-traumatic stress disorder, in order to 

advance the treatment of servicemen and women 

at Walter Reed National Navy Medical Center. 

The purchase of the scanner was made possible 

through the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM), a Department of 

Defense-funded collaboration between the NIH 

and the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences.

“A major challenge in the diagnosis and treatment 

of both military and civilian brain injury patients is 

the lack of sufficient tools to evaluate the type and 

extent of injury in a given patient,” said Regina 

Armstrong, CNRM director. “The Department 

of Defense, through USU and CNRM, has supported development of this new tool of simultaneous PET/MRI at the CC. We expect the NIH 

investigators have the expertise to take maximal 

advantage of this technology by designing novel 

neuroimaging protocols and molecular probes 

that can significantly improve how TBI research is 

performed.”

Dr. David Bluemke, director of CC Radiology and 

Imaging Sciences, added that the device can also 

be advantageous for studying cardiovascular disease, 

other brain disorders, and cancer.

The PET/MRI system uses MRI, which has the 

advantage of producing greatly detailed images. 

Adding PET helps doctors look at the metabolism 

of the tissue. Tumors tend to use more sugar and 

are more metabolically active.

“The MRI and the PET scanner puts two very 

powerful imaging tools together,” said Bluemke. 

“The MRI shows us where the abnormalities are 

in the body. But the PET tells us the metabolic 

activity of that tumor or area in the brain that’s 

abnormal. So, it puts the two most powerful tools 

that we have for imaging together in one unit.”

The new device replaces computer tomography 

(CT) and may help ease the burden on patients 

who often have to undergo multiple testing.

“For patients I think there is going to be major 

change. They frequently go from one place to the 

other in the radiology department. They get one 

test and that leads to yet another test,” Bluemke 

explained. “And as physicians, we currently 

look at the tests and we often don’t have all the 

information. Right now, the MRI needs to be 

interpreted, but we do not have the added value of 

the PET available until the next day. ” 

Bluemke added that if the disease or condition 

can be identified early, patients have a much better chance of being treated successfully. “With an 

MRI/PET we’ll get all that information for the 

patient at the same time, and we’ll also avoid a lot 

of complications in bringing information from 

multiple modalities all together in one place, for 

one diagnosis,” Bluemke said.

Radiology and Imaging 

Sciences technologist Rob 

Evers (left) talks to a patient 

before undergoing a scan 

in the recently acquired 

a simultaneous PET/MRI 

scanner.

COMBINED MRI/PET SCANNER ADVANCES STUDY OF BRAIN INJURY
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 1 7

Though the technology is brand new, it shows 

great promise in its innovative design that has 

already earned the 2011 North American Frost 

& Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation 

and the “red dot” for its high design quality in 

the category “Life Science and Medicine.” 

“It was just released on the market, and it’s 

already gathered quite a bit of attention because 

of the technical beauty of the machine,” 

Bluemke said. “In addition, we are also 

concerned about how that benefits our patient. 

Here we have this opportunity with physicians 

from multiple disciplines all working on various 

research protocols trying to figure out what’s 

best in terms of patient care and what’s the next 

type of treatment.”

Clinical Center Radiology and Imaging Sciences 

is using an innovative new system that allows users 

to access scans anywhere there is a high-speed 

Internet connection. 

The new picture archive and communication 

system (PACS) “lite viewer” allows users to access 

any patient image, anywhere, anytime, said Dr. 

David Bluemke, Radiology and Imaging Sciences 

director. 

A sort of mobile viewing room, the system is designed to work with any browser-enabled device, 

especially portable wireless devices or tablets. The 

system is fast, portable, and user-friendly, allowing 

users to take images with them to meetings, conferences, or even to the library for reference during research. Users can search for data by patient 

name and open and view scans without being 

tied down to a desktop system, enabling efficient 

communication between physicians, radiologists, 

and patients. 

The system is easy to navigate and can display 

massive amounts of patient image data very 

quickly. “Image PACS systems have previously 

been designed for expert radiologists, but we 

know that patient care occurs at the bedside, in 

the conference room, or clinic,” said Bluemke. “We 

need to make NIH patient data available wherever 

our researchers are and whenever then need it.”

NEW RADIOLOGY VIEWER LETS USERS SECURELY ACCESS PATIENT 

SCANS ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

With the new picture archive 

and communication system 

“lite viewer” Jacquin Jones, a 

research nurse coordinator in 

Radiology and Imaging Sciences, can take patient scans 

wherever there is a high-speed 

internet connection, even to the 

NIH Library for reference during 

research.
1 8 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

The Clinical Center Radiology and Imaging 

Sciences research picture archive communication 

system (PACS) allows for increased communication 

and collaboration among intramural researchers 

while keeping data secure, organized, and protected. 

While many hospitals, including the CC, use some 

kind of PACS system for clinical data, according to 

Dr. Ronald Levin, a biomedical engineer, the CC 

is one of the first institutions in the country to use 

such a system specifically to allow researchers to 

view and analyze multi-modality medical images.

Similar to the way that the Clinical Research 

Information System (CRIS) allows physicians 

and patient-care staff access to clinically relevant 

data, and the Biomedical Translational Research 

Information System (BTRIS) allows authorized 

researchers access to anonymized data—the 

clinical PACS system allows investigators to use 

scans for patient care, while the ResearchPACS 

stores, organizes, and allows access to radiologic 

scans for research. 

Levin explained that though the content is similar, 

there is the need for different control mechanisms 

when it comes to research-oriented data. “In the 

research PACS, images are only available to the 

principal investigator or lab that created the data,” 

he said. Currently, more than 10 million images 

are in the NIH ResearchPACS.

Six NIH institutes and more than 80 labs currently 

use ResearchPACS and the system is growing daily. 

“It facilitates collaboration, allows users to share 

data, view it simultaneously, make and share 

markings, and communicate more effectively,” said 

Levin. “We pushed the envelope in terms of data,” 

he said.

RADIOLOGY SYSTEM FACILITATES COLLABORATION AND ORGANIZATION 

Clinical Center Nursing and Patient Care 

Services co-hosted the third annual International 

Association of Clinical Research Nurses 

conference: “Mapping the Future for Clinical 

Research Nursing,” November 16-18, 2011. 

This year’s theme focused on further defining the 

scope of their professional specialty, said association 

incoming president Shaunagh Browning, nurse 

manager at the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science. 

“Even the hospitals we work in don’t understand 

us. This is really helping organizations outside the 

CC to understand what a clinical research nurse 

does and what we bring to the clinical research 

process,” she said. 

Dr. Clare Hastings, CC chief nursing officer, 

presented on career pathways for nurses in clinical 

research, emphasizing the variety of opportunities 

available and the way that the dimensions within 

clinical research nursing as a practice shift in different positions. “There is a full career’s potential 

in being a clinical research nurse, working with 

clinical research patients,” she said. 

Dr. Barbara Turner, doctor of nursing practice 

program chair at the Duke University School of 

Nursing, delivered the conference’s keynote titled 

“Moving Forward as CRN Leaders and Scientists: 

Are We on the Right Track?” As a principal investigator, Turner explained, “I know that no work 

can get done without clinical research nurses.” 

“One of the things that people recognize when 

they come to this meeting—nurses in clinical 

research—is that they have finally found an 

organization that represents them,” said Hastings.

IACRN past-president 

Margaret McCabe (left) 

introduced Dr. Clare 

Hastings, CC chief nursing 

officer, who spoke about 

pathways for nurses at the 

association’s third annual 

conference.

NURSING ‘MAPS THE FUTURE’ IN NOVEMBER CONFERENCE
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 1 9

BTRIS integrates new resources

Since its launch in 2009, the Biomedical Translational Research Information System (BTRIS) has 

grown into an extensive resource—giving clinical investigators access to identified data for the 

subjects on their own active protocols, while providing the intramural NIH community with access 

to de-identified data across all protocols.

Dr. Jim Cimino, chief of the Clinical Center Laboratory for Informatics Development, reported 

at the 2011 BTRIS town hall meeting that enhancements to the system will help investigators 

streamline the research process and assist with mandatory reporting of clinical trials to institutional 

review boards.

A new data visualization tool called LifeLines, created by the University of Maryland, allows users 

to dynamically visualize sets of patient data for easier viewing of anomalies and trends. The program 

itemizes data sets, such as patient records, medical problems, and medications—capturing people, 

events, and time. “It allows users to look at all of their patient’s data together, and sometimes a human 

looking at a visual representation is better than turning a computer loose to look for statistical 

correlations. We are good at seeing certain patterns in the data,” Cimino said.

He also explained that BTRIS can now assist investigators in reporting trial results to ClinicalTrials.

gov, the registry and results database of federally and privately supported clinical trials. Investigators 

are required to post results within a year of final data collection, but the process for reporting can 

be cumbersome. Because BTRIS has enrollment data from the CC’s Clinical Research Information 

System, if investigators add the treatment and adverse events data, BTRIS can assist in reporting to 

ClinicalTrials.gov.

Another new function of BTRIS is a connection to the CC Radiology and Imaging Sciences

clinical picture archive viewing system, allowing users to link to a large database of radiology images. 

“As we add more data, we add more reports and enhancements to the reports,” Cimino explained. 

Cassie Seamon, a clinical research nurse in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood’s hematology branch 

has been a BTRIS user for two years. She and her team use BTRIS to build databases and identify 

patients who might be interested in other active clinical trials. “BTRIS streamlines data collection 

and management and makes it easier to find things,” she said. “We typically pull lab reports, reports 

for imaging, pulmonary function tests, and information about adverse events.” 

In the future Cimino will upgrade BTRIS’s ClinicalTrials.gov reporting to package and automate 

the process. He is also working to integrate new modalities like genetic data into the system. Users 

have also expressed a desire for clinical research data capture and management functions within 

BTRIS and the ability to access data from outside research sites. 

BTRIS currently has more than 3.5 billion rows of data and results from user satisfaction surveys 

have been positive. “The original business case said that this was going to take 10 years, but it really 

only took one year to get it up and running, and we are way ahead of where we were supposed to be 

in five years,” said Cimino. 

BTRIS currently has 

more than 3.5 billion 

rows of data and 

results from user 

satisfaction surveys 

have been positive. 
Rapidly diagnosing disease is an enormous advantage offered by the Molecular Diagnostics Service 

at the Clinical Center. And it all starts with a strand 

of DNA.

The team uses sophisticated processes and equipment to test samples of blood, fluid, or tissue. Using 

a method called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 

they selectively amplify and replicate DNA, looking for a virus, bacteria, fungus, or other diseasecausing organism.

“So if you are looking to see if someone has some 

kind of viral infection, you determine that there is 

a particular region in their DNA that is unique to 

just that pathogen,” explains Gary Fahle, director 

of the Molecular Diagnostics Service in the CC 

Department of Laboratory Medicine. “Then you 

focus on just that piece of DNA, and you amplify 

it billions of times in a small tube in your reaction. Once you have created so many copies of that 

DNA, it is then relatively easy to detect if it 

is there.”

The benefit to CC researchers and patients is 

rapid diagnosis, a complement to the many services offered by the Department of Laboratory 

Medicine.“Some people get very confused and 

think it is very complicated—PCR and amplifying 

DNA. It seems like something that is a very 

complex concept, but it’s really not. It’s really 

an elegantly simple thing to do,” Fahle said. 

PCR is not a new scientific technique, though 

traditionally it is most often used in research. At the 

CC, PCR is used throughout the research process, 

from the bench to the bedside. “It has always been 

a research tool and what we are doing in the 

Clinical Center is taking that research technology 

and bringing it into the clinical lab,” said Fahle.

Fahle said the patient population of the CC is one 

aspect that makes the use of molecular diagnostics so important. CC patients tend to have more 

illnesses, rare diseases, and compromised immune 

systems. This means that the molecular diagnostics 

team runs a high volume of tests and also 

develops new tests, known as assays, for conditions 

that may be less common in the United States, 

such as malaria. 

PCR also makes it possible to crack the tough 

cases, such as non-cultivatable or slow-growing 

microorganisms. 

Fahle said this ability was extremely valuable in 

one case where a patient’s lung biopsy showed 

visible signs of fungus on the smear, yet the tissue 

sample was not growing the fungus. The PCR test 

was able to isolate and replicate the specific DNA 

strand, and identify the pathogen. 

Fahle said it isn’t all about the technology. The key 

is the staff. “There is always a new stream of people 

coming in with new ideas. It’s about bringing in 

the new technology, bringing in those new ideas, 

and figuring out how to adapt that into our clinical 

world,” he said. 

MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS TRANSFORMS CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY

Jennifer Boyer, a DLM Molecular 

Diagnostics Service technologist.

CC Department of Laboratory 

Medicine staff member Jeff 

Brocious uncaps blood samples 

as he prepares to enter them into 

a DNA extractor. The DNA is then 

selectively replicated to search for 

viruses, bacteria, or other diseasecausing organisms. 

2 0 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 2 1

The Bench-to-Bedside (B2B) Program was launched in 1999, and 192 projects totaling about $44 million have been funded to date. 

The program expanded in 2006 to include extramural collaborators with 77 grants supplemented so far. Over the past five cycles, extramural interest in the program has greatly increased; in the current 2012 application cycle, investigators from 141 extramural institutions 

were listed as collaborators or principal investigators on the 189 Letters of Intent.

AIDS CATEGORY: PROJECTS FUNDED BY OFFICE OF AIDS RESEARCH (OAR)

Valacyclovir for treatment of HIV-1 

infection

Effect of CCR5 blockade on liver 

disease progression in HIV patients

HDL metabolism and atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients

Liver fibrosis in HIV-infected persons 

of African descent

NICHD: L. Margolis; Case Western: M. M. Lederman

NIAID: A. Kohli, S. Kottilil, D. Fishbein, A. Osinusi; CC: A. F. Suffredini

University of Cincinnati: K.E. Sherman

NIAID: C. Hadigan; NHLBI: A. Remaley; NIDDK: A. Gharib, K. Abd-Elmoniem;

George Washington University: M. Bukrinsky

NIAID: L. Stabinski, T. Quinn, S. Reynolds, A. Redd, S. Kottilil, A. Klion;

NCI: D. Kleiner; NIDDK: T. Heller; Johns Hopkins University: G. D. Kirk

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES CATEGORY: PROJECT FUNDED BY OFFICE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH (OBSSR)

Depression and insulin resistance in 

adolescent girls

NICHD: J. Yanovski, L. B. Shomaker; NIAAA: M. Heilig; NIDDK: K. Chen; CC: M. Kozlosky, 

A.B. Courville; USUHS: M. Tanofsky-Kraff; University of Minnesota: Z. M. Kukoska

WOMEN’S HEALTH CATEGORY: PROJECT FUNDED BY OFFICE OF RESEARCH ON WOMEN’S HEALTH (ORWH)

Role of androgen and estrogen 

receptor signaling in pulmonary 

arterial hypertension

CC: R. Danner, M. Solomon, J. Elinoff; NIDDK: A. M. Gharib, K. Abd-Elmoniem; 

University of Pennsylvania: J. E. Rame, K. B. Margulies, P. Forfia

PROJECT INSTITUTE(S)/INSTITUTION/INVESTIGATORS

MINORITY HEALTH CATEGORY: PROJECTS CO-FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH & HEALTH DISPARITIES (NIMHD) AND ICS

Reverse cholesterol transport in 

humans with Mendelian low 

HDL disorders

Fat metabolism and functionaltering polymorphisms in MC3R

NHLBI: A. Remaley; University of Pennsylvania: M. Cuchel 

NICHD: J. Yanovski, H. Westphal, D. C. Adler-Wailes; NIDDK: O. Gavrilova; K. Chen; 

CC: J. C. Reynolds, D. M. Dellavalle; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN: M. D. Jensen

2011 Bench-to-Bedside Awards

RARE DISEASES CATEGORY: PROJECTS CO-FUNDED BY OFFICE OF RARE DISEASES RESEARCH (ORDR) AND ICS

GENERAL CATEGORY: PROJECTS CO-FUNDED BY NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH RESOURCES (NCRR) AND ICS

Near iInfra-red functional imaging in 

autistic spectrum disorder patients

Imaging bacterial infection in 

immunocompromised patients

NICHD: A. Gandjbakhche, J. D. R. Riley, L. Najafizadeh; NIMH: S. Swedo, A. Thurm, M. Gozzi 

CC: D. Hammoud; NIDDK: A. M. Gharib, K. Abd-Elmoniem; NIAID: A. Freeman, S. Holland;

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions: M. G. Pomper, C. Endres, S. Cho

Development of antigen specific biomarkers for autoimmune uveitic disease

Mitochondria, telomeres, and lifestyle in 

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome outcomes

Cyclodextrin therapy for Niemann-Pick 

C1 disease

Amitriptyline for the Treatment of BDNF 

Haploinsufficiency

Exacerbation of HIF2alpha–dependent 

polycythemia by iron deficiency

Biomarkers of neurodevelopment in 

Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome

NEI: R. Caspi; M. Mattapallil, R. B. Nussenblatt, N. Sen;

Benaroya Research Institute at VA: G. T. Nepom, B. W. Kwok, E. James

NCI: S. A. Savage, I. Wentzensen, P. Mai, M. Greene, R. Sinha, J. Fraumeni; NHLBI: P. M. 

Hwang; Hospital A. C. Camargo - Fundação Antonio Prudente: M. A. Achatz; International 

Agency for Research on Cancer: P. Hainaut; The Hospital for Sick Children: D. Malkin

Washington University: D. Ory; NHGRI: J. J. Marugan; NICHD: F. D. Porter; 

Albert Einstein College of Medicine: S. U. Walkley 

NICHD: J. Han; NIA: B. Martin, S. Maudsley, W. Chadwick; NIMH: S. Swedo, A. Thurm, 

C. Golden Williams; Medical University of South Carolina: L. M. Luttrell

NICHD: T. Rouault; NHLBI: G. J. Kato; NCI: W. M. Linehan, J. Mitchel; 

Howard University Medical Center: V. Gordeuk

NICHD: F. D. Porter, A. Yergey; NHLBI: A. Remaley; NIMH: J. Geidd; CC: E. Baker;

Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University: E. Tierney, S. Mori, R. W. Lee
2 2 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

NUTRITION EVENT HIGHLIGHTS REGISTERED DIETITIANS’ ROLES 

IN CLINICAL RESEARCH

Future and current dietitians learned about the role 

of their profession in clinical research at the annual 

NIH Nutrition Research Day on March 17, 2011. 

The Clinical Center Nutrition Department has 

hosted this event for more than 10 years. 

Event attendees included graduate students, dietetic 

interns, registered dietitians, and junior faculty 

participating in the week-long National Cancer 

Institute/CC Nutrition and Cancer Prevention 

Research Practicum, as well as additional dietetic 

interns from the Washington, DC, metro area. 

The day was coordinated by Merel Kozlosky, 

dietetic internship director, who expressed how 

rewarding it is to share the work of NIH dietitians 

with the outside professional community. 

“It’s really exciting to learn about current research,” 

said Genevieve Clarke, who is a dietetic intern at 

Virginia Tech and is interested in renal patients 

and sports nutrition.

NIH Nutrition Research Day attendees heard from 

Dr. Amber Courville, a CC metabolic research 

dietitian, who explained the clinical research 

process and how the Nutrition Department 

supports and conducts studies. She broke down the 

average distribution of clinical research dietitians’ 

time: 45 percent patient care, 23 percent hospital 

support, and 32 percent research services and 

support. Approximately 100 protocols at the CC 

require nutrition research services—such as research 

diets, body composition measurements, eating 

behavior assessments, and nutrition counseling—

Courville said.

Throughout the day Courville and fellow dietitians 

Rachael Lopez, Jennifer Graf, and Diane DellaValle 

presented protocols they work on and their contributions to those studies. Dr. Amy Subar, an NCI 

nutritionist, spoke on “New Methods of Dietary 

Assessment.” Both groups of attendees took a tour 

of the Clinical Center, including the metabolic 

clinical research unit, and practicum participants 

also heard from CC dietitian Marine Dobbin on 

“Botanical and ‘Other’ Dietary Supplements.”

Another valuable presentation came from dietitians across NIH who charted their career paths 

for the younger generation. Dr. Abby Ershow of 

the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

empowered the audience, “Dietitians, in this age of 

dietary guidelines, in helping people to take all this 

information and make it real, you all have a crucial 

role in improving human health.”

“...you have a 

crucial role in 

improving human 

health.”

Dr. Amber Courville (right) led 

a tour of the metabolic clinical 

research unit for area dietetic 

interns.
RESEARCH | S P O T L I G H T S

Study challenges standards for 

pulmonary hypertension

A study at the Clinical Center led by Dr. 

Leighton Chan, chief of the Rehabilitation 

Medicine Department, is challenging the way 

that physicians perceive and treat patients with a 

rare disease called pulmonary hypertension. 

Pulmonary hypertension occurs when elevated 

blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs causes 

the right side of the heart to work harder than 

normal. Chan explained that scientists often 

aren’t sure what causes the disorder, but for many 

years treatment options often included medications and lifestyle changes that limited rigorous 

exercise.

“The concern was that increasing heart rate and 

stress elevates pressure in the lungs, which might 

increase heart failure. Therefore, exercise might 

put people at more risk,” said Chan. His team has 

challenged that notion and produced interesting 

research findings that suggest people with pulmonary hypertension may actually benefit from 

an intensive exercise program.

The trial, which is conducted in collaboration 

with Inova Fairfax Hospital and George Mason University, randomized patients to either 

10 weeks of an education-only program or 10 

weeks of education combined with an exercise 

program. 

The study’s exercise program involved 25-30 

minutes of treadmill training at 70-80 percent 

heart-rate reserve and found that those who 

received the combination of exercise and education made greater improvements. 

“Individuals who got the exercise increased the 

amount they could walk in six minutes by 60 

meters, which is almost double what we would 

consider an important finding,” said Chan. The 

study also found that patients in the exercise and 

education program could exercise longer before 

going into anaerobic metabolism and that almost 

all quality-of-life measures improved. Little 

change was reported in the education group. 

While diagnostic tests and examinations are 

conducted at the CC, the collaboration with 

Inova Fairfax allows for patients south of the 

DC Metro area to easily participate in the education and exercise components of the study. 

Although CC patient and northern Virginia 

resident Anne Lewis remembers thinking that 

she “will never be able to do this,” since participating in the study, she is a different person.

“Before I started at NIH I couldn’t walk down 

the hall in my office without stopping to catch 

my breath,” she said. Lewis not only lost weight 

but also found confidence in both her ability to 

exercise and control her disease using the tools 

and skills she learned in the educational component of the study.

She has continued the regimen and exercise 

habits established by Chan’s team, walking for 

45 minutes, three days a week at a local gym. 

“At first I thought I was going to die of this disease,” she said, “but now I know I can live a life 

of quality. But I have to take some responsibility 

for my own improvement, and I had the support and encouragement to do that at the NIH.” 

Dr. Leighton Chan (right), chief of the CC 

Rehabilitation Medicine Department, is 

investigating the standards for patients with 

pulmonary hypertension with team members 

(from left), Dr. Joshua Woolstenhulme, Michelle 

Kenney, Dr. Randall Keyser, and Dr. Lisa Chin.

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 2 3
Chan and his team earned the 2011 Alfred Soffer 

Research Award in the category of outstanding 

original research from the American College of 

Chest Physicians for their work on this study.

Study addresses early indicator of 

heart disease

A team led by Dr. David Bluemke, Clinical Center 

Radiology and Imaging Sciences director, has 

found evidence supporting the role of fat around 

the heart in promoting atherosclerosis, a condition 

in which fatty material collects along the walls of 

arteries. The journal Radiology published the study 

results in August 2011.

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis 

(MESA) suggests that the amount of pericardial fat 

present is more strongly related to coronary artery 

plaque than other measurements like body mass 

index or waist circumference. When plaque forms 

in the arteries, it deposits in an irregular manner, 

causing thickening of the artery wall on one side, 

but not the other. The ratio of the thick side to 

the thin side is referred to as plaque eccentricity 

and is a strong indicator of heart disease. 

According to the American Heart Association, 

heart disease is the leading cause of death in the 

United States. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 

Americans had a new heart attack—and about 

470,000 had a recurrent attack. While previous 

studies have looked at the relationship of pericardial fat to atherosclerosis in patients with severe 

coronary disease, this is the first study to determine the association of pericardial fat on coronary 

artery plaque burden in asymptomatic individuals. 

“The individuals in this study had no symptoms 

and were otherwise healthy,” said Bluemke. “They 

did not have significant coronary artery narrowing. Yet, despite this, they had coronary plaque that 

could be detected by MRI.”

The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the ratio of maximal to 

minimal artery wall thickness as a measure of 

early-stage atherosclerosis and computed tomography (CT) to determine pericardial fat volume. 

MRI allowed for a noninvasive assessment of 

coronary plaque burden on the patients enrolled 

in the study. 

“The findings indicate yet another reason that 

obesity is bad for us,” said Bluemke. “It is particularly bad when the fat forms around the heart, 

since heart fat appears to further promote coronary artery plaque.”

Researchers from The Johns Hopkins University 

School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of 

Public Health, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 

Northwestern University Feinberg School of 

Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 

and University of Washington also contributed 

to the paper, titled “The Association of Pericardial 

Fat with Coronary Artery Plaque Index at MR 

Imaging: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).”

NIH program diagnoses CC patients 

with new disease

Presentation of patients seen at the Clinical Center in the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program 

(UDP) has led researchers to describe a new rare 

and debilitating disorder of the blood vessels and 

its genetic cause. 

The adult-onset condition is associated with 

progressive and painful calcium build-up in arteries below the waist and in the joints of patient’s 

hands and feet. Researchers refer to the condition 

as ACDC, or arterial calcification due deficiency 

of CD73. Although symptoms of the disorder 

include leg and joint discomfort, medical evaluations of the patients ruled out rheumatoid arthritis 

or other joint-related problems. Genetic analyses 

performed by NIH researchers suggested a novel 

disorder and pinpointed the cause of the condition 

as mutations, or variants, in the NT5E gene.

Such a finding could have implications for treatment of ACDC as well as for the understanding 

and the development of therapies for more common diseases.

“I’m excited by the fact that they might find 

something to help us or to help someone else,” 

RESEARCH | S P O T L I G H T S

2 4 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2
said Paula Allen, one of the ACDC patients in 

the UDP. She and her sister, Louise Benge, 

 The UDP program, launched in May 2008, is 

an initiative jointly led by the National Human 

Genome Research Institute, the CC, and the NIH 

Office of Rare Diseases Research. The program 

receives referrals from around the country when 

cases challenge the medical community at large. 

Patients visit the CC for extensive medical diagnostic testing and evaluation.

“When we first announced the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, we had two goals: to provide hope 

for patients whose diseases had eluded diagnosis 

and to conduct fundamental medical research on 

the causes of diseases,” said Dr. William Gahl, UDP 

director. “From the start, we expected that this 

pursuit might lead to the discovery of new diseases 

and of variations of known diseases.”

Researchers saw members of two families with 

ACDC, and identified a third case outside the 

country. Seven medical cases like those described 

in this study have been reported in medical 

journals over the past century, but these previous studies did not include any insights about the 

molecular basis of the disorder.

The patients seen at the CC experienced pain and 

cramping in the calves, thighs, buttocks, and feet 

due to poor circulation. MRIs and X-rays showed 

calcium deposits in artery walls. 

In the case of Allen and Benge, two of five affected 

siblings, clinical researchers suspected a recessive 

inheritance, in which offspring receive two copies 

of a gene variant — one from each parent — that 

produces disease symptoms only when combined. 

The researchers analyzed DNA from all members 

of the family and found regions where the siblings’ 

DNA contained two copies of a particular DNA 

segment compared to their parents’ DNA, which 

contained just a single copy.

The comparison revealed one such region, which 

the researchers then analyzed for variants not present in a population of 200 unaffected people. The 

siblings all had the same variant in a gene called 

NT5E. This gene normally makes the extracellular 

protein CD73, which produces a small molecule, 

adenosine, which protects the arteries from calcifying. The researchers also detected variants in NT5E 

in all the other affected patients in the study. 

Study evaluates reported versus 

actual food intake

A recent study conducted at the Clinical Center 

and published in the journal Eating Behaviors by 

a team from the NIH and the Uniformed Services 

University of Health Sciences cited marked 

differences in reported versus actual food intake 

in youth with an eating behavior called loss-ofcontrol eating. 

“Loss-of-control eating is when someone feels like 

they don’t have control over what or how much 

they are eating. Some describe it as ‘numbing out’ 

for a while and just eating without feeling a lot of 

control,” said Merel Kozlosky, supervisory metabolic dietitian and director of the CC Nutrition 

Department’s dietetic internship program, who 

served as the dietitian on this research study.

Although it is difficult to measure, loss-of-control 

eating affects between two and 10 percent of children and adolescents, and is associated with higher 

body fat, higher likelihood of being overweight, 

and more weight gained. “We know that a lot of 

A knee X-ray of a CC 

patient with ACDC 

reveals calcification 

in the main artery 

supplying blood to 

the lower leg. Such an 

abnormal occurrence 

causes pain and 

restricts mobility. 

2 5 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2
pediatric obesity ends up resulting in adult obesity, 

and loss-of-control eating might be one characteristic in children and adolescents that leads to more 

weight gain over time,” said Kozlosky. 

The study identified children who had lossof-control eating through a questionnaire and 

interviews administered by psychologists and other 

trained interviewers.The team then assessed the 

children’s food intake from a buffet that offered 

28 lunchtime foods that would appeal to children. The food was prepared in the CC Nutrition 

Department’s metabolic kitchen, and was weighed 

both before and after each child had the opportunity to eat. This allowed researchers to precisely 

calculate how much each child ate compared to 

what they reported eating after the meal. 

Study findings report that children who reported 

loss-of-control were less accurate in their ability 

to report dessert and carbohydrate intake. “Desserts and carbohydrate-laden foods are often the 

types of foods we think of as comfort foods, so 

one interesting thought from this study is whether 

the loss-of-control eating is related to eating more 

comfort type foods to soothe or to make negative 

emotions go away,” Kozlosky said. “Also, those are 

the types of foods that could more easily lead to 

weight gain.”

The study also found that children with higher 

percentage of body fat were more likely to 

under-report intake. Kozlosky said that this could 

potentially give the team clues as to why some 

children are overweight and why they continue to 

gain weight.

The research team was led by Dr. Jack Yanovski of 

the National Institute of Child Health and Human 

Development and included collaborators from the 

NICHD, the USUHS, and the National Institute 

of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Surrogates confront tough decisions

Making medical decisions for an incapacitated 

loved one has negative effects on approximately 

one-third of surrogates, finds a new study published by Clinical Center Bioethics Department 

researchers.

Dr. David Wendler, chief of the Unit of Vulnerable 

Populations, and former post-doctoral research 

fellow Dr. Annette Rid authored “Systematic 

Review: The Effect on Surrogates of Making 

Treatment Decisions for Others” that ran in late 

February in Annals of Internal Medicine. They 

reviewed 40 studies that provided data from 2,854 

surrogates, of whom more than half were family 

members of the patient.

“Since incapacity often occurs as a result of serious conditions, surrogates’ decisions often involve 

important choices, especially at the end of life,” 

Wendler said. “Placement in nursing or long-term 

care facilities is another decision they make.”

Negative effects—such as stress, guilt, and doubt 

about the decisions they had made—stayed with 

study responders for months, and sometimes years, 

the article said.

“Nine of the 40 studies also reported beneficial 

effects on a few surrogates, the most common of 

which were supporting the patient and feeling a 

sense of satisfaction,” the authors wrote.

Subjects frequently said knowing how the patient 

would have wanted to proceed alleviated some of 

the negative effects for patient surrogates.

“Knowing the patient’s wishes often transforms 

the situation from one in which surrogates feel 

that they are making life and death decisions for 

the patient to one in which they feel that they 

are merely communicating the patient’s wishes or 

standing up for the patient,” said Wendler.

2 6 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

RESEARCH | S P O T L I G H T S
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 2 7

The Clinical Center continues to provide superior 

clinical research training to individuals of varying 

education levels and professional backgrounds. 

Through the training opportunities administered 

and managed by the Office of Clinical Research 

Training and Medical Education, high school 

students, medical and dental students, and 

experienced researchers and health professionals 

have the opportunity to participate in programs 

and courses that provide exceptional professional 

growth experiences. As the country’s largest 

hospital dedicated to clinical research, the Clinical 

Center’s available resources provide unique 

educational opportunities for both current and 

future clinician-scientists. 

QUEST TO EXCELLENCE THROUGH HIGH QUALITY TRAINING

Three of the Clinical Center’s key training courses 

offered at remote sites have maintained high 

participation numbers. Introduction to the Principles 

and Practice of Clinical Research (IPPCR), Principles 

of Clinical Pharmacology (PCP), and Ethical and 

Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research are offered 

domestically and internationally. Content for these 

courses is made available using live videocasting 

via the internet and archived content on the web. 

The Clinical Center’s ability to offer courses 

remotely continues to strengthen collaborative 

relationships between the Clinical Center and the 

external community.

In 2011, approximately 1,330 students participated 

in the IPPCR course. The course was offered at 

17 domestic and 10 international remote sites. 

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical 

Research at the University of Ghana in Ghana, 

West Africa; Centro Medico Imbanaco de 

Cali in Cali, Colombia; Instituto Nacional de 

Enfermedades Neoplasicas in Lima, Peru; and 

JSS College of Pharmacy in Mysore, Karnataka, 

India, are a few of the new international locations 

receiving the IPPCR course videocast in 2011.

Enrollment for Principles of Pharmacology, now in its 

13th year, continued to excel with 905 participants 

for the 2011-2012 course, which was offered at 

26 remote sites, including seven international 

locations. More than 345 students enrolled for 

Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research at 

its 10 domestic and five international remote sites.

BROADCASTING REMOTELY: DOMESTIC AND ABROAD

In 2011, the Clinical Center continued to expand 

the visibility of graduate medical education 

(GME) training programs and research career 

development opportunities at the NIH by hosting 

its first Resident Research Career Day. This event 

targeted second year residents training in internal 

medicine, pediatrics, and neurology residency 

programs at regional academic medical centers in 

the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas who plan to 

pursue subspecialty training or careers in academic 

medicine. The event attracted an enthusiastic cadre 

of 15 attendees and included poster presentations 

highlighting the research accomplishments 

of six current NIH clinical fellows. Residents 

learned about unique opportunities offered by 

the NIH, including the ability to work alongside 

other dedicated researchers. Dr. Daniel Kastner, 

scientific director at the National Human Genome 

Research Institute, offered a keynote speech on his 

work in genomics and auto-inflammatory diseases.

The Clinical Center, as the Accreditation Council 

for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) 

accredited sponsor of graduate medical education 

VISIBILITY OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION EXPANDS WITH 

FIRST RESIDENT RESEARCH CAREER DAY

Training the 

Next Generation
2 8 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

at NIH, also implemented a program to develop 

the clinical skills of current trainees in the 

ACGME core competencies of professionalism, 

interpersonal and communication skills, and 

systems-based practice. This program featured 

small-group interactive seminars and workshops 

addressing issues of importance to the mission 

of the NIH Clinical Center, including effective 

communication with patients and colleagues; 

management of workplace conflict; elements 

of a successful informed consent; cross cultural 

medicine; and coping with dying and death. 

Dr. Janice Hobbs, chief resident 

in pediatrics at St. Christopher’s 

Hospital for Children in 

Philadelphia, discusses 

a poster with an NIH fellow 

uring Resident Research 

Career Day October 2011.

A NEW ADDITION TO THE TRAINING CURRICULUM

The new Medical Research Scholars Program 

(MSRP) for medical and dental students began 

accepting applications in October 2011 and will 

welcome its inaugural class in September 2012. 

Basic, clinical, and translational research will 

be options in the Medical Research Scholars 

Program. The MRSP builds upon the long history that the NIH intramural program has had 

in preparing clinician-scientists for leadership 

roles in biomedical research and incorporates the 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-NIH 

Research Scholars Program and the NIH Clinical 

Research Training Program (CRTP). The HHMINIH Research Scholars Program had historically 

focused on research in the basic sciences, while 

CRTP participants primarily engaged in clinical 

and translational research. 

The new program will offer research experiences 

with intramural investigators from across NIH in 

basic science laboratories as well as in clinical and 

translational research projects conducted in the 

Clinical Center.

“Medical discoveries of tomorrow depend on the 

students we train today,” said NIH Director Dr. 

Francis S. Collins. “This program will help ensure 

that there is a steady pipeline of scientists conducting the full range of biomedical research. The 

program will offer a broad range of exceptional 

research opportunities, exposure to cutting edge 

technology, and critical policy issues for promising 

students.”

Students selected for the program will receive a 

stipend and resources for education enrichment, 

such as travel to scientific meetings, textbooks, and 

tuition for courses. There will be a curriculum in 

clinical protocol development and the conduct 

of human subjects research, along with seminars 

focusing on basic and laboratory studies and their 

translation into clinical protocols as well as the 

development of leadership skills.

The program is supported by a partnership with 

the Foundation for the National Institutes of 

Health via a grant from Pfizer Inc and contributions from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 

Approximately 40 students are expected to be 

admitted to the program for the initial year. The 

goal is to accept up to 70 students as the program 

grows. 

“Pfizer has a long tradition of supporting medical 

education and is proud to support the NIH Clinical Center, one of the most important teaching 

and research hospitals in the world,” said Dr. Freda 

Lewis-Hall, executive vice president and chief 

medical officer of Pfizer Inc. “Those who benefit 

from the Medical Research Scholars Program will 

gain special insight into many conditions where 

further research and greater medical understanding 

are urgently needed.”

 “HHMI is pleased to have an ongoing role in this 

important NIH initiative,” said Dr. Robert Tjian, 

president of the Institute. “Our support will enable 

NIH to continue a long-running seminar series 

that brings these clinician-scientists into contact 

with leading researchers from around the nation. 

These opportunities—coupled with the experience of working in an NIH lab—can inspire a 

lifelong commitment to research”

The new program will be carried out under the CC Office of 

Clinical Research Training and 

Medical Education. Dr. Frederick 

P. Ognibene is director.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 2 9

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci (second, 

from right), National Institute 

of Allergy and Infectious 

Diseases director, connected 

with CIST forum participants 

after delivering the forum’s 

keynote. He encouraged 

students to take risks, connect 

with mentors, and foster 

collaborative relationships.

NINTH ANNUAL CIST FORUM ENGAGES AND INSPIRES FUTURE CLINICAL RESEARCHERS

Nearly 300 students representing the next generation of clinician-scientists met at the NIH 

October 20 and 21, 2011, for the ninth annual 

Clinical Investigator Student Trainee (CIST) 

Forum hosted by Office of Clinical Research 

Training and Medical Education (OCRTME). 

The two-day forum offered a variety of scientific 

lectures, career panels, and peer-to-peer interactions for medical, dental, and veterinary students 

in year-out enrichment programs at the NIH and 

academic medical centers across the country. The 

forum format and design has been refined over 

the years to effectively answer students’ questions 

and to provide the best advice, according to Dr. 

Frederick P. Ognibene, Clinical Center deputy 

director for educational affairs and strategic partnerships and OCRTME director. 

“How do I select a residency? How do I pay 

off my debt? Do I pick an institution based on 

clinical experience or research experience, or 

both?” said Ognibene in describing the common 

questions attendees often ask. “We’ve put together 

a really great program. It’s a diverse group of 

wonderfully trained individuals, reflecting both the 

rich environment we have at the NIH but those 

from the outside as well.”

New to the format this year were breakout 

sessions that followed networking luncheons. Attendees clustered around specialty interests, such 

as infectious diseases, surgery, dermatology, and 

oncology. Students learned tips and skills needed 

for careers in clinical research from four alumni 

of their own training programs and toured some 

of the Clinical Centers’s newest laboratories and 

research units.

Nutrition Department 

dietitians helped honor the 

19th class of dietetic intern 

graduates in July, including 

(from left) CAPT Madeline 

Michael, chief of Clinical 

Nutrition Services; internship 

graduates Valerie Darcey, 

Emily Cook, Katrina Butner, 

and Emily Brown; LCDR 

Merel Kozlosky, dietetic 

internship program director; 

and Dr. Kirsten Zambell, 

clinical research dietitian.
3 0 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Dr. Francis S. Collins, NIH 

director, encouraged forum 

participants to take advantage of both scientific and 

networking opportunities at 

the ninth annual CIST Forum.

NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins welcomed the 

students and encouraged them to take advantage 

of both the scientific opportunities offered at the 

forum and the time allotted for networking. “You 

all represented here contain all of the leadership of 

the future,” Collins said. “And the sooner you get 

to be buddies, the better for this whole enterprise.” 

Renowned NIH physician-scientist and administrator Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 

delivered the forum’s keynote address: “30 years of 

HIV/AIDS: A Personal Journey.” Fauci described 

his “impulsive decision” to change career direction 

from focusing on inflammatory and immunemediated diseases research to studying a mysterious new syndrome, AIDS. 

Fauci emphasized the importance of selecting an 

“unselfish mentor” and advised students to be 

pleasant to individuals throughout their careers, 

form successful and collaborative relationships, and 

encouraged them to take risks. 

In his presentation, Fauci described why he enjoys 

speaking to young people about to embark on 

their scientific/medical careers. “I clearly remember when I was a medical school student, intern, 

and then resident being really excited about what 

was ahead. At that point in your life, you admire 

the leading figures in your field and wonder how 

they got to where they are,” he said.

Dr. Maria Freire, president of the Albert and Mary 

Lasker Foundation, presented at a breakout session 

on global and public health. Freire discussed 

drug development hurdles and the epidemiological transition from communicable to noncommunicable diseases, leading to a double 

burden of disease in many countries. At the rare 

and orphan diseases and health disparities research 

breakout session, Dr. William Gahl, clinical director of the National Human Genome Research 

Institute, described the rewarding and difficult 

aspects of his work with the NIH Undiagnosed 

Diseases Program. 

“I really enjoyed hearing Dr. Gahl speak. It was 

interesting hearing how he got where he is, and 

I think the idea of solving medical puzzles is appealing to a lot of us,” said NIH Clinical Research Training Program fellow and University of 

Arkansas for Medical Science College of Medicine 

student John Baird.

Nino Mihatov, a Duke University School of 

Medicine student and Howard Hughes Medical 

Institute-NIH research scholar, was thrilled with 

the opportunity to hear Fauci speak. “It was one 

of the most inspiring talks I have heard in a long 

time,” he said.

Mary Crisham Janik, a student at the University of 

California, San Francisco School of Medicine and 

National Center for Research Resources fellow, 

said the forum was motivational. “You just start 

to get a sense of the possibilities: the things that 

could be, and all the places you could go, and all 

the things that you could do,” Janik said. “There 

are people who are doing amazing things coming 

from such different backgrounds and having such 

different passions and interests. It really just makes 

you think more broadly about what your career 

could be like.”
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3 1

A group of undergraduate students enrolled in 

the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Summer 

Medical and Dental Education Program at Howard 

University visited the Clinical Center in June 2011. 

This program is designed to strengthen the overall 

academic preparation of underrepresented minority, 

disadvantaged, and low-income students who are 

interested in pursuing medical or dental school later 

in their careers. 

The group heard a presentation about the NIH and 

available training opportunities from the CC Office 

of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education. 

Students also toured key CC research facilities, 

including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute’s Vascular Biology Branch. Dr. Gregory Kato 

head of the Sickle Cell Vascular Disease Unit in the 

NHLBI, presented.

Summer medical and dental training 

program students visit CC

NHLBI RESEARCHER NAMED 2011 DISTINGUISHED CLINICAL TEACHER

The 2011 Distinguished Clinical Teacher Award 

went to Dr. Cynthia Dunbar, head of National 

Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Molecular 

Hematopoiesis Section, at a ceremony on 

September 14, 2011.

“Her excitement and enthusiasm for patient care 

and learning are truly infectious – and marries well 

to empathy and kindness – providing an excellent 

role model as scientist, clinician, and healer,” one 

fellow wrote in Dunbar’s nomination.

Dunbar received her medical degree in 1984 

from Harvard Medical School. She completed an 

internship and residency in internal medicine at 

Boston City Hospital and a hematology fellowship 

at the University of California, San Francisco. She 

came to the NIH as a postdoctoral fellow in 1987 

and she is currently the editor-in-chief of the 

journal Blood.

The Distinguished Clinical Teacher Award has 

been presented annually since 1985 to an NIH 

faculty member who demonstrates excellence in 

mentoring health-care professionals and outstanding contributions to the advancement of clinical 

research. The recipient is chosen by the Clinical 

Center Clinical Fellow’s 

Committee and delivers the 

annual John Laws Decker 

Memorial Lecture the following spring.

“Mentors have always played 

a crucial role in the professional life of physicians, and 

outstanding clinical mentors 

have been a key component 

of the Clinical Center’s success for over 50 years,” said 

Dr. John I. Gallin, CC director, in his introduction. 

Recent winners include 

Dr. Jeffrey Baron, chief 

of the section on growth 

and development at the 

National Institute for Child Health and Human 

Development (2010); Dr. Tara Palmore, CC deputy 

hospital epidemiologist (2009); and Dr. Richard 

Childs, senior clinical investigator in NHLBI’s 

hematology branch (2008).

Co-chairs of the 

Distinguished Clinical 

Teacher Award 

subcommittee Dr. José 

Franco-Chaves and 

Dr. Bamidele Adesunloye 

(right) presented the 2011 

Distinguished Clinical 

Teacher Award to 

Dr. Cynthia Dunbar.
3 2 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

International Presentations

The Clinical Center’s Introduction to the Principles 

and Practice of Clinical Research course was offered 

in Russia for the first time in November 2011. 

Dr. John I. Gallin, CC director, lead the course at 

the Kulakov Federal Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology in Moscow.

The course was offered to approximately 220 

students as part of the Clinical Center’s global 

efforts in clinical research training. The course 

contained lectures on clinical trial best practices, 

biostatistics and data analysis, orphan and rare diseases, ethics in clinical research, review boards and 

integrity in research, data safety monitoring, and 

treatments for addiction and tuberculosis. 

The attendees represented multiple medical 

specialties and came from a number of institutions 

around Russia. A translation into Russian of the 

second edition of Principles and Practice of Clinical 

Research textbook, along with Russian translation 

of the slides and other lecture materials ensured 

an easy conveyance of the principles. In addition 

and similar to how the course is taught at the 

NIH Clinical Center, the course in Moscow was 

broadcast via the internet and was also videotaped 

and archived. Eighty-four percent of the course attendees who took a final examination successfully 

passed and received a certificate documenting that 

achievement. This pass rate was comparable to individuals who participate in the nearly five-month 

course taught annually in the Clinical Center.

The course was supported by a generous donation to the Foundation for the NIH from Eli Lilly.

CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES REACH 

BEYOND NIH BOARDERS

Pictured are several course 

faculty near the red square 

in Moscow (from left) Dr. 

Clifton Barry, chief of the 

NIAID tuberculosis research 

section; CC Director Dr. 

John I. Gallin; Dr. Laura Lee 

Johnson, a statistician in the 

NCCAM Office of Clinical and 

Regulatory Affairs; and Dr. 

Jerry A. Menikoff, director of 

the Department of Health and 

Human Services Office for 

Human Research Protections. 

Not pictured are Dr. David 

Eckstein, a senior health 

scientist administrator in the 

NIH Office of Rare Disease 

Research and Dr. Markus 

Heilig, NIAAA clinical director.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3 3

Sino-American symposium focuses 

on translational research

Dr. John I. Gallin, Clinical Center director, and Dr. 

Shengli Yang, a member the Chinese Academy of 

Engineering’s governing board, co-chaired the 2nd 

Sino-American Symposium on Clinical and Translational Medicine in Shanghai, China, in June 2011.

Gallin noted that the goal of the assembly was to 

offer scientific leaders from the United States and 

from China opportunities to discuss how to stimulate 

translational science and sustain a robust clinical 

research program.

“In China, there is acute awareness of the importance of translational research,” said Gallin, “from 

bench to bedside and back to the bench. Improving 

health for everyone in China is an important national 

agenda there. Medical and scientific leaders understand that exploring opportunities for innovations in 

the conduct of clinical research can help fulfill that 

agenda.”

Dr. Zhu Chen, China’s minister of health, delivered 

the keynote address. Organizers for the event were 

the CC, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 

the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and 

GlobalMD. Conference proceedings were published 

as a supplement in Science, “Selected Presentation 

from the 2011 Sino-American Symposium on 

Clinical and Translational Medicine.”

In the last two years, the CC has introduced to 

China two courses from the NIH intramural clinical 

research curriculum, Principles and Practice of Clinical 

Research and Clinical Pharmacology. The NIH faculty 

have made four teaching visits to China and have 

provided training to 3,000 physicians and nurses 

in more than 500 hospitals and research institutes 

in China using both live courses and long-distance 

learning tools.

Two of the courses’ textbooks have been translated 

into Chinese, and the Chinese are now beginning to 

teach the courses on their own. An outcome of these 

training efforts was the 1st Sino-American Clinical 

Research Summit, held June 16-18, 2010, which 

Gallin co-chaired with Dr. Depei Liu, president of 

the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Dr. Clare Hastings, CC 

chief nursing officer; Dr. 

Cheryl Fisher, program 

director of professional 

development; and Dr. 

Gwenyth Wallen, chief 

of nursing research and 

translational science, 

taught a two-day course 

on evidence-based 

practice to 104 nurses in 

Bejing, China, and to more 

than 300 participants at 

the Fourth Xian Military 

Medical University in Xi’an, 

China. The April 2010 

presentations were part 

of a partnership to take 

clinical research training 

abroad. 

Clinical research nursing in China
Interns, family members, mentors, staff, and administrative partners gathered to celebrate the graduation of 12 important Clinical Center community 

members in June 2011.

The graduation honored the success of the NIHProject SEARCH interns who completed a 

30-week unpaid internship in various departments 

throughout the CC. The internship was offered in 

collaboration with Project SEARCH, an international organization that works with hospitals and 

businesses to provide employment opportunities 

and experience for young adults with disabilities; 

the Ivymount School’s Post High School Program, 

a community-focused life skills program that prepares students ages 18-21 for a successful transition 

from school to employment and adult life; and 

SEEC, a local nonprofit that provides communitybased employment support to transitioning youth 

and adults.

During the 30-week pilot, Ivymount and SEEC’s 

on-site staff members provided personalized vocational support for the interns and were instrumental in dealing with challenges and creating a 

positive environment.

“I can’t tell the graduates and their families how 

privileged we feel that we have been able to get to 

know these graduates on a personal basis and to really see the work that you’ve all accomplished,” said 

CC Director Dr. John I. Gallin at the ceremony. 

“It has really enriched the Clinical Center. It’s 

made the Clinical Center a better place, operationally and as a community.”

This is the first Project SEARCH internship program for CC. It launched last year as a pilot under 

the management of Denise Ford, chief of Hospitality Services, and as part of the CC Volunteer Program. Ford said the program isn’t about just getting 

interns jobs; it is about starting their careers. 

“They came to us with a yearning for independence, for the opportunity to work and to work 

hard ... With all of our partners, we put together 

this opportunity for the interns to succeed in this 

transitional school-to-workplace training,” Ford 

said. “We put the opportunity out there, but they 

stepped up and seized the opportunity. That is 

what made this successful.” 

New graduate Ricky Day, who worked in Hospitality Services, said his internship was challenging 

yet rewarding. “We really earned it every day,” he 

said.

Rebecca VanGilder, the interns’ instructor, explained that the NIH-Project SEARCH team tried 

to challenge and encourage the young adults by 

placing shy, reserved interns in social or verbal roles 

to teach communication skills and by placing outgoing individuals in calm environments to teach 

professional discipline and appropriate workplace 

behaviors. 

“There are not enough words to describe the 

immense growth that each intern experienced 

because they were treated as any other employee 

here at the Clinical Center,” she said. VanGilder 

saw both the interns and the CC community grow 

throughout the program’s term. “I think we all see 

that much more than any disability, these young 

adults have unique abilities that exceed what someone else could do or provide,” she said. 

NIH AND PROJECT SEARCH CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL PILOT 

WITH INTERN GRADUATION

Project SEARCH interns and 

their mentors marked the interns’ graduation and successful 

completion of the program in 

June. The group included (from 

left) Adam Russell; Donna ScottHarper, Pharmacy Department 

technician; Amethyst Thornton; 

Aamer Khan; and Jim Schlick, 

Pharmacy Department Inpatient 

Section chief.

3 4 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Organizational Improvement 

and Teamwork
Eight of the new graduates will go on to fill perma

-

nent positions within the CC. All will take away ca-

reer skills, though, such as how to use public transpor-

tation and how to use aids like an alarm to remember 

appointments. 

Chauncey Buford, a supervisor in the Housekeeping 

and Fabric Care Department, worked with intern 

Chane Wade-Goodwin for the entire 30-week in-

ternship and was excited for the opportunity to help 

Chane build skills of all kinds. “Since the beginning of 

the program I think Chane is more positive. He went 

from being unsure to sure. He built confidence and 

started talking about his ambitions.”

According to Steve Blanks, director of vocational and 

day supports at SEEC and part of the NIH-Project 

SEARCH team, similar initiatives in other organiza-

tions do not have such a high success rate. “For eight 

out of 12 students to be hired, that is an unbelievable 

success,” he said. “These guys have learned new skills, 

met new friends, and learned things that they will 

carry with them for the rest of their lives.” 

Ford said she hopes to continue the program next 

year and expand it to other NIH institutes and cen-

ters, embracing the president’s goal of increasing the 

employment rate of workers with disabilities.

Ford added, “They have opened people’s minds to 

look beyond the wheelchair— past the appearance of 

the physical disability— to see that bright 

young person who can contribute in an extremely 

meaningful way to the mission of the NIH.”

The interns were: Crystal Battle, Ashton Bell, Van 

Berg, Ricky Day, Scott Gladstone, Justin Haynes, 

Aamer Khan, Alex Lightfoot, Adam Russell, Lind-

sey Schaufelberger, Amethyst Thornton, and Chane 

Wade-Goodwin.

In August 2011, the Clinical Center was chosen as the 

2011 Employer of the Year by Maryland Works, Inc., 

for its pilot NIH-Project SEARCH program. The 

interns were honored with NIH Directors Awards. 

Maureen Gormley, CC chief 

operating officer, and Dr. John I. 

Gallin, CC director, congratulat-

ed the Project SEARCH interns, 

including Ricky Day.

The 1SE patio was filled with 

cheers of congratulations from 

families, coworkers, and friends 

for the 12 NIH-Project SEARCH 

interns who graduated on June 

10 after 30 weeks spent in vari-

ous CC departments. 

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3 5
The 3SW intensive care unit (ICU) began a 

transition to electronic documentation of patient 

medical records to streamline clinical documentation, increase efficiency, and improve patient safety. 

The electronic documentation system replaced a 

hard copy paper flow sheet that has been used in 

the ICU for decades, said Dr. David Henderson, 

Clinical Center deputy director for clinical care.

Henderson reported that one of the main goals of 

this transition is to increase the quality, efficiency, 

and safety of patient care. “The clinical data viewer 

in the ICU populates information automatically, 

eliminating the potential for human error,” he said. 

The new system will be accessible through the 

Clinical Research Information System (CRIS) and 

will mimic the format of the flow charts while 

streamlining the documentation in a single location. This new patient-care technology records and 

calculates virtually every electronic observation 

made of a patient’s condition and vital signs, so 

that ICU staff do not need to record or calculate 

the information manually. 

Ryan Kennedy, an information technology project 

manager for the Department of Clinical Research 

Informatics, coordinated and implemented this 

customized electronic documentation initiative. 

“We wanted to make it easier for nurses to document patient information while developing a way 

to display this information in an easier way for the 

physician group,” he said. 

Previously, when patients were admitted to the 

ICU, the information associated with their condition was recorded on the paper flow sheet and 

there was not electronic data available to investigators at the point in which their patient’s condition was most critical. “Physicians used to have to 

physically go up to the ICU, go to the bed, and 

look at a paper flow sheet to see what was going 

on. Now investigators who have patients in the 

ICU can see the clinical data viewer in their offices or from home,” said Kennedy.

Henderson reported that in addition to increasing 

efficiency and patient safety in the ICU, the system 

will also allow investigators access to important information that benefits clinical research initiatives. 

“All the data that is collected on these patients was 

never entered into the clinical research documentation in the past,” he said. The new system gives 

researchers the opportunity to easily access and 

utilize patient information collected while in the 

ICU. 

This long-term project was developed after receiving feedback from Nursing, Critical Care Medicine Department staff, and other CC staff members who care for or see patients in the ICU. 

ICU TRANSITIONS TO ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTATION

Department of Laboratory 

Medicine staff (from left): Vivian 

Morales, Laura Roeder, Gabrielle 

Farello, Gina Mattia, and Perlita 

Powers pose with (from left) CC 

Director Dr. John I. Gallin, Department of Laboratory Medicine 

Chief Dr. Thomas Fleisher, and 

CC Deputy Director for Clinical 

Care Dr. David Henderson during 

a breakfast marking National 

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. 

3 6 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2
NURSES WEEK 2011 CELEBRATES CARING AND COMPASSION

The 2011 Clinical Center Nurses Week hosted by 

Nursing and Patient Care Services (NPCS) celebrated the care and compassion exhibited by the 

CC’s staff of spectacular nurses every day. 

To care for others, care for oneself

Nurses are by nature a selfless people, but to care 

for others, one must care for oneself. So was the 

message of the CC Nurses Week kick-off presentation on May 2. Keynote speaker Dr. Ann Berger, 

chief of Pain and Palliative Care, and panelists 

offered different perspectives on compassion 

fatigue and shared coping techniques to overcome 

the burnout that can come from caring for many, 

very sick patients.

“The way I have coped with compassion fatigue 

is spirituality and retail therapy,” Berger said with a 

smile. She asked nurses to watch out for and check 

in with each other. “Be attentive to colleagues’ bad 

days,” she said.

Nicole Gamba, 1NW nurse manager, outlined 

how her unit responded to a time of high intensity/

long-term patients and frequent patient deaths. 

Their wellness session series responded to staff’s 

request for information on teamwork, relaxation 

tools, and depression warning signs.

Kimberly Skay of the pediatric clinic spoke about 

the daily challenge of balancing work and a personal life. Amy Callahan-Lesher, a clinical nurse 

specialist in surgical oncology/immunology, told 

stories of how she used humor—in a mature and 

sensitive way—to ease compassion fatigue and 

lighten the mood with patients in a dire condition

.

Bringing nurses together to celebrate

Early in the week and early in the morning, 

NPCS hosted a night shift staff appreciation 

breakfast complete with administrators in big 

white chef’s hats. 

Ramya Parthasaratity, a nurse on 3NW and Nurses 

Week committee member, enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with other staff members at the 

breakfast. “I like the integration and the opportunity to bring everyone together,” she said.

Nurses across disciplines and institutes gathered 

on Tuesday and Thursday of Nurses Week for 

pot-luck themed “block parties.” On Tuesday, the 

first-and-third-floor block party offered a beach 

party from 1NW and a special spread from the 

3SW-N procedural unit titled “Nations United in 

Care.” They had each staff member bring in a dish 

that represented their culture and invited visitors 

to guess both the food item and the associated 

country.

Sombreros, nachos, and other festive flavors were 

prominently represented at the appropriately 

timed Cinco de Mayo (May 5) block party for the 

ambulatory care clinics and the fifth and seventh 

floor patient-care units. The second block party 

also hosted spreads appropriately themed to their 

associated clinics, including “Caring and Compassion are Infectious” from the OP8 Infectious 

Disease Clinic and “Plasmid Slime Punch” from 

the 5NE-S Special Clinical Studies Unit. 

The week’s events also included Clinical Center 

Grand Rounds presented by LCDR Dr. Margaret Bevans, NPCS clinical nurse scientist, and Dr. 

Esther Sternberg, chief of the National Institute 

of Mental Health’s Section on Neuroendocrine 

Immunology and Behavior. They presented 

“Measuring Stress and Its Impact on Health in 

Family Caregivers.”

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3 7
It was quite a week. A magnitude 5.8 earthquake 

shook the region at 1:51 pm on August 23, 2011. 

Meanwhile, Hurricane Irene was barreling up 

the Atlantic coast with Maryland in its path. The 

heaviest wind and rain slammed the area near 

midnight on August 28 and into the early morning 

hours of August 29.

In the immediate minutes and hours after the 

quake, patient-care staff did a remarkable job 

maintaining continuity of patient care, said Dr. 

David Henderson, CC deputy director for clinical 

care. The disaster command center was set up 

within minutes of the earthquake. CC facilities 

staff and NIH engineers inspected the building to 

ensure its structural safety. CC leaders walked the 

hospital floors to inform staff and patients what was 

happening, which proved a useful communications 

strategy. 

Communications in advance of the hurricane 

were early and frequent. As the United States 

Geological Survey notes, you can’t predict an 

earthquake. “This was an unprecedented event and 

our emergency plans do not deal directly with how 

to manage an earthquake,” said Henderson. “The 

plan is being modified to include earthquakes and 

we will assess the evacuation process in case of 

future earthquakes, so all staff know exactly what 

to do. We’ve responded to hurricanes before, and 

preparation for the storm was an excellent example 

of collaborative preparation.”

The CC was ready for the storm. According to 

Tannia Cartledge, Nursing and Patient Care 

Services deputy chief for inpatient services, 

“Our nursing staff anticipated patient requirements 

for the weekend. The administrative coordinators 

provided on-site support and coordination.” 

David Folio, Nutrition Department chief reported 

that staff were prepared to spend the night so that 

there would be no interruption to patient meals. 

“Due to the timing of the storm, we decided 

to keep a cross-section of staff here. We also had 

metabolic and clinical staff here to cover those 

areas,” Folio said. 

The Pharmacy Department doubled the amount 

of drugs that were to be delivered right before 

the storm it, just in case. “CC-wide planning 

for the hurricane was outstanding,” noted Bob 

DeChristophoro, Pharmacy Department chief. 

Housekeeping prepared linen for the air beds that 

Materials Management made available to staff who 

overnighted. They also made sure 55-gallon drums 

were filled with water in case it was needed for 

toilet flushing. Materials Management stocked the 

Pyxis machines with additional medical supply 

inventory, and ensured plenty of flashlights were 

ready for distribution. 

The potential for flooding was a big concern for 

the CC Office of Space and Facility Management 

and the NIH Office of Research Facilities. Staff 

from both areas had sandbags at the ready and 

walked the facility regularly during the storm. 

“Good pre-planning, proactive interventions, and 

teamwork made this go so well,” said Debra Byram, 

OSFM chief. 

CLINICAL CENTER RESPONDS TO BACK-TO-BACK NATURAL DISASTERS

CC launches YouTube channel

The Clinical Center has expanded its social media 

presence with a new YouTube channel.

Videos showcase the CC’s innovative scientific studies, 

programs, and people. A 2010 national survey by the 

Pew Research Center found that more than 70 percent 

of online Americans use video-sharing sites such as 

YouTube and almost 30 percent visit a video-sharing 

site daily.

The channel complements CC’s existing portfolio of 

social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter. 

Go online to explore CC offerings: clinicalcenter.nih.

gov/newsevents/newmedia.html

3 8 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2
In line with the Clinical Center’s ongoing effort to 

elevate patient safety, the CC Pharmacy Department implemented a new outpatient pharmacy 

system in May 2011.

The software and equipment installation improves 

the process of filling prescriptions for all parties 

involved—the department staff, the research teams, 

and the patients.

“The implementation of the new pharmacy outpatient information system is a major advance for 

the Clinical Center and its patients,” said Dr. David 

Henderson, deputy director for clinical care. “The 

system provides an increased measure of safety for 

our providers and patients and also provides the 

Clinical Center with improved ability to track 

the dispensing of outpatient pharmaceuticals, by 

patient, by institute, and by protocol.”

The system is a customized version of the technology commonly used in retail pharmacies. The 

Department of Clinical Research Informatics and 

the Pharmacy Department worked together with 

the system’s manufacturer to integrate with the 

Clinical Research Information System (CRIS). 

The team also collaborated to design the database 

layout and work out the bugs.

A prescriber places an electronic order for a takehome medication in the CRIS and the order 

is transmitted to the new outpatient pharmacy 

system. As a safety check, the system will check for 

drug-drug interactions and for duplicate orders 

(two orders for the same drug or therapeutic drug 

class at the same time). 

After a pharmacist’s approval, the order goes to a 

fill queue. Upon viewing the order, a technician 

sees an image of the medication to be filled: a 

visual reminder to assure accuracy. The technician 

locates and scans the medication bottle barcode, 

assuring it is the intended medication, and then 

fills the order. The system also has the ability to 

autofill an order using a robotic machine containing approximately 140 commonly requested drugs.

Once the order has been filled by the technician, 

a pharmacist verifies the accuracy of the fill. Each 

patient’s medication bottle displays a label that includes a barcode identifying both the drug and the 

patient. A pharmacist scans the barcode to verify 

the order has been filled as intended. As one last 

safeguard, before a filled order is dispensed to the 

patient or nurse, a pharmacy employee scans the 

barcode on each bottle. 

“Each of these steps will help us see that the right 

drug is being dispensed to the right patient,” said 

Jharana (Tina) Patel, Pharmacy Department quality assurance officer. 

Research team members can check dispensing 

information for each take-home order in the 

CRIS. When viewing the order summary, one 

can determine if and when the medication was 

dispensed and also if there are any remaining refills. 

This feature helps to track patient’s adherence with 

the medication regimen, which is critical in clinical research studies. 

OUTPATIENTS AND STAFF BENEFIT FROM NEW PHARMACY SYSTEM

Justine Harris, chief of the 

Ambulatory Pharmacy Section, 

checks on an order in the new 

outpatient pharmacy system, 

which automates some prescription filling and enhances 

patient safety.

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 3 9
4 0 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Teams NIH and USPHS 

race for the cure

CC celebrates 

earth day

Rain forced Earth Day events 

into the Clinical Center South 

Lobby on April 28. With them 

came an animal exhibit including an eagle who delighted NIH 

staff and visitors.

Team NIH 

(above) raced for 

research at the 

five-kilometer 

Susan G. Komen 

Global Race for 

the Cure.

The US Public Health Service officers team, including 

many CC employees and their 

families, was the top fundraiser 

in the US government agency 

division at the Global Race for 

the Cure on June 4. 

Kids experience a 

“fantastic voyage”

The Clinical Center hosted future scientists around the hospital at Take 

Your Child to Work Day in April. Researchers held interactive sessions teaching young visitors about how the brain works, how clinical 

research is reviewed, and how imaging technology offers detailed pictures of the heart. The Department of Laboratory Medicine presented a 

“fantastic voyage.”
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 4 1

Clinical scientists in the Clinical Center Critical 

Care Medicine Department (CCMD) have led a 

revision of the 2002 “Guidelines for Prevention of 

Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections,” which 

have been widely influential in contributing to 

efforts to reduce the impact of catheter infection 

on patient outcome in hospitals in the United 

States and around the world.

The new guidelines, which are endorsed by the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) and multiple professional societies, were 

published April 1, 2011, in Clinical Infectious 

Diseases.

“Hospital-acquired infections, and particularly 

catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI), 

are now an important benchmark of hospital 

quality and patient safety,” said lead author Dr. 

Naomi O’Grady, medical director of procedures, 

vascular access, and conscious sedation services in 

the CCMD. 

The average CRBSI incidence is about 2.3 per 

1,000 patient-catheter days. In US intensive care 

units (ICUs), about 80,000 CRBSI occur each year 

and with them, morbidity, mortality, and extended 

hospital stays. 

Catheter-related infections are now seen as 

largely preventable. In an effort to encourage 

stringent prevention efforts, Medicare will no 

longer reimburse for CRBSI acquired during 

hospitalization, which has hospitals eager to 

eliminate such infections, O’Grady said. 

These guidelines are updates of a process that 

began in 2000 when O’ Grady and CCMD 

Chief Dr. Henry Masur were approached by the 

Society of Critical Care Medicine to develop 

guidelines to reduce the incidence of CRBSI in 

ICUs. Recognizing that catheter infections involve 

health-care professionals from many disciplines, 

Masur and O’Grady expanded the scope of the 

guidelines creation process to include the CDC 

and 11 other professional organizations so that 

physicians and nurses across disciplines would have 

one set of guidelines to follow. 

The CCMD continued to unite physicians 

and other health-care providers from various 

specialties—encouraging several more professional 

organizations to participate—to produce the 

current guidance to improve patient outcome.

Previous prevention efforts have focused on central 

venous catheter placement in ICUs due to the 

procedure’s frequency and the profound effect 

of hospital-acquired infections on ICU patients. 

Improved technology has now allowed hospitals 

to better track CRBSI on other units and in 

outpatient settings, focusing on patients undergoing 

cancer treatment or receiving parenteral nutrition. 

Many infections occur in patients with longer 

catheter dwell time (more than seven days), so 

maintenance and not just insertion is a concern. 

The guidelines’ authors appeal to a variety of 

audiences to help prevent CRBSI: those who 

order the catheter placement, those who insert and 

maintain intravascular catheters, infection control 

officers, and patients who are able to assist in the 

care of their catheters.

Major areas of emphasis in the guidelines include 

educating and training health-care personnel, using 

maximal sterile barrier precautions during catheter 

insertion, skin preparation with chlorhexidine for 

antisepsis, and avoiding routine replacement of 

central venous catheters.

Another suggestion is implementation of bundled 

strategies, where all the supplies for a central 

venous catheter insertion are packed in a kit at the 

ready. However, the greatest return on investment 

might be commitment to process. 

“You can get to very low rates of infection without 

using novel techniques,” O’Grady said. “It’s 

attention to detail and diligence in adhering to 

he standards of catheter care that really pay off.”

UPDATED GUIDELINES AIM TO ELIMINATE INFECTIONS
4 2 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

When someone receives medical care because 

he or she is ill or hurt, the primary focus is on 

getting better. But microscopic culprits can cause 

health care-associated infections (HAIs) that can 

sometimes undermine that goal.

Each year millions of people become infected 

during their stays in hospitals and other healthcare facilities by microscopic invaders that cause 

significant morbidity and mortality. The financial 

burden attributed to HAIs is staggering: $28 to 

$33 billion in excess health-care costs each year, 

according to the Department of Health and 

Human Services.

Alarmed by these preventable outcomes, HHS 

is leading several collaborative efforts among its 

agencies to improve and expand HAI prevention 

efforts, and Clinical Center staff have actively 

joined in efforts to combat this health-care issue.

HAIs are contracted by patients during treatment 

within a health-care setting, which includes 

hospitals, same-day surgical centers, ambulatory 

outpatient care clinics, and long-term care facilities. 

HAIs cause major setbacks to patients’ recovery, 

and can sometimes be lethal. These infections are 

typically caused by bacteria or fungi. 

The HHS Steering Committee for the Prevention 

of Health Care-Associated Infections facilitates 

coordination and efficiency of HAI prevention 

efforts. Members include high-ranking clinicians, 

scientists, and public health leaders across HHS. The 

CC’s Deputy Director for Clinical Care Dr. David 

Henderson represents the CC and the NIH on the 

committee. 

Other CC staff have supported the HAI prevention 

initiative as expert advisors, reviewers for healthcare training materials, and presenters for regional 

and national meetings The Hospital Epidemiology 

Service (HES) contributes to HAI prevention both 

at a national level and here on the ground. In the 

CC, the HES is intimately involved with efforts to 

track and prevent all of the HAIs listed above.

In addition, HES team members have presented 

their research findings on HAI prevention 

and control at scientific meetings. Dr. Tara 

Palmore, CC deputy hospital epidemiologist 

and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 

Diseases staff clinician, summarized the HES’s 

prevention efforts in the 2010 John Laws Decker 

Memorial Lecture on myths associated with 

HAIs. Dr. Naomi O’Grady of the Critical Care 

Medicine Department is the lead author on 

national guidelines for prevention of catheterassociated bloodstream infections, and brings those 

guidelines to bear in her role as director of the 

CC’s Procedures, Vascular Access, and Conscious 

Sedation Services. 

The Office of Communications, Patient 

Recruitment, and Public Liaison lends its 

expertise in health communications to support the 

committee’s Outreach and Messaging Working 

Group. Formed to develop and disseminate HAI 

prevention messages to health-care workers and 

patients, the working group plans to launch an 

HAI prevention campaign this year to ensure 

people are aware of the danger of HAIs and what 

they can do as individuals to prevent them. 

For more information on HAIs and prevention, 

visit www.cdc.gov/hai/. Find the CC on Facebook 

and Twitter to receive HAI prevention campaign 

messages.

CC SUPPORTS EFFORT TO ADDRESS HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 4 3

The Clinical Center would not be the same 

without the support and dedication of its 

committed volunteers, said Maureen Gormley, CC 

chief operating officer, at the 28th annual volunteer 

appreciation celebration on May 11, 2011. 

Joining Gormley and the volunteers and staff 

attending the celebration was Madieu Williams, 

National Football League star, philanthropist, and 

CC Volunteer Program alumni. 

“I consider this my first real job,” Williams 

said of the time he spent as a volunteer for the 

Rehabilitation Medicine Department Recreation 

Therapy Section. Williams began volunteering 

in the main playroom to fulfill an internship 

requirement as a family studies student at the 

University of Maryland, but enjoyed spending time 

with patients and their family members so much 

that he returned to volunteer at the playroom the 

following summer. 

“This place is very special to me,” he said. “I am 

thankful for people who gave me the opportunity 

to work here.”

Williams immigrated to Prince George’s County 

from Sierra Leone with his family at the age of 9. 

Currently a safety for the Minnesota Vikings, he 

was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 

and played football at the University of Maryland. 

In 2005 he founded the Madieu Williams 

Foundation, an organization focused on health, 

wellness, nutrition, fitness, and education. Through 

his foundation, Williams reaches out to youth and 

teaches them at an early age the importance of a 

healthy lifestyle. The foundation has supported the 

construction and operation of a school that serves 

243 students in Williams’ hometown of Freetown, 

Sierra Leone.

In his keynote, Williams credited the experience 

gained as a volunteer at the CC with building 

the foundation for the skills he used in starting 

his organization. “I wish I could have stayed a lot 

longer, because a lot of the things I learned here 

are what I am applying to my foundation,” he 

said. “There are a lot of people less fortunate who 

don’t have the things we take for granted every day, 

and my heart goes out to them, especially to the 

families.”

Williams spoke highly of his time connecting 

with patients through recreation therapy, even 

mentioning that he considered applying for a job 

here before he was drafted to the Bengals. 

Recognizing volunteer commitment

The CC Social Work Department’s volunteer 

program celebrated the work of the more than 

200 active volunteers throughout Volunteer 

Appreciation Week April 11 to 15 and honored 

outstanding contributions at the appreciation 

celebration on May 11.

“The work that this very dedicated group of 

volunteers does on a day-in and day-out basis 

really displays the kind of warmth and hospitality 

that’s befitting for our patients,” said Gormley. 

“This group of special volunteers helps us welcome 

people and tries to take away as much stress as 

possible. For that we are so grateful.”

The ceremony honored five volunteers for 

overall contribution, commitment, dedication, 

and excellence in customer service in support of 

the CC mission. “All those things you do really 

help our patients get through what they are 

dealing with, whether you recognize it or not. So 

thank you!” said volunteer program coordinator 

Courtney Duncan.

NFL STAR VISITS TO CELEBRATE THE COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION OF 

CLINICAL CENTER VOLUNTEERS

Madieu Williams, National 

Football League star, philanthropist, and Clinical Center 

volunteer program alumni 

presented the keynote at the 

2011 annual volunteer appreciation celebration. 
4 4 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Recognized with special recognition awards were: 

Victor Canino, Language Interpreter Program 

volunteer; Monica Goodison, Language Interpreter 

Program volunteer; Cynthia Keane, Pain and 

Palliative Care services volunteer; Dhamayanthy 

Pathmanathan, Red Cross Services and Recreation 

Therapy Section playroom volunteer; Mark 

Schermerhorn, patient ambassador in OP7, and the 

volunteer representative to the volunteer advisory 

group. 

Supporting the “House of Hope” 

OP7 volunteer Mark Schermerhorn received an 

award from Courtney Duncan at the May 11th 

volunteer appreciation ceremony

The inspiration to volunteer at the CC can come 

from a variety of sources—some volunteers want 

more experience in a research hospital, some 

volunteers want to give back to a community 

that has helped them or their families in the past, 

some interested in service and the CC’s unique 

environment and mission. 

Schermerhorn of Maryland came to the CC first 

as a healthy volunteer enrolled in a protocol. He 

was fascinated by the environment and applied to 

become a volunteer. He has been volunteering for 

the past year and a half and primarily supports the 

OP7 clinic. 

“Volunteers can give that bit of additional support 

to patients: everything from helping them navigate 

the CC to spending a moment with them during 

stressful times,” Schermerhorn said. “A kind word 

can go a very long way. “

Schermerhorn represents the CC volunteers on the 

newly formed volunteer advisory group. The group 

of supervisors, staff, and the volunteer representative 

focuses on better serving the CC’s volunteer 

population. 

“The thing that sticks out most in my mind is 

seeing firsthand the enormous amount of hard 

work that is required by the dedicated employees, 

contractors, and volunteers to keep the CC going as 

truly, ‘The House of Hope,’’’ Schermerhorn said.

On a late fall afternoon, just before the first snowflakes of upcoming winter fell, dozens of volunteers 

patiently planted thousands of spring bulbs in the 

atrium courtyards of the Clinical Center.

The good-hearted gardeners included CC patients, 

staff and their families, and students from the Stone 

Ridge School of the Sacred Heart and the Thomas 

W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda. Together they 

lay the ground work for the vision of a restful space 

in a vibrant garden with lots of flower varieties 

created by Elaine Gallin, wife of CC Director Dr. 

John I. Gallin, and designed by Lynn Mueller, NIH 

Office of Facilities Research landscape architect. 

“I love to garden, and so it’s a treat to work with 

the patients, staff, and other CC volunteers to make 

these already lovely outdoor spaces even prettier,” 

said Gallin, who also co-planned the event. “I look 

forward to visiting the CC in springtime, and, 

hopefully, seeing lots of patients and staff sitting 

among the gardens bursting with spring flowers.” 

Debbie Byram, chief of CC Office of Space and 

Facility Management, added, “I can’t wait for the 

spring. To have our patients feel like there are areas 

in the hospital on one of their days that just don’t 

feel right that they can come out and see some 

beautiful gardens that might hopefully make their 

day a little better... is really an honor to do.”

All of the bulbs were donated to the CC through 

the Foundation for the NIH. Finding folks willing 

to get a little dirty wasn’t too difficult either because 

the courtyards are a shared, treasured resource. 

Soon, the ground will be covered with snow. But 

then, said Byram, a sea of flowers will emerge with 

spring – and with them will come a feeling of 

newness and optimism. “The whole mission of this 

hospital is to provide hope,” said Byram. “And to me, 

having beautiful flowers is one way to help do that. 

So that’s what I’m looking at. I’m planting hope.”

CC patients and staff 

plant hope

OP7 volunteer Mark 

Schermerhorn received an 

award from Courtney Duncan 

at the May 11th volunteer appreciation ceremony
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 4 5

Senator Mark O. Hatfield dies 

Senator Mark O. Hatfield died on August 7 at 

the age of 89. His visionary support of medical 

research helped make possible his namesake, the 

Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, an 

addition to the CC that was dedicated in 2004 and 

opened in 2005. 

“His unwavering vision was for this hospital to be 

ground central for creating and providing the next 

generations of medical treatment and cures,” said 

Clinical Center Director Dr. John I. Gallin of the 

senator’s commitment. “He considered the hospital 

named in his honor to be a new community of 

hope and once said that it represents the new frontier in medical science.” 

NIH Director Francis S. Collins said, “Throughout 

his lifetime of public service, Mark devoted 

himself to improving the human condition, 

often reminding his legislative colleagues of ‘the 

desperate human needs in our midst.’ And he 

matched those words with action during his 30 

years in the US Senate. As chair of the Senate 

Committee on Appropriations, he served as a 

strong and principled advocate for the needs of 

those who are less fortunate. He also consistently 

defended the importance of NIH-funded research 

and its importance to our society. Finally, while the 

Senator is no longer with us, we can all take heart 

from his remarks at the Sept. 22, 2004, dedication 

of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center: 

“There is no medicine like hope. ... My prayer 

today is that God grant you an abundance of 

patience, perseverance, and cures.”

Hatfield is survived by his wife, Antoinette, 

four children, and seven grandchildren.

Noteworthy
New clinical chemistry service chief named 

Dr. David Sacks has 

been named chief of 

the Department of 

Laboratory Medicine’s 

clinical chemistry service 

in the Department of 

Laboratory Medicine. 

Sacks came to the CC 

from Harvard University 

where he directed 

clinical chemistry at 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “There are lots 

of opportunities here at the Clinical Center,” 

he said. “Since the main focus of the NIH is 

research, this provides a unique setting where one 

can develop new lab tests that can be used on 

patients here and elsewhere, too.”

Sacks attended medical school at the University 

of Cape Town in South Africa and completed 

his medical internal medicine residency at 

Georgetown Medical School/DC General 

Hospital and the Washington DC Veterans 

Administration Hospital. He completed a second 

residency in Clinical Pathology at Washington 

University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

He ran the residency training program at 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and developed 

medical student electives. “I used to tell the 

students that one of the things I like about 

clinical chemistry is that 10 percent is facts and 

you work things out for the other 90 percent,” 

Sacks said. His research at the CC will address 

intracellular signal transduction, or how signals 

get around inside cells, applied to different disease 

models. 

Munro honored for excellence 

Nancy Munro, the senior 

nurse practitioner in the 

Clinical Center Critical 

Care Medicine Department and on the Pulmonary Consult Service, is 

one of 10 recipients of 

Washingtonian magazine’s 

2011 Excellence in 

Nursing Award.

“It’s really a great honor,” 

Munro said of the award. “I love being a nurse. 

It is so satisfying when you can help someone 

understand or deal with their disease.”

Munro earned a bachelor’s in nursing from 

Villanova University and a master’s in nursing 

at Emory University. She received a certificate 

as an acute care nurse practitioner 1997 from 

Georgetown University, just as the specialty 

was emerging. Munro was the first nurse 

practitioner on the Surgical Critical Care Service 

at Washington Hospital Center and worked at 

Inova Alexandria Hospital before joining the 

Clinical Center in 2004.

“Nancy Munro brings to the Washington, DC, 

medical community leadership in clinical care for 

our sickest patients, leadership in training a relatively new category of health care provider, and 

scholarship to the ICU that enhances the quality 

of our workforce and our patient care,” wrote 

Dr. Henry Masur, chief of the Critical Care 

Medicine Department, in Munro’s nomination.

Munro is a clinical instructor in the Acute 

Care Nursing Practitioner/Clinical Nurse 

Specialist Graduate Program at the University 

of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore. 

She has made significant contributions to the 

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 

serving on the group’s national board of 

directors and chairing various work groups that 

wrote standards for care delivery and identified 

important education topics.

Nancy Munro

4 6 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Dr. David Sacks 
This year marks the first Excellence in Nursing 

Awards from Washingtonian. Munro and her fellow 

recipients were honored at a dinner in Washington, 

DC, on December 7.

Alter receives awards 

Dr. Harvey Alter, associate 

director for research 

in the Clinical Center 

Department of Transfusion 

Medicine and NIH 

Distinguished Investigator, 

was honored with two 

achievement awards in 

November.

He received a Distinguished Achievement 

Award from the American Association for the 

Study of Liver Diseases, the highest scientific 

honor given by the society. The award recognizes 

Alter’s sustained scientific contributions to the field 

of liver disease and the scientific foundations of 

hepatology.

Alter also earned the Tibor Greenwalt Award 

from the American Association of Blood Banks 

for major scientific and clinical contributions to 

hematology and transfusion medicine. The award 

notes Alter’s contribution to understanding of 

viral infectious risk for recipients of blood transfusions and organ transplants and cites his role in the 

research teams responsible for identification of two 

viruses—hepatitis B and hepatitis C—that formerly 

plagued transfusion recipients.

Masur’s work recognized 

Dr. Henry Masur, chief 

of the Clinical Center’s 

Critical Care Medicine 

Department and prominent AIDS researcher, was 

recognized in October by 

Whitman-Walker Health, 

a community health clinic 

in Washington, DC, for the 

role he has played in the 

fight against HIV/AIDS.

“Each year, Whitman-Walker and AIDS Walk 

recognize individuals and organizations that are 

doing outstanding work in the fight against HIV/

AIDS,” said Don Blanchon, executive director 

of Whitman-Walker Health, the producer and 

beneficiary of the Walk. “Since this is the 25th 

AIDS Walk, we also wanted to reflect on the 

history of the epidemic here in DC and recognize 

25 people who played prominent roles in that 

history.” With Carl Dieffenbach of the National 

Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 

(NIAID), Masur leads the DC Partnership for 

AIDS Progress, a unique collaboration between 

NIH and the DC government, which aims to 

create an urban model for decreasing the impact 

of HIV/AIDS on underserved populations. 

NIAID, the National Institute of Mental Health, 

CC, and Office of AIDS Research lead this effort. 

The program is developing a city-wide database 

with the 13 largest HIV providers that will make 

DC the first city to be able to analyze data on 

all HIV patients in the city and to link with the 

Department of Health. 

In April, he received the John Phillips Memorial 

Award for Outstanding Work in Clinical Medicine from the American College of Physicians. 

This award highlights the opportunities that NIH 

provides intramural scientists to make contributions 

to clinical medicine and science. The resources 

and collaborators in the intramural program and 

the stability of funding provide opportunities to 

embark on ambitious projects that would be more 

difficult to accomplish at other institutions, Masur 

noted.

Dr. Henry Masur

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 4 7

Dr. Harvey Alter
4 8 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

Smith earns outstanding professional award 

Marcia Smith, clinical and 

internship coordinator 

at the Clinical Center’s 

Rehabilitation Medicine 

Department Recreation 

Therapy Section, was 

honored with an Outstanding Professional 

Award by the American 

Therapeutic Recreation 

Association (ATRA) in 

September. 

The award recognizes 

Smith’s commitment, dedication, and leadership 

within the association and the recreational therapy 

profession as a whole. One nominator wrote, 

“By being professionally involved, Marcia is more 

aware of what is going on in the ‘big picture’ of a 

vast amount of changes in trends for the profession 

and health care. She can provide quality services 

for the patients and treatment teams and she 

reaches out to mentor others as much as possible.”

Smith explains her commitment to training as a 

way of paying it forward, “If we don’t train our 

students, or if we don’t give back what we have 

learned or what someone has given to us, we will 

never grow as a profession,” she said. 

Bioethics chief leaves CC after more than 

a decade of contributions

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel’s 

research and recommendations have served 

a nation of patients and 

physicians facing tough 

questions about the ethics 

of care. His spirit of camaraderie warmed coworkers in his department and 

around the NIH.

“The NIH has been absolutely the best place to 

work,” said Emanuel, who had chaired the Department of Bioethics. “There are people here who 

want answers to tough questions ... We’ve had the 

great opportunity to develop ideas and see them 

implemented in policy.”

Emanuel earned both his MD and PhD degrees 

from Harvard University, and much of his research 

before coming to the CC to chair the Department 

of Clinical Bioethics (as then called) was in endof-life care. His career choice came from a push 

from his father to pursue a medical career and an 

interest in philosophy and politics.“Bioethics was 

a unique way of marrying my interests and talents 

in science with my interests and talents in politics,” 

Emanuel said.

While at the CC, Emanuel was a lead author 

of the first comprehensive Oxford textbook on 

clinical research ethics.Other significant contributions during Emanuel’s tenure at the NIH include 

a decade of research into recommendations of 

revisions to human subjects research regulations. 

Emanuel also counts his work into the ethics of 

research in developing countries among his successes. He was detailed as special advisor to the 

director of the White House Office of Management and Budget for health policy from 2009 to 

early 2011.

One thing he’ll miss from the NIH, Emanuel said, 

is the people. “People here are very generous with 

their time and ideas,” he said. 

“Due to Zeke’s vision, intellect, and unbounded 

energy, the Department of Bioethics has developed 

a reputation for its exceptional research productivity, fellowship program, and overall significant 

contributions to the field of bioethics,” said Dr. 

Christine Grady, the department’s acting deputy 

chief. 

Facilities chief retires 

James Wilson, chief of the 

Office of Facility Management at the Clinical 

Center since 1987, retired 

after more than 33 years 

at NIH. “This place is my 

life,” he said. “You come 

to work here, and you try 

to make a mark. It’s been 

an enjoyable life.”

He started at NIH in 1977 as an electrician for the 

Office of Research Facilities and transferred to the 

James Wilson

Marcia Smith

Bioethics chief Dr. 

Ezekiel Emanuel left 

the Clinical Center in 

August after 15 years 

to go to the University 

of Pennsylvania to 

teach and serve as the 

vice provost for global 

initiatives and chair 

a new Department of 

Medical Ethics and 

Health Policy. He 

will also write for 

The New York Times.
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 4 9

Looking back

A new art and photography exhibit on the 

first floor of the Magnuson building (near the 

pediatrics clinic) gives visitors a window into 

the Clinical Center’s history, from the construction of the original building that began in the 

1940s to the dedication of the new Hatfield 

building in 2004. Robyn Bent of the National 

Cancer Institute stopped to investigate an article 

published by The New York Times in July 1953 

featuring the CC’s dedication ceremony. 

CC in 1982 to manage the CC’s responsibilities 

during the construction of the Ambulatory Care 

Research Facility. Wilson remained in the CC 

Office of Facility Management as a facility manager until 1987, when he was appointed chief of 

the office. As a critical member of the CC team 

that helped plan and build the Mark O. Hatfield 

Clinical Research Center, Wilson was instrumental in assuring the CC’s mission, patient care and 

safety, and hospital code requirements were met. 

“Throughout his career Jim’s motto of ‘make it 

happen’ perhaps best describes why he is so respected and admired by all that know and work with 

him,” said Dr. John I. Gallin, CC director. Nurse 

Terri Wakefield remembered Wilson climbing onto 

the roof with her to build a snowman outside the 

second-floor room window of a South American 

patient in his last days who had never seen snow. 

“We have depended on him because of his expertise 

in understanding the building, but he also understands the soul of this place,” Wakefield said.

Wilson has been recognized for his contributions 

throughout his career at the CC and in his community. The many plaques and framed certificates 

covering his office walls include two NIH Director’s Awards, a governor’s citation and a Montgomery County Secretary’s Distinguished Volunteer 

Service Award. Wilson has served as a volunteer 

firefighter in Montgomery County since 1962, 

moving his way up the ranks to fire chief, a role 

he still holds today. 

Pharmacy Department deputy 

chief recognized

Dr. Barry Goldspiel, Clinical Center Pharmacy 

Department deputy chief 

and chief of the clinical 

pharmacy specialist section, received the Donald 

E. Francke Medal from 

the American Society of 

Health-System Pharmacists in December 2011. 

The Francke Medal is one 

of group’s highest awards 

and is given annually to a 

pharmacist who has made 

significant international contributions to healthsystem pharmacy. The award honors Goldspeil’s 

role in founding the Journal of Oncology 

Pharmacy Practice, his contribution to the 

growth of the International Society of Oncology 

Pharmacy Practitioners, and his work gaining 

approval of oncology pharmacy as a recognized 

Board of Pharmacy Specialties specialty.

Dr. Barry Goldspiel
5 0 • A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2

CHAIR: Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH 

Dean

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg 

School of Public Health

VICE-CHAIR: Martin Blaser, MD

Chairman, New York University

Medical Center Department of Medicine

Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine

Robert S. Balaban, PhD

Scientific Director 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

Josephine Briggs, MD

Director, National Center for Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine 

Michael Rutledge DeBaun, MD, MPH 

Professor of Pediatrics

Vice Chair for Clinical Research

Director for Vanderbilt-Meharry Center of 

Excellance in Sickle Cell Disease

Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital

Joe G. N. “Skip” Garcia, MD

Vice Chancellor for Research

Professor of Medicine

University of Illinois at Chicago

Alan Guttmacher, MD 

Director 

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of 

Child Health and Human Development 

Steve M. Holland, MD

Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases 

National Institute of Allergy and 

Infectious Diseases

Deputy Director for Intramural Clinical Research

National Institutes of Health

Rebecca D. Jackson, MD

Director, Center for Clinical and 

Translational Science

Associate Dean for Clinical Research

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

 

Stephen I. Katz, MD, PhD 

Director

National Institute of Arthritis and 

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

T. Jake Liang, MD

Chief, Hepatology Service 

Chief, Liver Diseases Branch 

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and 

Kidney Diseases

Crystal Mackall, MD 

Chief, Pediatric Oncology Branch 

Head, Immunology Section

National Cancer Institute

Peter Markell 

Vice President of Finance

Partners HealthCare System, Inc.

Sharon O’Keefe, RN, MSN 

President

University of Chicago Medical Center

L. Reuven Pasternak, MD, MPH, MBA 

CEO, Inova Fairfax Hospital Campus

Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs

Inova Health System

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD

Chief, Surgery Branch

National Cancer Institute

Kate E. Walsh, MPH

President and CEO

Boston Medical Center

Ex Officio Members

John I. Gallin, MD

Director

Clinical Center

National Institutes of Health

Michael M. Gottesman, MD

Deputy Director for Intramural Research

National Institutes of Health

Maryland Pao, MD 

Chair, Medical Executive Committee

Clinical Director, National Institute of 

Mental Health

Executive Secretary

Maureen E. Gormley, RN, MA, MPH

Chief Operating Officer

Clinical Center

National Institutes of Health

Senior Staff Support

Richard G. Wyatt, MD

Executive Director

Office of Intramural Research

National Institutes of Health

*As of December 31, 2011

ADVISORY BOARD FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (2011)* 

Governance

The NIH Advisory Board 

for Clinical Research oversees the Clinical Center’s 

resources, planning, and 

operations. The Board also 

advises on NIH’s overall intramural program, including 

priority setting, the integration and implementation 

of research programs of the 

individual institutes and 

centers, and overall strategic 

planning for the intramural 

program. 

Comprised of NIH clinical 

and scientific leaders and 

outside experts in management of health care and 

clinical research, the 

Board advises the NIH deputy director for intramural 

research and the Clinical 

Center director and reports 

to the NIH director.

Organization and Governance
A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 2 • 5 1

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS (2011)*

NIH Clinical Center

The Medical Executive Committee is made up of clinical directors of the NIH intramural clinical research programs 

and other senior medical and administrative staff.

Maryland Pao, MD 

(Chair)

National Institute of Mental Health

H. Clifford Lane, MD 

(Vice-Chair) National Institute of 

Allergy and Infectious Diseases

James E. Balow, MD

National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases 

Richard O. Cannon, III, MD

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Markus Heilig, MD, PhD

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse 

and Alcoholism 

National Institue on Drug Abuse 

William L. Dahut, MD

National Cancer Institute

Josephine M. Egan, MD

National Institute on Aging (Acting)

Frederick L. Ferris, III, MD 

National Eye Institute 

Avindra Nath MD

National Institute of Neurological 

Disorders and Stroke 

William A. Gahl, MD, PhD 

National Human Genome Research Institute

Clare E. Hastings, PhD, RN, FAAN 

NIH Clinical Center 

David K. Henderson, MD 

NIH Clinical Center 

Henry Masur, MD 

NIH Clinical Center 

James E. Melvin, DDS, PhD

National Institute of Dental and 

Craniofacial Research

Deborah P. Merke, MD, MS

NIH Clinical Center

Robert Nussenblatt, MD 

National Center for Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine (Acting)

Forbes D. Porter, MD 

National Institute of Child Health 

and Human Development 

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD 

National Cancer Institute 

Leorey Saligan, PhD, RN, CRNP 

National Institute of Nursing Research 

Richard M. Siegel, MD, PhD

National Institute of Arthritis and 

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (Acting)

Srinivas Vourganti, MD 

Clinical Fellow

National Cancer Institute

Carter Van Waes, MD, PhD 

National Institute on Deafness and 

Other Communication Disorders 

Frederick W. Miller, MD, PhD 

National Institute of Environmental 

Health Sciences (Acting)

Ex Officio Members

John I. Gallin, MD 

NIH Clinical Center 

Steven M. Holland, MD

Deputy Director for Intramural Clinical Research

Patricia A. Kvochak, JD

Deputy NIH Legal Advisor

Richard G. Wyatt, MD

Office of Intramural Research, NIH 

Laura M. Lee, RN 

NIH Clinical Center

*As of December 31, 2011
52 • Annua l report 2012
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Human Genome Research Institute 

(NHGRI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 

(NIAAA)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 

(NIAID)

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and 

Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging 

and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of 

Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute on Deafness and Other 

Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial 

Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and 

Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 

(NIEHS)

National Institute of General Medical Sciences 

(NIGMS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute on Minority Health and

Health Disparities (NIMHD) 

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and 

Stroke (NINDS)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) 

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Center for Information Technology (CIT)

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC)

National Center for Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

National Center for Advancing Translational 

Sciences (NCATS)

NIH Clinical Center (CC)
B • Annua l report 2012

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

NIH Clinical Center

clinicalcenter.nih.gov

NIH Publication Number 12-7851

January 2012

NIH . . . Turning Discovery Into Health