I was happy to be back in Atlanta this week to take part in the 12th annual Rx and Illicit Drug Summit. The three-day summit, the nation’s largest annual gathering to address the opioid epidemic, brings together people from diverse personal and professional backgrounds to discuss effective strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery.
On April 11, I took part in an afternoon plenary session titled: “State of the Science: Updates from the National Institutes of Health.” Joining me on the stage were my NIH colleagues Nora Volkow, director, National Institute on Drug Abuse; and George Koob, director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. I was able to update everyone on the research progress being made by the NIH Helping to End Addiction (HEAL) Initiative. The initiative, through its support of more than 1,000 projects across the nation, aims to prevent addiction through enhanced pain management, while seeking better ways to improve prevention and treatment for opioid misuse disorder and addiction. The Rx and Illicit Drug Summit 2023 took place on April 11-13 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Credit: Pierce Harman, HMP Global, Malvern, PA.
It was my pleasure to interact with several members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team during their recent visit to NIH. While on our Bethesda campus, team members met with select researchers and leadership from the NIH Vaccine Research Center and the NIH Clinical Center. This photo shows Ashish Jha (r), the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, while addressing staff during a meeting in the NIH Clinical Center. Tara Schwetz (l), NIH’s acting principal deputy director, is seated next to me. The visit took place on the afternoon of March 23. Credit: NIH
It was my pleasure to take part in Research! America’s 2023 Advocacy Awards event at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. on March 15. Each year, Research! America honors individuals and organizations whose leadership has advanced the nation’s commitment to medical, health, and scientific research.
What an honor it was for me to receive the 2023 John Edward Porter Legacy Award. The award, which honors the late U.S. Congressman from Illinois who was strong advocate for biomedical research, is presented annually to a person who shows an outstanding commitment to sustain the nation’s world-class leadership in medical and health research. I’m humbled to be the award’s fifth recipient.
While there, I took part in a panel discussion titled Trust in Science. It explored the public’s perception of research and efforts to bolster trust in science. In this photo, you can see (l – r) the panel moderator Donna Shalala, the esteemed American academic, politician, and government administrator; Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering, Cambridge, MA; Pamela Davis, Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH; Michael Friedlander, vice president, Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech and executive director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA.; Heywood Fralin, chairman, Retirement Unlimited, Inc., Richmond, VA; followed by me, Larry Tabak; Lori Rose Benson, executive director and CEO, Hip Hop Public Health, New York, NY; and Olajide Williams, founder, Hip Hop Public Health. Credit: Research! America
It was an honor to take part last week in a special NIH program to bid Dr. Anthony Fauci farewell and wish him the very best as he prepares to step down this month as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). During this two-hour program, Tony reflected on his 54-year career of public service, advising seven U.S. presidents, and following the science through several major infectious disease outbreaks, from HIV to Ebola to COVID-19. In my brief introductory remarks, I stated that Tony has been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration for me and other NIH leaders. No send-off could adequately express our gratitude. This photo shows me offering my congratulations immediately after Tony finished addressing those in attendance. The live program was held on December 16 in NIH’s Wilson Hall and was also available for NIH staff to attend in real-time via videocast. Credit: NIH
I enjoyed taking part recently in a one-hour panel discussion titled Defining Moments in Health: Leading Through Turbulent Times. The event brought together five leaders from the health-care sector to discuss the question: How do you lead through moments of great uncertainty? This photo shows me addressing panelist Bruce Broussard (right), president and CEO, Humana, Louisville, KY. Looking on is panel moderator Bertha Coombs (left), a reporter with CNBC. The discussion took place on December 7 during the three-day 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit at the Salamander Hotel, Washington, D.C. Credit: Milken Institute.
It’s always a good idea in the fall to get a flu shot, and I recently got mine. If you still need a flu shot and have questions about where in your community to get one, I’ve got some help for you. Stay healthy this winter, get a flu shot! Credit: NIH
I got my COVID-19 bivalent vaccine booster last weekend. The Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent vaccine boosters should be now widely available in communities around the country. If it’s been two months since you completed your primary vaccination series or received a booster, you are eligible to receive the bivalent booster. I encourage all those eligible to get the updated vaccine booster, especially with winter on the way.
On September 19, I welcomed everyone to the dedication of the brand-new Roy Blunt Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, which is located on the main NIH campus, Bethesda, MD. Seated behind me (l-r) are former NIH director Francis Collins; Dawn Beraud, NIH’s National Institute on Aging; Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri; and Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma. The 24,000-square foot building, which includes 12,000 square feet of laboratory space, will house the NIH Intramural Research Program’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD). The facility is named in honor of Senator Blunt, who will be retiring from Congress, to recognize his extraordinary leadership and unwavering commitment to speed medical progress in this important area that touches far too many lives and families. Credit: NIH
It was my pleasure to take part in a recent reception held on Capitol Hill to celebrate the lifesaving science that NIH supports. The well-attended evening reception was part of the Rally for Medical Research Capitol Hill Day, an annual event that is organized by the American Association for Cancer Research and supported by nearly 350 partnering organizations I spoke for several minutes about NIH’s role in furthering medical research and innovation, and how this wise national investment has led to more progress, more hope, and more lives saved. The reception was held in the Rayburn House Office Building on September 13. Credit: RallyforMedicalResearch.org
It was a pleasure to welcome Congressional dignitaries from Maryland to NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick, MD. They took part in a roundtable discussion highlighting research at NCI Frederick in support of the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Afterwards, they visited a lab to see patient-derived models of cancer under a microscope. In this photo from the July 22 visit, I have my hand raised and standing to my left are (l-r): Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman David Trone, and Senator Ben Cardin. To my right is Doug Lowy, Acting NCI director. Doug and Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also greeted these Congressional leaders and helped to direct the roundtable discussion. Credit: NIH
