New NIH Council of Councils members named

The National Institutes of Health today announced the appointments of seven individuals to the NIH Council of Councils. The council was established to advise the NIH Director on policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), including making recommendations on research that represents important areas of emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, or knowledge gaps that deserve special emphasis or would otherwise benefit from strategic planning and coordination.
The council is composed of 27 members nominated by the NIH Institutes and Centers (IC) and from the Council of Public Representatives, an advisory committee to the NIH Office of the Director. Council members bring knowledge of their individual IC’s missions and operations, not as official representatives, but to provide advice beyond the research agenda of any individual IC.
"The breadth of expertise brought by these individuals will enhance the council's ability to achieve its mission by offering a diversity of perspectives and talents. Collectively the council will inform our approach to selected trans-NIH research initiatives." said DPCPSI Director, James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D.
The following new members will serve terms on the council through October 31, 2014:

LaVarne Burton, M.A., American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Md., nominated by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Francisco X. Castellanos, M.D., New York University School of Medicine, New York City, nominated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Jeffrey A. Kaufman, M.B.A., Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation, Needham, Mass., nominated by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Grace LeMasters, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, nominated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
K.C. Kent Lloyd, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of California, Davis, nominated by the National Center for Research Resources
Joyce A. Mitchell, Ph.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City, nominated by the National Library of Medicine
Robert F. Murphy, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, nominated by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

A roster of the full Council of Councils with further information about the members is posted on the council's website (http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/council/).
The Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, in the Office of the Director, NIH, identifies emerging scientific opportunities, rising public health challenges, and scientific knowledge gaps that merit further research. The Division plans and implements trans-NIH initiatives supported by the Common Fund and coordinates research related to AIDS, behavioral and social sciences, women's health, and disease prevention. Additional information about the Division can be found at: http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health

New NIH Council of Councils members named, December 19, 2011 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)