The constant exchange of ideas is crucial to progress in medical
research. Findings in one field often unexpectedly affect thinking
in others. To encourage this exchange of ideas in its own laboratories,
NIH hosts more than 1,200 scientific lectures each year by its
own researchers and by distinguished visiting scientists from
other research institutions. Here are a few highlights of the
many lectures NIH hosted in 2008 and 2009.
The NIH Director's Lectures
Speakers nominated by researchers and scientific interest groups
throughout NIH, and approved by the NIH Director.
- "From Worms to Mammals: Genes that Control the Rate
of Aging"—Cynthia Kenyon, February 20, 2008.
Videocast. 
- "A Pediatrician's Perspective on the Human Genome Project
and Genomic Pediatrics"— D. Holmes Morton, December
17, 2008. Videocast.
- "Transcriptional Mechanisms of Drug Addiction"— Eric
Nestler May 6, 2009. Videocast.
- "Neurobiology of Rett Syndrome and Related Disorders"— Huda
Zoghbi, June 17, 2009. Videocast.
- "The Novel Physiology of Bone"—Gerard Karsenty,
December 9, 2009.
David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture
This annual lecture honors the late Dr. David E. Barmes, a World
Health Organization expert in oral health, special expert for
international health in the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) Office of International Health,
and ardent spokesman for global health. Established in 2001,
the lecture series is jointly sponsored NIDCR and NIH's Fogarty
International Center.
- "The U.S. Commitment to Global Health"—Harold
Varmus, December 16, 2008. Videocast.
- "Globalization and Health: The Role of Knowledge in
an Interdependent World"—Julio Frenk, December 15,
2009.
Cantoni Memorial Lecture Series
This lecture series honors Giulio Leonardo Cantoni, who joined
the National Institutes of Mental Health in 1954 as the Chief
of the Laboratory of Cellular Pharmacology, now the Laboratory
of General and Comparative Biochemistry. He directed that laboratory
until 1994.
- "Chromatin Remodeling in Neurodegeneration and Neuronal
Repair"—Li-Huei Tsai, September 21, 2009.
Videocast.
James Cassedy Memorial Lecture
To honor the distinguished historian of medicine and
long-time National Library of Medicine (NLM) staffer Jim Cassedy,
the NLM History of Medicine Division sponsored the first annual
James Cassedy Memorial Lecture in 2008.
- "Medicine by the Numbers: Revisiting James Cassedy's
America"—Robert Martensen, July 15, 2008.
- "The Information RX"— Nancy Tomes, July 7,
2009.
John W. Diggs Lecture
The Diggs lecture was established in 1995 to honor the late Dr.
John W. Diggs, former NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research.
The lecture is sponsored by the NIH Office of Intramural Research,
the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, and the NIH Black
Scientists Association.
- "Beating the Odds: Preparing Minorities for Research
Careers in the Biomedical Sciences"—Freeman Hrabowski,
November 17, 2008. Videocast.
John Doppman Memorial Lecture for Imaging
Sciences
This annual lecture honors the memory of a devoted physician,
researcher, and teacher who spent more than 30 years at NIH and
was chief of the Clinical Center's Diagnostic Radiology Department.
- "Oncologic Imaging: Endless Horizons"—Hedvig
Hricak, February 25, 2009. Videocast.
R.E. Dyer Lecture
The lectureship was established in 1950 in honor of former NIH
director Dr. Rolla E. Dyer, a noted authority on infectious
diseases. The Dyer lectureship is an honor conferred on an
internationally renowned researcher who has contributed substantially
to medical as well as biological knowledge of infectious diseases.
- "Pathogen Recognition and Signaling in Innate Immunity"—Shizuo
Akira, May 7, 2008. Videocast.
- "Viral Forecasting"—Nathan Wolfe, September
24, 2008. Videocast.
Robert S. Gordon Lecture in Epidemiology
Named in honor of Robert S. Gordon, Jr., former Assistant Surgeon
General of the U.S. Public Health Service and Special Assistant
to former NIH Director James Wyngaarden. Topics focus on clinical
research and epidemiology.
- "Personalizing Cancer Prevention"—Alice S.
Whittemore, April 16, 2008. Videocast.
- "Epidemiology at the Interface of Science, Policy, and
Politics: Are New Directions Needed for Epidemiology Training
Today?"—Leon Gordis, June 3, 2009. Videocast.
George Khoury Lecture
Organized by NIH scientists to honor the memory of Dr. George
Khoury, who was highly regarded as a superb scientist and caring
mentor of the postdoctoral fellows in his laboratory.
- "Regulation of p53 in Mammalian Cells"—Carol
Prives, January 23, 2008. Videocast.
- "Gridlock on the Genomic Beltway: How Epigenetic Gene
Silencing Shapes our Cellular Phenotypes"—Frank
J. Rauscher, III, October 14, 2009. Videocast.
Joseph J. Kinyoun Lecture
Established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases in 1979 to honor Dr. Joseph J. Kinyoun, who established
in 1887 the Laboratory of Hygiene on Staten Island, the predecessor
of the National Institutes of Health.
- "Dendritic Cells: A Key Target for Vaccine Science"—Ralph
M. Steinman, November 20, 2008. Videocast.
- "Microbe Hunting in the 21st Century"—W.
Ian Lipkin, October 8, 2009. Videocast.
Florence Mahoney Lecture on
Aging
Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, the series recognizes
Mrs. Mahoney's lifetime commitment to medical research and its
benefits to people worldwide. Florence Stephenson Mahoney is
widely known for her dedicated efforts in shaping national health
science policy, particularly with respect to aging.
- "Normal and Neoplastic Stem Cells"—Irving
L. Weissman, June 18, 2008. Videocast.
- "Stress and Health: From Molecules to Societies"—Dr.
Robert Sapolsky, October 28, 2009.
G. Burroughs Mider Lecture
Established in 1968 in honor of the first NIH director of laboratories
and clinics. The lecture is presented by an NIH intramural
scientist to recognize and appreciate outstanding contributions
to biomedical research.
- "Interleukin 10: Protection From Friendly Fire on the
Battlefield of Host Defense"—Alan Sher, February
13, 2008. Videocast.
- "Genetics and the Shapes of Dogs"—Elaine
Ostrander, October 22, 2008. Videocast.
- "Sorting It All Out: Signal-mediated Protein Trafficking
in the Endosomal-Lysosonal System"—Dr. Juan Bonifacino,
Thursday, December 3, 2009.
Sayer Vision Research Lecture
Dr. Jane Sayer, an NIH research scientist in NIDDK, established
the Sayer Vision Research Lecture and Award at the Foundation
for the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with
NEI, to honor her family and the memory of her parents, Winthrop
and Laura Sayer. The lecture and award series will provide
an opportunity for honorees to explore areas of interdisciplinary
collaboration that may lead to advances in diverse medical
specialties relevant to vision research.
- "Stem Cell Potency—Finding Embryonic-like Cells
in the Aged Adult Retina"—Sally Temple, October
20, 2008.
DeWitt Stetten Jr., Lecture
Established by NIGMS in 1982 and presented annually in honor
of Dr. Stetten, the third NIGMS director.
- "The Molecular Basis of Eukaryotic Transcription"—Roger
D. Kornberg, October 29, 2008. Videocast.
- "Intra- and Inter-Species Cell-to-Cell Communication
in Bacteria"—Bonnie Bassler, October 21, 2009.
Matilda White Riley Lecture
Named for noted NIH social scientist who died in 2004 at age
93 to honor her extraordinary life and work in behavioral and
social research.
- "Looking for Causes in All the Wrong Places: Upstream
Social Determinants of Downstream Health Disparities"—John
B. McKinlay, June 19, 2008. Videocast.
