The Fogarty International Center (FIC) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will host an International Women's Day Celebration to honor women in the sciences. Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH Director, will provide introductory remarks.

The event will take place on Tuesday, March 8, 2005, from 4-5:30 pm in Wilson Hall, Building 1 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

"International Women's Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the important achievements in science of women all over the world," said FIC Acting Director, Dr. Sharon Hrynkow. "In particular, we are recognizing women worldwide for the substantial contributions they have made in the sciences and the valuable impact they have had on our quality of life," added Dr. Vivian W. Pinn, Associate Director for Research on Women's Health and Director of the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health.

The event features three NIH international female scientists who will participate in a panel discussion entitled, "International Women Scientists at NIH: Their Research and Career Paths."

The panelists are Dr. Grace Yeh (from Taiwan), the National Cancer Institute; Dr. Maria Morasso (from Venezuela), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; and Dr. Linda Peters (from New Zealand), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

A light reception will follow. The event is free and open to the public. The NIH campus is accessible from the Medical Center metro stop on the Red Line.

The Fogarty International Center, the international component of the NIH, addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs and supports and advances the NIH mission through international partnerships. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Press releases and other FIC materials are available at www.fic.nih.gov.