Media Advisory

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Rare Disease Day at NIH event features advances in rare diseases research

Why/What

Rare diseases affect an estimated 25 million Americans. On Feb. 27, 2017, the National Institutes of Health will host Rare Disease Day at NIH to raise awareness about rare diseases, the people they affect, and research collaborations that are making a difference. The event will feature presentations, posters, exhibits, an art show and tours of the NIH Clinical Center — a hospital at which researchers are studying more than 500 rare diseases in partnership with nearly 15,300 unique patients.

Agenda: http://bit.ly/2kp65c9
Registration: http://bit.ly/2ioutp1
Watch the event live: https://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=21488&bhcp=1
Learn more: https://ncats.nih.gov/rdd

When/Where

Feb. 27, 2017
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST
NIH Clinical Center (Building 10), Masur Auditorium, 10 Center Dr., Bethesda, Maryland

Who

The event is sponsored by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the NIH Clinical Center. Other participating organizations include other NIH Institutes and Centers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, FasterCures, Genetic Alliance, Global Genes®, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, and Uplifting Athletes.

Highlighted Speakers

Rep. Leonard Lance, (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Rare Disease Caucus
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director, NIH
Christopher P. Austin, M.D., director, NCATS, NIH
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
James K. Gilman, M.D., chief executive officer, NIH Clinical Center
John I. Gallin, M.D., associate director for clinical research and chief scientific officer, NIH Clinical Center

Press

Members of the media should use contacts above for more information and to discuss interview, filming and photography opportunities.

About the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS): To get more treatments to more patients more quickly, NCATS incorporates the power of data, new technologies and strategic collaborations to develop, demonstrate and disseminate innovations in translational science. Rather than targeting a particular disease or fundamental science, NCATS focuses on what is common across all diseases and the translational process. For more information, visit https://ncats.nih.gov.

About the NIH Clinical Center: The NIH Clinical Center is the clinical research hospital for the National Institutes of Health. Through clinical research, clinician-investigators translate laboratory discoveries into better treatments, therapies and interventions to improve the nation's health. More information: https://clinicalcenter.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 www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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