Contents

• April
• May
• June

April

April 21, 2005: NIBIB Holds First Regional Grantsmanship Seminar

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) held its First Regional Grantsmanship Seminar on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, in Troy, New York. The event, hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), was the first in a planned series of seminars aimed at educating researchers, students, and others unfamiliar with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on NIBIB funding opportunities and NIH application, review, and grant-awarding processes. About 120 researchers from around the country attended the seminar. The meeting was coordinated by Stacy Wallick of the NIBIB and Ken Gertz and Mindy Sorbo of RPI.

The one-day program included presentations by institute staff on overviews of the NIBIB and the NIH, NIBIB research and training programs and opportunities, the NIH peer review process, and tips for preparing NIH grant applications. Three RPI NIBIB grantees also participated by sharing their personal perspectives and experiences with the NIH application and review system. The format of the program reflected the theme of partnership between NIH and grantee institutions in research administration.

A Grantsmanship Toolkit developed by NIBIB staff to provide instructive materials that participants can use during the grant-writing process was distributed at the seminar. The kit contained copies of the presentations, addresses of useful websites, fact sheets, and a CD with mock review video and sample applications.

The Grantsmanship Seminar was held at the new RPI Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The center is home to researchers and laboratories focused on applying engineering and the physical and information sciences to address problems in the life sciences. A tour of the facilities was offered by Dr. Robert Palazzo, Center Director, at the end of the program.

Current plans are to conduct additional regional Grantsmanship Seminars. As details become available, they will be posted to the NIBIB website and announced through the NIBIB listserv.

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May

May 2-3, 2005: Meeting Announcement - Bone Quality: What it is and Can We Measure it?

Osteoporotic fractures occur because of a failure of bone to resist loading. "Bone Quality" is an ill-defined term used to describe the diverse factors influencing skeletal health and fracture risk that go beyond bone mineral density (BMD) measurement. Although BMD measurement is among the most useful clinical tools for diagnosing osteoporosis, its limitations are apparent. This makes bone quality and skeletal fragility among the hottest topics for basic scientists, clinical investigators and clinicians. This two day scientific meeting is aimed at:

Identification of needs and future directions in this area:

• Highlighting basic science, clinical regulatory (FDA) and pharmaceutical perspectives
• Assessment of which established and newly developed methodologies for measurement of bone fragility are ready for inclusion into large clinical trials and how to facilitate their inclusion
• Discussion of "novel" mechanisms to bring together research efforts on bone quality to move the field forward

This meeting is sponsored by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. The co-sponsors are: the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and the French Institute of Health and Medical Research.

NIAMS and NIBIB are components of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information, please visit the meeting web site at: http://www.asbmr.org/bonequality.cfm.

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