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Announcements: Francis Collins

Dr. Collins provided an update on the NIH-wide Strategic Plan and the FY16 National Children’s Study redirection efforts. Brief descriptions of recent Congressional events and the status of the proposed Alzheimer’s Bypass Budget plan also were given. Dr. Collins reminded everyone to continue to send ideas for his blog.

Steering Committee Diversity Working Group Update: Hannah Valantine, Garry Gibbons

Dr. Valantine (COSWD) provided an overview of the working group’s recent efforts. A particular focus of the presentation was on training-related ideas and pilot programs to diversify the workforce in both the intramural and extramural programs. Methods of addressing implicit bias also were described. Dr. Valantine briefly discussed the hallmarks of success that will be used to evaluate the programs as well. The discussion focused on the potential for reaching students early (high school) and retaining their interest in research.

ADDS Update: Phil Bourne

Dr. Bourne (ADDS) presented an update on BD2K, and described The Commons, including its advantages and disadvantages. The role of the Data Discovery Index Coordination Consortium (DDIC), and an overview of the pilot programs and their preliminary results also was provided. The discussion focused on the providers and the cost/business model.

VIP Visit: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Dr. Murthy (Surgeon General) provided some information on his background and personal interests, as well as the priorities for his term as Surgeon General. These priorities include things such as leveraging and modernizing technologies, promoting walkability efforts, opioids, dietary sugar, mental health stigma, and tobacco/e-cigarettes. A brief discussion on capitalizing on the Commissioned Corps and prevention also occurred.