>> GOOD MORNING, WELCOME,
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND GUESTS TO
THE 235th MEETING OF THE
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL,
VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM WITH
ACCOMPANYING NIH VIDEOCAST FOR
VIEWING BY THE PUBLIC.
WE'LL NOT BE TAKING QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC DURING
THE LIVE VIDEOCAST, BUT WILL
ACCEPT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
UNTIL FEBRUARY 8, VIA NIDCR
E-MAIL ADDRESS THAT I WILL POST
AT THE END OF THE OPEN SESSION.
WE ASK THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS AND
NIDCR STAFF MAKE SURE
MICROPHONES ARE ON MUTE AND
VIDEO CAMERAS ARE OFF UNLESS
YOU'RE SPEAKING.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU
SPEAK SO WE CAN IDENTIFY WHO IS
SPEAKING AND CAN ENSURE ACCURACY
OF OUR MEETING RECORDS.
IF ANYONE PARTICIPATING IN THE
ZOOM MEETING NEEDS TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE, THE I.T. SUPPORT
TEAM WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST
YOU.
THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION WILL
BE POSTED IN THE CHAT.
THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE
PREVIOUS MEETING, THE MINUTES
FROM THE SEPTEMBER 2023 MEETING
WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO COUNCIL
MEMBERS FOR REVIEW, ARE THERE
COMMENTS OR DIRECTION ON THE
MINUTES?
IF NO COMMENTS WOULD A MEMBER OF
COUNCIL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE
THE MINUTES?
>> SO MOVED.
>> SECOND.
EBETINO.
>> DR. NOR AND EBETINO.
ALL IN FAVOR?
>> AYE.
>> ANY OPPOSED?
NO?
OKAY.
SECOND ITEM OF BUSINESS, EACH
YEAR AT THE JANUARY MEETING
COUNCIL WE REVIEW AND APPROVE
ADVISORY COUNCIL OPERATING
PROCEDURES AND WE HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REVISIONS
WHEN APPROPRIATE.
THIS YEAR WE'RE RECOMMENDING
MODIFICATION OF IMPLEMENTATION
OF SPECIAL COUNCIL REVIEW, SCR
POLICY.
THIS POLICY REQUIRES SPECIAL
CONSIDERATION, ADDITIONAL REVIEW
OF GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENT APPLICATIONS FROM
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS WHO
RECEIVE MORE THAN $2 MILLION IN
TOTAL COSTS INCLUDING DIRECT AND
INDIRECT COSTS PER YEAR FOR ALL
ACTIVE NIH AWARDS.
THE NIDCR COUNCIL OPERATING
PROCEDURES CURRENTLY STATES THAT
COUNCIL PROVIDES SECONDARY
REVIEW FOR ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING
APPLICATIONS FROM INVESTIGATORS
WITH GREATER THAN $2 MILLION
TOTAL COST IN RESEARCH SUPPORT
FROM NIH.
FOR NIDCR TO MANAGE RESOURCES
MORE EFFECTIVELY WE'RE
RECOMMENDING TWO CHANGES TO
SPECIAL REVIEW.
FIRST IS TO CHANGE TO ELIGIBLE
FOR THIS POLICY WOULD APPLY TO
ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING
APPLICATIONS FROM INVESTIGATORS
WITH GREATER THAN $2 MILLION
TOTAL COST IN RESEARCH SUPPORT
FROM NIH, INCLUDING THOSE
APPLICATIONS THAT ARE PENDING
REVIEW, SO PENDING -- INCLUDING
PENDING APPLICATIONS.
THE SECOND CHANGE ELIGIBLE FOR
FUNDING APPLICATIONS FOR
MULTIPLE P.I. APPLICATIONS WHEN
ANY P.I. HAS GREATER THAN $2
MILLION TOTAL COST IN RESEARCH
SUPPORT FROM NIH.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO CHANGES
THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IN THE
COUNCIL OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR
THE SPECIAL COUNCIL REVIEW
POLICY.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CHANGE IN
NIDCR POLICY?
OKAY.
IF NOT, WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO
MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE
MODIFICATION?
OKAY.
AND ANYONE LIKE TO SECOND?
JOSE
SECOND BY JACQUES.
ALL IN FAVOR?
>> AYE.
>> ANYONE OPPOSED?
ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU.
AND NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR.
RENA D'SOUZA.
FOR HER WELCOME AND
PRESENTATION.
>> LYNN, WOULD YOU GET OUT OF
YOUR SHARE SCREEN PLEASE?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT
INTRODUCTION.
GREAT.
I WANT TO SAY HELLO TO EVERYONE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING PRESENT.
AND I CAN'T HELP BUT WISH FOR
YOU A PEACEFUL, HEALTHY,
PRODUCTIVE YEAR.
WE HAVE SO MUCH GOING ON IN OUR
WORLD TODAY.
THINGS ARE SWIRLING AROUND IN
CHAOS, BUT I THINK FOR ALL OF US
ESPECIALLY AT NIDCR WE WILL STAY
TRUE TO COURSE AND FULFILL OUR
MISSION THE BEST WAY WE KNOW
HOW.
IMAGINE SEPTEMBER COUNCIL LAST
YEAR, HOW INTERACTIVE THAT WAS
BECAUSE WE WERE IN PERSON.
THE VIRTUAL SETTING IS A GREAT
ADVANTAGE AS WELL BECAUSE PEOPLE
DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY AND IT'S A COST-SAVING
MEASURE TO HAVE VIRTUAL MEETING
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL
ABOUT ENGAGING IN COUNCIL.
SO I WANT THAT TO BE KIND OF A
CULTURAL NORM FROM NOW ON.
A GOOD QUESTION MARK IN MY
PRESENTATION TO INDICATE TIMES
FOR Q&A, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE, WE
HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT.
IT IS A SPECIAL REPORT.
I HAVE FROM THE BEGINNING FELT
VERY COMPELLED TO MAKE SURE THAT
I DISSEMINATE INFORMATION THAT
IS CRITICAL TO OUR RESEARCH
MISSION, INTRAMURALLY AND
EXTRAMURALLY.
AND BECAUSE OF SO MUCH GOING ON
IT'S HARD TO KEEP A POWERPOINT
STREAMLINED AND FOCUSED, RIGHT?
IT IS FOCUSED AND WILL BE
AVAILABLE TO YOU AFTER COUNCIL
THROUGH THE RECORDING.
WE HAVE A GUEST SPEAKER, RICK
WOYCHIK, A FELLOW COLLEAGUE AND
GREAT FRIEND WHO DIRECTS THE
INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH SCIENCES.
THERE'S A LOT HAPPENING IN THAT
FIELD TODAY.
I'M THRILLED TO SHARE THIS
PLATFORM WITH MY DEPUTY
DIRECTOR, MY PARTNER, NOT IN
CRIME, GOOD TROUBLE, JENNIFER
WEBSTER CYRIAQUE, WE'LL HAVE HER
DESCRIBE PROGRESS MADE IN
DISPARITIES, ENDEAVORS, WORK ON
HEALTH DISPARITIES.
BEFORE WE START IT'S FITTING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE LEADERSHIP AND
LEGACY LEFT BEHIND BY ALREADY
HAROLD SLAT SLAVKIN.
WE BENEFITED AND REMEMBER HIM
FONDLY.
HAL WAS SIXTH DIRECTOR, AN
ICONOCLASTIC LEADER WHO
BROADENED THE PORTFOLIO BY
CHANGING THE NAME TO INCLUDE
CRANIOFACIAL AND ALL THAT WE DO.
THAT WAS A VERY STRATEGIC MOVE
FOR US, CONGRESS APPROVAL WAS
NOT EASY BUT HE PERSISTED AND
WAS SUCCESSFUL.
HAL PIONEERED, ON CAMPUS THE
FIRST TO CHAIR A CAMPUS-WIDE
GROUP TO FOCUS ON HEALTH
DISPARITIES, A FIERCE ADVOCATE
OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, SOCIAL
JUSTICE, HEALTH FOR ALL.
THE REST OF MY PRESENTATION HAL
WOULD HAVE EMBRACED, HE
SPEARHEADED FIRST SURGEON
GENERAL'S REPORT, THAT WAS
COMMISSIONED BY DAVID SATCHER,
CHAMPIONED EFFORTS FOR PATIENT
ADVOCATES, RETURNED TO USC WITH
THE FIRST CENTER IN CRANIOFACIAL
BIOLOGY AND GENETICS AND CREATED
THE FIRST GRADUATE PROGRAM,
HUGELY INNOVATIVE AND
TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES.
WE SHARED CLOSE INTERESTS, I
WASN'T HIS COLLABORATOR FORMALLY
BUT I DID LOOK UP TO HIM AND
SHARED MY DATA.
PASSIONATE ABOUT CRANIOFACIAL
BIOLOGY TOGETHER.
I VIEWED HIM AS A BRILLIANT
ORATOR WITH INTERPERSONAL
SKILLS, A SPOKESPERSON.
YOU CAN SEE HIM HERE WITH JACK
AND A GROUP OF PAST PRESIDENTS.
I WAS FORTUNATE TO VISIT HAL A
FEW MONTHS AGO.
MEMORIES ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT
PERSIST.
WE HAD A LOVELY VISIT.
HE WAS IN GOOD SPIRITS AND WOULD
LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED THAT WAY.
THANK YOU, HAL, FOR ALL THAT
YOU'VE DONE FOR US.
I WANT TO SPEND A MINUTE IN
SILENCE REMEMBERING HIS MEMORY
WHICH WILL BE A BLESSING FOR US
ALL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE
A SYMPOSIUM HONORING HAL LIKELY
NEXT YEAR IN NEW YORK WHERE ADCR
MEETS AND A TRIBUTE IN A JDR
ARTICLE, THERE ARE THINGS
HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY TO
RECOGNIZE HAL'S CONTRIBUTIONS.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU A BROAD SWEEP
OF LANDSCAPE, NEW LEADERSHIP IN
PLACE AT NIH.
WE'RE IN WHAT WE CALL THE SILLY
YEAR WITH ELECTIONS FORTHCOMING
IN NOVEMBER, THE FUTURE REMAINS
UNCERTAIN.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE PAY
ATTENTION TO, JUST BECAUSE THE
WORLD AROUND US IS CHANGING.
I'LL TALK ABOUT NEW INITIATIVES,
GIVE AN UPDATE ON "ALL OF US,"
AND FOCUS MORE ON THE BUDGET AND
WHAT IT IMPLIES FOR US FROM NOW
ON.
I'LL SHIFT FOCUS TO NIDCR, NEW
HIRES, STAFFERS, TALKING ABOUT
HOW THE 75th SIGNATURE
INITIATIVE DRAW ON OVERALL
CAMPUS-WIDE PLAN, AND HOW THIS
IN THE END FUNDING DECISIONS,
CONCEPT CLEARANCES, NEW
INITIATIVES ARE SHAPED FOR THE
FUTURE.
SO HERE WAS MONICA BERTAGNOLLI
WHO I INTRODUCED TO YOU LAST
COUNCIL ROUND, DR. BERTAGNOLLI
HAS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN
TALKING TO COUNCIL IN MAY WHEN
WE MEET IN PERSON.
SHE COMES WITH EXPERTISE AS
CLINICIAN SCIENTIST, HANDS-ON
SURGEON CONDUCTING A VERY LARGE
CLINICAL TRIAL WHEN SHE WAS AN
MGH, CONDOMINIUM HER WITH HER
BACKGROUND OF GROWING UP IN
WYOMING, GROWING UP WITNESSING
HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO ACCESS
HEALTH CARE.
SHE TALKS ABOUT HAVING TO TRAVEL
100 MILES TO GET TO SCHOOL, SHE
BRINGS THAT PERSPECTIVE OF
ACCESS TO CARE, UNDERRESOURCED
TO COMMUNITIES TO HEART IN HER
MISSION AND HAS HIT THE GROUND
RUNNING.
WE HAVE OUR DEAR LARRY TABAK,
WHO ASSISTS HER NOW IN KEEPING
THE INSTITUTE, NAVIGATING THE
FEDERAL LIFE, SO LARRY SERVED AS
ACTING DIRECTOR BUT NOW IS BACK
AS PRINCIPAL DEPUTY.
THANK YOU, LARRY, FOR ALL THAT
YOU'VE DONE FOR NIH AND NIDCR.
YOU HEARD ABOUT ME JEAN MARRAZZO
LAST TIME, ENGAGING INDIVIDUAL.
WE HOPE FOR MORE COLLABORATIONS
WITH NIAID IN THESE YEARS TO
COME, WE'RE THRILLED TO WELCOME
KYMRYN RATHMELL DIRECTOR OF NCI
BRINGING EXPERTISE IN THE AREA
OF RENAL CARCINOMAS, WIDELY
RESPECTED FOR HER WORK.
TO ADD TO THIS CADRE OF WOMEN
LEADERS IS A GREAT PERSON TO
COLLABORATE FOR CONTACTS WITH
LEGISLATORS, OUR CONGRESSIONAL
LIAISON KATE KLIMCZAK, WHO HAS
CREATED A NOVEL INTERACTION,
LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES WITH
CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS.
THAT WILL ALLOW US TO TALK ABOUT
ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVES THAT
NEED SUPPORT.
WHAT IS HAPPENING NIH-WIDE AND
HOW IS IT INFLUENCED BY THE
PRESIDENT'S IMPERATIVES?
I WAS THRILLED TO SEE THIS
INITIATIVE KICK OFF IN NOVEMBER.
LONG OVERDUE, THE FOCUS ON
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH.
YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE RIGHT
NEW POLICY, REALLY KIND OF
SPEARHEADED BY JILL BIDEN, DR.
BIDEN.
IT TALKS ABOUT THE NEED FOR US
TO MAKE UP FOR THAT TIME AND
RESOURCES AND REALLY LOOKING AT
ALL, AS SHE SAID, AFFECTING
WOMEN'S HEALTH.
AND KAREN FROM YALE WILL PUT
THESE THOUGHTS INTO ACTION, YOU
CAN SEE FROM THE DRIVE THE
MISSION IS REALLY ADVANCING
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH IN THE
U.S.
THE SPECIFIC DIRECTORS ARE
CLEAR, TO SET PRIORITIES, USE
DATA SCIENCE, FOCUS ON
DISPARITIES, UNDERSTAND THAT THE
INTERSECTION OF WOMEN MINORITIES
LGBTQ HAVE BEEN LARGELY IGNORED
AND UNDERSERVED, SO ALL OF THESE
TEN WILL TRANSLATE INTO GRANT
OPPORTUNITIES, WE HOPE, EVEN IN
TOUGH TIMES, THAT WILL DRIVE
THIS INITIATIVE FORWARD.
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE AN
OFFICE OF RESEARCH ON WOMEN'S
HEALTH CREATED WHEN VIVIAN PINN
WAS HERE AT NIH, MOST OF THIS
WORK THAT'S WIDE FEDERAL --
TRANSFEDERAL AGENCY INITIATIVE
WILL BE COORDINATED THROUGH THIS
OFFICE.
WE HAVE STRONG COLLABORATIONS,
CO-FUNDS SEVERAL PROJECTS
ESPECIALLY IN SHÖGREN'S,
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR, DENTAL AND
ORAL FACIAL PAIN THAT AFFECT
WOMEN DISPARATELY, THIS IN PLACE
AND WE'LL BE ENGAGING IN THE
BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
NOW, YOU'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT "ALL
OF US" GROWING BY LEAPS AND
BOUNDS.
PROGRESS ACTUALLY MADE OVER THE
LAST YEAR HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT WE'RE
LOOKING FROM NOT JUST HOW MANY
INDIVIDUALS WE ENROLL BUT HOW DO
WE ENGAGE RESEARCHERS IN
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD AND
CLEARLY THE U.S., EXPANDING DATA
FOR THESE -- WHAT WILL BE A
MILLION PARTICIPANTS WILL BE A
HOLISTIC SELECTION, ONE OF A
KIND ACTUALLY, THAT INVOLVES
BIOSAMPLING, GENOME SEQUENCES,
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA, PRINCIPAL
MEASURES.
I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE THERE
ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY OF
YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS --
MINING THIS DATABASE, TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF WHAT EXISTS THERE
TO REALLY MAKE THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH AND SYSTEMIC
HEALTH.
SUCCESSFUL IN COLLECTING BLOOD
AND URINE SAMPLES BUT NOT QUITE
UP TO THE MARK FOR SALIVA
SAMPLES.
YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE
APPROXIMATELY 8500 RESEARCHERS
NOW INVOLVED IN STUDIES FROM
"ALL OF US."
I WANT YOU TO RESEARCH THAT,
TALK TO PROGRAM STAFF, AND WE
WILL DO ALL WE CAN TO SUPPORT
YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS VERY
SIGNIFICANT INITIATIVE.
ALERT YOU TO A NEW ARTICLE WE
PUT TOGETHER IN CASTING FORTH
OUR VISION FOR THE YEAR FROM 27
DIRECTORS OF INSTITUTES, I
BELIEVE NOW RELEASED IN "NATURE
MEDICINE," REFER TO THAT FOR
BROADER OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM.
THRILLED TO WELCOME TWO
EXECUTIVE LEADERS TO OUR STAFF,
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE FROM
NICHD RUNNING THE OFFICE OF
I.T., BRINGS SUCH A POSITIVE
ATTITUDE, AUBREY CALLWOOD, A
CLIENT-ORIENTED WAY TO LOOK AT
HIS JOB.
SO IMPRESSED WITH HIM.
THRILLED TO HAVE RACHEL
SCEINERT, RESHAPING THE KEY
OFFICE WHERE WE HOPE THE GAP
BETWEEN EVIDENCE AND POLICY
REFORM CAN GET NARROWER THROUGH
THE WORK OF THIS PARTICULAR
OFFICE, RACHEL, WELCOME.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR
LEADERSHIP.
PROGRAM STAFF, SCOTT FROM
ACADEMIA, DIRECTING TISSUE
ENGINEERING AND THIS
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE PROGRAM
WITH BILL ELWOOD, DISEASES ARE
PREVENTIBLE AND CONDITIONING
BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES, UPSTREAM
HEALTH IS A VERY IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF WHAT WE DO.
BILL, WELCOME.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR
LEADERSHIP.
A MOMENT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT
I SHARED WITH MY FELLOW
COLLEAGUES.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS ONE CAN
TALK ABOUT ORAL HEALTH WHEN
YOU'RE AT THE TABLE.
YOU ACTUALLY TALK AND I'VE DONE
THAT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
OTHER WAYS TO ENGAGE INSTITUTES,
SINCE WE HAD TAKEN THIS BRAVE
COURAGEOUS MOVE TO REINSTATE
DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING IN
THIS MANNER, TO OFFER ADDITIONAL
TWO YEARS TO OUR TRAINEES
FOCUSED ON POSTDOCTORAL LEVEL
INQUIRY, AND WE THOUGHT, YOU
KNOW, WE CAN STAY WITHIN OUR
COMFORT ZONE AND FOCUS ON A
SECONDARY ANALYSIS AND, YOU
KNOW, WE CAN DO THAT EASILY.
BUT CAME THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US
TO ACTUAL MODEL A PROGRAM THAT I
HOPE OTHER PROGRAMS IN THIS
COUNTRY WILL TAKE NOTE OF.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS THIS
OUTREACH, TO GET ALL THE
INSTITUTES TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS
THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE
INCLUSION OF ORAL HEALTH AND
THIS IS POPULATION HEALTH
SCIENCES FOCUSED.
THERE'S LOTS OF SCIENCE GOING
ON, WE WANTED TO BE COMMUNITY
BASED.
AND THE RESPONSE SO FAR HAS BEEN
ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGING, VERY
POSITIVE.
TRAINEES WILL HAVE A NICE
PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS TO CHOOSE
FROM WHERE THEY WILL WORK IN
ANOTHER INSTITUTE, NIDCR
SUPPORTS THIS.
WE'RE ONE OF THE ONLY TWO
INSTITUTES IN THE COUNTRY,
ENTITIES IN THE COUNTRY, THAT
ACTUALLY OFFER STIPENDS FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH TRAINING.
I'M HOPING THERE'S ANYONE HERE
THAT IS A PROGRAM DIRECTOR,
PLEASE PASS THIS WORD AROUND,
DEANS AS WELL.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE INTERACT.
WE'RE HERE AT NIDCR TO WELCOME
INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO ROTATE
THROUGH RESIDENCY PROGRAM AND
RESOURCES WE HAVE HERE.
THESE ARE OUR FIVE TRAINEES, THE
FIRST YEAR, NOW THE SECOND YEAR
SENIOR TRAINEES, THREE IN YEAR
ONE WHO ARE REALLY REMARKABLE
INDIVIDUALS, VERY COMMITTED.
VERY, VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU AND
ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO DR. HOFFMAN.
MATT HAS DECIDED TO ACTUALLY
SPEND MORE TIME IN HIS NATIVE
NEW ZEALAND WITH FAMILY AND HE
RETURNS TO THE U.S. OFF AND ON.
MATT HAS HAD A STEPDOWN FROM
POSITION OF SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR
AND VERY RESPONSIBLY PHASING OUT
HIS LAB TO BE ABLE TO -- TO MAKE
THE RETIREMENT POSSIBLE.
HE'S DONE ANYTIME A VERY, VERY
ORGANIZED WAY SO THANK YOU,
MATT.
BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE,
REALLY YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO
NIDCR, ITS PROGRAMMING,
INTRAMURAL RESEARCH, MENTORING
TRAINING ALL NOW LEADERS IN THE
FIELD, OF COURSE FOR
RESTRUCTURAL THE INTRAMURAL
PROGRAM AND ALLOWING FOR STAFF
BE TO MAP, THE O.U., WE THANK
YOU FOR THAT SERVICE.
VERY GRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO
STEPPED UP AS A TEAM, DEFINITELY
A TEAM OF PARTNERS, TO KEEP ALL
INTRAMURAL RESEARCH FUNCTIONS
AND STRUCTURE MOVING FORWARD FOR
THE FUTURE.
WE'LL BE CONTEMPLATING THE
SEARCH FOR THE NEW SCIENTIFIC
DIRECTOR IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR
BUDGETARY SITUATION.
SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF ABLE TO
BALANCE WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH
WHAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN TERMS
OF RESOURCES TO DO.
SO THANK YOU INDU AND JAY FOR
ALL YOU DO ON A DAILY BASIS.
JENNIFER, WE LOVE BEING OUT
THERE, ENGAGING WITH YOU TO THE
BEST OF OUR ABILITIES.
IF YOU FEEL PRESENCE ON YOUR
CAMPUS ESPECIALLY TALKING TO
HIGHER LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS ARE
HELPFUL, WE'RE WILLING,
ESPECIALLY WITH STUDENTS AND
EARLY CAREER INVESTIGATORS.
THIS IS WHAT WE'VE DONE SINCE
SEPTEMBER.
LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES ACROSS
CAMPUS, TO MAKE SURE WE ARE WELL
REPRESENTED, AND THIS IS
JENNIFER, BUT OUR PROGRAM STAFF
ARE HIGHLY ENTER AVE WITH PEERS
AROUND CAMPUS, AND THAT YOU WILL
APPRECIATE IS AN IMPORTANT
STRATEGIC MOVE SO WE CAN GET A
LOT MORE AWARENESS AND HENCE
SUPPORT FOR OUR INITIATIVES.
I DID MENTION DR. BERTAGNOLLI
HIT THE GROUND RUNG.
- RUNNING.
SHE WILL NOT USE THE TERM BIG
AND SMALL INSTITUTE ANYMORE
BECAUSE THE BUDGET DOES NOT
DRIVE THE VISION OF WHO WE ARE,
THAT IS TRUE.
THESE ARE GUIDING PRINCIPLES
THAT CAME TO US FROM HER OFFICE,
I HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING,
VERBATIM, JUST HIGHLIGHTED WHAT
I THINK ARE IMPORTANT.
SHE SAYS OUR WORK HERE WILL NOT
BE FINISHED WHEN WE JUST DELIVER
AND BRAG OR ENGAGE IN SCIENTIFIC
DISCOVERY.
OUR WORK IS FINISHED WHEN ALL
PEOPLE LIVE LONG AND HEALTHY
LIVES..
SHE CARES DEEPLY ABOUT PATIENTS
AS PARTNERS, PARTNERS IN
COMMUNITY.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES TO KNOW
WHAT THIS MEANS.
TO TACKLE THE MOST COMPLEX
PROBLEMS.
I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS DRIVEN
BY CONGRESS.
THIS IS COMING FROM DR.
BERTAGNOLLI'S SOUL, AS I SEE IT.
SHE CARES ABOUT NEW DATA
ANALYTICS, AND HOW WE CAN USE
A.I. AND MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS
TO DIVERSIFY OUR FIELDS OF
INTEREST OR DISEASES, CARE,
SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS.
IT'S AVAILABLE FOR YOU.
THERE'S A LOT NOW AVAILABLE
ONLINE OF HER WRITTEN AND VERBAL
COMMUNICATIONS.
SHE SPEAKS ABOUT THE BUDGET, WE
SHOULD REMAIN HOPEFUL SO WE'RE
SUBJECT TO DRASTIC CUTS BUT DO
EXPECT A FLAT BUDGET FOR FISCAL
YEAR 24.
AND LIKELY A REDUCTION, MAYBE
ANOTHER FLAT BUDGET, IN FISCAL
YEAR 25.
SO WHEN WE HAVE THAT, THE
PARTNERSHIP WITH STAKEHOLDERS
BECOMES EVEN MORE CRITICAL.
AND OF COURSE OUR INTRAMURAL
PROGRAM BECOMES SENSITIVE TO
BUDGET CUTS AS SHE NOTED HERE.
TAKE ALL THIS INTO STRIDE, WHAT
DO WE DO FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS
WHEN WE HAVE THESE CHALLENGES
AND UNSURPASSED OPPORTUNITIES TO
ADVANCE OUR SCIENCE, IT TAKES
SOME THINKING.
I WANT TO ENGAGE COUNCIL IN THIS
DELIBERATION, AS MY RIGHT HAND
ADVISORY GROUP.
THE ONLY ONE WE HAVE AT NIDCR.
OUR BUDGET IS FLAT FOR NOW,
CONTINUING RESOLUTION WILL COME
FORTH HOPEFULLY LIFTED ON THE
8th OF MARCH, WE'LL HAVE SOME
IDEA AS TO HOW WE ARE SHAPED FOR
FISCAL YEAR 24.
WE REMAIN STRONGLY COMMITTED,
80% OF OUR BUDGET IS FOCUSED ON
EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH.
AND THE INTRAMURAL RESEARCH
PROGRAM IS SIMPLY THE FLAGSHIP,
JEWEL IN THE CROWN FOR US ON
CAMPUS AND WORLDWIDE.
RESEARCHERS IN THE INTRAMURAL
PROGRAM ARE SIMPLY CUTTING EDGE.
STRINGENTLY REVIEW, PUBLISH IN
HIGH QUALITY JOURNAL, MOVING
FIELD OF FOUNDATIONAL AND
TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES REALLY
WELL.
OF COURSE WE HAVE RESEARCH
MANAGEMENT.
SO THIS IS FROM THE DIVISION OF
EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH, AND ITS
DIRECTOR ALREADY LILLIAN SHUM
WHO ADVISEs ME WHAT WE NEED TO
DO.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE STABLE
LEVELS OF SUPPORT FOR HIGH
QUALITY RESEARCH AND TRAINING.
WE'RE GOING TO MEASURE WHAT THAT
MEANS MUCH MORE DISCRETELY.
NON-COMPETING, WHICH IS FIVE,
NON-COMPETING, ALREADY GOTTEN
AWARD AND GOING FOR SECOND YEAR,
THIRD YEAR, WILL BE AWARDED 90%
DURING THE C.R. PERIOD.
SUPPORT FOR EARLY-STAGE
INVESTIGATORS REMAINS VERY
STRONG.
WE WILL NOT COMPROMISE ON THAT
PATHWAY OR THAT PIPELINE THAT WE
CONSIDER CRITICAL FOR THE
FUTURE, NO REDUCTION TO R01 AND
EQUIVALENTS BUT COMPETING
NON-MODULAR WILL BE SUBJECT TO
10%, A REASONABLE REDUCTION.
AND OF COURSE NO REDUCTIONS TO
RESEARCH AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
THE FUNDING -- THERE ARE OTHER
FUNDING DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE
TO MAKE, WHICH IS COMPETING
R01s AND EQUIVALENTS 9%,
COMPETING NON-MODERATE 15%,
ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS ON A
GRADED SCALE.
THIS IS TO ALLOW US THE BUDGET
AND ROOM TO BE FUNDING THOSE
EARLY-STAGE INVESTIGATORS AT
HIGHER LEVEL THAN WE ARE NOW.
TYPE 2 APPLICATIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO BE LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN
20% BUDGET INCREASES OVER THE
LAST AWARD PERIOD.
THESE ARE CONSERVATIVE CUTS, AND
I HOPE THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND
THAT AND CAN WORK WITH YOUR
PROGRAM STAFF IF YOU NEED
DETAILS.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL THE
OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS WE WILL
CONSIDER IN OUR FUNDING
DECISIONS.
IT WILL BE VERY HOLISTIC, VERY
HUMANISTIC, AND VERY QUALITY
SCIENCE DRIVEN.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS
ON FUNDING.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM
COUNCIL?
I'M SURE THOSE ON THE WEBINAR
CAN ENTER THOSE AND WE'LL ANSWER
THEM AS SOON AS WE GET THEM.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM YOU?
SEVERAL HANDS RAISED.
CAN YOU SPEAK UP BECAUSE I CAN'T
SEE EVERYONE.
PAUL?
DR. KREBSBACH?
>> PROPOSED CUTS YOU JUST
SHOWED, THOSE ARE PROPOSED
DURING THIS INTERIM -- DURING
THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION OR ARE
THOSE GOING TO BE PASSED FORWARD
REGARDLESS OF WHAT --
>> GOOD QUESTION.
DEFINITELY THROUGH THE C.R.
I'LL LET DR. SHUM PITCH IN.
I'M PREDICTING THIS IS FISCAL
YEAR 24 ARRANGEMENT, FISCAL YEAR
24, BECAUSE THAT BUDGET WILL BE
ASSIGNED HOPEFULLY IN MARCH,
EVEN IF WE CONTINUE THE C.R. WE
NEED TO HAVE REDUCTIONS IN
PLACE.
MY GUESS IS FISCAL YEAR 24 AS WE
AWAIT NEWS ON WHAT THE NEXT YEAR
WOULD LOOK LIKE.
LILLIAN, CAN YOU COMMENT PLEASE?
>> SO, INTERIM POLICY IS
OFFERING THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE
FINAL POLICY, BUT I DO NOT
EXPECT TO A FINAL POLICY TO HAVE
MAJOR DEVIATIONS FROM WHAT WE
ALREADY PUBLISHED.
WE MIGHT TWEAK ON THE REDUCTIONS
FOR ESI, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S
DEFINITELY AN INSTITUTE PRIOR
AND WE MIGHT TWEAK A LITTLE BIT
ON NON-COMPETING.
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
NO ONE ELSE?
THANKS.
OKAY.
WE CAN WRITE THEM IN THE CHAT
AND GET BACK TO IT.
NOW, WHEN WE EXPERIENCED THIS
WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY AND CHANGE,
SWEEPING NIH, IN WHATEVER SHAPE
OR FORM IT MIGHT TAKE IN THE
END, IT DID, FOR ME, RESONATE
THIS FEELING OF, HEY, WE WERE
THINKING ALONG THOSE LINES
ANYWAY.
YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTATION GOALS
REMAIN FIRM.
WE HAD THAT IN OUR STRATEGIC
PLAN, IN 2020.
WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE.
MOST OF YOU HAVE READ IT.
WE DO ASK THESE SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS, I'M LEAVING THEM AS
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS, NOT ALL
ENCOMPASSING.
COUNCIL, I WILL COUNT ON YOU TO
HELP US MOVE THIS THROUGH
BECAUSE AS WE LOOK THROUGH
PORTFOLIOS, LOOK TO THE DATA IN
THAT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, AND
RECOGNIZE THAT DESPITE OUR
SCIENCE AND LESSONS IN SCIENCE,
AN EXAMPLE, WE'VE INVESTED
HEAVILY OVER ALL 75 YEARS WE
STILL HAVE DISADVANTAGED
COMMUNITIES, FOUR OUT OF FIVE
CHILDREN WITH UNTREATED DECAY IN
THIS COUNTRY, THAT WE HAVE TO BE
LOOKING AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO
BETTER, THE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO, HOW DO WE IMPROVE CLINICAL
RESEARCH CAPABILITIES IN THE
FIELD?
WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE WAY AANALYZE.
YOU SEE AWARDS WE FUND.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE IGNORING IT
BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE CRITICAL
MASS OR ASSOCIATIONS TO MOVE THE
NEEDLE IN CLINICAL TRIALS
RESEARCH AS A SUBSET.
HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE TRANSLATION,
IMPROVE NUMBER OF CLINICAL
TRIALS AND OBSERVATIONAL
RESEARCH CAPABILITIES?
HOW DO DENTAL SCHOOLS THROUGH
ANY MECHANISM ACTUALLY BECOME
THE HUB FOR TESTING NEW DENTAL
MATERIALS AND DEVELOPING THEM AS
WELL?
HOW DO WE INCLUDE COMMUNITIES
CURRENTLY MARGINALIZED IN A MUCH
MORE ORGANIZED WAY.
JENNIFER WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT.
NOW, DR. BERTAGNOLLI'S THOUGHTS
FOCUS ON NEED TO BRING THANS
FORMATION TO PRIMARY CARE
FACILITIES.
WHO BETTER THAN DENTAL
COMMUNITIES?
AND OUR DENTAL SCHOOLS THAT
SERVE AS MAJOR SAFETY NET FOR
PROVIDERS?
I SEE HUGE OPPORTUNITIES TO EVEN
ATTEMPT TO COMBINE ELECTRONIC
HEALTH RECORDS AND COORDINATE
ACROSS OUR CLINORIL RESEARCH
NETWORK.
WE CAN'T JUST DO IT WITH THOSE
FOCUSED ON BEHAVIORAL
CONDITIONING WITH CHILD CARIES.
WE HAVE TO KNOW THERE ARE
PEDIATRIC NETWORKS THAT HEART
AND LUNG NETWORKS, DIABETES
NETWORKS, ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT WHERE ORAL HEALTH,
THE PRESENCE OF ORAL HEALTH IS
GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY
TRANSFORMATIVE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING TO YOU
FAR MORE IN MAY IN PERSON, WE'LL
HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO
BRAINSTORM IDEAS AROUND THIS, TO
THE BENEFIT OF TRAINEES AND
FACULTY FOR SURE.
KEEP THESE QUESTIONS IN MIND.
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN
THIS SPACE.
IN OUR SPACE, WE ARE FUNDING
CLINICAL RESEARCH IN THESE TOPIC
AREAS.
THEY ARE BROAD BASED AND
DIVERSE, THEY COVER MOST OF OUR
SPECTRUM, MOST OF OUR RESEARCH
PORTFOLIO.
YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE A TOTAL OF
43 CLINICAL TRIALS THAT WE'RE
FUNDING ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.
THREE ARE ACTUALLY CO-FUNDED IN
THE AREA OF CRANIOFACIAL
ANOMALIES, IN THE AREA OF HEAD
AND NECK CANCER.
WE HAVE THREE THERE.
THREE THAT ARE PRACTICE-BASED
RESEARCH NETWORKS,
PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH NETWORK
IS FUNDING.
ANY ONE OF THE P.I.s IN THESE
AWARDS, ASK IF THEY ARE
CONNECTED TO OTHER LARGE TRIALS,
WORKING ON OTHER HEALTH ISSUES
THAT IMPLICATE ORAL HEALTH, YOU
WON'T FIND THE RESONATING YET
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE
INFRASTRUCTURE TO PRESENT TO
THIS GROUP SO WE NEED TO
ADVANCE.
SARAH, I'LL ASK FOR YOUR HELP IN
DOING SO.
THE OTHER IMPLICATION OR GUIDING
PRINCIPLE THAT DR. BERTAGNOLLI
BROUGHT UP TIMELY AND
SIGNIFICANT, VERY EXPENSIVE,
VERY AMBITIOUS, BUT MEETING THAT
FOCUS AND THAT RESOLVE, IS
RELATED TO OUR CAPABILITIES AND
CAPACITY FOR DATA SHARING AND
DATA USE.
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY MORE.
YOU KNOW WE TOOK -- WE WERE
PRO-ACTIVE IN THIS AREA, AND
AXEL VISEL AND HIS GROUP OF
NATIONAL EXPERTS WORKED OVER THE
LAST ALMOST TWO YEARS, WILL BE
PRESENTING ON THEIR FINDINGS.
WE'LL TAKE THAT, PRIORITIZE
THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS WITH YOUR
HELP WITH COUNCIL'S HELP.
IT WILL GUIDE THE VISION FOR NEW
OFFICE OF DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS,
DDS, TO ADVANCE THESE GOALS.
YOU CAN SEE IT BRINGS IN
RESOURCES, FACTORS IN
COLLABORATION, OF COURSE
LEVERAGING AS MUCH AS WE CAN
WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN AND OUTSIDE
NIH.
THESE ARE OUR DATA SCIENCE TOPIC
AREAS, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE REALLY
ALSO COVER QUITE A FEW, BUT NOT
ALL.
AND WE HAVE HERE IN THIS
BEAUTIFUL DIAGRAM SCHEMATIC THE
SPECIFIC FOCUS AREAS WHERE WE'RE
FUNDING DATA SCIENCE
INITIATIVES.
NOW, IF YOU'RE INVOLVED IN ANY
OF THE MAJOR COLLABORATIVES YOU
WOULD KNOW IMMEDIATELY THAT DATA
SCIENCE BECOMES THE NEW NORM.
IT JUST IS.
WE'LL HAVE TO BE THINKING FROM
GROUND ZERO INCORPORATING DATA
SCIENCE PRINCIPLES, THE FAIR
PRINCIPLES.
SO FOR NOW, WE'RE MAKING SURE
THAT ALL OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF, WE
CAN WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND THIS
FIELD THAT IS CHANGING, AND
THERE ARE GENERATIONAL
CHALLENGES THAT I FACE, I
MYSELF, SO WE CAN MOVE THE
INSTITUTE FORWARD IN THIS
DIRECTION AND MAKE ORAL DISEASE
AND DISORDERS MUCH MORE
RESOLVABLE IN MANY WAYS USING
THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
THIS IS THE EXCITING PART OF THE
PRESENTATION.
I WILL GO THROUGH BRIEFLY
BECAUSE THERE'S A SCIENTIFIC
DETAIL THAT I CAN TALK, YOU
KNOW, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO TALK
ABOUT.
BUT THRILLED TO SAY THAT IN THIS
LAST YEAR AND YOU HEARD ABOUT
THIS LAST COUNCIL, BUT I'LL GIVE
MORE DETAILS I CAN NOW SHARE.
WE LAUNCHED THESE INITIATIVES TO
SIGNIFY OUR COMMITMENT AND
RECOGNITION OF OUR 75 YEARS OF
HISTORY BRINGING THE HOPE AND
PROMISE NEXT 25 YEARS WILL MOVE
THE NEEDLE FORWARD.
EACH INITIATIVE IS
TRANSFORMATIVE.
BOTTOM THREE IN COLLABORATION
WITH PAIN AND PAIN MANAGEMENT,
AS WELL AS SJOGREN'S THEME
EFFORT THAT'S A NATIONWIDE
COLLABORATIVE WITH NIAMS AND
OTHER INSTITUTES AS WELL AS
CENTERED AT UCSF, THE OKLAHOMA
FOUNDATION, JOHNS HOPKINS, AND
OF COURSE OUR CADRE OF
RESEARCHERS AT NIDCR WHO HAVE
ESTABLISHED A FOUNDATIONAL BASE
FOR SALIVARY GLAND BIOLOGY.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH ALL THESE
ACRONYMS, AIM, AT THE BOTTOM
RIGHT, TO HEAL, THE TWO PURPLE
INITIATIVES, PRIME IS IN DENTAL
SCHOOL, HEAD WITH CANCER, IMPACT
WITH TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT, IT
MAKES A SENTENCE THAT IS
SIGNIFICANT FOR OUR 75th.
SO AS YOU ALL KNOW THE
PRACTICE-BASED NETWORK IN DENTAL
SCHOOLS HAS A VERY NOBLE GOAL OF
CHANGING THE CULTURE TO ITS
RESEARCH DONE IN DENTAL SCHOOL.
IT ENGAGES FACULTY AND
ADMINISTRATORS, STUDENTS AT ALL
LEVELS OF TRAINING, LEVERAGES
FROM RESOURCES OF THE MEDICAL
SCHOOL, MOSTLY CDSAs, PUBLIC
HEALTH, SCHOOL OF PHARMACY.
YOU CAN SEE IF IT DOES TAKE OFF
LIKE THEY ARE HOPING IT'S JUST
GOING TO LIGHT THAT MATCH SO
THAT MORE GRANTS COME FORTH FROM
PRIMED.
THRILLED WE COULD FUND TEN
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT'S LIKE A
DREAM COME TRUE BECAUSE THEY
INVOLVE SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT
HEAVILY RESOURCED IN THE
RESEARCH AREA BUT ARE
COLLABORATING WITH THOSE THAT
ARE.
AS WELL AS THOSE THAT HAVE VERY
WELL-ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS.
YOU CAN SEE FROM HERE, THE
BREADTH OF INQUIRY OF THIS
CLINICAL RESEARCH THAT FITS SO
WELL INTO OUR EFFORTS TO CREATE
THAT WORKFORCE THAT PERHAPS A
CLINICAL TRIALS RESEARCH NETWORK
THAT COULD BE BASED IN DENTAL
SCHOOLS AS WELL.
SO, JUST WE SHOULD BE TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF ALL THAT IS
AVAILABLE HERE, DATA SCIENCE,
AND CLINICAL RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY PRINCIPLES.
IT'S EASY TO FLASH A SLIDE, BUT
STAFF WORKED TIRELESSLY TO MAKE
THIS POSSIBLE.
DENA FISCHER, A HUGE THANKS.
YOU'RE THE PILLAR OF SUPPORT IN
THIS AREA.
YOUR STAFF AND TEAM, SCIENTIFIC
REVIEW BRANCH, AND DEDE
RUTHBERG.
THE PROGRAM IS CHALLENGING TO
MANAGE AND TO KIND OF KEEP GOING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, YOU
WOULD IMAGINE, BECAUSE OF THE
DIVERSITY LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE
AND INTEREST ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE'RE THRILLED TO BE
COLLABORATING WITH WITH NATIONAL
CANCER INSTITUTE TO DEVELOP
BIOMARKERS THAT DETECT EARLY
DETECTION OF HEAD AND NECK
CANCER.
WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANY.
HERE WE HAVE SEVEN OUTSTANDING
GROUPS OF RESEARCHERS THAT
THEMSELVES ARE COLLABORATING
WITH OTHER GROUPS AROUND THE
COUNTRY.
WE EXPECT THINGS TO HAPPEN IN
THIS AREA.
THERE'S A LOT IN THE AREA OF
FACIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS,
SINGLE-CELL DATA LINKED TO
POPULATION SCIENCE AND
PREVENTION.
THIS SHOULD MOVE THE NEEDLE
THERE.
AGAIN, MANY THANKS TO DR. CHEN
AND HER GROUP, AMANDA, LILLIAN
OF COURSE, AND EVERYONE ELSE
THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE.
HARD TO NOT BE EXCITED ABOUT TMD
IMPACT, SO MUCH LED TO
INITIATIVE, SUPPORT, VISION AND
DRIVE COMING IN FROM TERRY AND
THE TMJ ASSOCIATION CANNOT BE
IGNORED.
THAT CAME TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS
FROM DIFFERENT INSTITUTES TO
HELP US MOVE FROM PLANNING PHASE
TO IMPLEMENTATION PHASE SOON TO
COME.
WE HAVE ANOTHER OUTSTANDING
GROUP, MINI CENTERS.
THEY WILL BE TALKING TO EACH
OTHER.
IT'S NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS.
THEY WILL BE TALKING TO EACH
OTHER, SHARING RESOURCES, BEST
PRACTICES, FAILURES, ALL OF
THAT.
WE'LL BE CREATING THIS COMMUNITY
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE THE
VERY BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE.
THE TEAM AGAIN FOR THIS EFFORT
WITH AMANDA AND LILLIAN HAVE
BEEN TREMENDOUS.
WE WORK WITH OTHER INDIVIDUALS
FROM OTHER INSTITUTES WHO ARE
VERY KIND IN OFFERING DIRECTION
AND ADVICE.
SO NOW AS YOU KNOW 80% OF
FUNDING GOES TO EXTRAMURAL
COMMUNITY.
IT'S REALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO
SUMMARIZE ALL THE PAPERS FROM
THESE INVESTMENTS.
I HAVE TEN SLIDES THAT QUICKLY
WILL GLANCE AND GIVE A SENSE
THAT OUR FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCES
ARE MOVING, TRANSLATIONAL IS
DEVELOPING WELL, AND CLINICAL
RESEARCH IS IN THE PHASE OF
DEVELOPING.
WE HAVE THESE EXAMPLES HERE TO
SHOW SECRETORY FUNCTIONS, YOU
CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SECRETORY
MECHANISMS AND SECRETION AND IN
SALIVA PRODUCTION OCCURS.
IMPORTANT STUDY ON CONSTRUCTING
A MICROTISSUE PLATFORM ALLOWING
FOR VASCULARIZATION, ENHANCING
HEALING AND THIS IS I THINK --
YES, FROM PORTLAND, OHSU, HAS
BEEN A LEADER IN THIS FIELD OF
ORGANOID IN SILICO WORK AND
THINGS THAT CAN BE TRANSPLANTED
TO HUMANS TISSUES.
IN THIS CASE APICAL TISSUE,
PERIAPICAL TISSUES.
GINGIVALIS, VIEWED AS A VEHICLE
TO SERVE IN TRANSPORTING
ANTIMICROBIALS FOR THERAPEUTIC
PURPOSES, WHAT I CONSIDER IN THE
FIELD OF ENGINEERING.
WE HAD VERY NICE SET OF STUDIES
THAT LOOKED AT WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENTIAL MARKERS OF PAIN,
MEN VERSUS WOMEN.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING
THAT REALLY IS IN LINE WITH THE
PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVE TO
FOSTER OR ADVANCE RESEARCH IN
WOMEN'S HEALTH.
THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN GENES
BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN.
WHEN YOU COMPARE TO CLINICAL
DATA THAT WE AS CLINICIANS HAVE
ENCOUNTERED, IT DOES MAKE SENSE
THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN
THE WAY WOMEN HANDLE PAIN,
MANAGE IT, TECHNICALLY, HOW THE
PROCESS UNFOLDS IN WOMEN VERSUS
MEN.
NOW LOOKING AT MEXICAN IMGRANTS
AND CENTRAL AMERICANS THE WAY WE
CAN INTRODUCE CULTURAL
COMPETENCES WHEN WE DEAL WITH
INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS WITH DIFFERENT
LANGUAGES PRIMARILY.
YOU CAN SEE THAT ROLE IS
POSITIVE AND INFLUENCES OUR CARE
DELIVERY.
NO DOUBT THE NATIONAL DENTAL
PRACTICE BASED RESEARCH NETWORK
THAT'S POSITIONED NOW TO
ENCOMPASS THE NEW PRINCIPLES I
JUST DESCRIBED, BUT THIS IS ONE
STUDY DONE IN THAT NETWORK TO
LOOK AT AVAILABILITY OF PATIENT
HEALTH, PATIENT CONTROL OF
TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP
TREATMENT, SO HISPANIC PATIENTS
HAD LOWER DENTIST-PATIENT
COMMUNICATION THAN NON-HISPANIC,
THAT I HOPE WILL CHANGE NOW THAT
WE KNOW THAT, PRESENT THAT IN
WAYS TO HOPEFULLY ENCOURAGE NEW
POLICIES ACROSS THE BOARD.
GWAS AND DATA STUDIES LOOKING AT
GENETICS HAS COME FROM THE ABCD
STUDY ACTUALLY INITIATED IN
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF DENTAL --
OR DRUG ABUSE, NORA VOLKOW AND I
TALKED ABOUT THIS, GENE LOCI
THAT AFFECT THE WAY THE CRANIUM
SHAPES AND AS YOU KNOW SHAPES
TOO FAST OR FUSES TOO FAST
BECAUSE YOU HAVE A MUTATION,
AGAIN FUNCTION OR LOSS OF
FUNCTION, YOU CAN END UP WITH
THIS.
JANICE AND GROUP IN CLINICAL
RESEARCH PROGRAM HAS COME UP
WITH MORPHOMETRICS TO LOOK AT
THE SKULL, THIS FITS IN TO THAT
RESOURCE AS WELL.
IF THEY COME TOGETHER IT WOULD
BE A NICE RESOURCE FOR
CLINICIANS.
WE HAVE A MODEL FOR PHENOTYPES,
DIFFERENT BASED ON WHICH SUTURE
IS EFFECTIVE.
THIS IS THE USE OF A.I. ACTUALLY
TO MODEL ABNORMALITIES IN
CRANIUM SHAPE AND FORMS
ACCURATELY, TO BE ABLE TO BE
USED WELL, ACCURATELY WELL, BY
CLINICIANS WHO HAVE TO MAKE
DECISIONS ABOUT SURGERY.
WE HAVE ELECTRONIC HEALTH
RECORDS DATABASE NOW
INCORPORATING INDIVIDUALS THAT
HAVE SJOGREN'S SYNDROME.
THIS IS DONE AT THE INDIANA
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT IN
ADDITION TO SJOGREN'S THERE'S
ASSOCIATION MADE WITH SYSTEMIC
LUPUS, AND ALSO ANOTHER
COMORBIDITY THAT MAY OR MAY NOT
INVOLVE AUTOIMMUNE DYSFUNCTION.
SO AS WE MOVE INTO WHAT COMES
FORTH, WHAT IS AVAILABLE NOW, WE
HAVE A FEW RESEARCH FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES.
THIS ONE IN ETHICAL LEGAL AND
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS, R03,
AVAILABLE AND ADMINISTERED
SUPPLEMENTS IN THIS AREA,
IMPORTANT AS WE MOVE INTO THE
DATA SCIENCE REALM WHERE WE HAVE
TO RESPECT PATIENT IDENTITIES,
HONOR DATABASES THAT IN FACT
INVOLVE PATIENTS.
THERE IS A NEW NOSI ON
APPLICATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE IN
TRANSLATIONAL, SO THIS IS A
GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERY ONE
OF YOU TO COLLABORATE IF YOU
HAVE SCHOOLS OF DATA SCIENCE ON
YOUR CAMPUS, GET TOGETHER SO WE
CAN ENRICH THE PIPELINE FOR THE
FUTURE, ESPECIALLY FOR TRAINEES
WHO CAN COME WITH DENTAL
BACKGROUNDS BUT HAVE THE
EXPERTISE OF DATA SCIENCES.
WE JUST ARE LACKING IN THAT
PIPELINE NOW AND NEED TO DEVELOP
THAT FOR THE FUTURE.
INVITING INPUT ON AUTOIMMUNE
DISEASES, AN ANNOUNCEMENT OUT
FOR THAT.
PLEASE KNOW THE DEADLINE FOR
RESPONSE IS MARCH 1.
I WANT TO BRING BACK TO YOUR
ATTENTION THE FACT THAT OUR
75th ANNIVERSARY IS DRAWING TO
A CLOSE.
IT WILL BE JUNE OF THIS YEAR.
IT'S MET MY EXPECTATIONS MORE
THAN I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
EVERY EVENT SURPASSING THE ONE
WE DID BEFORE NOT TO BRAG BUT
MEANT TO FOCUS ON SCIENCE, ON
OUR COMMUNITIES, ON OUR
STAKEHOLDERS, OUR PARTNERSHIPS
AND TRAINEES.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE SPECIAL
ISSUE DUE OUT, CONGRESSIONAL
RESOLUTION WILL BE PASSED ON THE
FLOOR VERY SOON, AND ALL THESE
OTHER THINGS MADE IT A SPECIAL
YEAR FOR US, THE HIGHLIGHT OF
WHICH ARE SIGNATURE INITIATIVES
THAT WE LAUNCHED.
VERY THRILLED TRAINING SESSION
WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, INSPIRING
TALK BY ARDEM PATAPOUTIAN, HIS
DAD SAYS IF HE CAN DO IT, YOU
CAN DO IT.
HE FAILED KINDERGARTEN.
THAT WAS THE MOST INSPIRING
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE, JUST TO LET
YOU KNOW AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO
ATTEND THE MEETING IN MARCH IN
NEW ORLEANS, BECAUSE IT'S THE
TIME TO CELEBRATE OUR EXTRAMURAL
SCIENCE.
HOW DEVELOPED OVER 75 YEARS,
WHERE WE WANT TO GO WILL BE
TALKED ABOUT IN EACH SYMPOSIA.
THE TIME AND DETAILS ARE IN THE
PROGRAM.
TRY TO ATTEND BECAUSE ESPECIALLY
FOR TRAINEES, YOU KNOW HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS TO INVEST IN
THAT TRANSLATIONAL CONTINUUM AND
HOW IMPORTANT OUR SCIENCE IS FOR
ORAL HEALTH.
AND THE TOPICS WE PICKED WERE
STRATEGIC, THEY COVER OUR MAIN
FOCUS AREAS.
I NOW WANT TO END WELCOMING
JENNIFER BUT ALSO TO ALERT YOU
TO THE LAST IN OUR SERIES OF
CELEBRATIONS, CO-SPONSORED
SYMPOSIUM, HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD
INSTITUTE, THAT ALSO ARE
CELEBRATING THEIR 75th, ON THE
16th OF MAY.
TO STAY TOGETHER AND SHARE
KNOWLEDGE IS PROGRESS, TO WORK
TOGETHER IS SUCCESS IN ALL WE DO
AND STAND FOR.
I THANK YOU FOR THAT.
VERY HAPPILY INTRODUCE DR.
JENNIFER WEBSTER CYRIAQUE WHO
WILL END THIS TALK.
JENNIFER?
I'LL GET OUT OF MY SCREEN.
>> CAN EVERYONE SEE AND HEAR?
I THINK WE'RE WAITING FOR THE
PRESENTATION.
I'M SHARING NOW.
SHALL I TRY AGAIN?
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> CAN YOU SHARE ONE MORE TIME?
>> OKAY.
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MY VIDEO IS
ENABLED BUT THAT'S OKAY.
THANK YOU, RENA.
OH, START MY VIDEO.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET TO ORAL
HEALTH FOR ALL?
WE NEED TO BUILD BELONGING
ACROSS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
WORK FORCES.
WE NEED TO BREAK BARRIERS, AN WE
NEED TO BUILD THE EVIDENCE BASE.
THESE ARE THREE AREAS THAT I'D
LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE
FOCUS ON AS WE MOVE TOWARDS
MOVEMENT ON ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES.
AND THAT IS THE INTERNAL
WORKFORCE, EXTERNAL WORKFORCE,
AND THE SCIENCE TO MOVE BEYOND
DISPARITIES.
HOW DO WE GET THERE?
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF OUR
INTERNAL WORKFORCE HERE AT
NIDCR, WE HAVE TO BE
INTROSPECTIVE AND MISSION
FOCUSED AND DO THIS WORK AT THE
INSTITUTE LEVEL THROUGH THE LENS
OF EQUITY.
AND THIS IS IN FULFILLMENT OF A
2021 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DEIA IN
THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, ALSO
CRITICAL FOR US TO MOVE THINGS
FORWARD IN THIS SPACE.
IN TERMS OF EXTERNAL WORKFORCE,
IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE SHARE AND
INVITE OTHERS INTO OUR COMMUNITY
BRINGING IN PEOPLE FROM OTHER
FIELDS, ALLOWING DIVERSITY OF
THOUGHT AND THEN ENSURING RACIAL
AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY, SO THAT WE
REFLECT THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF OUR
NATIONS THROUGH PATHWAY
BUILDING.
AND IN TERMS OF THE DISPARITIES
THEMSELVES WE NEED TO ENSURE THE
WAY WE'LL PROVIDE TOOLS TO
ENSURE STUDIES ARE INCLUSIVE AND
TO OPTIMIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR
TRANSLATION AND TO BUILD THE
EVIDENCE BASE THROUGH SCIENCE
THAT CANNOT ONLY SHIFT POLICIES
AND GUIDELINES THAT WILL HELP US
TO MOVE TOWARDS GETTING RID OF
THESE DISPARITIES, AND IT'S
GOING TO TAKE BUILDING AWARENESS
AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT FACILITATE
HEALTH APPROACHES THAT INCLUDE
ORAL HEALTH.
WE HAVE TO ADDRESS ALL THE
ISMs, AND WE KNOW THAT RACISM
AND OTHER ISMs, AGEISM,
SEXISM, ET CETERA, ARE OFTEN
SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL.
WE KNOW IN ORDER TO IMPROVE
HUMAN HEALTH AND REDUCE THE
BURDEN OF DISEASE WE HAVE
ACHIEVED SCIENTIFIC WORK FORCE
DIVERSITY, AWARE IT CAN BE
HINDERED BY ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS.
WE ALSO KNOW STRUCTURAL --
STRUCTURES HAVE RESULTED IN
PERSISTENT HEALTH DISPARITIES
AND POOR HEALTH STATUS.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO CHANGE
THAT?
SO, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS
APPLYING AN EQUITY LENS, WE CALL
THE REAL FRAMEWORK, ELEMENTS
INCLUDE AWARENESS IN
UNDERSTANDING, HABITS AND
STRUCTURES, INFLUENCE STRATEGY,
FEED BANK AND METRICS,
TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST.
ON THE RIGHT YOU SEE STRUCTURES
AND STRATEGIES IN PLACE AT
NIDCR.
I'M GOING TO NOW INTRODUCE JOY
COSTELL, OUR CHIEF DIVERSITY
OFFICER, WHO SERVES AS
INSTITUTIONAL CULTURAL CLIMATE
OFFICER, AND SHE WOULD BE HAPPY
TO INTERFACE WITH YOU TO SEE
ABOUT GETTING THESE TYPES OF
THINGS IN PLACE AT YOUR
INSTITUTION.
WE'RE TAKING AN INCLUSIVE
APPROACH WITH A BUILDING
BELONGING COLLABORATIVE, THROUGH
THIS COLLABORATIVE THESE ARE
VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE NIDCR
EMPLOYEES THAT VOLUNTEERED TO BE
INVOLVED IN WORKING GROUPS THAT
INCLUDE POLICIES, PRACTICES,
PROCEDURES.
ACCESSIBILITY AND STORY TELLING.
THE GOALS ARE NOT ONLY TO CHANGE
HABITS AND STRUCTURES, TO
IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY OF TRUST,
ALSO PROVIDE AWARENESS AND
UNDERSTANDING.
OUR FOCUS THIS YEAR IS
ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY,
AWARENESS.
WITH GOALS TOWARD INCLUSION AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY.
AND THIS IS JUST A LIST OF
INSTITUTIONAL/STRUCTURAL LEVEL
CHANGES THAT ARE BEING MADE OR
HAVE BEEN MADE HERE AT NIDCR
THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION,
ACCESSIBILITY, AND BELONGING.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THE EXTERNAL
WORKFORCE?
OKAY.
TOWARD PATHWAY DEVELOPMENT I'M
GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE
BIT OF INFORMATION BUT MORE ON
SEVERAL OF THESE.
THERE'S NOW AN ORAL HEALTH
PATHWAY TASK FORCE.
WE'VE DEVELOPED GLOBALLY
AVAILABLE OUTREACH RESOURCES
THAT I'LL SHARE WITH YOU THAT
YOU CAN UTILIZE TO HELP PEOPLE
KNOW THAT DENTAL RESEARCH IS A
GREAT CAREER AND OPPORTUNITY FOR
THEM.
WE'RE WORKING TOWARD OUTREACH
AND ENGAGEMENT OF TRAINEES FROM
NIDCR-FUNDED NON-DENTAL
LABORATORIES AND ENVIRONMENTS TO
HELP BUILD THAT PATHWAY.
AND THEN OF COURSE OUR TRAINING
PROGRAMS AND MECHANISMS BOTH
INTRAMURAL AND EXTRAMURAL, ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY TARGETED TO
INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY.
AGAIN, THEY COULD BE OUTREACH --
THERE WILL BE OUTREACH ACROSS
ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS BY OUR
INSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE OFFICER.
AND WE WILL NEED TO LEVERAGE
PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO
HELP EXPAND OUR WORKFORCE.
JUST A LITTLE BIT ON
REENVISIONING THE ORAL HEALTH
RESEARCH WORKFORCE PATHWAY, I
THINK WE -- RENA SHARED LAST
COUNCIL THAT THERE WAS A MEETING
ACROSS A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS,
PARTNERING, COLLABORATING TO
BUILD PROGRAMS, AND THE
CHALLENGES WERE DISCUSSED ACROSS
THE LIFE COURSE OF THE DENTISTS
AND DENTAL SCIENTISTS, AND YET
THOSE SCIENTISTS WORKING IN THE
DENTAL RESEARCH FIELD, AND IT
WAS DECIDED TO FOCUS ON THE K-12
GROUP, SO THAT GROUP HAS BEEN
NOW MEETING ON A REGULAR BASIS
TO DEVELOP PROGRAMMING IN A
COLLABORATIVE WAY THAT WILL HELP
BUILD NATIONAL PROGRAMS TO HELP
MOVE THINGS FORWARD IN THE K-12
SPACE.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT
MOVE FORWARD.
WE HAVE DEVELOPED OUTREACH
RESOURCES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE
GLOBALLY WITHIN THE NEXT TWO
WEEKS.
AND THIS RESOURCE, THE WEB PAGE
IS DOWN HERE, HIGHLIGHTS DENTAL
RESEARCHERS ACROSS FIELDS.
THERE ARE ARTICLES AVAILABLE.
THERE ARE LESSON PLANS FOR
TEACHERS, THERE ARE ANIMATIONS,
THERE'S A PODCAST, AND THIS IS
AVAILABLE TO GLOBAL AUDIENCE.
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE
PAGES.
WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED BASIC
SCIENTISTS, TRANSLATIONAL
SCIENTISTS, CLINICIAN
RESEARCHERS, ACROSS MANY FIELDS.
ENDO, PEDIATRICS, ORAL MEDICINE,
AND OTHERS.
EPIDEMIOLOGY.
SO IT'S QUITE BROAD.
AND IN TERMS OF HOW UTILIZED
THESE ARE, THESE IS A SNAPSHOT
OF DECEMBER 2023, ALMOST 12,000
SITE VISITS, A THOUSAND
DOWNLOADS, YOU CAN SEE ACROSS
PLATFORMS LIKE FACEBOOK AND
PINTEREST AND OTHERS, LINKED IN,
ENGAGEMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS.
THIS IS A GREAT POTENTIAL
RESOURCE FOR US AS A COMMUNITY
TO UTILIZE.
AND AS SOON AS THIS IS AVAILABLE
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DOWNLOAD IT
AND UTILIZE IN YOUR OWN
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AS WE TARGET
INDIVIDUALS TO LET THEM KNOW,
ONE, WE NEED THEM TO HELP US
MOVE THE NEEDLE, AND, TWO, THIS
IS A GREAT CAREER OPPORTUNITY.
WHAT ELSE?
WE HAVE TRAINING, PROGRAM, CADRE
OF SCIENTIST, INTRAMURALLY LED
BY BELINDA HOUSER AND
EXTRAMURALLY EFFORTS LED BY
ANISSA BROWN.
PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE.
ALSO KNOW THAT NEXT WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 31, THERE WILL BE A
WEBINAR FOCUSED ON INTRAMURAL
TRAINING AND CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES, SO PLEASE JOIN
AND LET PEOPLE KNOW IF THEY ARE
INTERESTED IN THESE
OPPORTUNITIES.
FINALLY, ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES, WHAT DO WE NEED TO
DO?
WE NEED TO PROVIDE TOOLS, WE
NEED TO ENSURE STUDIES ARE
INCLUSIVE AND, AGAIN, OPTIMIZE
POTENTIAL FOR TRANSLATION.
BUILDING EVIDENCE BASE, BUILDING
AWARENESS, LEVERAGING
PARTNERSHIPS.
A LITTLE BIT MORE AROUND THAT,
IN TERMS OF TOOLS TO IMPROVE AND
ASSESS TRANSLATION, WITHIN THE
NEXT MONTH OR SO THERE WILL BE
CLINICAL TRAINING MODULES
RELEASED, AND POSTED ON OUR
WEBSITE, AVAILABLE TO THE
COMMUNITY AROUND HOW TO DO
CLINICAL RESEARCH THAT CAN SERVE
AS BASIS OF A CURRICULUM OR FOR
SOMEONE WHO IS SHIFTING RESEARCH
IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION TO
BEGIN TO DO CLINICAL RESEARCH,
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE
DISCOVERIES AT THE BENCH, AND
WANT TO MOVE THIS TOWARDS
COMMERCIALIZATION, UNDERSTANDING
WHAT TO DO WILL COME IN THE
CONTEXT OF A PRE-CLINICAL MODULE
THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE OR
RELEASED MIDDLE OF YEAR.
HOW DO YOU INTERFACE WITH FDA
AND DO AN IND, AND MANY OTHER
DIFFERENT TENETS CRITICAL FOR
MOVING FROM DISCOVERY AND MOVING
INNOVATIONS TOWARDS
THERAPEUTICS.
TO ASSESS OUR IMPACT ACROSS THE
FIELD, NIDCR AND DAVID BRADLEY
HAVE SPEARHEADED BUILDING OF A
TRANSLATION BROWSER THAT ALLOWS
US TO LOOK AT NIDCR FUNDING AND
INVESTMENTS, PUBLICATIONS THAT
COME OUT AS A RESULT OF THOSE
THINGS, LINKS TO PATENTS,
THROUGH PHARMA, FDA APPROVALS,
AND DRUGS.
AND SO THIS IS THE THING THAT
IS -- HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, AND WE
HOPE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THE
RESULTS OF THESE MANY
INNOVATIONS THAT NIDCR HAS
SPEARHEADED THAT ARE REALLY
HELPING ACROSS MULTIPLE FIELDS
OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE.
I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT ANNA
NICHOLSON'S GROUP, ORLANDO LOPEZ
AND DAVID BRADLEY HAVE BEEN
CENTRAL TO DEVELOPING THESE
MODULES.
THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING IS
TO -- IN TERMS OF EXCLUSIVITY TO
UTILIZE SKILLS OF CHIEF
DIVERSITY OFFICER, AS WE'RE
DOING HERE, TO PROVIDE INPUT ON
CLINICAL TRIALS AND INCLUSION.
NOW AS WE LOOK AT ACTUALIZING
THIS, WE CAN LOOK ACROSS OUR
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES,
INTEGRATING ORAL AND GENERAL
HEALTH, HERE IN TERMS OF
DISPARITIES WE HAVE TO FOCUS AND
LEVERAGE WHOLE PERSON HEALTH
EFFORTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND
IMPACT AND OPTIMIZE PREVENTION.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY TWO PRECISION
DENTAL MEDICINE, UTILIZING
BIOLOGIC AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
OF HEALTH DATA DOWN THE ROAD TO
UNDERSTAND SPECIFIC NEEDS WITHIN
COMMUNITIES.
AND WE CAN WORK TOWARDS
TARGETING NIDCR TECHNOLOGIES TO
UNDERSERVED MARKETS.
TRANSLATE AND IMPLEMENT, 3,
TRANSLATE DISCOVERIES TO WIDEST
POSSIBLE POPULATION DEMOGRAPHIC
ACROSS THE NATION AND THIS
RESONATES WITH WHAT YOU'VE HEARD
FROM DR. D'SOUZA JUST A FEW
MINUTES EARLIER.
WE NEED TO PROVIDE THESE TOOLS
TO FACILITATE THIS.
AND FINALLY, WHEN WE WORK
TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION WE MUST
CONSIDER DIVERSITY, NOT ONLY IN
OUR TRIALS BUT ALSO IN THE
SCIENCE THAT WE DO AT THE EDGE.
WE TALK ABOUT DIVERSE PIPELINE,
HOW THAT CAN AID IN DEPLOYING
SCIENTIFIC EFFORTS AROUND
DISPARITIES.
BUT CRITICAL IS STRATEGIC
PRIORITY 5, THAT'S PARTNER AND
COLLABORATION.
I'LL SHARE PARTNERSHIPS AND
COLLABORATIONS CURRENTLY IN
PLACE.
SO, AGAIN, WE MUST BUILD
AWARENESS, LEVERAGE
PARTNERSHIPS, AND THEN BUILD THE
EVIDENCE BASE RELATED TO
DISPARITIES AND PREVENTION.
IN THE AREA OF DATA SCIENCE AND
STUDIES ACROSS AGENCY AND ACROSS
THE I.C., I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW
THE OFFICE OF DISEASE PREVENTION
IN 2022 MOVED HEALTH DISPARITIES
FROM A CROSS CUTTING THEME TO
STRATEGIC PRIORITY.
SO THERE'S AWARENESS OF
IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH DISPARITIES
THERE.
THERE'S CONGRESSIONAL AWARENESS
OF MEDICALLY NECESSARY
DENTISTRY.
IN THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS
BILL SPEARHEADED BY BEN CARDON,
DENTAL CARE IS LINKED CLOSELY TO
CLINICAL SUCCESS OF COVERED
MEDICAL SERVICES, THE
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE URGES
NIH TO FUND ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
IN THIS AREA.
WE WILL BE PROMOTING AWARENESS
ACROSS COMMUNITIES, FOR EXAMPLE
NIDCR HAS PARTNERED WITH ADA FOR
FEBRUARY OF 2024, TWO WEBINARS,
ONE FOCUSED ON FLUORODATION AND
SEALANT IMPLEMENTATION, SCHOOL
NURSES, PEDIATRICIANS, FAMILY
MEDICINE AND OTHERS.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THE FDA A
MEETING TO DISCUSS REDUCTION OF
ADDED SUGARS.
OF COURSE OUR AREA WAS ORAL
HEALTH, IN NOVEMBER OF THIS
YEAR.
WE'RE PARTNERING WITH NIMHD AS
WE THINK ABOUT DATA AND ORAL
HEALTH DISPARITIES.
AND IN THE COLLABORATION WITH
NIMHD WE WILL BE UTILIZING THE
SCIENCE COLLABORATIVE FOR HEALTH
DISPARITIES AND ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE BIAS REDUCTION
SYSTEM WITHIN THE DDS ECOSYSTEM
THAT MAY NOT HAVE SHARED WITH
YOU EARLIER.
THIS WILL BE CENTRAL TO CARIES
EQUITY PROGRAM, SPEARHEADED BY
AKITA, A COMMUNITY-BASED
PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO DESIGN
POPULATION-BASED STRATEGIES FOR
REDUCING CARIES, AND THIS WILL
ALSO BE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE
DDS PORTAL THAT WILL BE
DEVELOPED.
WE'RE PARTNERS ACROSS FEDERAL
AGENCIES, PROVIDING EVIDENCE TO
SUPPORT COVERAGE OF MEDICALLY
NECESSARY DENTISTRY, HAS MADE
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN
SEVERAL AREAS WITH TRANSPLANT,
CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY, AS WELL AS
RADIATION.
NIDCR IS INVOLVED WITH HEALTHY
PEOPLE 2030, AND FOUR AREAS
FOCUSED ON ORAL HEALTH, IN FACT
DENTAL UTILIZATION IS A LEADING
HEALTH INDICATOR.
I TALKED ABOUT THE FDA AND NIDCR
AND THE CDC HAVE ONGOING
COLLABORATIVE STUDIES RELATED TO
NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ORAL
HEALTH IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRONIC
METABOLIC DISEASE.
WE HAVE ADDED TO THE TEAM SHARON
JACKSON, A DISPARITIES EXPERT,
AND BRINGS SIGNIFICANT
EXPERIENCE AFTER HER TIME AT
NIMHD INTRAMURAL.
WE'RE PARTNERS THROUGH THE ORAL
HEALTH COORDINATING COMMITTEE,
FEDERAL COMMITTEES THANE INCLUDE
ABOUT 16 AGENCIES TO MOVE NEEDLE
ON DISPARITIES AS WELL AS
MEDICAL/DENTAL INTEGRATION.
WE ARE INVOLVED WITH NATIONAL
ORAL HEALTH STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
CURRENTLY UNDERREVIEW, FOR
2024-29, WORKING TO HELP SUPPORT
A NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
REPORT FOCUSED ON ACTION
ORIENTED ELIMINATION OF ORAL
HEALTH DISPARITIES, WITH PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE PARTNERS AND WORKING
WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS
TOWARD A NATIONAL STRATEGY THAT
COULD MODEL NUTRITION STRATEGY
AND FOCUS IN THESE AREAS AMONG
OTHERS, IMPROVING ACCESS AND
AFFORDABILITY, INTEGRATING ORAL
HEALTH, EMPOWERING ACCESS TO
HEALTH, ENHANCING ORAL HEALTH
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION.
THE U.S. PREVENTIVE TASK
SERVICES AS YOU MAY KNOW
PROVIDED AND SHARED INEFFICIENT
EVIDENCE FOR RECOMMENDATION OF
ORAL HEALTH SCREENING AND
PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR
CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN PRIMARY
HEALTH CARE SETTINGS, IN
RESPONSE WE'RE CALLING FOR MORE
ORAL HEALTH RESEARCH IN PRIMARY
CARE, AND THERE WILL BE A NOSI
UPCOMING RELATED TO ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES, WITH FOCUS ON
CO-LOCATED SITES, MEDICAL AND
DENTAL, AND MULTIPLE ARENAS
INCLUDING INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE,
V.A., FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH
CARE CENTERS AND OTHERS.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH OTHER
INSTITUTES TO HELP THEM VIEW
ORAL HEALTH AS A MODIFIABLE RISK
FACTOR, AND WORKING TOWARDS
ADDING QUESTIONS ABOUT ORAL
HEALTH TO EXISTING TRIAL
EFFORTS, CENTRAL TO ALL OF THIS
DISPARITIES WORK IS CENTER FOR
CLINICAL WORK IN ADDITION TO
SHARON JACKSON AND CDO
HIGHLIGHTED HERE.
OUR IMPERATIVE BECAUSE POOR ORAL
HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES
HAVE NOT ONLY HIGH INDIVIDUAL
BUT HIGH SOCIETAL COSTS.
I WILL GIVE IT BACK TO RENA.
>> WE'RE A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF
TIME FOR DR. WOYCHIK SO WE
SHOULD TAKE A 10-MINUTE BREAK.
>> LYNN, I NEED TO BE ALLOWED IN
THE VIDEO.
WE COULD OPEN FOR QUESTIONS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> PAUL'S QUESTION, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, JENNIFER.
I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT WE
CONTINUE TO STUDY THE HEALTH
DISPARITIES AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVE
A LOT TO DO, IT'S CLEAR WITH THE
DATA WE ALREADY HAVE THAT
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
IN SCIENCE AND CLINICAL STUDIES
AND CLINICAL TREATMENTS IS
VITALLY IMPORTANT.
I'M WONDERING, EXCUSE ME, IF NIH
OR THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES IN A BIGGER
CATEGORY ARE WORRIED ABOUT THIS
ANTI-EDI BUZZ SAW THAT SEEMS TO
BE GOING ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT NIH OR
HHS CAN DO WHILE THEY ARE
MEETING WITH CONGRESS AND --
>> PAUL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
THE ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY YES.
THE QUESTION IS HOW TO GET AHEAD
OF THE BUZZ SAW, RIGHT?
RECOGNIZING THAT THIS IS A BIG
PROBLEM FOR ALL AMERICANS IN
TERMS OF THIS EPIDEMIC OF ORAL
DISEASE.
PERHAPS IT'S HOW THIS IS FRAMED,
RIGHT?
NOT FRAMING IT NECESSARILY AS A
DIVERSITY CHALLENGE BUT A
CHALLENGE ACROSS ALL OF OUR
POPULATIONS AND CONSTITUENTS.
AN EXAMPLE INTERNALLY, OUR CDO
SERVES AS OUR INSTITUTIONAL
CULTURAL CLIMATE OFFICER, RIGHT?
IF THE BUZZ SAW SAYS WE CAN'T
MAINTAIN THIS DIVERSITY THING,
WE WOULD STILL BE IN GOOD SHAPE.
SO I THINK THE KEY IS STEPPING
BACK, THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT IS
AND WHO IT IS WE'RE TRYING TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR, AND FRAME
IT SUCH THAT THE BUZZ SAW WILL
BE BLUNTED.
BUT OASH AND NIH AT LARGE AND
NIDCR HAVE THOUGHT A GREAT DEAL
ABOUT THAT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS?
PAUL'S HAND WOULD BE DOWN NOW.
>> I MEAN --
>> I HAVE A NEW QUESTION IF
THERE'S NO ONE ELSE OUT THERE.
>> OKAY, PAUL.
>> A SLIDE RENA HAD UP EARLIER,
IN HER SECOND SEGMENT MAYBE,
TALKED ABOUT THE DATA-DRIVEN
PROJECTS I BELIEVE.
AND YOU HAD A LIST ON THE
LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN
ABOUT HOW MANY PROJECTS WERE
FUNDED.
IT SEEMED TO ME THERE WAS A HUGE
DISPROPORTIONAL LEVEL OF R03s
VERSUS R01s, WONDERING IS THAT
A POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR NIDCR OR
JUST IS THERE SOMETHING -- DOES
IT MEAN SOMETHING ELSE?
FIFTY-SOME R03s, AND LIKE NINE
R01s.
IS THAT A NEW GENERATION, YOUNG
INVESTIGATORS ARE MORE
INTERESTED IN THIS?
>> I'LL LET LILLIAN GIVE THE
FACTS.
I'M GUESSING WE PUT OUT THE
RFAs, EXPLORATORY KIND OF
OPPORTUNITIES, IN THE FIELD
THAT'S EMERGENT THAT YOU WOULD
GET THAT KIND OF DISPARATE AWARD
DATA.
BUT LILLIAN, PLEASE GIVE PAUL
THE RIGHT ANSWER.
>> OF COURSE.
THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION AND
OBSERVATION.
SO THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE HAVE
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES TO INVITE
R03 APPLICATIONS TO FOCUS ON
SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS OF
EXISTING DATASET NIDCR SUPPORTED
OR NATIONAL DATASET LIKE THE
"ALL OF US" PROGRAM.
AND PREVIOUSLY WE ALSO HAVE
SPECIFIC FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PEOPLE TO ANALYZE
FAITH-BASED DATASET AND JOINT
FORCES WITH INSTITUTES.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE AN AREA, ALSO
EMPHASIS BUT OPPORTUNITY AND
ENTRY POINT AND RESOURCES TO GET
INTO DATA SCIENCE BY STARTING
WITH SMALLER PROJECTS, AND THEN
AS THEY MATURE WE HOPE TO SEE
MORE R01-LEVEL FUNDING.
YOU NOTICE THERE ARE THREE
PRIMED PROJECTS WITH DATA
SCIENCE ELEMENTS THAT WE'RE
SUPPORTING, SO THERE'S GROWTH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANKS, PAUL.
AXEL?
>> YEAH, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A
QUESTION, JUST WANTED TO COMMENT
THAT SEEING SLIDES FROM THE NEW
NIH DIRECTOR, I THINK THEY
ALIGNED NICELY WITH SOME OF THE
CONCLUSIONS MADE IN OUR DATA
SCIENCE PROGRAM.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT IN MORE
DETAIL IN MY PRESENTATION BUT I
WAS REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THAT
DATA SCIENCE AND A.I.-DRIVEN
SOLUTIONS IN PARTICULAR WERE
CALLED OUT AT THIS LEVEL, AND
ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR USING
THESE TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN
ACCESS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> I JUST WANT TO SAY THIS IS
REALLY AN EXCITING DIRECTION I
THINK.
>> THANK YOU, AXEL.
THEY PAY DIRECTORS TO BE
VISIONARIES.
I FEEL THAT WHEN I TOOK THIS ON
THREE YEARS AGO THAT THIS WAS
COMING AND WE NEEDED IT.
SO BUT CONSTRUCTING A NEW OFFICE
WITHOUT HAVING THE WORKING GROUP
RECOMMENDATION, WITHOUT KNOWING
WHAT THE NEEDS ARE IS NOT THE
WISE THING TO DO SO WE'RE
BUILDING STEADFASTLY AND
SENSIBLY ESTABLISHING THIS
PRESENCE.
AND IT'S A HARD SCHISM TO
RECONCILE BECAUSE ON ONE HAND
YOU HAVE A BUDGET LOOM --
RESTRAINING BUDGET LOOMING IN
THE DISTANCE, HOPEFULLY NOT AS
SEVERE AS IT COULD BE, THAT SAYS
DON'T INVEST IN THE BIG MONEY
INVESTMENTS.
YOU KNOW, BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH COLLABORATION,
THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AND
CHALLENGES SEEM TO MATCH EACH
OTHER, SO WE'RE GOING FORTH ARE
A LOT OF DETERMINATION, GRIT AND
DETERMINATION.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK
YOU'VE DONE.
JEFF?
>> THIS IS ALSO REGARDING THE
SECOND PART OF YOUR
PRESENTATION, RENA.
ABOUT PRIMED.
IS THERE ANY PLANS FOR A SECOND
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE
PRIMED PROGRAM?
>> YES.
WE'RE CERTAINLY DRAWING THE
COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR ALL THE
PRIMED P.I.s.
THAT'S THE FIRST STEP.
WE'RE GOING TO GAUGE PROGRESS,
WE'RE GOING TO GAUGE THE
POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE,
NOT JUST CULTURE BUT EXPERTISE
ACROSS THE SPECTRUM, AND WE
WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FUND,
REITERATE OR TO REISSUE AN RFA
WITH FOCUS ON CLINICAL TRIALS.
AND HAVE PRIMED IN THAT
DIRECTION.
I THINK IT'S JUST A PROSPECT.
WE WILL BE COMMUNICATING WITH
YOU HOPEFULLY MAY COUNCIL ABOUT
THAT INTENT, YEAH.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE WATCH,
LEARN, LISTEN MODE TO SEE HOW
THINGS ARE.
THANK YOU, JACQUES.
>> THAT WAS A GREAT TALK.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHEN YOU
ARE TALKING ABOUT THE
INITIATIVES INVOLVING OTHER
INSTITUTES.
YOU MENTIONED ALSO THE HEAL
INITIATIVE IN COLLABORATION WITH
NIDA, NINDS.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD PROVIDE
MORE LIKE WHAT WOULD BE THE ROLE
OF THIS INSTITUTE IN THIS.
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WE DO HAVE PROPOSAL FUNDED
THROUGH "HEAL" ALREADY.
ON THE SMALLER SCALE.
THEIR BUDGET IS FLAT AS WELL.
ALL THE PROJECTS THAT WERE
COMING IN WITH CONSIDERED NOW
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 25 CYCLE.
IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA IN MIND AND
WANT TO DEVELOP, THE MORE
COLLABORATIVE IT IS WITH OTHER
DISCIPLINES THE BETTER CHANCES.
"HEAL" IS MEANT TO BE
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY DRAWING
COLLABORATORS ACROSS THE BOARD,
ACROSS DISCIPLINES TO SOLVE A
PROBLEM.
"HEAL" IS NO LONGER LOCATED IN
THE DIRECTOR OFFICE BUT HANDLED
ON INSTITUTE LEVEL.
PAIN MANAGEMENT SPECTRUM DOMAIN
IS NINDS, HEADED BY WALTER
KOROSHETZ, I'M ON THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE.
WE SHARED VISION AND GOALS
NICELY FOR THE FUTURE.
THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, THE
OPIOID USE DISORDER FOR WHICH
"HEAL" WAS ACTUALLY CREATED,
RESIDES AT THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTE FOR DRUG ABUSE.
NOW, I WANT TO REMIND OUR
COMMUNITY THAT OPIOID USE
REMAINS STRONG AND THAT DENTISTS
REMAIN IN THE TOP PRESCRIBERS.
THERE ARE STUDIES HAPPENING,
RUTGERS, WONDERFUL STUDY, OTHERS
AS WELL, SHOWING IBUPROFEN IS
JUST AS EFFECTIVE.
LARGE COMMUNITY TESTING,
CLINICAL TRIALS ACTUALLY
INVOLVING THESE MEDICATIONS AND
COMPARING THEM IS IN THE WORKS.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING, I KNOW
THAT'S YOUR AREA, JOSE, PLEASE
DO WORK WITH US TO HELP YOU
POSITION FOR THE "HEAL" FUNDING.
>> DEFINITELY.
I FEEL LIKE INTERACTION AMONG
INSTITUTES IS KEY HERE, RIGHT?
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST LOOKING
AT OPIATE USE BY ITSELF, WHERE
ARE OPIATES COMING FROM, RIGHT?
AND OTHER PAIN IS MANAGED, WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT DENTAL PAIN
IN MALES AND FEMALES, WOMEN AND
MEN, SOMETHING WE'RE SEEING.
>> YOU'RE AWARE OF BACPAC,
MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN.
THESE INITIATIVES ARE
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY, AND THEY
INVOLVE DATA COORDINATION.
WE'RE NOW PLANNING IN THE SECOND
PHASE OF IMPACT,
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DYSFUNCTION
PAIN, DRAWING FROM RESOURCES AND
BEST PRACTICES OF BACPAC IN
TERMS OF DATA COORDINATING
CENTER BECAUSE THAT'S AN
EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING, THAT WE
DON'T HAVE RESOURCES FOR.
WE'RE WORKING AND HOPING AND
POSITIVE ABOUT HELP FROM NIDA,
NINDS, AND OTHER INSTITUTES.
>> HAPPY TO HELP ANY WAY I CAN.
>> THANK YOU.
I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE FACE OF
SOMEONE I'M DELIGHTED TO
INTRODUCE TO YOU.
OH, JENNIFER, MY LAST SLIDE,
SORRY.
DR. WOYCHIK'S SLIDE, GO TO THE
VERY END.
>> THE VERY LAST SLIDE.
>> HERE HE IS.
WHAT A NICE PICTURE OF YOU.
IT'S REALLY A PLEASURE TO HAVE
YOU ON BOARD.
INTERESTS, WE SHARE SO MANY IN
COMMON.
YOU COME WITH A GREAT
RESPONSIBILITY, SUPERB
BACKGROUND TO MOVE THE FIELD
FORWARD IN THE AREA OF
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES.
FOR US IN ORAL HEALTH, THE
INTERACTION BETWEEN GENES AND
ENVIRONMENT ARE CRITICAL.
ENVIRONMENTAL INCLUDES
NUTRITION.
REALLY DICTATES THE PROGRESS OF
CARIES AND PERIODONTAL DISEASE,
THE TWO MOST COMMON INFECTIOUS
DISEASES OF MANKIND.
I KNOW YOUR WISDOM, THAT YOU'RE
WILLING TO SHARE WITH US AND
HAVE YOU IN PLACE FUNDING
INITIATIVES THAT SHOULD APPEAL
TO SEVERAL OF OUR COLLEAGUES IN
THE FIELD.
I THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP,
WHICH HAS BEEN STEADFAST AND
TRUE, AND FOR YOUR COLLEGIALITY
AS A FELLOW DIRECTOR.
THANK YOU, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER
TO YOU.
>> GREAT.
LET ME FIRST CHECK, CAN YOU HEAR
ME OKAY?
>> YES.
>> TERRIFIC.
RENA, THANK YOU.
YOU'RE A GREAT FRIEND.
IT'S JUST DELIGHTFUL TO HAVE
THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH
YOU SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE
DOING HERE AT NIEHS.
I'M GOING TO BUILD ON SOME
DISCUSSIONS I JUST HEARD A FEW
MINUTES AGO ABOUT COLLABORATIONS
BETWEEN INSTITUTES AND CENTERS
ACROSS THE NIH BECAUSE I
THINK -- I KNOW RENA AND I BOTH
EMBRACE THAT CONCEPT.
WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY
TOGETHER, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH MORE
THAN ON OUR OWN.
SO LET ME START OFF HERE, IS
SOMEONE GOING TO SHARE MY SLIDE
DECK?
I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE MY SLIDES.
>> YES, THEY SHOULD BE -- THERE
WE GO.
>> GREAT.
OKAY.
WELL, RENA AND I HAVE BEEN
TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE
COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN NIDCR AND
NIEHS.
SO I THOUGHT I WOULD FOCUS ON IN
THE BRIEF TIME I HAVE WITH YOU
SOME RESEARCH PRIORITIES AT
NIEHS.
SO BEFORE I GO INTO THAT THOUGH
I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO
SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT OF
OUR INSTITUTE.
NEXT SLIDE.
OF THE 27 INSTITUTES AND CENTERS
THAT ARE PART OF THE NATIONAL
INSTITUTES OF HEALTH WE'RE
LOCATED -- WE'RE THE ONLY
INSTITUTE THAT'S NOT
HEADQUARTERED IN THE GREATER
WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA.
SO WE'RE LOCATED IN CENTRAL
NORTH CAROLINA, IN RESEARCH
TRIANGLE PARK, SOUTH OF DURHAM,
NORTH CAROLINA.
WHY ARE WE THERE?
IT'S A GOOD SCIENCE REASON AND
GOOD POLITICAL REASON.
LET ME START WITH THE SCIENCE
REASON.
SO, OUR INSTITUTE, NEXT SLIDE,
WE'RE DEDICATED TO PUBLIC HEALTH
AND PREVENTION OF -- NOT YET,
SORRY.
WE'RE DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
HEALTH, SO IF THE NIH IS GOING
TO LOCATE AN INSTITUTE DEDICATED
TO PUBLIC HEALTH, WHY NOT PUT IT
ADJACENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA'S SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH, WHICH IS ONE OF
THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE AN INTEREST,
THE NAME WOULD IMPLY, IN THE
ENVIRONMENT, AND IT WOULD BE
GREAT TO BE LOCATED IN THE
VICINITY OF THE DUKE UNIVERSITY
WITH ITS VERY STRONG PROGRAM IN
THE ENVIRONMENT, AND OF COURSE
WITH OUR FOCUS IN TOXICOLOGY
SCIENCE WHY NOT PUT US ADJACENT
TO NORTH CAROLINA STATE
UNIVERSITY, WHICH HAS A VERY
STRONG INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM
IN TOXICOLOGY SCIENCE.
SO, THIS IS THE IDEAL PLACE TO
BE, WITH OUR INTERESTS THAT
DOVETAIL WITH THE INTEREST OF
SOME OF THE BEST ACADEMIC
ORGANIZATIONS IN CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA.
NOW, THE REAL REASON WE'RE HERE
IS THAT THE GOVERNOR OF NORTH
CAROLINA DELIVERED NORTH
CAROLINA TO THE KENNEDY, IN THE
1960 ELECTION, SO THE GOVERNOR
HAD THIS BOLD VISION TO
ESSENTIALLY CREATE SILICON
VALLEY OF NORTH CAROLINA,
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, HE
NEEDED AN ANCHOR TENANT.
WELL, WE'RE THE ANCHOR TENANT.
WE STARTED IN CENTRAL NORTH
CAROLINA, YOU CAN SEE OUR
CURRENT BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE.
AND RENA, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD
TO GETTING YOU DOWN HERE.
LIKE MANY OF THE OTHER
INSTITUTES AND CENTERS WE HAVE
OUR INTRAMURAL PROGRAMS AND WE
HAVE THE EXTRAMURAL DIVISION
WHERE WE BUNDLE MOST OF THE --
THE BUDGET IS ABOUT A BILLION
DOLLARS, WE BUNDLE MOST UP IN
THE FORM OF CONTRACTS AND GRANTS
TO THE EXTRAMURAL COMMUNITY.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT
THAT WE HAVE A SECOND INTRAMURAL
RESEARCH PROGRAM, NATIONAL
TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM.
IT'S CALLED THE DIVISION OF
TRANSLATIONAL TOXICOLOGY.
THAT'S MY SECOND ROLE.
I'M NOT JUST THE DIRECTOR OF
NIEHS BUT ALSO DIRECTOR OF THIS
VIRTUAL COLLABORATION WITH THE
FDA AND CDC.
SO THAT'S THE NATIONAL
TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM.
SO, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF
INTRAMURAL RESEARCH
LABORATORIES, DO THINGS SIMILAR
TO DCR AND OTHER INSTITUTES AND
CENTERS ACROSS THE NIH.
WHAT WE DO GOES BACK TO OUR
MISSION, TO DISCOVER HOW
ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS PEOPLE TO
PROMOTE HEALTHIER LIVES, THERE
LOTS OF THINGS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT, SOME BAD THINGS AND
GOOD THINGS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT CAN ULTIMATELY PROMOTE
HEALTHIER LIVES.
WE'RE INTERESTED IN THOSE.
AND THE VISION FOR NIEHS IS TO
PROVIDE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FOR
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH THAT
IMPROVES PUBLIC HEALTH BY
PREVENTING DISEASE AND
DISABILITY.
SO I THINK WE SHARE THIS
PREVENTION CONCEPT THAT IF WE
CAN IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE BAD
THINGS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OR
SOME GOOD THINGS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT CAN WE BE PROMOTING
THAT TO PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH IN
A WAY THAT PREVENTS DISEASE AND
DISABILITY?
SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO I'M CURRENTLY LEADING THE
NEXT VERSION OF OUR STRATEGIC
PLAN.
WE HOPEFULLY WILL BE ROLLING
THIS OUT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
AND WE'VE BEEN REACHING OUT TO
THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY FOR INPUT,
AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC PRIORITY
AREAS THAT NEED TO BE INTEGRAL
TO OUR NEXT STRATEGIC PLAN?
SO, SIX OF THESE HAVE EMERGED.
AND SO THEY ARE SHOWN ON THE
SLIDE HERE.
SO WE HAVE THIS CONCEPT OF
EXPOSOME.
I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT FIRST IN A
COUPLE MINUTES.
ALSO THIS CONCEPT OF PRECISION
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.
THAT REFERS TO SOME OF THE
COMMENTS RENA MADE AT THE
OUTSIDE.
IT'S NOT JUST ENVIRONMENT OR
GENETICS BUT IN MANY CASES A
COMBINATION OF BOTH.
WE ALSO HAVE A FOCUS ON
MECHANISTIC AND TRANSLATIONAL
BIOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY.
AND SO THIS IS WHERE WE'RE
REALLY GETTING BEYOND JUST
TAKING OUTBRED RATS OR MICE,
INJECTING THEM WITH CHEMICALS
AND DETERMINING LUMP, BUMPS,
DEATHS.
WE WANT TO EXPLORE MECHANISMS
THROUGH WHICH DIFFERENT
ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS CAN AFFECT
HOW GENES ARE EXPRESSED AND
AFFECT HUMAN BIOLOGY.
WE ALSO HAVE NIH-WIDE EFFORT ON
CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH.
WE HAVE A FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE AND HEALTH DISPARITIES.
AND OF COURSE LIKE MANY OF THE
OTHER INSTITUTES AT THE NIH
THERE'S FOCUS ON COMPUTATIONAL
BIOLOGY AND DATA SCIENCE.
BIOLOGY IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY
COMPUTATIONAL IN NATURE SO
FIGURING HOW TO DO WE MANAGE
HUGE DATASETS, ESPECIALLY
COLLECTED ON A GLOBAL BASIS.
HOW DO WE MANAGE IN A WAY
EVERYONE CAN BE TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF THE DATA THAT IS BEING
PRODUCED BY OTHERS?
SO THESE ARE THE BIG CHALLENGES.
IN THE LIMITED TIME I HAVE, I'M
NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET
THROUGH ALL.
I'VE GOT SLIDES FOR ALL BUT I
THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET
THROUGH THE EXPOSOME AND
PRECISION ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH,
I WANT TO HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO
ENGAGE IN Q&A.
LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE EXPOSOME.
WHAT IS THE EXPOSOME?
THIS IS A CONCEPT THAT WAS
ORIGINALLY PROPOSED BY CHRIS
WILD IN 2005, RIGHT AFTER THE
FIRST PHASE OF COMPLETION OF
HUMAN GENOME PROJECT.
JUST LIKE THE HUMAN GENOME
PROJECT, THE EXPOSOME OF THE
HUMAN GENOME PROJECT IS GETTING
BEYOND ONE GENE AT A TIME TO
STUDY ALL THE GENES, SO CHRIS
WILD PROPOSED THAT IF WE TRULY
WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF
THE ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE TO GET
BEYOND STUDYING ONE EXPOSURE AT
A TIME.
BECAUSE THE REALITY IS THAT
WE'RE EXPOSED TO ALL SORTS OF
DIFFERENT THINGS AT THE SAME
TIME.
SO IN THE LOWER PANEL HERE IN
THE DARK BLUE BOX, WE'RE EXPOSED
TO PESTICIDES, WE'RE EXPOSED
REMARKABLY WHEN YOU DRINK WATER
OUT OF THE ALUMINUM CAN, BIS
PHENOL IS LEACHING, TEFLONS,
SCOTCH GUARDS, BIOLOGICAL
CONSEQUENCES OF BEING EXPOSED TO
THIS.
WE'RE EXPOSED TO ALL THESE
THINGS, IF WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND
THE ENVIRONMENT IT CAN'T BE JUST
ONE THING.
WE NEED TO DEVELOP A RESEARCH
STRATEGY THAT FACTORS IN ALL OF
THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO THAT'S THE EXPOSOME.
I ALSO WANT -- THIS IS VERY
IMPORTANT, IT'S ALSO ABOUT
INTEGRATING SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM AND
LIFESTYLE VARIABLE, NOT JUST
PHYSICAL CHEMICAL EFFECTS.
SO WE KNOW AS RENA INDICATED
DIET IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
GOOD DIET IS GOOD.
A BAD DIET CAN PROMOTE DENTAL
CARIES, BAD ORAL HEALTH, AND
OTHER DELETERIOUS HEALTH
EFFECTS.
GOOD SLEEP BEHAVIOR OR BAD SLEEP
BEHAVIOR HAS TO BE FACTORED IN
WHEN WE STUDY THE EXPOSOME.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, EXERCISE, IN
FACT SOME OF OUR GRANTEES ARE
DETERMINING THAT THERE ARE
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF, SAY,
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OR DIET, GOOD
SLEEP, MITIGATE SOME OF THE
DELETERIOUS EFFECTS FROM SOME
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ON LOWER
PANEL.
WE THINK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT,
WE HAVE TO THINK IN THE CONTEXT
OF THE EXPOSOME FRAMEWORK.
NOW, THE CHALLENGE IS, NEXT
SLIDE, SO HOW DO WE DO AN
EXPOSOME EXPERIMENT?
THAT'S A QUESTION FRANCIS
COLLINS HAS SOON AFTER HE BECAME
DIRECTOR.
IT'S EASY TO USE THE TERM
EXPOSOME BUT HOW DO WE DO AN
EXPOSOME EXPERIMENT AND MEASURE
THE TOTALITY OF EXPOSURES.
IN FACT PART OF THE EXPOSOME TOO
IS ALSO LOOKING AT THE TIME
COURSE.
THERE ARE CRITICAL EXPOSURES
THAT HAPPEN, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING
DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY BE
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE
HEALTH OF THE FETUS.
NOT JUST DURING DEVELOPMENT BUT
THEY MAY BE RESETTING EPIGENOME
HOW GENES ARE EXPRESSED IN THE
LIFE COURSE.
WE NEED AN OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION OF EXPOSOME.
FURTHERMORE, IT CAN'T BE JUST
MEASURING THINGS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT, CHEMICALS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT, AIR POLLUTION,
PARTICULATE MATTER, SLEEP AND
OTHER THINGS.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO DEVELOP
STRATEGY WHERE WE CAN MEASURE
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO THESE
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES,
TOTALITY OF EXPOSURES, THAT'S AN
AREA, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT I'M
PERSONALLY VERY INTERESTED IN.
HOW DO EXPOSOMIC INFLUENCES
CHANGE THE EPIGENETIC STATUS OF
AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENOME IN A WAY
THAT COULD INFLUENCE HOW GENES
ARE WORKING?
WHAT'S CLEAR IS WE'LL HAVE TO
DEVELOP SOME NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
SO ONE THING THAT'S EMERGING NOW
IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SCIENCES COMMUNITY IS IDEA OF
TAKING A SMALL VOLUME OF BLOOD
AND USING HIGH RESOLUTION MASS
SPECTROMETRY, SOMETHING WE
CALLED PRAGMATIC EXPOSOME,
THINGS WE CAN DO WITH
TECHNOLOGIES WE HAVE CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE.
BUT WE'RE GOING TO NEED NEW
TECHNOLOGY, HIGHER THROUGHPUT,
LOWER COST TECHNOLOGIES TO
ENABLE SOME THINGS TO HAPPEN.
SO, AS GENETICS AND GENOMICS
PERSON I MODEL WHAT WE'RE DOING
IN EXPOSOMICS TO WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN THE GENOMICS
COMMUNITY.
WE STARTED OFF THE GENOME
PROJECT STARTED WITH A BOLD
VISION, BACK IN THE EARLY
1980s, AND THEN OVER THE
COURSE OF TIME NEW TECHNOLOGIES
WERE DEVELOPED TO ALLOW US TO
ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THAT END GOAL
OF SEQUENCING THE ENTIRE HUMAN
GENOME AND DEVELOPING A WHOLE
SUITE OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES
THAT ALLOW US TO DO GENETICS AND
GENOMICS IN A WAY THAT I DON'T
THINK WE WOULD HAVE IMAGINED IN
THE EARLY 1980s.
LET'S DO THE SAME THING WITH THE
EXPOSOME.
LET'S HAVE THAT BOLD VISION.
WE HAVE TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK
FOR LOOKING AT THE TOTALITY OF
EXPOSURES AND UNDERSTANDING THE
BIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THESE
EXPOSURES, AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT ARE THE TECHNOLOGIES
THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY MAKE
SOME OF THAT HAPPEN.
SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE
HERE.
SO ONE OF THE CRITICAL THINGS
THAT WE NEED TO DO, ACTUALLY SO
MUCH FOLLOWED FROM A SERIES OF
WORKSHOPS THAT NIEHS TOGETHER
WITH OTHER INSTITUTES AND
CENTERS SPONSORED DURING THE
SUMMER OF 2022, IS WE WANTED TO
KNOW HOW DO YOU OPERATIONALIZE
EXPOSOMICS?
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS WE
ARE PROMOTING THIS CONCEPT OF
DEVELOPING THE GLOBAL EXPOSOME
RESEARCH COORDINATION TO
ACCELERATE PRECISION
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.
I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A COUPLE
MINUTES.
SO, THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO
CREATE THE CENTER TO DEVELOP A
COMMONLY AGREED UPON FRAMEWORK
FOR EXPOSOMICS, PROMOTE BEST
PRACTICES AND DATA COLLECTION
AND SHARING, WHAT DATA DO WE
COLLECT IF WE'RE DOING EXPOSOMIC
EXPERIMENT AND TO BUILD A GLOBAL
RESEARCH COMMUNITY OF DIVERSITY
AND INCLUSION TO FOSTER NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION.
THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT AREAS
OF FOCUS FOR THIS CENTER, AND I
WANT TO ALSO EMPHASIZE THE
IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING THAT
GLOBAL EXPOSOME RESEARCH
COMMUNITY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT'S
HAPPENING IN EXPOSOMICS ACROSS,
FOR EXAMPLE, MANY OF THE
COUNTRIES ACROSS THE EUROPEAN
UNION, AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS
DEVELOP THIS PARTNERSHIP IN
THESE COUNTRIES, ONE OF THE
FAILURES OF THE GENOME PROJECT
EARLY ON IS THAT YOU HAD
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES THAT
EMBRACED THE GENOME PRINCIPLES
BUT THEY WERE COMPETING WITH
EACH OTHER.
SO FRANCIS COLLINS BROUGHT
TOGETHER THE PUBLIC COMMUNITY
GETTING PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER
TO ACHIEVE THE END PRODUCT.
LET'S DO THE SAME THING WITH
EXPOSOMICS.
LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
OOPS, SORRY.
A SLIDE MISSING.
WHAT WE'VE DONE -- GO BACK TO
THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
WE'VE NOW ACTUALLY PROMOTED
THE -- WE HAVE A NOFO ON THE
STREETS.
THERE ARE APPLICATIONS THAT WE
RECEIVED TO CREATE ONE CENTER
THAT'S DEDICATED TO THE RESEARCH
STRATEGIES ON THIS SLIDE.
WE HOPE TO HAVE THIS FUNDED BY
EARLY SUMMER.
AND THAT ONE CENTER IS NOT TO DO
EXPOSOMMICS EXPERIMENTS BUT
REACH OUT TO GLOBAL COMMUNITY,
INVESTIGATORS AT DCR, PEOPLE IN
YOUR COMMUNITY, DEVELOP STRATEGY
TO OPERATIONALIZE EXPOSOMICS.
ONCE WE HAVE OPERATIONAL
FRAMEWORK WE CAN GO FORWARD AND
START COLLECTING THE DATA.
NEXT SLIDE.
IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I'M
GOING TO MOVE ON HERE.
SO WE'RE FOCUSED ON EXPOSOMICS,
OPERATIONALIZING EXPOSOMICS.
ANOTHER AREA I'M INTERESTED IN
IS THIS CONCEPT OF PRECISION
ALMOST HEALTH, ADDRESSING
INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY.
DIFFERENT PEOPLE RESPOND TO THE
ENVIRONMENT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND SO THE WAY WE PRACTICE
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
NOW IS IT'S PRETTY MUCH USING
STATISTICAL AVERAGES.
WELL, WE CAN DO BETTER THAN
THAT.
IN FACT, THIS WHOLE PROGRAM OF
PRE-VISION ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
COMPLEMENTS THE PRECISION
MEDICINE INITIATIVE, WHICH YOU
KNOW IS ABOUT SEQUENCING GENOME,
BETTER UNDERSTANDING SEQUENCE
VARIATIONS IN GENES WE INHERIT
FROM OUR PARENTS CORRELATED WITH
DISEASE OUTCOMES.
WE THINK THAT'S GREAT.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROMOTE
THE GENETICS AND GENOMICS, BUT
THERE'S ALSO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
VARIABLE HERE, ENVIRONMENT CAN
MAKE YOU SICK OR ENVIRONMENT CAN
KEEP YOU HEALTHY.
SO, BY PROMOTING THIS PEH
PROGRAM IT'S ABOUT STUDYING GENE
BY ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE TOTALITY OF
MEDICINE, TOTALITY OF HUMAN
EXPOSURES.
THE GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE
GENETICS, EPIGENETICS, OMICS
DATA.
SO MANY OF OUR GRANTEES
PROMOTING THIS CONCEPT REFER TO
THIS PEH IS ABOUT G x E X D.
ONE CHALLENGE IN THE
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
BIOMEDICAL COMMUNITY IS IN MANY
OF THE GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS
TO THE PHENOTYPES YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN, IN DCR, THAT MAY
BE ASSOCIATED BY GENETIC
EXPOSURES ARE NOT CAUSED BY
SINGLE GENE VARIANTS.
THEY FALL IN THE CATEGORY OF
COMPLEX TRAITS WHICH MAY MEAN
THERE ARE TENS OR HUNDREDS OF
GENES WITH SEQUENCE VARIATIONS
THAT ALL COLLECTIVELY
COLLABORATE TO TRIGGER A GENETIC
RESPONSE TO A GIVEN EXPOSURE OR
TO PREDISPOSITION TO COMMON
DISEASE.
THE COMMUNITY RECOGNIZE THIS, IF
WE WANT TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND
INDIVIDUAL GENES AND VARIANTS IN
GENES, WE NEED TO BE WORKING
COLLABORATIVELY TOGETHER SO WE
HAVE THE "ALL OF US" PROGRAM
WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A
SECOND, AT THE NIH, THERE ARE
LARGE COHORTS IN SEVERAL
COUNTRIES ACROSS THE GLOBE.
SO WHY DON'T WE WORK TOGETHER,
WHY DON'T WE COLLECT THE DATA IN
A WAY THAT'S INTEGRATABLE SO WE
CAN, AGAIN, INTEGRATE ACROSS
DIFFERENT COHORTS AND THEN
ULTIMATELY HAVE THE ACCESS TO
TENS OF MILLIONS OF INDIVIDUALS
AND GENOMES SEQUENCED TO ALLOW
US TO ULTIMATELY PIECE TOGETHER
AND UNDERSTAND COMPLEX TRAITS
ASSOCIATED WITH COMMON DISEASE
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WORKING
TOGETHER WITH THESE COHORTS TO
INTEGRATE EXPOSOMIC VARIABLES IN
COLLECTING OF DATA.
SO NEXT SLIDE.
A TANGIBLE STEP IN THIS
DIRECTION IS TO WORK TOGETHER
WITH OUR "ALL OF US" PROGRAM.
REMIND ALL OF YOU THIS IS THE
MILLION-PERSON COHORT SPONSORED
BY THE NIH, ALL ABOUT
INDIVIDUALIZED PREVENTION,
TREATMENT, AND CARE FOR
INDIVIDUALS.
AND JOSH DENNY AND GEOFF
GINSBERG, JOSH IS THE CEO, GEOFF
IS THE CHIEF MEDICAL AND
SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, THEY FULLY
UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU REALLY
WANT TO IMPLEMENT PRECISION
MEDICINE YOU HAVE TO INTEGRATE
THE ENVIRONMENT INTO THE
EQUATION.
SO THEY ARE WORKING WITH US.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THEY
ARE CONTINUING TO COLLECT
GENOMICS AND WEARABLE,
BIOSPECIMENS, INTEGRATING WITH
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS,
ADDING ENVIRONMENTAL DATA, PIECE
OF THE PIE, VERY IMPORTANT
ELEMENT THAT CAN INFLUENCE HUMAN
HEALTH THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPOSURES IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS
EXPOSOMICS FRAMEWORK.
WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO TANGIBLE STEP FORWARD IS,
WELL, WHAT DO WE DO IN THE
CONTEXT OF EXPOSOMIC FRAMEWORK,
WHERE COULD WE START?
WE DECIDED THAT A GREAT PLACE TO
START WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY PUT
INTO THE RECORDS FOR EACH
MILLION PATIENTS OR INDIVIDUALS
WITHIN THAT COHORT WHERE DO YOU
LIVE, WHERE HAVE YOU LIVED,
WHERE DO YOU WORK AND WHERE HAVE
YOU WORKED?
YOU KNOW GIS COORDINATION, YOU
CAN CUP THAT WILL TO VERY
POWERFUL GEOSPATIAL DATABASES
AND LEARN ABOUT, SAY, AN
INDIVIDUAL'S EXPOSURE TO AIR
POLLUTION OR OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL
TOXICANTS.
SO THAT'S THE PHASE 1 AND PHASE
2.
GET THE ADDRESS, GET SOME ZIP
CODES, GET GEOSPATIAL MARKERS IN
FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS, PHASE 2
IS TO DEVELOP TOOLS TO INTEGRATE
THE GEOSPATIAL MARKERS INTO
BETTER UNDERSTANDING
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES.
THERE'S ALSO A PHASE 3 THAT GOES
WAY BEYOND JUST GEOSPATIAL.
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO THROUGH
DETAILS BUT WE HAVE A PILOT
PROJECT WHERE WE CAN BEGIN TO
INTEGRATE IN MORE DETAIL THE
ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPOSURES AS RELATES TO
DEVELOPMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY JUST
LOOKING AT THE CLOCK HERE ASK
YOU TO SKIP TO SLIDE 17.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, THE
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE,
EXPOSOME, PRECISION
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, RELATIVE
TO SCIENCE AND HEALTH THAT
YOU'RE INTERESTED IN?
NEXT SLIDE.
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO INTO A
LOT OF DETAILS BUT THERE'S SOME
VERY COMPELLING DATA IN THE
LITERATURE, THAT SEEMS TO
INDICATE MATERNAL SMOKING IS
ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK
OF CLEFT LIP AND PALATE, LIKELY
TO BE A GENE BY ENVIRONMENT,
SEQUENCE VARIATIONS IN GSP 1,
NAT 1 WITH THIS PHENOTYPE.
SMOKING HAS A NUMBER OF
ELEMENTS, PARTICULATE MATTER
REMINDS YOU OF SOME OF THE
ELEMENTS OF AIR POLLUTION, THERE
ARE PUBLICATIONS THAT ASSOCIATE
THE EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE
MATTER IN AIR POLLUTION, CARBON
MONOXIDE, WITH INCREASED CLEFT
PALATE AND MATERNAL RESIDENTIAL
PROXIMITY TO INDUSTRIAL
EMISSIONS, FLUORINATED SOLVENTS
AND INCREASED INSURE OF CL/P.
DATA INDICATES YOU GOT TO PAY
ATTENTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPOSURE.
FINAL SLIDE HERE, THERE ARE ALSO
THE IMPACT OF THE ORAL
MICROBIOME.
THERE'S DATA TO SUGGEST THAT
THERE'S ACTUALLY THIS CHEMICAL
COMPOUND THAT'S SPRAYED ON
APPLES, ABBREVIATED AZM, SO WHEN
PEOPLE WENT IN AND LOOKED AT THE
MICROBIOME OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING
ON FARMS, NEAR FARMS, THEY FOUND
THAT THERE'S A CORRELATION
BETWEEN BLOOD LEVELS OF AZM AND
CHANGES IN KEY TAXA OF THE ORAL
MICROBIOME WHICH WERE SUGGESTIVE
OF A POTENTIAL CONNECTION
BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE,
CHANGES IN MICROBIOME AND
QUALITY OF ORAL HEALTH.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO I THINK THIS IS A WAY OF
INTRODUCING HERE A Q&A PERIOD.
SO I THINK WE CAN TALK ABOUT
WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES THAT MAY
BE IMPACTING INDIVIDUALS,
IMPACTING ORAL AND CRANIOFACIAL
DISORDERS AND OTHER THINGS?
I THINK WE'RE JUST BEGINNING TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THESE
MAY BE.
I'M ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN
WORKING WITH YOU ON THOSE GENE
BY ENVIRONMENT THINGS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO GO
INTO CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH,
IF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL ARE
INTERESTED IN SOME OTHER AREAS
I'D BE HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY
QUESTIONS.
BUT I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF
TIME, RENA, I SHOULD PROBABLY
STOP TALKING AND LET'S OPEN UP
FOR Q&A.
>> THANK YOU, RICK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT WAS VERY, VERY STIMULATING,
REALLY EXCITING TO KNOW ABOUT
THE DIRECTIONS YOU'RE TAKING THE
INSTITUTE IN.
REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
LEADERSHIP.
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO COME, AS
WE ARE BOTH EXCITED ABOUT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'LL OPEN UP TO QUESTIONS FROM
OUR COUNCIL.
THERE'S A LARGE GROUP THAT
ATTENDS THROUGH VIDEOCAST, AND
THEY WILL HAVE QUESTIONS.
YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS RIGHT NOW
SO I'LL DIRECT THEM TO YOU
LATER.
ANYONE ON COUNCIL OR, JENNIFER,
OUR STAFF?
>> WHY DON'T WE STOP SHOWING THE
SLIDES SO I CAN SEE THE
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.
JENNIFER, YOUR HAND IS UP.
>> MY HAND IS UP.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR A GREAT TALK AND
GREAT EXPOSURE TO NIEHS.
ONE THING THAT WAS STRIKING TO
ME, AS YOU SHARED WITH US HOW
YOU DEFINE EXPOSOME AND THREE
DIFFERENT AREAS, EXTERNAL,
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES, AND
PERSONAL EXPOSOME, ALL OF THOSE
BIOLOGICAL RESPONSES CAN
ACTUALLY BE MEASURED IN THE
MOUTH.
IN SALIVA, READILY AVAILABLE
FLUID, AND SEVERAL OF THE
PERSONAL EXPOSOME THINGS LIKE
DIET, TOXIC CHEMICALS WHICH YOU
JUST SHOWED US, SMOKING, CAN
ALSO BE MEASURED THERE.
SO, AS WE PLAN THESE NATIONAL
STUDIES LIKE THE LAST ONE I
TALKED ABOUT, WHERE WE'RE GOING
TO BE TARGETING -- "ALL OF US"
IS GREAT, SOME SALIVA IS
COLLECTED THERE, GREAT, BUT
THESE NATIONAL STUDIES WHERE
WE'RE TARGETING VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS, RURAL POPULATIONS,
BUREAU OF PRISONS, INDIAN HEALTH
SERVICE, V.A., AND LONGITUDINAL
COMPONENT THERE, I THINK THERE
MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT
GEOSPATIAL EXPOSURES WITHIN
THOSE TARGETED POPULATIONS SO
WANTED TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK
ABOUT THAT BECAUSE FLUID COULD
BE HELPFUL.
>> SPOT ON.
I THINK THAT IS REALLY A
TERRIFIC SUGGESTION.
AND SO WE NEED TO TALK MORE
ABOUT THIS.
IT'S A READILY AVAILABLE FLUID.
>> YEP.
>> OKAY.
AND WE NEED TO BE PAYING
ATTENTION AND THINKING ABOUT
SALIVA AS MORE THAN JUST A
SOURCE OF MATERIAL THAT YOU CAN
EXTRACT DNA TO DO GENOME
SEQUENCING.
GENOME SEQUENCING IS USEFUL BUT
LOOKING AS A WAY OF EVALUATING
THE MICROBIOME, THE MICROBIOME
IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE
EXPOSOMIC FRAMEWORK.
IT HAS TO BE.
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE THE
POWERFUL TOOLS, GENETICKICS AND
GENOMICS THAT ALLOW US TO MORE
THOROUGHLY EVALUATE MICROBIOME,
I'M BLOWN AWAY BY HOW IMPORTANT
THE MICROBIOME IS.
IN FACT, I OFTEN WONDER ABOUT MY
OWN MICROBIOME AND HOW I COULD
BE IMPROVING MY OWN MICROBIOME
TO IMPROVE MY ORAL HEALTH.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING WE
NEED TO BE CONSIDERING.
IT'S READILY AVAILABLE SOURCE OF
BIOLOGICAL FLUID.
>> YOU GOT ORAL METABOLOME, ORAL
INFLAMMASOME, SO ALL OF THESE
THINGS ARE EASILY DETECTED AS
WELL AS TOXIC CHEMICALS.
>> SO MUCH OF THE EXPOSOME IS
INTEGRATING -- I DIDN'T HAVE
TIME TO GO INTO DETAILS,
INTEGRATING ACROSS NOT JUST
COLLECTING TOXIC CHEMICALS BUT
FACTORS IN THE POSITIVE
NUTRITIONAL EFFECTS AS WELL AS
OTHER OMICS, TRANSCRIPTOMICS,
GENOMICS, METABOLOMICS.
>> THANK YOU.
DR. VISEL, LAWRENCE BERKELEY
LAB, LED OUR WORKING GROUP TO
DEVELOP DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY
FOR THE INSTITUTE.
>> YEAH, I CANNOT TURN ON MY
VIDEO.
OH, NOW IT WORKS.
ALL RIGHT.
THIS WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE VISION
THAT YOU OUTLINED FOR MORE
COORDINATED EFFORTS TO COLLECT
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DATA
DEGRADATION RATED WITH OTHER
DATA TYPES.
I'M COMING FROM A GENOMICS
BACKGROUND MYSELF, AND SO I LIKE
THE PARALLELS WHERE YOU -- THAT
YOU'RE DOING AND HUMAN GENOME
PROJECT.
NOW, THINKING ABOUT IT ONE OF
THE BIG CONCEPTUAL LEGACIES OF
THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT IS THE
IDEA OF SHARING DATA AND SHARING
DATA EARLY, PRE-PUBLICATION,
MAKING IT WIDELY ACCESSIBLE,
HUMAN GENOME WAS SEQUENCED,
ESSENTIALLY MADE DATE AVAILABLE
AS IT CAME OFF THE SEQUENCERS,
STILL TODAY THIS TRADITION LIVES
ON IN THE GENOMICS COMMUNITY,
MOST OTHER COMMUNITIES THE DATA
AND INCLUDING RAW DATA GETS
SHARED.
MY QUESTION IS, TO WHAT EXTENT
DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE
FEASIBLE TO MIRROR THAT ASPECT
OF THE GENOME PROJECT IN MAKING
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DATA WIDELY
AVAILABLE, EARLY, AVAILABLE FOR
REUSE BY OTHERS AND SO ON?
>> WELL, DR. VISEL, FIRST OF ALL
I SPENT PART OF MY CAREER AT THE
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY, A
LOT OF INTERACTION WITH YOUR
COLLEAGUES, STILL CALLED THE
JJI?
>> YES.
>> LOTS OF COORDINATION WITH
EDDIE RUBIN AND OTHERS.
ANYWAY, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION,
ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING.
WE NEED TO BE DEVELOPING THE
DATA SHARING FRAMEWORK.
IN FACT IN MANY WAYS, THE
EXPOSOME IS ACTUALLY THE
INTEGRATED DATA NETWORK, GLOBAL
DATA NETWORK.
SO EVEN IF YOU'RE DOING ONE
EXPOSURE AT A TIME, IT SHOULD BE
A DATA NETWORK WHERE YOU CAN
SUBMIT YOUR DATA.
WE NEED COMMON DATA ELEMENTS, WE
NEED SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID IN
THE GENOMICS COMMUNITY, IT'S NOT
EVERYONE DOING WHATEVER THEY
WANT TO DO BUT COLLECTING DATA
IN A WAY THAT IT CAN BE
SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED INTO THESE
COMMON SHARED REPOSITORIES.
NOW, DOESN'T MEAN EVERYONE HAS
TO SHARE IN A SINGLE PLACE.
BUT HAVING THESE COMMON DATA
ELEMENTS AND SEAMLESS SHARING OF
DATA, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE
A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF
OPERATIONALIZING EXPOSOMICS,
WHAT DATA DO WE COLLECT.
GOING BEYOND ONE EXPOSURE AT A
TIME SAY WITH THE HIGH
RESOLUTION MASS SPEC, WHAT IS
THE DATA STRUCTURE THAT ALLOWS
FOR SEAMLESS INTEGRATION?
ACTUALLY PART OF MY CAREER I
SPEND IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY
AREA, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
AT LINKS THERAPEUTICS THAT
DEVELOPED FIRST GENERATION OF
TRANSCRIPTOMICS, RNAseq.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING
CAN WE DEVELOP TYPES OF
TECHNOLOGIES THAT IN THAT CASE
CAPTURE TRANSCRIPTOME BUT ALSO
CAPTURED TRANSCRIPTOME IN A WAY
THAT MADE DATA READILY
SHAREABLE.
SO, I'M VERY CONSCIOUS ABOUT
THIS.
AND I'M REALLY PLEASED YOU ASKED
THE QUESTION, AND DEVELOPING
THAT INTEGRATED DATA REPOSITORY
IS GOING TO BE CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT.
>> RICK, AS WE LOOK AT THE
COLLECTIVE EFFECT OF THE
ENVIRONMENT ON THE GENOME, THERE
COULDN'T BE A BETTER TOOL, NOT
TOOL BUT MODEL SYSTEM THAN
TEETH.
WE'RE DENTITIONS, BABY TEETH,
PERMANENT TEETH, THE BABY TEETH
DEVELOP AS EARLY AS SIX WEEKS IN
UTERO.
>> YEP.
>> NOW WHY IS IT IMPORTANT WITH
MANY OTHER THINGS DEVELOPING, OR
OTHERWISE WE WOULDN'T HAVE A
FETUS, THE REASON IS THERE ARE
HARD TISSUES, ENAMEL, IS THE
REPOSITORY AND REPRESENTS ALL
INSULTS THAT OCCUR IN UTERO TO
THE FETUS AND THE MOTHER BECAUSE
OF PLACENTAL CIRCULATION.
YOU HAVE A BABY BORN WITH TEETH,
SOMETIMES PERMANENT TEETH AS
WELL, MOLARS DEVELOP ALSO DURING
PREGNANCY, AT LEAST START
DEVELOPING, REFLECTED BY DEFECTS
IN ENAMEL.
YOU CAN TAKE A TOOTH THAT IS
SHED, GOING TO BE THROWN AWAY,
AND ACTUALLY SECTION IT, THE
WHOLE TOOTH, BY MASS SPEC,
DISSECT LAYERS THAT YOU FEEL --
IT'S A TIMELINE THING, YOU CAN
ALMOST PREDICT WHEN THE INSULT
HAPPENED BY LOOKING AT THESE
INCREMENTAL LINES.
I WILL TALK ABOUT IT WHEN I
VISIT CAMPUS AND WE CAN WORK
TOGETHER TO STIMULATE INTEREST
IN THE USE OF WHAT MAJOR NATURE
HAS GIVEN US, TRULY A BIOLOGIC
TOOL.
>> I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
HE'S ONE OF OUR GRANTEES, I KNOW
HIM WELL, PART OF HEARR, A DATA
COLLECTION CENTER.
BABY TEETH IS LIKE RINGS OF A
TREE, WITH LASERS YOU CAN
ESTIMATE VERY ACCURATELY WHAT
ARE THE LEVELS OF, SAY, EXPOSURE
TO LEAD OR HEAVY METALS DURING
THE COURSE OF PREGNANCY.
REALLY IMPORTANT, REALLY
IMPORTANT TOOL FOR EXPOSOMICS
SCIENCE.
>> SO WITH THAT, WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR
WILLINGNESS.
I KNOW YOU'RE RECOVERING FROM
JET LAG.
WE APPRECIATE THAT.
IT'S THE BEGINNING OF A
LONG-TERM COLLABORATION WITH
NIEHS.
VERY GENEROUS.
>> I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING.
SEE YOU TOMORROW MORNING AT THE
ICD MEETING.
>> APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU.
BYE-BYE.
>> BYE, EVERYONE.
THANKS AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR
SPEAKERS.
NOW WE WILL MOVE TO NEW TOPIC,
NEXT ON THE AGENDA ONE CONCEPT
CLEARANCE PRESENTED BY DR.
PREETHI CHANDER, WE'RE REQUIRED
TO DOCUMENT, PRESENTING THE
PURPOSE, SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES IN
A PUBLIC FORUM.
SUCH AS A COUNCIL MEETING.
AND GIVING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND
THE PUBLIC THE OPPORTUNITY TO
COMMENT.
FOLLOWING THE PRESENTATION BY
NIDCR STAFF, DESIGNATED COUNCIL
MEMBERS WILL LEAD A DISCUSSION
FOLLOWED BY VOTE FOR APPROVAL OF
THE CONCEPT AS A BASIS FOR
DEVELOPING A FUTURE FUNDING
OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF SALIVARY
BIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY PROGRAM
WILL PRESENT THE CONCEPT,
REISSUANCE OF NIDCR SMALL GRANT
PROGRAM FOR NEW INVESTIGATORS.
COUNCIL MEMBERS ASSIGNED TO
REVIEW DOCTORS NOR AND
KREBSBACH.
>> I'M PROGRAM OFFICER DIVISION
OF EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH.
I'M HERE TO SEEK COUNCIL
CONCURRENCE FOR REISSUANCE OF
THE NIDCR SMALL GRANT PROGRAM
FOR NEW INVESTIGATORS, R03.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THE GOAL OF THE NIDCR PROGRAM IS
TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH,
CONDUCTED BY SCIENTISTS WHO ARE
IN THEIR EARLY STAGES OF
ESTABLISHING THEIR INDEPENDENT
RESEARCH CAREER, IN DENTAL,
ORAL, CRANIOFACIAL SCIENCES.
THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS
DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
WITH INTENTION OF OBTAINING
PRELIMINARY DATA FOR SUBSEQUENT
INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED R01
APPLICATION.
IT'S EXPECTED THAT THE FOCUS ON
EARLY CAREER STAGE INVESTIGATORS
WILL HELP NIDCR BUILD A ROBUST
PIPELINE OF INVESTIGATORS
INVOLVED IN DENTAL, ORAL,
CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS NEW
INVESTIGATORS WHOSE PROPOSED
RESEARCH ADDRESSES ANY OF THE
GOALS DESCRIBED IN THE PLAN AND
FALLS WITHIN NIDCR MISSION
AREAS.
RESEARCH PROJECTS IN BASIC AND
CLINICAL BEHAVIORAL AND
POPULATION SCIENCE AREAS ARE
COVERED UNDER THIS PROGRAM.
THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT SUPPORT
CLINICAL TRIALS OR VALIDATION
STUDIES, HOWEVER RESEARCH IN
BASIC, CLINICAL, BEHAVIORAL
TOPICS THAT DO NOT FUND UNDER
NIH CLINICAL TRIAL DEFINITION
ARE UNDER THE SCOPE OF THIS
PROGRAM.
THE NEW INVESTIGATORS PROGRAM IS
NOT INTENDED TO SUSTAIN RESEARCH
CAREERS.
IT IS EXPECTED THAT NEW
INVESTIGATORS WILL USE THIS
AWARD TO GENERATE THE FOUNDATION
TO SUPPORT GRANT APPLICATIONS
FOR LARGER AND LONGER-TERM R01
FUNDING.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS PROGRAM IS LIMITED TO NEW
INVESTIGATORS BY NIH DEFINITION
NEW INVESTIGATOR IS RESEARCH
GRANT APPLICANT WHO HAS NOT
COMPETED SUCCESSFULLY FOR R01 OR
EQUIVALENT GRANT OR COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENT.
EXCLUDES INVESTIGATORS WHO WERE
AWARDED A PRIOR R21 FROM OTHER
INSTITUTES, FROM ANY INSTITUTE,
AND THOSE WITH MORE THAN ONE
NIDCR R03.
AS NIDCR SPECIFIC FUNDING
OPPORTUNITY, PEER REVIEW IS
CONDUCTED BY NIDCR SPECIAL
GRANTS REVIEW COMMITTEE.
UNIQUE TO THIS PAR APPLICANTS
MUST INCLUDE DESCRIPTION OF HOW
PROJECT WILL LEAD TO FRAMEWORK
FOR SUBSEQUENT R01 OR EQUIVALENT
APPLICATION, SCORABLE CRITERIA
BY SCIENTIFIC REVIEWERS.
MINIMUM LEVEL OF EFFORT OF 2.4
PERSON MONTHS IS EXPECTED FROM
THE P.I.
UNLIKE THE NIH PARENT MECHANISM
WHICH PROVIDES 50,000 DIRECT
COST PER YEAR FOR TWO YEARS THIS
ALLOWS FOR HIGHER AMOUNT OF
$100,000 OVER TWO YEARS.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS PROGRAM WAS FIRST
ESTABLISHED AT NIDCR IN 2007 AND
SINCE THEN SIX PARS HAVE BEEN
ISSUED.
BASIC SCIENTISTS AND DENTAL
SCIENTISTS UTILIZE THIS PROGRAM
AND OVERALL SUCCESS RATE HAS
BEEN 22% FOR THIS PROGRAM OVER
THE YEARS.
NEXT SLIDE.
YOU CAN CLICK COMPLETELY.
SO, RECENT ANALYSIS OF THE
R03s OVER THE PAST YEARS
SHOWED THAT THE R03 AWARDEES ARE
MORE LIKELY TO APPLY FOR R01
COMPARED TO UNSUCCESSFUL
COUNTERPARTS.
R03 AWARDEE WAS 2.4 TIMES MORE
LIKELY TO BE AWARDED SUBSEQUENT
R01 COMPARED TO COUNTERPARTS.
ALSO THESE AWARDEES WERE MORE
LIKELY TO BE AWARDED AN R01
COMPARED TO STANDARD NIDCR NEW
INVESTIGATOR WHO NEVER USED THIS
R03 PROGRAM.
SO OVERALL THIS FUNDING
OPPORTUNITY CONTINUES TO BE WELL
RECEIVED BY THE COMMUNITY,
ESPECIALLY BY THOSE HAVING NO
PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PEER
REVIEW PROCESS.
AT THIS POINT I WILL STOP AND
TURN IT OVER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS
DR. KREBSBACH AND DR. NOR FOR
DISCUSSION OF THIS CONCEPT.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, PREETHI.
I'M TRYING TO START MY VIDEO
HERE.
OKAY.
VERY GOOD.
YEAH, SO THANK YOU, PREETHI, FOR
THE PRESENTATION.
I WANT TO START BY SAYING THAT
I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE
RENEWAL OF THE NIDCR R03
PROGRAM, THE GOAL TO ENABLE NEW
INVESTIGATORS TO GENERATE DATA
FOR SUBSEQUENT R01 APPLICATION,
IMPORTANTLY THIS PROJECT, THIS
PROGRAM, INCLUDES SPECIFIC
SECTION ON HOW THE WORK FUNDED
IN THE R03 WILL BE USED TO R01
WHICH I BELIEVE STIMULATES
APPLICANT TO DEVELOP LOGICAL
LONG-TERM RESEARCH PROGRAM.
AGAIN, THE REASONS WHY I SUPPORT
THE RENEWAL OF THE R03 PROGRAM
ARE FIRSTLY THE PROGRAM
ADDRESSES THE URGENT NEED TO
FOSTER CAREERS OF HIGHLY
QUALIFIED COLLEAGUES IN DENTAL
OR CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, AND
THERE'S AN OBVIOUS NEED FOR MORE
INVESTIGATORS IN THE FIELD.
SECOND, THE FUNDING PROVIDED
THROUGH THIS PROGRAM OF UP TO
$200,000 IN TWO YEARS SEEMS TO
BE ADEQUATE AND ALIGN VERY WELL
WITH INTENT OF THE PROGRAM.
AND THIRD, HISTORICAL OUTCOME
THAT SHOWS INCREASE IN
PROBABILITY TO GET AN R01 FROM
21% TO 51% FOR R03 AWARDEES
CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES SUCCESSFUL
IMPACT OF THIS PROGRAM, AND
CLEARLY SHOWS ALSO THAT THIS
PROGRAM IS SUPPORTING THE
TRANSITION OF NEW INVESTIGATORS
IN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH CAREERS,
SO ALL IN ALL I THINK THIS IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM AND
I STRONGLY SUPPORT RENEWAL.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> DR. KREBSBACH?
>> OKAY, THANK YOU.
I THINK PREETHI DID A REALLY
NICE JOB SUMMARIZING THIS.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TO ADD
THAN WHAT JACQUES DISPLAYED.
IT'S REALLY GOOD EVENT AT DCR TO
INVEST IN THESE EARLY
INVESTIGATORS, I THINK IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT THAT TRACK
RECORD SEEMS TO BE PRETTY GOOD.
I DO REALLY LIKE THE INCREASE IN
THE BUDGET.
I THINK THAT GIVES MEANINGFUL
AMOUNT TO GET SOMEONE STARTED,
REALLY WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS
DESIGNED TO DO TO GET SOMEONE
STARTED ON A CAREER FOCUS.
I ALSO LIKE THE RESEARCH, WHAT
IS IT, FUTURE RESEARCH PLAN,
FORCES THE INVESTIGATOR TO BE
THINKING ABOUT A PATH FORWARD
AND NOT JUST TRYING TO DO A
ONE-OFF PROJECT AND FITS THE
WHOLE GOAL TOGETHER.
I DO MAYBE HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR
DISCUSSION ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO
SAY I SUPPORT THIS FULLY AS
WELL, IS THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S
IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS PIPELINE,
THESE INVESTIGATORS WHO APPLY
FOR THESE AWARDS AND THOSE WHO
ARE AWARDED THEM STILL HAVE TO
BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY
CAN THRIVE.
SO I THINK -- I DON'T KNOW IF
THERE'S SOMETHING, A MENTORING
REQUIREMENT HERE, BECAUSE WHILE
I'M OPTIMISTIC FOR THIS PROJECT,
I'M NOT -- MANY ENVIRONMENTS OR
SCHOOLS WHERE THESE PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO GET THEIR CAREER
STARTED, I THINK THAT THE
ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR MENTORING
TEAM REALLY IS ESSENTIAL AS WELL
AS THE AWARDING OF THESE TYPE OF
GRANTS AND INCREASE OF THE
BUDGET.
I QUESTION WHETHER THERE IS
SOMETHING ABOUT MENTORING AND
THE ENVIRONMENT SO THAT THESE
INDIVIDUALS CAN THRIVE
REGARDLESS OF WHAT INSTITUTION
THEY ARE IN.
>> YEAH, WE DO -- SO I THINK A
LOT OF THE APPLICANTS HAVE SOME
KIND OF INDEPENDENT POSITION
WHEN THEY APPLY, AND IN SOME
CASES WHERE THEY DO -- THEY ARE
AT SENIOR POSTDOC LEVEL, SENIOR
POSITION, THAT KIND OF HAS
INDEPENDENT APPOINTMENT, WE DO
REQUEST LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM
THE DEAN OR DEPARTMENT CHAIR,
DESCRIBING WHAT IS THE NATURE OF
THE APPOINTMENT, INSTITUTIONAL
COMPLIMENT TO P.I. IN TERMS OF
GENERAL RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF SEEING
SUCCESS AND HOPEFULLY THAT
ADDRESSES PART OF YOUR QUESTION.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU.
>> I CAN ADD TO YOUR COMMENT?
UCLA MODELS SO MANY BEST
PRACTICES, NURTURING EARLY-STAGE
INVESTIGATORS.
DO YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES OF NOT
NECESSARILY R03s AND R21s
BUT DEVELOPING INVESTIGATORS
THAT ACTUALLY SHARE KNOWLEDGE
ALMOST LIKE A T32 UMBRELLA
PROBLEM WOULD OFFER, DO YOU HAVE
THOSE?
>> YEAH, WE DO.
AND THERE'S MANY DENTAL SCHOOLS,
I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE A SHOT AT
ANY SPECIFIC SCHOOL, WHETHER A
DENTAL SCHOOL OR NOT.
BUT YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE AN
ENVIRONMENT, AND WE DO HAVE
FORMAL MENTORING TEAMS AND
MENTORING COMMITTEES, I KNOW
SPECIFICALLY AT MICHIGAN THE --
THIS IS PROBABLY 10 OR 15 YEARS
AGO, THEY LAUNCHED ACTUALLY I
THINK WHAT WAS CALLED A LAUNCH
PROGRAM, IT HAD MENTORS NOT ONLY
FROM SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY BUT
APPROPRIATE OTHER UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL LIKE MEDICAL SCHOOL OR
ENGINEERING.
>> RIGHT.
>> THEY WOULD BE TASKED REALLY
FOR GUIDING THIS PERSON TO
SUCCESS.
>> RIGHT.
AND AT MICHIGAN YOU HELPED LEAD
THE BIOENGINEERING SCHOOL THAT
DID THAT.
REMEMBER THEY HAD DINNER
SESSIONS, STUDENT LED, ALWAYS
EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO COME BY AND
TALK, RIGHT?
>> FOR SURE.
I THINK AS YOU LOOK FORWARD TO
THE ACTUAL PURPOSE OF THIS KIND
OF PROJECT, IS TO INCREASE THE
WORKFORCE AND SET PEOPLE UP FOR
SUCCESSFUL CAREER, IT'S MORE
THAN JUST ONE PERSON GIVING, YOU
KNOW, A TWO-YEAR GRANT, RIGHT?
THEY NEED TO BE IN AN
ENVIRONMENT YOU CAN DO
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO GUIDE
THIS PERSON INTO THE NEXT PHASE
IN THIS HOPEFULLY SUCCESSFUL
R01-TYPE GRANT.
>> THE BEST THING THAT COMES TO
MIND, THE FUTURE PROGRAM, EARLY
STAGE CAREER FACULTY WITH HIGH
DEGREE OF SUCCESS, BUT THEY
DRIVE THEIR MENTORING NATIONWIDE
FROM A NETWORK OF MENTORS BUT
YOU CAN ALSO HAVE THAT LOCALLY
FOR RESEARCH, YEAH.
JOSE?
>> YEAH, I WAS WONDERING IF THIS
MECHANISM IN ADDITION TO FOCUS
FOR JUNIOR INVESTIGATORS COULD
BE FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE FIELD,
DENTAL RESEARCH, TO BE
COMPLEMENTARY TO WHAT THE FIELD
IS NEEDED, LIKE NEED TO BE LIKE,
YOU KNOW, WORKING IN A DENTAL
SCHOOL, THEY COULD BE WORKING IN
NURSING SCHOOL, MEDICAL SCHOOL,
AND, YOU KNOW, IN THAT CASE IT
COULD BE GOOD IF THE APPLICATION
IN ADDITION TO HAVE A FUTURE
PLANS FOR RESEARCH YOU HAVE LIKE
A MENTORING STATEMENT OR SOME
KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE
THESE PEOPLE IN PLACE, SAY
MEDICAL SCHOOL PEOPLE, OR DENTAL
SCHOOL, THAT CAN ACTUALLY HELP
THEM NAVIGATE THIS KIND OF NEW
AREA BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK
THAT SOMETIMES WE CANNOT ANSWER
ALL THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE
DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND
SOMETIMES THERE ARE PEOPLE IN
DIFFERENT AREA, PEOPLE MAY NOT
THINK IF THEY ARE DOING
NEUROSCIENCE, THEY MAY NOT APPLY
FOR A GRANT APPLICATION THAT
COMES FROM DENTAL INSTITUTE, SO
TO BRING THESE PEOPLE IN, IN
ADDITION TO HAVING PROPOSED LIKE
A MENTORING PLAN, SOMETHING LIKE
THAT.
>> YEAH, YEAH, I JUST WANT -- I
DO RECOGNIZE THAT POINT AND
THANKS FOR BRINGING IT UP.
THE GRANT MECHANISM,
ANNOUNCEMENT, NO RESTRICTIONS
WHAT KIND OF INSTITUTION OR
DEPARTMENT IT WOULD BELONG TO.
AND WE DO A LOT OF OUTREACH AT
THE VARIOUS MEETINGS THAT WE
ATTEND ABOUT THIS PROGRAM,
HOPEFULLY WE'RE REACHING ACROSS
BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO
ANY PROGRAM.
IT COVERS ALL OF NIDCR MISSION
AREAS.
IRRESPECTIVE OF APPLICANT
BACKGROUND.
WE TRY SPREAD THE WORD.
ON PAPER THERE'S NO RESTRICTION.
>> THE OTHER QUESTION IS DO YOU
HAVE ANY FOLLOW-UP, LIKE FOR
EXAMPLE DO YOU PUT ANY TOGETHER,
YOU KNOW, THAT COULD BE DONE
LATER ON SO THEY GET TO KNOW
EACH OTHER AND SUPPORT EACH
OTHER BECAUSE EVENTUALLY THIS
COULD BE INDIVIDUAL OR PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATORS THAT FORM
COLLABORATIONS DOWN THE ROAD.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING
BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN R03, TO GIVE
INDIVIDUALS, MAYBE YOU'RE TRYING
TO PREPARE THE NEXT COHORT OF
INVESTIGATORS.
HAVING SOME INITIATIVES TO GET
TOGETHER, GET TO KNOW EACH
OTHER, THAT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY
INCREASE CHANCES TO SUCCESS.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
THANK YOU.
>> ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS?
IF NOT, WOULD A MEMBER OF
COUNCIL LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO
APPROVE THIS CONCEPT?
>> JOSE.
A SECOND?
>> SECOND, PAUL.
>> ALL IN FAVOR?
>> AYE.
>> YES.
>> ANY OPPOSED?
ALL RIGHT.
SO I THINK WE'RE FINISHED WITH
OUR FIRST SESSION.
WE'LL NOW TAKE A 30-MINUTE
BREAK, AND RETURN AT 1 P.M.
>> THANK YOU.
[LUNCH RECESS]
>> I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE
BACK TO COUNCIL.
NEXT A PRESENTATION BY DR. DANA
GRAVES, PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON
THE WORKING GROUP'S ACTIVITIES.
WE CAN TURN IT OVER TO DR.
GRAVES AND CAN YOU SHARE YOUR
SCREEN FOR SLIDES.
>> CAN YOU SEE MY SCREEN?
>> YES.
>> SO FAR NO TECHNICAL
CHALLENGES.
THANK YOU, LYNN, FOR INVITING
INVITING ME TO GIVE THIS
PRESENTATION ON THE WORKING
GROUP ON THE WORKFORCE, THE
CHARGE TO DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND
EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACHES TO
SUSTAINABLE RECRUIT, TRAIN,
RETAIN RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO BUILD A
DIVERSE DENTAL, ORAL,
CRANIOFACIAL AND
DENTIST-SCIENTIST RESEARCH
WORKFORCE.
THE AREA I'M GOING TO DISCUSS
TODAY IS NOT RECOMMENDATIONS
WHICH WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF
DEVELOPING BUT TWO AREAS OF
FOCUS WE THINK ARE VERY
IMPORTANT, PART OF MY GOAL TODAY
WOULD BE TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON
WHAT WE'RE THINKING.
SO MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP
ARE DIVERSE, ALL HAVE A RANGE OF
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH DOC
TRAINEES.
THERE ARE TWO CONSIDERATIONS
THAT THE WORKFORCE WAS ENGAGED
IN.
ONE OF THEM IS HOW TO ENHANCE
TRAINING WITHOUT SIMPLY ASKING
FOR MORE FUNDING.
SECOND IS THE RECOGNITION THERE
ARE LIMITS IN AVAILABLE DATA IN
WHICH TO EVALUATE THESE
PROGRAMS.
SO, TO RESPOND TO THESE
CONSIDERATIONS, WE ARE GOING TO
PROPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO
OFFICES.
ONE OFFICE WOULD BE DEDICATED TO
COLLABORATING WITH PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS, TO DEVELOP
SYNERGIES WITH EXISTING
PROGRAMS.
THE SECOND OFFICE WOULD BE
DEVOTED TO OUTCOME MEASURES AND
THE APPLICATION OF ADVANCED
ANALYTICS TO ASSESS TRAINEES,
TRAINING PROGRAMS, AND TO ASSESS
THE DOC WORKFORCE NEEDS.
SO, THE CREATION OF AN OFFICE TO
FACILITATE COLLABORATIONS WITH
NIDCR AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY
OF PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS
WITHIN UNIVERSITIES IS DONE IN
RECOGNITION THAT THERE ARE
SEVERAL COMMON GOALS THEY SHARE.
WHEN WE MET WITH THE DIFFERENT
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THESE
GROUPS, THE WORKING GROUP WAS
VERY IMPRESSED WITH THEIR
ENTHUSIASM AND THEIR DESIRE TO
COLLABORATE WITH NIDCR BUT WHAT
WAS EXPRESSED WAS SOME
FRUSTRATION THAT THERE WAS NO
STRAIGHTFORWARD PATH TO ACHIEVE
THIS.
SO, THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OFFICE
THAT CAN FACILITATE
COLLABORATION BETWEEN NIDCR AND
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS MAY
BE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO ACHIEVE
THESE COMMON GOALS.
SO THERE ARE SEVERAL CHALLENGES
THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, AND I'M
GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THEM
THAT WERE MENTIONED BY TRAINEES.
AND THESE ARE SIGNIFICANT
BECAUSE PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
ADDRESS CHALLENGES, ONE IS THAT
DOC TRAINEES AND EARLY-STAGE
INVESTIGATORS SOFTEN TELL US
THEY WERE SILOED AND LACK ROBUST
RESEARCH COMMUNITY.
THE TRAINEES WERE OFTEN UNAWARE
OF THE OPTIONS AND VARIOUS TYPES
OF CAREERS THAT ARE OPEN TO
THEM.
AND THEY ALSO FELT THAT
PARTICULARLY DURING THE
TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE THERE
WAS A NEED FOR MENTORING IN
APPLYING FOR GRANT SUPPORT AND
PROTECTING THEIR RESEARCH
CAREERS.
THEY ALSO FELT THERE WAS A NEED
TO HAVE PEER MENTORS IN THIS
TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE.
SO, PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES COULD
IMPROVE MENTORING THROUGH
SEVERAL AVENUES.
ONE IS TO PROVIDE INCREASE IN
THE NUMBERS AND TYPES OF MENTORS
THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
ANOTHER ASPECT COULD BE
IMPORTANT IS CONNECTION WITH
ROLE MODELS, AND WHILE ALL OF
THE TRAINEES FELT IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO HAVE ROLE MODELS,
THE CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS AND
MEMBERS OF UNDERREPRESENTED
COMMUNITIES FELT THEY WERE IN
PARTICULAR IN FEED FOR ROLE
MODELS BECAUSE THEY FELT
SOMEWHAT ISOLATED IN DENTAL
SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF THIS IS THERE
HAS BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAM WHICH ALL OF YOU ARE
AWARE OF CALLED MIND THE FUTURE
EFFECTIVE IN ENHANCING
MENTORING, DEVELOPING NETWORK
OPPORTUNITIES, AND IN BUILDING
ROBUST RESEARCH COMMUNITIES.
THE COLLABORATIONS WITH
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES CAN ALSO
BENEFIT CREATION OF DOC
NETWORKS, AND THESE NETWORKS MAY
BE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY CAN
TAKE DENTAL SCHOOLS THAT DON'T
HAVE A RICH RESEARCH
INFRASTRUCTURE AND HELP LINK
THEM WITH THE SCHOOLS THAT DO,
AND THEY CAN HELP DEVELOP
PROGRAMS JOINTLY WITH
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES.
IN ADDITION TO COLLABORATION
BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH AND NIDCR
TRAINING PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY AS
THEY INVOLVE INDUSTRY, COULD
HELP DEVELOPMENT OF
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE
EXPOSURE OF TRAINEES TO THIS
TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT.
COLLABORATIONS WITH INDUSTRY
COULD EMBED DOC TRAINEES TO
EXPOSE THEM TO PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT, COULD COLLABORATE
TO DEVELOP NEW RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CLINICIANS AND
THERE CAN BE SOME CREATIVITY IN
THIS FIELD TO DEVELOP NEW
PROGRAMS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY
INCLUDE A Ph.D. PROGRAM.
AND THEN NIDCR AND DENTAL
SCHOOLS COULD DEVELOP HYBRID
FACULTY POSITIONS THAT COMBINE
CLINICAL TEACHING AND
SUBSTANTIAL CLINICAL RESEARCH.
AND THIS IS PROBABLY NECESSARY
BECAUSE DENTAL SCHOOLS DON'T
HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HIRE LARGE
NUMBERS OF TENURE TRACK FACULTY
WHO ONLY DO RESEARCH, SO THE
NEED OF DENTAL SCHOOL IS
CLINICIANS WHO DO TEACHING AND
THERE IS A NATURAL WAY OF
COMBINING CLINICAL TEACHING AND
CLINICAL RESEARCH SO NEW HYBRID
FACULTY POSITIONS COULD BE
DEVELOPED.
HARVARD HAS GONE DOWN THIS PATH,
A WAY OF COMBINING BOTH
ACTIVITIES.
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES HAVE
EXPRESSED A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM
FOR WORKING WITH NIDCR ON COMMON
GOALS, AND I'M GOING TO GO
THROUGH A LIST OF SOME OF THESE
SPECIFIC COLLABORATIONS THAT
THEY HAVE DISCUSSED.
THEY INCLUDE PROVIDING SUPPORT
FOR RESEARCH MEETINGS THAT BRING
VARIOUS GROUPS TOGETHER.
TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL, REGIONAL,
AND LOCAL COLLABORATIONS TO
STRENGTHEN ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND
INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY TO
NIDCR-FUNDED TRAINING PROGRAMS.
TO SUPPORT RESEARCH THROUGH
GRANTS AND LOAN REPAYMENT
PROGRAMS.
PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR
TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS INCLUDING
THOSE TO NIDCR EVENTS, AND TO
DEVELOP MATCHING PROGRAMS TO
SUPPORT NIDCR-FUNDED JUNIOR
FACULTY.
AND THE LATTER MAY BE
SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE K AWARDS ARE
VERY IMPORTANT AND QUITE
SUCCESSFUL IN DEVELOPING JUNIOR
INVESTIGATORS BUT THEY DON'T
HAVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF
RESEARCH FUNDING, AND THERE ARE
PROGRAMS WHO SUPPORT K-FUNDED
SCHOLARS.
WE HIT OUR FIRST TECHNICAL
GLITCH BUT WE'RE BACK ON PATH.
THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF
NIH COLLABORATING WITH
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES.
WHEN WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT
THIS CONCEPT, I THOUGHT THIS WAS
PERHAPS A RARE EVENT, BUT
THERE'S A STANDING NUMBER OF
COLLABORATIONS WITH PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES, AND I'M GOING TO GO
THROUGH A FEW OF THEM NOW.
ONE OF THEM IS THE "ALL OF US"
RESEARCH PROGRAM WHICH IS THE
COLLABORATION BETWEEN NIH AND
MEDICAL SOCIETIES, TO BUILD A
HEALTH DATABASE.
THERE'S THE R25 PROGRAM, IN
WHICH PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPING
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO RECRUIT
JUNIOR FACULTY FROM DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS.
AND NIDA PARTNERED WITH
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES TO
DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO TRAIN
CLINICIANS IN BEST PRACTICES.
THE NATIONAL CANCER CENTER HAS
SEVERAL COLLABORATIONS WITH
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES TO BRING
FUNDING AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.
ONE OF THEM IS A PROGRAM TO
DEVELOP NOVEL FUNDING
MECHANISMS, AND ANOTHER IS TO
INTRODUCE ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE TO CANCER RESEARCH.
THE JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH
FOUNDATION NIDCR COLLABORATE TO
PROMOTE INTERDISCIPLINARY
WORKSHOPS, AND NINDS
COLLABORATES WITH PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES TO DEVELOP BEST
CLINICAL PRACTICES.
I'M GOING TO TRANSITION NOW TO
THE SECOND OFFICE THAT I HAD
MENTIONED, AND I HAD AN
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM
THAT I ASKED TO RECOMMEND A
CARTOON THAT WOULD BE HUMOROUS
TO DENTAL RESEARCHERS.
AND THIS IS THE ONE THEY CAME UP
WITH.
SO, THE SECOND OFFICE THAT WE'VE
BEEN THINKING ABOUT IS INVOLVED
IN TRAINING PROGRAM ASSESSMENT.
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ISSUES
RELATED TO TRAINING PROGRAMS
THAT MAKE THEM DIFFICULT TO
ASSESS.
ONE OF THEM IS THAT THE
SELF-ASSESSMENT IS OFTEN
PROBLEMATIC.
THERE IS LITTLE ACTUAL DATA ON
THE TRAINEE FACTORS AND TRAINING
PROGRAM FACTORS THAT LEAD TO
SUCCESS.
AND THERE IS A LACK OF DATA ON
THE NUMBER OF TRAINEES THAT ARE
NEEDED FOR CURRENT POSITIONS OR
FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS.
AND ALSO IT'S UNKNOWN WHETHER
THERE ARE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT
RESEARCH TRAINING SHOULD BE
TARGETED TOWARD.
SO THERE ARE SEVERAL COMMENTS
FROM STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE
ASSESSMENT OF TRAINING PROGRAMS,
AND THEY ARE SHOWN HERE.
THIS IS JUST A COLLECTION OF
ONES THAT WERE SIGNIFICANT,
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MANY OTHERS.
THERE'S A NEED TO ENHANCE
COLLECTION OF DATA AND DEEPER
ANALYSIS OF TRAINING PROGRAMS,
AND TO USE DATA MINING OF
DATABASES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
WHAT LEADS TO SUCCESS.
THERE'S ALSO AN IMPORTANT ISSUE
WHICH IS THE MINORITY OF DEGREE
TRAINEES ACTUALLY GO INTO
RESEARCH INTENSIVE CAREERS, BUT
IT'S NOT KNOWN IF THIS IS
REASONABLE OR NOT REASONABLE.
SO MAYBE THIS IS THE BEST THAT
CAN BE EXPECTED, OR MAYBE IT
FALLS SHORT, AND THERE NEEDS TO
BE CHANGES IN THE WAY TRAINEES
UNDERGO THESE PROGRAMS.
AND THERE HAS BEEN A QUESTION IS
THERE AN ACTUAL DECLINE IN
DENTIST-SCIENTIST RESEARCH
WORKFORCE, AND IF IT'S A
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM.
THERE'S-- YOU CAN THINK OF THIS
ANOTHER WAY, IS WHAT PERCENTAGE
OF DENTAL RESEARCHERS SHOULD
HAVE A CLINICAL DEGREE.
OTHER QUESTIONS ARE WHAT TYPE OF
MENTORING PROGRAMS LEAD TO
SUCCESS, HAVE MENTORS AND
MENTEES SOCIETY GOALS, GUIDING
TO CAREER PATH, IS THERE A NEED
FOR MULTI-MENTORS OR MENTORING
TEAMS?
THIS IS SIGNIFICANT SINCE THE
QUESTION OF MENTORING WAS
BROUGHT UP MANY TIMES BY
TRAINEES.
THERE'S SOME BROADER QUESTIONS
SUCH AS WHAT IS THE LENGTH OF
TIME AND TRAINING THAT IS NEEDED
TO TRAIN A DOC RESEARCHER.
THE TRAINEE FELT THE TIME WAS
TOO LONG AND TRAINING PERIOD WAS
TOO EXTENSIVE.
WHAT TYPE OF ACADEMIC PHYSICIANS
CAN BE CREATED THAT WILL GIVE A
SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF PROTECTED
TIME FOR RESEARCH?
AND WHAT IS THIS AMOUNT OF TIME
THAT'S NEEDED?
MAYBE THE TIME FOR THOSE DOING
CLINICAL RESEARCH IS NOT THE
SAME AS THOSE DOING BASIC
RESEARCH, OR MAYBE THEY ARE THE
SAME, BUT THIS IS THE QUESTION
THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.
AND THEN THERE'S THE ISSUE ABOUT
HOW DO YOU ALIGN THE
EXPECTATIONS FROM NIDCR OR FROM
THE CLINICIANS THEMSELVES FOR
CLINICIAN-SCIENTISTS AND CAREER
PATHS AVAILABLE TO THEM, DEALING
WITH ISSUES DENTAL SCHOOLS HAVE
LOTS OF OPENINGS FOR CLINICAL
TEACHERS BUT DON'T HAVE A LOT OF
OPENINGS THAT ARE STRICTLY BASED
ON DOING RESEARCH.
SO, A CENTRAL COORDINATION
CENTER IS NEEDED TO IDENTIFY KEY
TRAINING AND FACTORS THAT LEAD
TO SUCCESS.
SUCH AN OFFICE COULD ESTABLISH
MEASURES AND INTEGRATE OUTCOME
MEASURES WITH WHAT IS NEEDED FOR
THE DOC WORKFORCE.
AND AN OFFICE FOR EVALUATION OF
TRAINING OUTCOMES AND
INITIATIVES TO LEAD TO
DEVELOPMENT OF WELL-DEFINED
METRICS TO EVALUATE TRAINEES AND
MENTORS, AND TRAINING PROGRAM
OUTCOMES, AND THIS COULD ENHANCE
TRAINING ENGAGEMENT AND MODIFY
APPROACHES NEEDED TO INCREASE
THE OVERALL IMPACT.
AND LASTLY, I'M GOING TO THROW
SOMETHING OUT ON THE TABLE WHICH
MAY BE FOOD FOR THOUGHT, BUT ONE
OF THE WAYS TO ESTABLISH SUCH AN
OFFICE COULD BE THROUGH A
P30-TYPE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH
DENTAL PROGRAM IN WHICH THE
OFFICE IS NOT NECESSARILY
EMBEDDED IN ONE ACADEMIC CENTER
OR EMBEDDED INTO NIDCR BUT COULD
BE THOUGHT OF AS SOMETHING THAT
IS REVIEWED AND DONE
COMPETITIVELY SO THAT THE MOST
EFFECTIVE TYPES OF
COLLABORATIONS COULD OCCUR THAT
WOULD LEAD TO AN EFFECTIVE
ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES OFFICE.
SO WITH THAT I'D LIKE TO THANK
YOU AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU
MIGHT HAVE.
>> THANK YOU, DANE A DOES
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS?
>> WE NEED OUR VIDEOS ON, IF
POSSIBLE.
>> YEAH.
>> SO, THANK YOU, DANA.
THIS IS TERRIFIC.
TERRIFIC WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR
TEAM HAVE DONE.
I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE HYBRID
FACULTY POSITIONS.
CAN YOU EXPAND A LITTLE BIT MORE
ON THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T QUITE
UNDERSTAND YOUR TALK ABOUT
CLINICAL RESEARCH WITHIN FACULTY
POSITIONS AND THEN THE SITE
HARVARD IS ALREADY DOING
SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, CAN
YOU EXPAND MORE ON HOW THIS
HYBRID FACULTY POSITION WOULD
LOOK LIKE?
>> SURE.
THE TYPICAL -- THE CLINICAL
FACULTY POSITION AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND
I THINK AT MOST UNIVERSITIES OR
DENTAL SCHOOLS, IS A TENURE
TRACK POSITION WHERE THE FACULTY
MEMBER DOES RESEARCH FOUR DAYS A
WEEK, AND DOES ADMINISTRATION OR
DIDACTIC THE OTHER DAY A WEEK.
THE OTHER IS RESEARCH ONE DAY A
WEEK, THE PROBLEM IS ONE DAY A
WEEK IS PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH TO
HAVE A ROBUST RESEARCH CAREER.
AND FOUR DAYS A WEEK IS JUST TOO
EXPENSIVE.
YOU CAN ONLY HAVE SO MANY FOUR
DAYS A WEEK RESEARCH POSITIONS
BECAUSE IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE FOR
THE SCHOOLS.
AND IN FACT, YOU'RE LUCKY IF
YOU'RE A SCHOOL WITH A
RESEARCHER THAT CAN COVER 50% OF
THEIR SALARY THROUGH GRANT
SUPPORT.
SO YOU COULD THINK OF HAVING A
HYBRID POSITION FOR AN
INDIVIDUAL TWO DAYS A WEEK OF
RESEARCH OR THREE DAYS A WEEK OF
RESEARCH, BUT IT'S IN BETWEEN.
THAT'S WHY I CALL IT HYBRID
BECAUSE IT'S SORT OF IN BETWEEN
THE TWO CLASSIC POSITIONS THAT
CURRENTLY EXIST.
THIS WOULD REDUCE COST FOR
DENTAL SCHOOLS, BUT INCREASE
AMOUNT OF RESEARCH TIME SO THAT
YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH MORE THAN YOU
CAN DO ONE DAY A WEEK.
>> OKAY.
THANK YOU.
>> AND IF I COULD ADD ONE MORE
THOUGHT TO THIS, I THINK NIDCR
COULD PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE
BY HAVING AN RFA THAT WAS
SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THIS
TYPE OF CONCEPT, AND IT GOES
ALONG WITH THE BASEBALL MOVIE,
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
SO, IF YOU FUND IT, THEY WILL
COME, WOULD BE THE COROLLARY TO
THAT.
>> JUST QUICK, THANK YOU, DANA.
I WANTED TO -- LET'S SAY WE
BUILT AN RFA FOR A PERSON WHO IS
WANTING TO SPECIALIZE AND DO
RESEARCH, WHERE THEY WOULD
HAVE -- WITH A COMPANY OR
INDUSTRY PARTNER, OR
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY WOULD COVER
CLINICAL TRAINING, AND THEN
NIDCR WOULD COVER COST OF THEIR
Ph.D.
IS THAT ALIGNED WITH WHAT YOU'RE
THINKING?
THE SECOND QUESTION IS, AS YOU
SURVEY THESE DIFFERENT INDUSTRY
PARTNERS, LEADERS, AND
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES, WHAT WAS
THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR
COVERING CLINICALLY RELATED
ACTIVITY OR POTENTIAL
INDUSTRY-RELATED RESEARCH?
>> YEAH, SO, THE PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES WERE INTERESTED IN
FUNDING AT THE LEVEL OF
SUPPLEMENTS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S SAY YOU
HAD SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING
THROUGH A RESIDENCY PROGRAM,
THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN
FUNDING A SUPPLEMENT TO THE
RESIDENCY PROGRAM THAT COULD BE
THOUGHT OF IN TWO WAYS.
ONE WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL YEAR
THAT WOULD PAY FOR A -- LET'S
SAY A CERTIFICATE IN RESEARCH.
SO, IF YOU HAVE AN ENDODONTIC
PROGRAM, MAYBE A SURGERY,
CLINICAL RESEARCH, HALF A YEAR,
THIS WOULD NOT -- COULD BE A
DEGREE PROGRAM OR INDEPENDENT OF
DEGREE PROGRAM BUT WOULD PROVIDE
RESEARCH PROGRAM THEY DON'T HAVE
CURRENTLY SO THAT WAS ONE WAY TO
DO IT.
THE OTHER WAY, ANOTHER EXAMPLE
WAS SOME LOAN REPAYMENT
PROGRAMS, SO THEY MIGHT PARTNER
WITH NIDCR, ONE EXAMPLE WOULD BE
LET'S SAY THEY GOT A K99 K00
AWARD, THEY ARE A CLINICIAN,
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MIGHT HAVE
A LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM THAT
WAS TIED TO THAT.
SO, BUT I SHOULD EMPHASIZE THAT
WHAT THE FROGSAL SOCIETIES ARE
LACKING IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN
THEM -- PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
ARE LACKING IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN
THEM AND NIDCR, TO HAVE
DISCUSSIONS WITH.
THEY NEED THE NAME OF A PERSON
TO GO TO.
>> JOSE?
>> I'M IN THE MEDICAL SCHOOL,
CLINICAL DEPARTMENT, ONE OF THE
WAYS WE DO THIS, THE TRAINING
FOR DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIA,
ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO FOR
M.D.s OR MD/PHDS TO DO
RESEARCH WE USE A T32 MECHANISM
TO BASICALLY COVER WHAT THE TIME
WE RESEARCH, THE REST OF THE
TIME THAT WE CLINICAL,
ADMINISTRATIVE, OR, YOU KNOW,
LECTURING THAT'S COVERED BY THE
DEPARTMENT.
BUT THAT'S A WAY WE HAD TO DO
THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CASE,
I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT, YOU
KNOW, FOR DENTAL SCHOOLS BUT
THAT'S THE WAY MANY MEDICAL
SCHOOLS ARE DOING THAT.
YOU KNOW, THE T32 WILL COVER,
MAYBE THE OVER THE CAP, THE
DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE TO PAY.
SOMETIMES WE GET FUNDING FROM
PHYSICIANS OR SOCIETIES TO COVER
THAT OVER THE CAP, COVER
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES NOT COVERED.
>> THAT'S WHAT I WAS REFERRING
TO WHEN THE PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES TALK ABOUT
SUPPLEMENTING.
>> YEAH.
>> PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING
TO MAKE SOMETHING PRACTICAL.
>> YEAH.
>> I THINK YOUR IDEA ABOUT
T32s LYNN CAN ADDRESS BETTER
BUT THAT'S THE CREATIVITY
NEEDED, TO EXPAND WHAT'S COVERED
UNDER TRAINING PROGRAMS,
ESPECIALLY FOR
CLINICIAN-SCIENTISTS, TO BRIDGE
THESE GAPS THAT EXIST.
AND I THINK THAT THE PROGRAMS
ARE SET UP VERY WELL, THEY ARE
DESIGNED FOR BASIC SCIENTISTS,
AND I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE
THIS CREATIVE REASSESSMENT FOR
CLINICIAN-SCIENTISTS.
>> YEAH, AND JUST TO MAKE IT
CLEAR, THE T32 WE HAVE HERE,
MANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN
MEDICAL SCHOOL, SUPPORTING BOTH
CLINICAL AND BASIC RESEARCH.
JUST RESEARCH IN GENERAL.
IT CAN BE ALLOCATED, IN A
CLINICAL LAB OR IN A BASIC
RESEARCH.
THE OTHER THING WE ACTUALLY HAD
TO DO TO INCENTIVATE THIS, THEY
WILL HAVE RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIP
AND HAVE TO SPEND TWO YEARS ON
T32, THAN TO GO INTO CLINICAL
PRACTICE AND MAKE MORE MONEY,
MONEY THEY WILL BE MAKING, BUT
HAS TO BE IN CHARGE OF PAY AND
LIKE A GAP IN THAT SETTING,
RIGHT?
BECAUSE WE CAN PAY WITH T32 NOT
AT THAT LEVEL, THE SALARY THEY
WILL BE MAKING AS CLINICIANS
100%.
WE ALSO GIVE MONEY FROM
SOCIETIES, WHATEVER IT IS, WE
USE THAT TO PAY THAT MONEY, THAT
GAP TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT --
>> IT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT UP.
>> ANY OTHER COMMENTS?
>> I REALLY AM EXCITED ABOUT
BRINGING ESPECIALLY SPECIALTY
ORGANIZATIONS TO THE TABLE ON
THIS.
THERE IS RIGHT NOW A RIFT IN THE
WAY WE TRAIN BOTH DDSs, THAT
SEEK A Ph.D., WHICH I THINK IS
A BETTER WAY TO BECOME A
CLINICIAN-SCIENTIST, ABSOLUTELY
FINISH THEIR DDS, BUT COMBINING
WITH A SPECIALTY.
THEN THE SPECIALTY SAYS ON ONE
HAND YOU HAVE TO BE COMMITTED
100%.
Ph.D. SIDE, NIH SIDE, YOU CAN
DO RESEARCH LESS THAN 80%, AGAIN
SPECIALTY DOESN'T LIKE TRAINING
TO BE SPLIT UP, AND I THINK IT'S
POSSIBLE SPLIT UP THAT LEVEL
CLINICAL TRAINING BUT THAT
DOESN'T SEEM TO SIT WELL AND
WE'VE HAD MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE
MENTORS OF THESE TRAINEES WRITE
TO US, CONCERNED ABOUT THIS.
AND UNLESS WE GET THEM TO THE
TABLE, ORTHODONTIC FOUNDATION,
PERIO, AND ALL THESE OTHERS,
THAT'S A GREAT DIRECTION, NOT
CREATING A NEW OFFICE THAT WILL
COST MONEY, DANA.
>> I THINK THE KEY POINT THOUGH
IS THEY NEED A GO-TO PERSON.
NOW, WHEN I SAY THE WORD
"OFFICE," IT CAN BE A ONE-PERSON
OFFICE.
I'M NOT THINKING A HUGE
CARIBBEAN PARTY BOAT THAT YOU
MAY BE THINKING OF, BUT I'M
THINKING OF A LONE INDIVIDUAL.
BUT THEY NEED THAT POINT PERSON,
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET ON
THE PHONE.
THE OTHER THING I THINK THAT'S
IMPORTANT, ALSO EXPANDING UPON
WHAT YOU JUST SAID, PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES WOULD LIKE NIDCR TO
COME TO THEM AND DISCUSS WITH
MEMBERS WHAT CHANGES DOES THEIR
PROFESSION NEED TO MAKE.
THEY EXPRESS A WILLINGNESS TO
CHANGE, BUT THEY NEED TO KNOW
HOW TO CHANGE.
THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO.
>> EXACTLY.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT
THAT IS, DANA, BECAUSE UNTIL
YOU -- AS A HANDS-ON CLINICIAN,
BEAR ON THE FRONT LINES, HAVE
CHAMPIONS, CLINICAL SERVICE, YOU
DO KNOW BETTER THAN ME, HOW
SILOED THESE DIVISIONS ARE IN
DENTAL SCHOOLS.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS
ABOUT DENTISTRY THAT WANTS TO
KEEP RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
AWAY, AT ARMS LENGTH, WHEN EVERY
SPECIALTY'S PRESENCE IS
THREATENED IN ACADEMIA RIGHT
NOW.
>> THE OTHER THING I HEAR, THE
FIRST WORDS ARE STUDENT DEBT,
WHICH REALLY CREATES, YOU KNOW,
A MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB BECAUSE THEY
ARE COMING OUT WITH THREE OR
FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN
DEBT, BUT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A
JOB THAT THEY CAN PAY THAT MONEY
BACK.
THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH GRANTS
AND STUFF, $20,000 A YEAR IS NOT
GOING TO PAY THAT OFF QUICKLY.
AND SO THAT'S A BARRIER.
IF THERE ARE WAYS, INNOVATIVE
WAYS, CREATIVE WAYS TO HELP WITH
THAT DEBT, I THINK THAT WOULD
HELP.
>> IS THAT SOMETHING NIDCR COULD
TAKE ON?
WE DON'T HAVE THE SCOPE OR
CHARGE.
WE OFFER LOAN REPAYMENT UP TO
THE TUNE OF $70,000 A YEAR OR
75?
>> FIFTY.
>> FOR THREE YEARS, AND
RENEWABLE.
THAT CAN BE SIZEABLE FOR SIX
YEARS.
>> YEAH.
>> BUT WHERE IS THE
RESPONSIBILITY FACTOR COMING
FORTH FROM OUR CLINICAL
COLLEAGUES?
AND I'M A DENTIST, I CAN SAY MY
COLLEAGUES.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT RIGHT
NOW.
>> LET'S MOVE ON.
JACQUES HAD A HAND UP, AMY, AND
WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE ON.
>> SO DANA, I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU
BROUGHT UP THE MIND THE FUTURE
PROGRAM, A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN NIDCR AND AODCR.
IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL, AND SO MY POINT HERE
IS TO RECOGNIZE THIS EFFORT AND
SAY HOW PROUD WE ARE TO BE PART
OF IT, BUT ALSO TO THINK ABOUT
IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY OF
EXPANDING THIS TYPE OF
PARTNERSHIP TO OTHER SPECIALTY
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES, AND
PERHAPS STIMULATE A SPECIALTY
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY TO WORK
TOGETHER WITH NIDCR ON
DEVELOPING THE NEW GENERATION OF
DENTIST-SCIENTIST OR
ACADEMICIANS IN THAT AREA.
SO IT'S PERHAPS A SUGGESTION TO
THINK ABOUT.
>> SEVERAL OF THE SOCIETIES SAID
THEY WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP A
PROGRAM TAILORED TO THEIR
SPECIALTY.
I THINK THAT'S A NATURAL FIT,
THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
>> AMY?
>> I WAS -- YOU DID AN AMAZING
JOB LAYING OUT HOW UNBELIEVABLY
COMPLICATED IT IS TO GET
EVERYTHING RIGHT.
I WAS JUST GOING TO SHARE THAT
MY DEGREE IS IN CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGY, AND THE WAY THOSE
TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE STRUCTURED
IS A CO-MINGLING OF THE CLINICAL
WORK YOU WANT TO SPECIALIZE IN
WITH THE RESEARCH TRAINING, SO
IF THE -- IF WE GET TO THE POINT
SPECIALTY TRAINING AND Ph.D.
PROGRAMS CAN BE COMBINED, IT
MIGHT BE WORTH SOME
CONVERSATIONS WITH CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETIES, JUST TO
UNDERSTAND HOW THE STRUCTURES
WORK AND INCENTIVES WORK TO MAKE
THOSE THINGS VIABLE.
>> I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD
POINT.
TO EXPAND UPON WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING, THERE'S A DOCTORATE OF
SCIENCE PROGRAM AT UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA, AND I'M THE
DIRECTOR OF THAT PROGRAM, AND WE
TAILOR NOT ONLY -- NOT ONLY DO
WE TAILOR TO COMBINE THIS, THE
SPECIALTY, BUT EVERY SPECIALTY
HAS A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE.
SO, SOME SPECIALTIES DO ALL THE
CLINICAL TRAINING FIRST AND
DOCTOR OF SCIENCE RESEARCH
AFTERWARDS, SOME COMMINGLE IT.
SO IT STARTS OUT 20% CLINICAL,
ENDS UP -- I MEAN 20% RESEARCH,
ENDS UP 80%, EVERY YEAR IT
CHANGES.
HAVING PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY TO
MEET THE NEEDS OF A PARTICULAR
SPECIALTY IS ANOTHER FACTOR, AND
GOING TO OTHER DISCIPLINES AND
FINDING OUT HOW THEY DO IT I
THINK IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT
COMPONENT OF IT.
>> THANK YOU.
IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
E-MAIL US LATER ON AT THE E-MAIL
ADDRESS OR MYSELF DIRECTLY.
AND I'D LIKE TO MOVE ON NOW TO
THE DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY
WORKING GROUP REPORT PROVIDED BY
DR. VISEL.
>> I HOPE YOU CAN SEE MY SCREEN
NOW.
>> YES, WE CAN.
>> OKAY.
SO, LET'S GET STARTED.
FIRST OF ALL, GOOD MORNING OR
GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.
IT'S MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT HERE
THE FINAL REPORT FROM THE NIDCR
DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY WORKING
GROUP.
AND I WAS QUITE PLEASED
THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO FAR TO SEE
MANY OF THE TOPICS THAT WERE
MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO
FAR, SUCH AS THE BROADER NIDCR
STRATEGY, NEED TO ADDRESS HEALTH
DISPARITIES, OPPORTUNITIES FROM
INTEGRATING DENTAL AND/ AND
ORTHO, ALL REFLECTED IN THE WORK
OF OUR WORKING GROUP AND I WILL
COME BACK TO MANY OF THESE
THROUGHOUT.
SO, SO ALONG WITH THIS
PRESENTATION THERE'S THIS
WRITTEN REPORT.
SO WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN QUITE
BUSY.
OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS WE'VE
PREPARED THIS WRITTEN REPORT,
IT'S PRETTY DETAILED, ALMOST 50
PAGES LONG.
AND FINAL DRAFT HAS BEEN
PROVIDED TO COUNCIL AND TO NIDCR
LEADERSHIP FOR COMMENTS, AND
THEN ONCE THOSE ARE RECEIVED
THIS WILL BE PUBLICLY POSTED.
WHAT I'LL DO OVER THE NEXT 40
MINUTES OR SO IS PROVIDE AN
OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENT OF THIS
REPORT, IN THE REPORT ITSELF WE
HAVE STRUCTURED LIKE THIS, WE
HAVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, WE
PROVIDED BACKGROUND, WHY THIS
REPORT AND WHY DATA SCIENCE
STRATEGY IS NEEDED.
WE PROVIDE GENERAL CONSIDERATION
ABOUT THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF
DATA SHARING IN GENERAL, AND
THEN MORE SPECIFICALLY WE FOCUS
ON THE DOC DATA LANDSCAPE, DOC
DATA ECO-SYSTEMS, SO THIS IS
MORE ANALYSIS OF WHAT WE HAVE IN
HAND.
AND THEN IN PERHAPS TWO MOST
IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE REPORT
POINT OUT DATA SCIENCE-RELATED
OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE SPECIFIC
TO NIDCR WHERE WE SEE THE
BIGGEST POTENTIAL FOR DATA
SCIENCE AND FINALLY WE MAKE A
SET OF SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS
BY THE WORKING GROUP THAT NIDCR
CAN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, FOR
DEVELOPING MORE EXPLICIT DATA
SCIENCE STRATEGY.
SO, IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT THIS
REPORT IS ABOUT IS SO IT STARTED
WITH THE BROADER NIH-WIDE DATA
SCIENCE STRATEGY.
SO NIH HAS NOW FOR A LONG TIME
RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF
DATA SCIENCE AND POTENTIAL FOR
DATA SCIENCE TRANSFORMED
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.
RELATED TO THIS NIDCR RECOGNIZES
THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA SCIENCE
FOR DOC RESEARCH, AT THE SAME
TIME THERE'S A GENERAL NIDCR
STRATEGIC PLAN BUT NO EXPLICIT
DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY FOR NIDCR.
THE WORKING GROUP THAT I'M
PRESENTING FOR TODAY WAS
ASSEMBLED IN SEPTEMBER 2022, SO
FOR THE NEXT 15 MONTHS WORKED ON
DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THIS CONSISTED OF
INFORMATION GATHERING PHASE
WHERE WE INVESTIGATED THE
CURRENT DATA ECOSYSTEM.
WE DID EFFORTS TO COLLECT
ADDITIONAL INPUTS FROM THE
LARGER COMMUNITY, LISTENING
SESSIONS AND REQUEST FOR
INFORMATION, COMPILED LISTS,
DATA TYPES, STANDARDS.
AND THEN WE SYNTHESIZED GENERAL
FINDINGS, PERHAPS THE MOST
NOTABLE ONES THAT WE OBSERVED,
COMPLEXITY AND HETEROGENEITY OF
THE DOC DATA AS IT CURRENTLY
EXISTS WHICH RESULTS IN VARIOUS
CHALLENGES, FOR EXAMPLE WITH THE
IDEA OF FAIR COMPLIANCE, MAKING
DATA FINDABLE, ACCESSIBLE,
INTRAOPERABLE, REUSABLE.
THEN IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES
THERE WERE FOUR MAJOR AREAS
WHERE WE IDENTIFIED AND OUTLINED
SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE
BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT TO NIDCR
AND DOC RESEARCH SPACE, THESE
RELATE TO OPPORTUNITIES IN
HEALTH DISPARITIES AND
ADDRESSING THEM, RELATED TO
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND
MACHINE LEARNING, AND MAKING
SURE THAT DOC DATA IS READY FOR
APPLICATIONS OF A.I. AND M.L.,
CONVERTING DATA TO APPLICATIONS,
AND HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THIS
DIVERSITY OF DATA SO THAT
THERE'S THIS COMPLEXITY OF
HETEROGENEITY WITH CHALLENGES
BUT WE BELIEVE THERE ARE
OPPORTUNITIES SPECIFICALLY
RELATED TO THIS.
FINALLY IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS,
WE HAVE FIVE BIG AREAS WHERE WE
MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE FIRST ONE IS TO CREATE
INFRASTRUCTURE, TAILORED FOR DOC
RESEARCH.
THEN IN THIS INFRASTRUCTURE,
MODERNIZE EXISTING AND CREATE
NEW DOC-SPECIFIC DATA
ECOSYSTEMS.
THIRD ONE RELATES TO DEVELOPMENT
OF TOOLS FOR THINGS SUCH AS
MANAGEMENT OF DATA, ANALYSIS OF
DATA AND VISUALIZATION.
FOURTH REALLY IMPORTANT ONE IS
RELATED TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
AND INCLUSIVE TRAINING
SPECIFICALLY AIMED AT ENHANCING
DATA SCIENCE WITHIN DOC
RESEARCH.
LAST IS THE ROLE NIDCR COULD AND
PROBABLY SHOULD PLAY IN TERMS OF
STEWARDSHIP FOR DATA AND
SUSTAINABLE DATA POLICIES.
SO, I'LL TALK ABOUT ALL OF THIS
IN MORE DETAIL IN THE REST OF
THE PRESENTATION.
THIS IS JUST TO GIVE A HEADS UP.
SO, WE HAVE SEEN THIS REPORT A
FEW TIMES TODAY SO FAR, AND
WE'VE SEEN STRATEGIC PRIORITIES.
THIS CAME OUT TWO YEARS AGO,
ALMOST THREE YEARS AGO AT THIS
POINT, AND FIVE STRATEGIC
PRIORITIES DRIVE NIDCR IN THE
YEARS AHEAD.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOTIVATIONS,
THAT DATA SCIENCE IS CRITICAL
FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN ALL OF
THESE FIVE NIDCR STRATEGIC
PRIORITIES.
WHAT I DID IS PULL OUT SOME
BULLETS YOU CAN FIND IN THIS
REPORT, THAT RELY HEAVILY ON
IMPROVED DATA SCIENCE APPROACHES
AND SYSTEMS.
SO, DATA SCIENCE IMPLICITLY IS
REFERENCED THROUGH THIS REPORT,
AT THE SAME TIME IT IS NOT QUITE
CLEAR HOW WE WOULD GET THERE,
BECAUSE THERE IS NO EXPLICIT
DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY FOR NIDCR.
AND WITH THIS IN MIND, RENA IN
2022 IN ANTICIPATION PERHAPS OF
WHAT WE HEARD ABOUT TODAY IN THE
SLIDE FROM THE NIH DIRECTOR
CONVENED THIS WORKING GROUP.
SO THE IDEA WAS TO PUT TOGETHER
A DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY WORKING
GROUP THAT WOULD ADVISE COUNCIL
AND NIDCR FOR DEVELOPING A -- SO
PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
PROVIDING A WELL-INFORMED AND
WELL-REASONED NIDCR DATA SCIENCE
STRATEGY THAT MAKES SURE THAT
FORWARD-LOOKING MANNER NIDCR CAN
REALIZE FULL POTENTIAL OF DATA
SCIENCE ACROSS THE ENTIRE
SPECTRUM OF NIDCR'S MISSION.
IMPORTANTLY, OUR TASK WAS NOT TO
DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO
PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAN
DRIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH A
STRATEGY.
THIS SLIDE YOU SEE THE MEMBERS
OF THE WORKING GROUP.
AND I REALLY WANT TO SAY THAT WE
HAD A BRILLIANT SET OF PEOPLE
FROM ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.
YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE LEFT
THESE ARE -- THIS IS THE
OFFICIAL ROSTER OF THE WORKING
GROUP.
AND LOOKING YOU CAN SEE THEY
COVERED A WIDE SPECTRUM OF
EXPERTISE, LOOKING AT
ORGANIZATIONS WE HAVE
UNIVERSITIES AS WELL AS
ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES IN
THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO REALLY
HAVE A BROAD REPRESENTATION.
WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF NIDCR
STAFF WHO WERE NOT TECHNICALLY
PART OF THE WORKING GROUP BUT
WHO PARTICIPATED IN MANY OF OUR
SESSIONS.
AND PROVIDED NIDCR PERSPECTIVE
AND SUPPORT FOR MANY OF THE
ASPECTS OF THE WORK, OF OUR
GROUP.
ALSO I WANT TO CALL OUT CHRIS
WILLIAMS, CRITICAL IN HELPING US
ORGANIZING OUR LISTENING
SESSIONS FOR COMMUNITY.
I WANT TO SAY THANKS TO ALL THE
PEOPLE SHOWN HERE ON THE SLIDE
REALLY CRITICAL IN DEVELOPING
CONTENT OF OUR REPORT AND FOR
EVERYTHING THAT I'M GOING TO
SHOW IN THE REMAINDER OF THE
PRESENTATION.
WHEN WE THOUGHT WHO SHOULD BE ON
THE WORKING GROUP ONE IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION WAS WE WANTED TO
COVER THE ENTIRE CONSTELLATION
OF CONTINUUM, KEY LEVELS FROM T0
TO TRANSLATION TO HUMAN, TO
PRACTICE, INTO COMMUNITIES.
AND YOU SEE HERE ARE 12 WORKING
GROUP MEMBERS WITH THEIR
RESPECTIVE AREAS OF EXPERTISE
INDICATED.
YOU CAN SEE WITHIN THE WORKING
GROUP THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNT OF EXPERTISE ACROSS THE
SPECTRUM.
SO, WHEN WE STARTED OUT WITH
THIS WORKING GROUP, OUR FIRST
THOUGHT WAS AS A STARTING POINT
LET'S ASSESS STATUS QUO, TRY TO
UNDERSTAND CURRENT DATA
ECOSYSTEM AND GENERAL LANDSCAPE
OF DOC DATA SCIENCE LOOKS LIKE.
SO, WE THOUGHT LET'S HAVE A LOOK
AT ALL THE SYSTEMS AND DATA
TYPES THAT PEOPLE USE, WE
STARTED TO COMPILE LISTS AND
STARTED TO THINK HOW THINGS
RELATE, AND VERY QUICKLY WE
REALIZED THIS WAS MUCH MORE
COMPLEX THAN ANY OF US HAD
ANTICIPATED.
DOZENS OF DATA SYSTEMS, DATA
TYPES, DATA USE CASES.
I USE HERE GENERATIVE A.I.,
THINKING TO THE GENERAL TOPIC,
TO VISUALIZE WHAT THE WORKING
GROUP FELT LIKE AS WE WENT
THROUGH THE SYSTEM, WE HAD
DOZENS OF THINGS, PROBABLY STILL
DIDN'T CAPTURE ALL OF IT.
WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED TO GET
ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY INPUT.
SO, WE PERFORMED SOME
INFORMATION GATHERING EXERCISE
AND USED TWO PRIMARY MECHANISMS,
FIRST CONDUCTED LISTENING
SESSIONS TO REACH OUT TO
COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DOC
RESEARCH SPACE, MANY OF THESE
ARE ACTUALLY PREVIOUS GRANTEES,
PROVIDE THESE PEOPLE 10 TO 20
PER SESSION, AND THEN PRESENT
QUESTIONS TO GET INPUT.
RELATED TO THESE LISTENING
SESSIONS I CALL OUT CRIS AND
ALICIA CHOU, GETTING ORGANIZED,
LOGISTICS, HELPING US DIGEST
INPUTS IN A MANNER LIKE
COMPILING A WAY THE WORKING
GROUP COULD USING FOR DEVELOPING
OBSERVATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS,
OTHER WAS REQUEST OF
INFORMATION.
THIS USED SOME SAME QUESTIONS IN
THE LISTENING SESSIONS BUT
BROUGHT THESE TO A BROADER
COMMUNITY SO ANYONE COULD SUBMIT
COMMENTS, RELEASED ALSO IN THE
SUMMER.
AND SUPPORT FOR THE PROCESS OF
RELEASING, IN ORGANIZING THE
LARGE AMOUNT OF INPUT.
TO GIVE A SENSE OF THE KIND OF
QUESTIONS THAT WORKING GROUP
WANTED INPUT ON, WE ASKED PEOPLE
WHO GENERATE DATA WHAT KINDS OF
DATA THEY GENERATE, HOW THEY
CURRENTLY STORE DATA.
WE ALSO HAVE PEOPLE PRIMARILY
DATA USERS AND REANALYZE DATA
PRODUCED BY OTHERS.
THESE PEOPLE WE ASKED WHAT KIND
OF DATA DO THEY USE, AND WHERE
DO THEY GET THIS DATA, WHAT ARE
THE SOURCES?
FOR PEOPLE WHO PRODUCE DATA AND
SHARE IT, WE ASKED HOW OFTEN
THEY SHARE, WHAT MECHANISMS THEY
USE.
FOR PEOPLE WHO GENERATE DATA BUT
DON'T CURRENTLY SHARE IT WE
WANTED TO KNOW WHAT BARRIERS TO
DATA SHARING THEY CURRENTLY
EXPERIENCE.
WE ASKED ABOUT DATA STANDARDS.
THIS IS OF COURSE REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR MAKING DATA FOR
INTEGRATIVE STUDIES, WE ASKED
WHAT KIND OF DATA STANDARDS THEY
USE, COMMON DATA ELEMENTS WE
HEARD ABOUT EARLIER TODAY,
ONTOLOGY, IF SO WHICH ARE
IMPORTANT, AND WANTED TO KNOW IF
THERE ARE ANY GAPS IN THE
CURRENT SYSTEM OF STANDARDS THAT
EXIST, DO PEOPLE PRODUCE DATA
WHERE THERE ARE NO CURRENT
APPLICABLE DATA STANDARDS TODAY.
FINALLY WE ASKED EVERYBODY
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS, SO
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE
DOC DATA ECOSYSTEM WHAT THEY
FEEL IS IMPORTANT, TOP
PRIORITIES RELEVANT TO THEIR
WORK.
WHAT I'M SHOWING ARE QUESTIONS
WE ASKED IN THE LISTENING
SESSIONS, IN THE RFI ASKED A
SIMILAR SET OF QUESTIONS,
OVERLAPPING AND A FEW MORE
COMPREHENSIVE VIEW WILL BE IN
THE WRITTEN REPORT.
WHAT KIND OF INPUT?
SO THIS CONFIRMED, AND
REINFORCED, OUR EARLY
OBSERVATIONS.
WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT DATA TYPES,
WE GET AN ENORMOUS NUMBER.
THIS IS JUST -- PEOPLE REPORTED
OVER 65 DATA TYPES.
WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSELY, SOME OF
THESE ARE NOT ACTUALLY A SINGLE
DATA TYPE, A GROUP OF DATA TYPES
THAT HAVE DIFFERENT ACTUAL DATA
TYPES UNDERNEATH IT.
THIS IS JUST AN ABBREVIATED
ABBREVIATED VERSION.
FOR THE FULL LIST LOOK IN THE
REPORT, ORGANIZED BY DIFFERENT
KINDS OF CATEGORIES, TO HELP
WITH DIGESTING THIS INFORMATION.
THE SAME IS TRUE WHEN WE ASKED
ABOUT DATA SYSTEMS PEOPLE USE.
DATA SYSTEMS MEANING ANY TYPE OF
DATABASES, REPOSITORY, TOOLS AND
SO ON.
AGAIN, INPUTS WE GET FROM
COMMUNITY VASTLY EXPANDED THE
INITIAL LONG LIST WE GENERATED
FROM THE WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
ONWARD INITIALLY.
THERE WAS A TOTAL OF OVER 60
DATA SYSTEMS THAT WERE
IDENTIFIED.
I'M SHOWING LETTERS A-F, FULL
LIST IS AGAIN IN THE REPORT.
WHAT I WANT TO POINT OUT HERE IS
TURNS OUT THAT TIMES OF DATA
SYSTEMS THAT DOC RESEARCHERS
CURRENTLY USE ARE A MIX OF
SYSTEMS THAT ARE VERY EXPLICITLY
CREATED BY AND FOR DOC RESEARCH.
FOR EXAMPLE, DENTAL DATABASES OR
FACEBASE AS A MAJOR MOSTLY BASIC
RESEARCH FOCUSED REPOSITORY.
BUT THEN THERE ARE ALSO MANY
OTHER TYPES OF SYSTEMS THAT ARE
MORE GENERAL HEALTH RELATED OR
IN SOME CASES NOT HEALTH RELATED
AT ALL.
THESE WERE NOT BUILT FOR
CLASSIFICATION, FOR EXAMPLE,
GENERAL CENSUS DATA WHICH WOULD
BE IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INPUT FOR
TAKING A HOLISTIC APPROACH FOR
ANALYSIS OF HEALTH DISPARITIES,
SO BROAD SPECTRUM OF DATA
SYSTEMS.
WE GET A LOT OF SPECIFIC
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS FROM
THE COMMUNITY.
I PUT OUT THIS HANDFUL HERE.
WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS
REGARDING DATA SHARING, SIZE AND
COMPLEXITY OF DATA CAN MAKE
SHARING A CHALLENGE.
PEOPLE TOLD US ABOUT CONCERNS
RELATED TO PERSISTENCE OF
REPOSITORIES, CONCERNED ABOUT
WHEN I PUT EFFORT INTO
DEPOSITING MY DATA WITH
REPOSITORIES WOULD BE THERE TEN
YEARS FROM NOW.
WE HEARD ABOUT LACK OF DATA
STANDARDS FOR CERTAIN DATA
TYPES.
AND WE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT
ALIGNING NEW OR EXISTING DOC
DATA REPOSITORIES WITH THE LARGE
NIH-WIDE DATA ECOSYSTEM.
WE'RE OF COURSE WELL AWARE OTHER
NIH INSTITUTES HAVE A LOT OF
ACTIVITY SIMILAR TO NIDCR IN THE
SPACE OF DATA SCIENCE, HOW DO WE
MAKE SURE (INDISCERNIBLE).
WORKING GROUP LOOKED AT THESE
COMMENTS CAREFULLY TO SYNTHESIZE
THESE INTO COMMON THEMES AND
DEVELOP OUR RECOMMENDATIONS I
WILL SHOW YOU LATER ON.
A FEW GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
RELATED TO THE EXISTING DOC DATA
ECOSYSTEM THAT INDICATE OUT.
THE FIRST ONE IS COMPLEXITY AND
HETEROGENEITY.
I TALKED ABOUT THIS, MANY
DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPOSITORY
THE.
ONE ASPECT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DOC
RESEARCH COMMUNITY, THIS IS OF
COURSE NOT ONE COMMUNITY BUT
MULTIPLE USER COMMUNITIES, AND
THESE USER COMMUNITIES IN
BROADER VIEWS USE DIFFERENT
REPOSITORIES, DIFFERENT DATA
SOURCES, DIFFERENT KINDS OF USE
CASE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN
MIND.
THEN SETTING BOUNDARIES, TALKING
ABOUT THE MIX WE SAW IN THE
TYPES OF REPOSITORIES PEOPLE
USE, THIS CORE OF THESE
EXPLICITLY DOC-FOCUSED DATA
SYSTEMS THAT A LARGER NUMBER OF
SYSTEMS THAT WERE NOT EXPLICITLY
BUILT FOR DOC RESEARCH BUT THAT
CONTAIN RESEARCH THAT IS
RELEVANT FOR DOC -- FOR DATA
RELEVANT FOR DOC RESEARCHERS,
SOME OF THESE HEAVILY USED BY
DOC RESEARCHERS BUT NOT PER SE
YOU SEE FOCUSED DATA.
THE THIRD IS LACK OF
CONNECTIVITY.
SO THIS IS A PARTICULAR CASE
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN DOC FOCUS WITH GENERAL
ASSISTANCE, NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS
TO BE CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING
ELSE BUT THERE ARE CLEARLY SOME
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES WHERE
EXISTING CONNECTIONS ARE
INEFFICIENT TO DO, FOR EXAMPLE,
INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANY
KIND.
THEN WE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT
RESOURCES AND SUPPORTING
MECHANISMS, THERE ARE VARIOUS
TYPES OF SYSTEMS OUT THERE THAT
ARE CURRENTLY BEING SUPPORTED
BUT ONE COMMENT THAT OCCURRED
MULTIPLE TIMES MANY ARE
SUPPORTED THROUGH MECHANISMS
THAT ARE NOT WELL ALIGNED WITH
SUSTAINABILITY.
THERE ARE MANY DATA SCIENCE
EFFORTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED
THROUGH RESEARCH GRANT TYPES OF
SUPPORT, AND THIS RAISES
QUESTIONS FOR THE
SUSTAINABILITY, LONGEVITY OF
DATA AND RESOURCES THAT ARE
BEING BUILT.
AND THEN FINALLY, THIS IS
ESSENTIALLY A COMBINATION OF
SOME OTHER FACTORS, FOR FAIR
COMPLIANCE, MOST PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY AT THIS POINT ARE
DEDICATED TO THE IDEA OF FAIR,
MAKING DATA FINDABLE,
ACCESSIBLE, INTRAOPERABLE AND
REUSABLE BUT SOME FACTORS CAN
CREATE HURDLES.
SO, LET ME TALK SOME MORE ABOUT
OPPORTUNITIES IN DATA SCIENCE.
SO OBVIOUSLY, DATA SCIENCE HAS
FORMATIVE POTENTIAL IN
BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH IN GENERAL.
WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE DOC SPACE
IN PARTICULAR.
WHAT ARE AREAS WHERE WE SEE
POTENTIAL BIGGEST IMPACT FOR
DATA SCIENCE BASED APPROACHES IN
ADVANCING NIDCR MISSION.
AND FOUR BIG AREAS WE IDENTIFIED
HERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES IN
ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES,
MITIGATING THEM, UNDERSTANDING
THE CAUSES.
THE SECOND RELATES TO ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE
LEARNING.
MAKING SURE THAT DOC RESEARCHERS
LEVERAGE NEW TOOLS, RELATED TO
THAT MAKE SURE A DOC DATA AND
NEW DOC DATA SCIENCE EFFORTS ARE
COMPATIBLE AND REALLY FACILITATE
THE READINESS OF THE DATA THAT
WE PUT IN THERE FOR ANALYSIS,
USING THESE INNOVATIVE
APPROACHES.
THIRD RELATES TO USING DATA
SCIENCE TO ACCELERATE
APPLICATIONS, RIGHT?
AND WE HEARD IN RENA'S
PRESENTATION EARLIER THIS
ACRONYM, DDS, IN THAT CASE
STANDS FOR DATA-DRIVEN
SOLUTIONS, SO THIS RELATES TO
THAT, APPLICATIONS FOR DATA
SCIENCE CAN HELP DEVELOP
APPLICATIONS IN DOC SPACE.
FINALLY DATA DIVERSITY.
IT IS A CHALLENGE, BUT MORE
OPPORTUNITIES ARISE FROM THAT.
THE FIRST IS ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES.
WE HEARD IN THIS COUNCIL, IN
EVERY SINGLE LAST COUNCIL
SESSION, ABOUT THIS BEING A TOP
PRIORITY FOR NIDCR, AND FOR NIH
IN GENERAL.
WE THINK THERE ARE MULTIPLE
AREAS IN THE DOC RESEARCH SPACE
DATA SCIENCES THAT MAJOR
OPPORTUNITIES.
FIVE BIG AREAS WE WANT TO CALL
OUT ARE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL
DETERMINANTS INTO POPULATION
HEALTH STUDIES, AND POPULATION
ORAL HEALTH STUDIES.
DEVELOPMENT OF BETTER METHODS
FOR ANALYZING THIS TYPE OF
POPULATION DATA TO BOTH
UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES OF ORAL
HEALTH DISPARITIES BUT ALSO TO
DEVELOP AND PREDICT OUTCOMES OF
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, POSSIBLE
IMPLICATIONS OF POLICY CHANGES
OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARISE FROM
COMBINING DATA ECOSYSTEMS,
INCREASING INTEROPERABILITY IN
THE DOC SPACE BUT IMPORTANTLY
BEYOND THE DOC SPACE.
THIS DIRECTLY RELATES TO SOCIAL
DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.
THEN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS
AGAIN A TOPIC THAT IS HIGH ON
THE NIDCR PRIORITY LIST.
WE JUST HEARD FROM THE OTHER
WORKING GROUP THAT IS
SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THIS.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE IN THE
AREA OF DATA SCIENCE AND IN
PARTICULAR IN THIS AREA OF DATA
SCIENCE FOR POPULATION HEALTH
RESEARCH, MAJOR GAPS RIGHT NOW
THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED.
AND FIFTH SET OF OPPORTUNITIES
RELATES TO MONITORING OF A.I.
APPLICATIONS.
MORE DETAIL, FIRST IS
INTEGRATION OF DETERMINANTS.
YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS EARLIER
TODAY.
YOU KNOW, SO THERE ARE MULTIPLE
LAYERS OF ISSUES HERE.
SO, ONE IS THAT WE OF COURSE
KNOW THAT IN THE EXISTING DATA
THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, RIGHT
NOW, THERE ARE CLEARLY BIASES,
IN THE ESSENTIAL THAT
DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS TEND
TO BE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE
EXISTING DATA.
WE HEARD ABOUT THE "ALL OF US"
PROJECT AS AN EFFORT THAT WILL
COLLECT MORE REPRESENTATIVE DATA
BUT THERE'S A LARGE AMOUNT OF
PREEXISTING DATA THAT IS
PRINCIPALLY USEFUL FOR THESE
TYPES OF STUDIES BUT MAY CONTAIN
MAJOR BIAS.
WE ALSO HEARD ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATION OF
OTHER TYPES OF DATA, SOCIAL
DETERMINANTS, ALSO HEARD ABOUT
GEOSPATIAL DATA AND OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL DATA IN THE
PRESENTATION BY RICK I WOULD
CHECK EARLIER TODAY, SOMETHING
THAT SEEMS IMPORTANT THAT WE
LEVERAGE DATA SCIENCE TO REALLY
GO FROM STUDIES THAT LOOK AT
JUST ONE SINGLE FACTOR AT A
TIME, AND TAKE A HOLISTIC VIEW
INTEGRATING THE PROCESS AND
SOCIAL TIMES OF DATASETS WITH
HEALTH DATA.
WHAT WE NEED FOR THAT TWO
THINGS, FIRST IS THE
METHODOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT.
WE NEED BETTER METHODS TO REALLY
ADDRESS SUCH COMPLEX DATASETS.
UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT THE EXACT
CAUSES OF ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES EVEN ARE, AND THEN
USING THIS TO DEVELOP SOLUTIONS
THAT CAN BE USED TO MITIGATE.
THE OTHER THING NEEDED IS
MERGING DOC DATA WITH BROADER
DATA, AND THIS REQUIRES SOME OF
THESE NEW CONNECTIONS THAT I
TALKED ABOUT IN THE EARLIER
SLIDE THAT WE FEET ARE STILL
MISSING IN MANY CASES.
IF DONE RIGHT, THIS WILL ENABLE
ADVANCED METHODS FOR ANALYSIS
AND DEVELOPING BETTER HEALTH
POLICY TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT, AND THERE ARE TWO
ASPECTS.
ONE IS OF COURSE DIVERSIFICATION
OF THE WORKFORCE, I DON'T THINK
I NEED TO CONVINCE ANYONE HERE
WE NEED A MORE DIVERSE WORKFORCE
IF WE WANT TO ADDRESS UNDERLYING
CAUSES OF CURRENT HEALTH
DISPARITIES.
BUT THEN ALSO SPECIFICALLY WITH
RESPECT TO DATA SCIENCE, WE FEEL
THERE IS A NEED FOR BETTER
TRAINING, SPECIFICALLY FOR
RESEARCHERS, SPECIALIZING IN
APPLICATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE TO
DOC POPULATION RESEARCH, THERE'S
AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A
PIPELINE OF RESEARCHERS THAT
HAVE EXPERTISE, INTERESTS, AND
TRAINING IN DOING THIS WORK, BUT
THIS PIPELINE CURRENTLY DOESN'T
EXIST.
AND FINALLY I WILL TALK ABOUT
A.I. MORE IN A MOMENT AS A WHOLE
SET, BUT SPECIFICALLY WITH
RESPECT TO ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITIES, SOMETHING THAT CAME
UP AS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION
IS THE ISSUE OF ETHICAL A.I. USE
AND A.I. MONITORING.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN
OBSERVED NOT JUST IN THE
BIOMEDICAL SPACE, LARGE
COMPANIES THAT DO.
A I SPEND EFFORT MAKING SURE
A.I. IS BEHAVING ETHICAL,
SOMETHING WELL UNDERSTOOD IS
THAT MANY OF THESE APPROACHES
ESSENTIALLY REFLECT THE DATA
THAT YOU FEED THEM.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT WITH MANY
TYPES OF DATASETS, MIGHT BE DATA
THAT YOU FIND GENERALLY ON THE
INTERNET FOR GENERAL A.I.
ENGINE, OR IN THE BIOMEDICAL
SPACE WE HAVE BIAS AND SKEWED
DATA WE FEED INTO SYSTEMS THAT
SOME OF THESE PREEXISTING BIASES
MAY BE NOT JUST REFLECTED BUT
EVEN AMPLIFIED BY A.I. SYSTEMS
THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED ON BIASED
DATA.
SO, THIS ASPECT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT TO KIND IN MIND, THE
NEED TO BE ACTIVE IN EFFORTS TO
MAKE SURE ANY APPLICATIONS OF A.
I. IN THE DOC SPACE ARE
ADDRESSING THIS.
THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES HERE.
YOU CAN USE A.I. FOR EXAMPLE TO
ADDRESS SUCH SKEWS, BUT AS WE
DEVELOP APPLICATIONS WE NEED TO
TAKE THESE BIASES INTO
CONSIDERATION.
THIS WILL REQUIRE A LOT OF
EFFORT IN DEVELOPING SUCH
APPLICATIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE,
BUT IT WILL ALSO REQUIRE
CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF THESE
APPROACHES AS THEY ARE BEING
DEPLOYED AND FURTHER DEVELOPED,
AND THIS WILL BE PARTICULAR WILL
IMPORTANT IF ANY APPROACHES
GUIDE POLICY DECISIONS, ETHICAL
A.I. USE.
AND WITH THIS, I'LL SEGUE INTO
THE BROADER SECOND SET OF
OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED.
MORE GENERALLY A.I. ML AND
A.I./ML READINESS OF DOC DATA.
ON THIS SLIDE YOU SEE SUBSET OF
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS WE FEEL
AI/MACHINE LEARNING AND DEEP
LEARNING, NATURAL LANGUAGE
PROCESSING AND SO ON COULD HAVE
A MAJOR IMPACT IN ADVANCING DOC
RESEARCH.
THESE INCLUDE INTEGRATION ACROSS
MULTI-MODAL DATA TYPES, ANALYSIS
OF LARGE AND COMPLEX DATASETS,
GENETICS AND GENOMICS, TYPICALLY
DEALING WITH DATASETS THAT
CANNOT BE ANALYZED BY HUMANS.
AT LEAST NOT IN A REASONABLE
MANNER.
NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING HAS
COME A LONG WAY.
THIS CAN BE USED IN MANY WAYS.
IT CAN BE USED TO ACCELERATE
RESEARCH BY APPLYING FOR
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
LITERATURE BUT IN THE CLINICAL
SPACE CAN ALSO BE USED TO
ANALYZE PATIENT RECORDS, TO
TRANSFORM FREE TEXT ENTRIES, FOR
EXAMPLE, INTO STANDARDIZED
FORMAT TO FEED INTO MORE
AUTOMATED DATA SCIENCE
PROCESSES.
A.I. IS GOOD AT ANALYZING IMAGE
DATA, 2D AND 3D DATA FOR
DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS.
A.I. IS GOOD FOR INTEGRATING
ACROSS DATASETS, AND ONE
IMPORTANT APPLICATION FOR THIS I
TALKED ABOUT ALREADY,
INTEGRATING PUBLIC HEALTH DATA
WITH OTHER NON-MEDICAL TYPE OF
DATA.
DEMOGRAPHICS, SOCIOECONOMIC,
GEOGRAPHIC AND OTHER COMPLEX
DATA TYPES.
CAN BE USED FOR PREDICTIVE
MODELING.
I MENTION PREDICTIVE PATIENT
OUTCOMES, ALSO PREDICTIVE
MODELING OF POLICY DECISION.
DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED
TREATMENT PLANS, SO ASSISTING IN
CLINICAL CARE.
GENERATIVE A.I. IS IMPORTANT, SO
YOU CAN USE IT TO MAKE
NICE-LOOKING IMAGES BUT ALSO USE
IT, FOR EXAMPLE, TO OPTIMIZE
DEVICES, IMPLANTS, SCAFFOLDS, TO
GUIDE MATERIAL SELECTION.
IT CAN BE USED TO ANALYZE
PATIENT BEHAVIOR DATA IN REAL
TIME.
OR CAN BE USED FOR ENHANCED
TELEDENTISTRY.
THIS IS A LONG LIST, PROBABLY
THERE ARE QUITE A FEW MORE ONE
CAN THINK OF AND BECOME
IMPORTANT IN FUTURE YEARS.
WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND, THERE
IS A NUMBER OF REQUIREMENTS TO
KEEP IN MIND.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT FOR DRIVING
WHAT WE THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR
NIDCR TO DO TO THINK ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF DOC DATA.
REQUIREMENTS TO ACHIEVE A.I. IN
DATA SYSTEMS, INCLUDE FIRST OF
ALL RIGOROUS SYSTEM FOR DATA
GOVERNANCE AND EQUITABLE
CURATION.
SO, THIS IS PARTICULARLY
IMPORTANT FOR CLINICAL DATA
WHERE WE NEED TO DEAL WITH OR
ANY OTHER DATA WHERE WE NEED TO
DEAL WITH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY,
LIKE PATIENT-RELATED
INFORMATION, HIPAA COMPLIANCE,
RIGHT?
SYSTEMS ARE NOTORIOUSLY KEEPING
THE DATA CONFINED, MANY WORK
KIND OF LIKE BLACK BOXES.
REALLY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE DATA
GOVERNANCE GOES INTO THESE
SYSTEMS AND PROPAGATED THROUGH
THESE SYSTEMS.
TYPICALLY ANY OF THESE
APPROACHES, NO MATTER HOW SMART,
ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE DATA
THAT GOES INTO THEM.
AND SO ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT
TO ACHIEVE AI/ML READINESS IS
STRINGENT DATA QUALITY STANDARDS
INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY
METRICS, ALSO REQUIRES A LOT OF
EFFORT FOR DATASETS IN TERMS OF
CLEANING NORMALIZATION,
LABELING, ANNOTATION OF DATA TO
MAKE SURE WHEN IT GETS ANALYZED
YOU GET DISCERN.
AND DATA INTEGRATION, WE CAN USE
THESE APPROACHES TO INTEGRATE
MULTI-MODAL DATA FROM SOURCES
BUT IN ORDER TO DO SO IT IS
IMPORTANT DATA ARE COMPATIBLE
WHICH REQUIRES HARMONIZATION OF
DATA FOR INTEGRATION ACROSS
STUDIES.
THIS REQUIRES THINGS SUCH AS
DATA STANDARDS, DATA ONTOLOGIES,
SO ON.
THE FOURTH CHARACTERISTIC OF
AI/ML IS THAT IT CAN SUPPORT
HIGHLY SKILLED SCALABLE,
HANDLING LARGE VOLUMES IN REAL
TIME.
MANY OF THESE A.I. APPLICATIONS
ARE VERY COMPUTE INTENSIVE, DATA
INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS TO SCALE
FOR VELOCITY, SO SPEED IF WE
NEED TO MAKE APPLICATIONS.
AND THE LAST ONE, THIS RELATES
BACK TO THE FIRST ONE A LITTLE
BIT, IS DATA SECURITY AND
COMPLIANCE.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IP,
HIPAA COMPLIANCE, PATIENT DATA
IS SECURE IN THESE SYSTEMS.
AND I THINK FOR A.I. SPACE THIS
IS IN SOME AREAS STILL AN
UNSOLVED PROBLEM.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE
ARE ROBUST STANDARDS AND
MECHANISMS FOR DATA SECURITY,
COMPLIANCE WITH ALL REGULATION,
AND THIS IN TURN REQUIRES
DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOL FOR
ACCESS, ENCRYPTION,
ANONYMIZATION OF DATA.
MANY OF THESE AT THIS POINT
DON'T REALLY EXIST FOR A.I. AND
M.L. APPLICATIONS BUT THEY ARE
CRITICAL IF WE WANT TO APPLY
THESE AT SCALE PARTICULARLY TO
CLINICAL DATA.
SO, AREA OF OPPORTUNITIES
RELATED TO CONVERTING DATA TO
APPLICATIONS.
I WON'T GO INTO DETAIL.
THERE'S MORE ON EACH OF THESE IN
THE REPORT, BUT QUICKLY POINT
OUT THAT THESE ARE RELATED SO
THREE AREAS RELATED TO IMAGING,
DATA SCIENCE WILL BE
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR
DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING, SUPPORTING
CLINICIANS IN DIAGNOSIS, A.I.
AND OTHER DATA SCIENCE-ENABLED
APPROACHES CAN GO THROUGH
IMAGING VERY QUICKLY, AND DO SO
WITH INCREASING ACCURACY.
IN SOME CASES BETTER THAN HUMAN
CURATOR, SO MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES
HERE.
GOOD AT FURTHER ENHANCING
CURRENT IMAGING DATA TO
FACILITATE DIAGNOSIS.
AND THEY CAN BE USED FOR 3D
IMAGING, ONE APPLICATION OF
WHICH IS PRECISION MEDICINE TO
LOOK AT DATA FROM A GIVEN
PATIENT TO HELP WITH THAT.
I TALKED ABOUT NATURAL LANGUAGE
PROCESSING.
THAT WAS, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE AREA
WHERE DATA SCIENCE APPROACHES
CAN HELP WITH CLINICAL RECORDS,
ANALYTICS, SO FURTHER ENHANCING
AND INTEGRATING DATA FOR THE
PATIENT, SUPPORTING DIAGNOSIS,
FOR EXAMPLE, OF -- BY
INTEGRATING PATHOLOGY WITH OTHER
CLINICAL DATA.
AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR
PERSONALIZED THERAPEUTICS FOR A
GIVEN PATIENT.
THIS INCLUDES MODELING OF
DIFFERENT OPTIONS, DIFFERENT
THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS, PREDICTING
WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE, AND
SUPPORTING THE SELECTION OF
THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS.
I TALKED ABOUT GENERATEIVE
TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP
IMPLANTS, DEVICES, SCAFFOLDS, SO
ON.
THE LAST ONE IS OUTSIDE THE
OTHER ONES BUT ALSO INCREASINGLY
IMPORTANT.
I THINK MICROBIOME WAS ALSO
MENTIONED TODAY.
MICROBIOME INFORMATICS,
INCREASINGLY APPRECIATING OUT IT
IMPACTS ON OUR HEALTH, AND
MICROBIOME RESEARCH,
METAGENOMICS, OF COURSE ANOTHER
AREA WHERE WE EXPECT TO SEE
MAJOR PROGRESS RELATED TO DATA
SCIENCE.
THE LAST OF THE OPPORTUNITY
AREAS RELATES TO DIVERSITY OF
DOC DATA.
I TALKED ABOUT HOW DOC DATA IS
VERY DIVERSE BUT WE BELIEVE THAT
THIS DIFFERENCE NOT JUST
CHALLENGES BUT ALSO
OPPORTUNITIES.
I TALKED ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF
DOC DATA, AND NEED TO INTEGRATE.
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT IF THIS IS
DONE RIGHT, FROM THIS COMPLEX
THIS THERE ARISE MAJOR
OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN NEW
INSIGHTS FROM THESE INNOVATIVE
INTEGRATION APPROACHES, LOOKING
AT DATA FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES,
AND AT A SCALE THAT WAS
PREVIOUSLY NOT POSSIBLE TO
INFORM, FOR EXAMPLE, TO INFORM
HOW WE MIGHT ADDRESS ORAL HEALTH
DISPARITY.
THE SECOND IS DATA FRAGMENTATION
ACROSS SYSTEMS AND REPOSITORIES,
CURRENTLY A CHALLENGE BUT WE
BELIEVE THAT IF THIS IS DONE
RIGHT THIS IMPROVED DATA
MANAGEMENT WILL PROVIDE MAJOR
STEP FORWARD IN TERMS OF
ACCESSIBILITY, SO THE "A" IN
FAIR, RIGHT?
MAKING EASY FOR PEOPLE TO FIND
ACCESS TO DATA AND THEN USE IT
FOR ANALYSIS.
CURRENT LACK OF STANDARDS FOR
DATA AND METADATA IF WE ADDRESS
IT RIGHT WILL FACILITATE
CROSS-LINKING BETWEEN DATASETS,
WILL ENABLE THINGS SUCH AS
PREDICTIVE MODELING, ALL SORTS
OF STUDIES.
BUT IT IS REALLY KEY FOR BEING
ABLE TO BRING DIFFERENT TYPES OF
DATA TOGETHER.
THERE'S LIMITATIONS OF
SPECIALISTS AND GENERALIST
REPOSITORIES, IF INTEGRATED CAN
BE VALUABLE FOR INFORMING PUBLIC
HEALTH AND POLICY.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS I
TALKED ABOUT THESE BIASES IN
AVAILABLE DOC DATA, WHEN IT
COMES TO UNDERREPRESENTED
POPULATIONS.
AND THE POTENTIAL RISKS
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
SOMETHING I WANT TO POINT OUT AT
THIS POINT A LOT OF THIS IS THAT
ANECDOTAL FINDINGS, HARD TO
QUANTIFY SKEWS AND BIASES, USING
A.I. IN ETHICAL WAYS WILL HELP
UNDERSTAND IN MORE DETAIL HOW
EXACTLY EXISTING DATASETS ARE
SKEWED AND POSSIBLY CORRECT FOR
THAT OR GUIDE HOW WE CAN COLLECT
DATA IN THE FUTURE IN SMARTER
WAYS.
I COME TO THE LAST PART OF THE
PRESENTATION, THE ACTUAL
RECOMMENDATIONS THE WORKING
GROUP HAS FOR NIDCR IN THINKING
ABOUT A DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY.
SO, WHAT WE TRIED TO DO IS TOOK
ALL THE KEY FINDINGS,
OBSERVATIONS, THE OPPORTUNITIES,
AND THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WE CAN
TURN THEM INTO MORE SPECIFIC
THINGS THAT WE THINK WOULD BE
IMPORTANT TO DO.
NOW, TO PRESENT THIS, WE THOUGHT
IT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO
ALIGN THIS WITH THE BROADER NIH
DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY.
SO, NIH CURRENTLY OPERATES UNDER
THIS NIH STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DATA
SCIENCE, WHICH CAME OUT OF
OFFICE OF DATA SCIENCE STRATEGY.
THE CURRENT VERSION OF THIS PLAN
WAS IN 2018, CURRENTLY WORKING
HARD ON A REVISION OF THIS PLAN,
AND SO A NEW VERSION OF THIS
PLAN IS EXPECTED TO COME OUT
LATER THIS YEAR.
IT IS, HOWEVER, NOT FINAL YET SO
WE USED THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK
AND STRUCTURE OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS NIH --
IN THE 2018 NIH-WIDE PLAN TO
FRAME OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH
MAKES IT EASY TO ALIGN WITH THE
BROADER NIH STRATEGY.
SO, IN ALL FIVE AREAS THAT ARE
CALLED OUT IN THE NIH PLANS WE
THOUGHT ABOUT HOW DOES THIS
RELATE TO DOC, THOUGHT ABOUT KEY
FINDINGS THAT WE HAVE IN THE DOC
SPACE, AND WHAT WERE
RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR
DOC RESEARCH THAT SHOULD RESULT
FROM THAT.
THE FIRST SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RELATE TO OUR FINDINGS THAT DOC
DATA IS COMPLEX AND
HETEROGENOUS, THERE'S A LACK OF
CONNECTIVITY AND BOUNDARIES AND
LACK OF DEDICATED RESOURCE FOR
SUPPORTING DIVERSE DATA TYPES.
AND SO FIRST SET OF
RECOMMENDATIONS IS EXPLICITLY
DATA INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE RECOMMEND THAT NIDCR PUT
EFFORT INTO ESTABLISHING ROBUST
DATA INFRASTRUCTURE, WITH
PARTICULAR NEEDS AND PROPERTIES
OF DOC RESEARCH IN MIND, BUT
ALSO WITH INTEGRATION WITH THE
LARGER NIH DATA SYSTEM IN MIND.
WHAT THIS INVOLVES IS SUPPORT
FOR OPTIMIZED DATA AND DATA
STORAGE AND SECURITY FOR DOC
RESEARCH.
IMPROVING THE CONNECTIVITY OF
EXISTING AND FUTURE DOC SPECIFIC
WITH GENERAL NIH DATA SYSTEMS
AND POSSIBLY EVEN BEYOND THE
NIH-FUNDED SPACE WITH MORE
GENERAL SYSTEMS, MAKING SURE WE
USE A.I. AND M.L. IN ETHICAL
WAYS AND SUPPORT ETHICAL USE OF
A.I. AND M.L.
SECOND SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RELATES TO THE FIRST ONE, BUT IT
IS MORE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON
DATA ECOSYSTEM.
SO ON THE TYPE OF DATA SYSTEMS
THAT LIVE WITHIN THIS
INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS WAS KEY FINDINGS IN TERMS
OF CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATING
ACROSS DIVERSE DATA TYPES.
THE CURRENT DIVERSITY AND
FRAGMENTATION OF DATA ACROSS
REPOSITORIES, AND THE NEED FOR
MORE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT
ALSO INTEGRATES WITH NIH'S
VISION FOR THE BROADER NIH-WIDE
DATA INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO, WITHIN THAT INFRASTRUCTURE,
WE RECOMMEND THAT EFFORT IS PUT
INTO MODERNIZING THE DATA
ECOSYSTEMS SPECIFIC TO DOC
RESEARCH.
THIS WILL INCLUDE THE CREATION
OF DATA REPOSITORIES FOR DOC
RESEARCH, NEW REPOSITORIES OR
EXPANSION OF EXISTING
REPOSITORIES THAT REFLECT THE
GENERAL NIH OBJECTIVES FOR DATA
REPOSITORIES.
THESE INCLUDE CRITERIA SUCH AS
BEING COST EFFECTIVE, THEN ALSO
COMPLIANCE WITH FAIR CRITERIA,
SUSTAINABLE, SECURE, ACCESSIBLE.
AND SUPPORTING THE STORAGE AND
SHARING OF INDIVIDUAL DATASETS
AND SOFTWARE TOOLS.
FINALLY, ALSO RECOMMEND THAT
NIDCR LEVERAGE ONGOING
INITIATIVES TO BETTER INTEGRATE
THE CLINICAL AND OBSERVATIONAL
DATA INTO DOC DATA SCIENCE AND
THIS CAN GO BEYOND JUST
BIOMEDICAL DATA.
THE THIRD SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RELATES, THESE WOULD BE ON TOP
OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE
SYSTEM, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE
THAT THE RIGHT TOOLS ARE BEING
DEVELOPED AND DEPLOYED FOR DOC
RESEARCH, SO WE CLEARLY NEED
BETTER TOOLS TO INTEGRATE AND
EXTRACT VALUE ON DIVERSE DATA
TYPES, MANAGING DIVERSITY OF
DATA, AND SHOWING UTILITY OF
DATA, AND OPERATIONAL
EFFICIENCY.
THIS MEANS DEVELOPMENT OF DATA
MANAGEMENT TOOLS, VISUALIZATION
TOOLS FOR DOC RESEARCH.
SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING SUPPORT OF
GENERALIZABLE TOOLS AND WORK
FLOWS FOR DOC DATA, BROADEN
UTILITY AND USABILITY OF
SPECIALIZED TOOLS THAT ALREADY
EXIST, MAKING THEM MORE WIDELY
ACCESSIBLE.
AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS TO
IMPROVE HOW PEOPLE CAN FIND
EXISTING RESOURCES, EXISTING
DATA, AND HOW THEY USE THE
EXISTING TOOLS.
THE FOURTH SET OF
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATES TO
WORKFORCE.
SO, WE CLEARLY NEED A MORE
KNOWLEDGEABLE WORKFORCE THAT IS
WELL EDUCATED IN BEST PRACTICES,
DATA MANAGEMENT, EDUCATION
OPPORTUNITIES OF DATA SCIENCE.
AND CURRENTLY THERE'S A
PARTICULAR SHORTAGE IN PEOPLE
WITH ADEQUATE TRAINING IN
POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH
SPECIFICALLY TO DOC DATA, THAT
WAS ANOTHER MAJOR OPPORTUNITY.
SO IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING SUCH A
WORKFORCE, THERE ARE THREE
RECOMMENDATIONS.
ONE IS TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE
NIDCR INTERNAL DATA SCIENCE
WORKFORCE.
WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF THAT
EARLIER TODAY.
SO INCREASING EFFORTS TO PROVIDE
EDUCATION AND BACKGROUND OF
EXISTING NIDCR PROGRAM STAFF BUT
PERHAPS ALSO HAVING DEDICATED
NEW POSITIONS THAT CAN SUPPORT
THIS.
DEVELOPING A STRONG AND DIVERSE
FUTURE WORKFORCE FOR DOC DATA
SCIENCE, WITH A FOCUS ON
POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH.
AND ENGAGING A BROADER
COMMUNITY.
AND ESPECIALLY WITH THIS LAST
COMMENT, ONE SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATION THAT THE WORKING
GROUP HAS IS THAT NIDCR SHOULD
CONSIDER THE CREATION OF AN
NIDCR DATA HUB, THAT'S WHAT THEY
CALLED IT.
THIS WAS DRIVEN BY THE THE
OBSERVATION OR IN PART DRIVEN BY
THE OBSERVATION THAT ONE OF THE
MAJOR DATA SCIENCE EFFORTS
SUPPORTED BY NIDCR HAS A HELP
DESK FOR FACEBASED USERS,
SUCCESSFUL IN GUIDING THEM.
WHAT'S IMPACTFUL IS IF THERE WAS
A CENTRAL PLACE, THIS COULD BE
LOCATED WITHIN NIDCR, IT COULD
BE EXTERNAL EFFORT THAT IS
SUPPORTED BY NIDCR BUT A SINGLE
GO-TO SPACE THAT ANYONE WHO
PRODUCES OR WANTS TO USE DOC
DATA CAN GO TO MAKE SURE THAT
WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS
CONSISTENT WITH BEST PRACTICES,
UNDERSTANDING WHERE TO PUT DATA,
WHERE TO FIND DATA, HOW TO
PROVIDE DATA IN WAYS THAT IS
MOST USEFUL TO OTHER
RESEARCHERS.
THE LAST SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RELATES TO DATA STEWARDSHIP.
SO WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY
ABOUT CHALLENGES IN MAKING SURE
THAT DATA IS AVAILABLE, IN A
SUSTAINABLE WAY.
CONCERNS ABOUT MANY OF THE
CURRENT DATA SCIENCE EFFORTS
BEING SUPPORTED CURRENTLY UNDER
RESEARCH GRANTS WITH LIMITED
DURATION, AND HOW THIS RELATES
TO FAIR PRINCIPLES AND SO WE
BELIEVE NIDCR COULD TAKE A MORE
ACTIVE OR MORE PRO-ACTIVE
APPROACH IN REALLY ENSURING AND,
YOU KNOW, TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
FOR DATA STEWARDSHIP AND
IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE DATA
POLICIES IN DOC RESEARCH.
THIS WILL INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF
POLICIES FOR FAIR DOC DATA, SO
OF COURSE THERE ARE NIH-WIDE
EFFORTS WITH A NEW DATA
MANAGEMENT AND SHARING PLANS,
BUT THEN THINKING ABOUT THE
SPECIFIC ASPECT AS THEY RELATE
TO DOC DATA, AND SPECIFIC NEEDS
OF THE DOC RESEARCH COMMUNITY,
MAKING SURE THAT POLICIES ARE IN
PLACE.
AND MORE GENERALLY ENHANCING
STEWARDSHIP OF DOC DATA BY
MAKING SURE ALL OF THE DATA THAT
IS PRODUCED UNDER NIDCR FUNDING
IS REALLY SUBJECT TO STRONG
STEWARDSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT IT
WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE
AND THAT IT IS AVAILABLE IN WAYS
THAT MAXIMIZE THE UTILITY FOR
FUTURE STUDIES.
SO, WITH THIS, I JUST WANT TO
POINT OUT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS
AND LEADERSHIP AGAIN THAT THERE
IS THE FINAL REPORT THAT GOES
ALONG WITH THIS PRESENTATION.
IT'S AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNCIL
DOCUMENTS, AND WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO GETTING YOUR COMMENTS
ON THIS AND THEN DEPENDING WHAT
KIND OF COMMENTS WE GET WE MIGHT
MAKE ADDITIONAL CHANGES OR
ADDITIONS TO THIS REPORT.
I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO THANK MEMBERS OF THE WORKING
GROUP, NIDCR STAFF, WHO
CONTRIBUTED TO THE WORK OF THIS
WORKING GROUP.
IT WAS GREAT FUN OVER THE PAST
15 MONTHS TO DO THIS.
IT WAS WORK BUT ALSO REALLY
STIMULATING AND REWARDING
EXPERIENCE.
AND WITH THAT, I'M AT THE END.
WE'RE ALMOST AT TIME BUT I HOPE
I LEFT ENOUGH TIME FOR SOME
QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, DR. VISEL.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?
WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO --
>> THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM THE
COMMITTEE LIKE CARL AND OTHERS
WHO COULD SPEAK AS WELL.
>> OH, YES.
I FORGOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.
YES, THERE ARE -- WHEN I SHOWED
THIS SLIDE THERE WERE SEVERAL
PEOPLE ON THE CALL TODAY, SO
THEY MAY CHIME IN WITH SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS OR IF THEY WANT TO
SPECIFICALLY COMMENT ON ANYTHING
THAT I JUST SAID, I WOULD INVITE
THEM TO DO SO.
>> BROUGHT THE WHOLE TEAM FOR
THE EXPERTISE.
>> WOW!
WHAT A RANGE OF EXPERTISE HE
BROUGHT TO PLAY HERE, THANK YOU.
MANY THEMES RESONATE WITH US.
WE'RE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH.
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
AS WE EMBARK ON THE NEW
INITIATIVE, HOW DO WE COORDINATE
DATA ACROSS, SAY, CANCER
BIOMARKER CHARGE,
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DYSFUNCTION
AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN DENTAL
SCHOOL, EACH WILL HAVE ITS OWN
DENTAL SYSTEM, WE HOPE THAT
HAPPENS, SHOULD THERE BE ONE
FEDERATED CENTER THAT
COORDINATES THAT OR -- I MEAN A
FEDERATED CENTER NOT OWNING
REPOSITORIES BUT SIMPLY BEING
THE HUB WHICH IS THE WAY I THINK
NIH IS THINKING THE NATIONAL
LIBRARY OF MEDICINE COULD EVOLVE
TO, BEING THE CENTRALIZED
REPOSITORY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
CONCEIVE OF FOR AN INSTITUTE OUR
SIZE.
HOW DOES ONE DEAL WITH
PREEXISTING DATASETS THAT WE'VE
INVESTED IN ALL THESE YEARS NOT
NECESSARILY CURATED IN THE
MANNER IN WHICH WE EXPECT THEM
TO BE TODAY?
WHAT DOES ONE DO, GO BACK AND
REVISIT THAT DATASET AND FILL IN
THE GAPS?
OR SIMPLY START FROM SCRATCH?
THOSE ARE MY TWO QUESTIONS,
CENTRALIZED VERSUS FEDERATED,
AND EXISTING VERSUS NEW
DATASETS.
>> I SEE CARL HAS A HAND UP.
>> AND JACQUES.
>> IF HE WANTS TO COMMENT ON
THAT.
>> HI.
THANK YOU.
I'M CARL TESTELMAN, ONE OF THE
CO-P.I.S OF FACEBASE,
PARTICIPATED IN THIS VERY
INTERESTING ACTIVITY.
SO, TO ADDRESS YOUR TWO
QUESTIONS, I WOULD SAY FIRST
WITH REGARD TO FEDERATED VERSUS
CENTRALIZES, ONE OF THE
CONCLUSIONS OF THE WORD IS
HAVING SOMETHING THAT'S FOCUSED
ON DOC RESEARCH WILL BE OF VALUE
TO NIDCR COMMUNITY, SO FINDING
APPROPRIATE BALANCE BETWEEN
COORDINATION SO NOT SQUANDERING
EFFORT BUT STILL MAINTAINING
DIFFERENTIATION OF THE RESOURCE
FOR DOC RESEARCH.
AND SO THAT COULD BE DONE IN A
MORE FORMAL OR INFORMAL WAY BUT
INTERCOORDINATION AT SOME LEVEL
WOULD BE DESIRABLE SO MAYBE
THERE'S A FORM THAT COULD TAKE
PLACE IN WHICH EVERYONE HAS A
SEAT AT THE TABLE AND UNIQUE
REQUIREMENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY
ADDRESSED.
WITH REGARDS TO EXISTING DATA,
YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU NEED TO
EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF THE DATA
AND INVESTMENT.
IT'S POSSIBLE TO GO BACK AND
RECURATE THAT DATA.
WE'VE DONE THAT IN FACEBASE,
WE'VE TAKEN EXISTING DATASETS
AND THROUGH SOME FOCUSED EFFORT
CURATED TO GIVE IT A NEW LIFE
BECAUSE IT WAS VALUABLE DATA.
SO IT DEPENDS ON HOW IT WAS
COLLECTED AND QUALITY OF THAT
DATA, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE
TO NECESSARILY START FROM
SCRATCH.
AND I THINK YOU NEED TO LOOK AT
A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS, VALUE
PROPOSITION HAVING THAT DATA,
AND AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WOULD BE
REQUIRED TO RECURATE IT.
IF IT'S POSSIBLE, TO RECURATE.
IN SOME CASES THE DETAILS THAT
YOU NEED ARE LOST TO THE
VAGARIES OF TIME BECAUSE IT
WASN'T COLLECTED UP TO CURRENT
FAIR STANDARDS, AND, YOU KNOW,
IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO BE
POSSIBLE TO REUSE THAT DATA, IN
WHICH CASE YOU HAVE TO MOVE
FORWARD.
>> THANK YOU.
JACQUES?
>> YES, SO SUPERB WORK, AXEL AND
TEAM.
YOU'RE REALLY NOT ONLY ABLE TO
REALLY LOOK IN DEPTH ON THE
CURRENT SITUATION BUT ALSO MAKE
VERY EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
I AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED
ABOUT THE WORKFORCE
RECOMMENDATION, YOUR
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER 4.
I CAN TELL YOU AND EVERYBODY
HERE THAT WE HAVE AN EFFORT HERE
TO RECRUIT DATA SCIENTIST HERE
AT MICHIGAN, AND IT WAS
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT BECAUSE SO
FEW THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THIS
FIELD WITH A FOCUS ON DOC
RESEARCH.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> SO I WONDER WHETHER, YOU
KNOW, WHAT TYPES OF MECHANISMS
NIDCR COULD PUT IN PLACE TO HELP
FOSTER THE TRAINING OF DATA
SCIENTISTS WITH RESEARCH.
>> JACQUES, THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE
TERM, I WOULD AIM TO MYSELF,
DATA EXPERT, AND THE FIRST THING
I THINK WE HANDLED PRETTY WELL
IN A TIMELY MANNER ASKING ALL
THE T32 GRANTS TO MAKE SURE THEY
HAD A DATA SCIENCE COMPONENT,
RIGHT, LYNN?
>> YES?
>> THAT WOULDN'T MAKE A DATA
EXPERT.
YOU DEFINE DURATION OR FAIR
PRINCIPLES.
THERE'S DEFINITELY THE NEED
TRAIN ORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
OR DENTISTS, DDS/PhDs CAN
EXPERTISE IN DATA SCIENCE, THAT
MIGHT HAVE TO BE A TARGETED T32
OR NEW T32s THAT WOULD INCLUDE
DATA SCIENCE AS A MAJOR ASPECT
OF TRAINING.
THERE ARE WHAT, 15 INSTITUTIONS
THAT OFFER IT AS GRADUATE
TRAINING, SO, YEAH.
THAT'S DEFINITELY ON THE TABLE.
>> IS THERE ANY CHANCE TO HAVE A
K AWARD MECHANISM THAT IS
TARGETED TO DATA SCIENTISTS?
>> YEAH, I --
>> THE NOTICE OF SPECIAL
INTEREST THAT WE HAVE OUT THAT
WAS PUT FORTH BY NIDCR, ACTUALLY
APPLIED, IT IS ABOUT DATA
SCIENCE, IT APPLIES TO A WHOLE
FLEET OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
OFFERED AND INCLUDES ALL OF THE
RESEARCH TRAINING AND CAREER
DEVELOPMENT FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES.
IT'S APPLYING DATA SCIENCE TO
SICK REGIONS BUT THE DATA
SCIENCE CAN BE A TRAINING
COMPONENT IN THOSE APPLICATIONS,
FOR EXAMPLE.
>> THANK YOU.
LUCIA?
>> I WAS GOING TO GO BACK TO
YOUR QUESTION ON WHETHER THE
BEST SOLUTION IS FEDERATED OSH
CENTRALIZED, RIGHT?
AND YOU DID MENTION ALSO THE
FIELD OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT
RESEARCH THAT NIDCR IS INVOLVED,
AND THE TMD INITIATIVE JUST
STARTING BUT HAS A BROAD VISION
OF INTEGRATING FROM BASIC SIZE
FROM T0 TO T4, AND WITHIN THE
HEAL INITIATIVE THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF DATA REPOSITORIES THAT
ARE SUPPORTED BY "HEAL."
AND WHETHER WE GO BACK TO DATA
THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN CREATED,
AS PAPERS ARE BEING PUBLISHED
AND JOURNALS ARE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY, THE DATA MANAGEMENT
AND SHARING PLAN, THE IMPORTANCE
IS THE VIEW OF HOW TO BRING
TOGETHER THIS DATA, MAINTAINING
THE FAIR PRINCIPLES THAT WE KNOW
IS IMPORTANT AND COORDINATED, SO
I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY WAY
THAT THIS CAN BE REALLY DONE IN
A FULLY CENTRALIZED WAY BECAUSE
EVEN IN OUR RECOMMENDATION, OUR
WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION FOR
AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT NEEDS TO
BE COST EFFECTIVE IN HOW NIDCR
CAN HANDLE THIS, RIGHT?
MAINTAINING COMPUTATIONAL
RESOURCES FOR VAST AMOUNTS OF
DATA CAN BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.
AND HARD TO MAINTAIN TOO.
>> SO SOME OF THE CONVERSATION
CAN BE CONTINUED IN THE CLOSED
SESSION AMONG COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IF THERE ARE COMMENTS FROM THE
PUBLIC, OTHER PEOPLE AT THIS
POINT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
OTHERWISE, WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR
CLOSED SESSION.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD, LYNN, TO
JACQUES' POINT ABOUT TRAINING,
IF YOU THINK OF IT, SEEMS LIKE
EVERYONE, EVERYONE, WITHOUT
EXCLUSION, EVEN PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCHERS,
CERTAINLY THE BIOMEDICAL ONES,
BENCH BASED, NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND
BIOINFORMATICS AND DATA SCIENCE.
NEVER OF US GOT INSTRUCTION IN
GRADUATE SCHOOL BUT WE USE
STATION TRANSCRIPTOMICS, EVERY
ASPECT OF OUR SCIENCE.
OF COURSE TRAINING THE CURRENT
GENERATION, EDUCATING THE
EXISTING ONE IS GOING TO BE
CRITICAL, AT EVERY STAGE OF
CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S SOMETHING BROAD THAT WE
WOULD COLLABORATE WITH OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE THAT
POSSIBLE.
>> IT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO
KNOW IF THERE WILL BE LEADERSHIP
FROM NLM OR OTHER -- WHAT WILL
BE PROVIDED FROM OTHER SOURCES
AT NIH, BECAUSE IT IS A GLOBAL
PROBLEM.
>> AND THEN I'M SO GLAD TO SEE
YOU HERE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING INTO OUR
WORLD FROM YOUR REAL WORLD.
YOU KNOW THAT CLINICIANS ALSO
WHO HAVE ACCESS TO DENTAL
RECORDS AND INTERDENTAL RECORDS
HAVE TO HAVE SOME BASIC
CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES ON
HOW THAT DATA ENTRY NEEDS TO BE
CURATED AND SENSIBLE SO THEY ARE
MEANINGFUL SO IT MAKES SENSE FOR
THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO USE
COMBINED DATABASES.
PATIENT RECORDS HELP, ELECTRONIC
HEALTH RECORD.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, RENA.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME IN.
FIRST AND FOREMOST I HAVE TO
CALL OUT AXEL'S LEADERSHIP, A
PHENOMENAL JOB KEEPING US MOVING
FORWARD.
TO COMMENTING ON, YOU KNOW, THE
POINT YOU MADE, I THINK
INFORMATICS AND DATA SCIENCE HAS
BECOME A CRUCIAL BACKBONE OF
LEARNING, I THINK A LOT OF MY
COLLEAGUES HERE FROM THE WORKING
GROUP ALLUDED TO CENTRALIZED
VERSUS THE FEDERATED, HOW DO
WE -- MOVING FORWARD WHAT CAN WE
DO, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH ALREADY
INVESTED PROJECTS TO TRAINING
ASPECT.
I WANT TO COMMENT BRIEFLY,
QUICK, LYNN, I KNOW THERE'S A
FULL SESSION.
FROM A TRAINING PERSPECTIVE,
NIDCR DID COLLABORATE WITH NLM
IN THE PAST, AND THERE WERE KEY
POSTDOCTORAL AND UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAMS THAT WERE BEING FUNDED.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ONE
OF THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS,
TRAINING, WITH THE CLINIC.
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY NETWORK OF
OTHER BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
TRAINING PROGRAMS, WHICH GOES
FROM BIOINFORMATICS TO PUBLIC
HEALTH INFORMATICS AND
INCORPORATING ORAL AND
CRANIOFACIAL, IT'S ALMOST A
MATRIX SYSTEM, SO I COMPLETELY
AGREE THAT COLLABORATION NOT
ONLY WITHIN THE NIH PART OF
FUNDING BUT ALSO FOR DENTAL
SCHOOLS TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH
OTHER BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE CHALLENGE
WE'VE SEEN IS THE MENTORS KIND
OF SHOULD HAVE THE BACKGROUND TO
BRING THAT ON THE NEXT
GENERATION, AND, YOU KNOW, IT
TAKES A GROUP OF DIFFERENT
SPECIALTIES, INFORMATICS, ORAL
HEALTH, ALL OF THAT COMING
TOGETHER.
FROM A DATA PERSPECTIVE CARL AND
LUCIA MENTIONED A MULTI-FOLD
APPROACH, NOT CENTRALIZED,
FEDERATED IS THE WAY TO GO IN MY
OPINION BUT ALSO PROBABLY TO
SOME EXTEND I DON'T WANT TO USE
THE WORD MANDATE BUT AS PART OF
NIH FUNDING MECHANISMS REALLY
LOOKING AT MAYBE A HUB AND SPOKE
MODEL, IF A SPECIFIC
ORGANIZATION IS A RECEIVER OF
MULTIPLE NIH FUNDING INCLUDING
NIDCR THERE NEEDS TO BE A LEVEL
OF OPERATION TO CURATING THE
PROJECTS THEY FUNDED WHICH CAN
BE FEDERATED ACROSS WITH A
COMMON DATA SCHEMA, YOU KNOW
WHAT AXEL ALLUDED TO, TOOLS,
FAIR PRINCIPLES, IT WILL TAKE
US A IN A FURTHER DIRECTION.
AS CARL MENTIONED WHAT HAPPENS
IS NOT WASTED.
THERE'S A LOT OF WELL THOUGHT
THROUGH NIDCR-FUNDED PROJECTS
THAT CAN BE HARMONIZED TO
ANOTHER STRATEGY.
THERE'S A LOT WE COULD DO TALK
ABOUT.
I'LL PAUSE HERE.
THANK YOU.
>> WE WANT TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH
ALL ON THE COMMITTEE.
YOUR WORK IS NOT DONE, WE STILL
NEED YOU TO STICK AROUND.
WE WOULD NEED YOU TO CONSULT
WITH AND HELP US THROUGH THIS
PROCESS IN A MORE SENSIBLE WAY.
OUR PLAN IS TO TAKE WHAT YOU'VE
GIVEN US AS THE ROADMAP, SO TO
SPEAK, REALLY CHEW ON IT.
THAT'S AN INTERNAL PROCESS AT
NIDCR.
WE'LL GO THROUGH WITH
CONSULTATIONS FROM EXPERTS
ACROSS FROM NLM ACROSS OUR DATA
SIGNS OFFICE.
AND THEN COME BACK, CONDITIONS
WE HOPE AT MAY COUNCIL WE WOULD
HAVE A VISION WELL DEFINED THAT
IS SMART, SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE,
SUSTAINABLE, RELEVANT IN
TIMELINE.
AND HAVE THAT ACTUALLY DRIVE THE
DDS OFFICE.
LOU WANG HAS BEEN WORKING ON
THAT.
SHE'S VERY MUCH IN TUNE WITH THE
WORKING GROUP'S RECOMMENDATION,
SO I THINK WE CAN MAKE THAT
DEADLINE.
AND THEN TAKE IT FROM THERE.
IT WILL INCLUDE TRAINING THE
WORKFORCE FOR THE FUTURE.
AND ENHANCING THE CURRENT
WORKFORCE ACTUALLY, YES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERY
HEARTFELT GRATITUDE FROM NIDCR,
FOR THE WORK YOU DID, ALL
VOLUNTEER HOURS, I WILL ADD.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> WOULD WE LIKE TO CLOSE THIS
SESSION?
>> YES.
>> THE OPEN SESSION, RENA?
>> YEAH.
I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE A LOT
AHEAD OF US.
WE COVERED I THINK IN GENERAL
HOW THE WORLD IS CHANGING, HOW
IT'S GOING TO INFLUENCE NOT JUST
OUR FUNDING SITUATION BUT ALSO
OUR ATTITUDES ABOUT SCIENCE.
AND THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO
KIND OF KEEP IN STEP WITH EACH
OTHER, WITH NIDCR.
YOU'RE THE EXTRAMURAL COMMUNITY
WE VALUE TREMENDOUSLY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU NONE OF THE
INITIATIVES THAT WERE LAUNCHED
LAST YEAR OR ANY OF THE
SCIENTIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF
BOTH INTRAMURAL AND EXTRAMURAL
COULD NOT HAVE -- WOULD NOT HAVE
HAPPENED, I CAN ASSURE YOU,
WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT
STAFF AND STAFF AT EVERY LEVEL
OF OUR ORGANIZATION.
FROM THOSE WHO RUN CORE
FACILITIES AT NIDCR, COLLEAGUES
ACROSS NIH, STAFFERS, PROGRAM
OFFICERS, AND EXECUTIVE TEAMS.
SO WE -- I'M FEELING VERY GOOD.
IT'S HARD TO GAIN A PERSPECTIVE
AS TO WHAT PROGRESS REALLY IS
ABOUT UNTIL WE SEE HOW PATIENTS
BENEFIT FROM IT.
AND I REALLY AM FEELING THAT
GOAL IS FAR MORE REALISTIC TODAY
THAN IT WAS BEFORE.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY GUIDING HOPE
AND LIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
PLEASE MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO COME
IN MAY FOR OUR IN-PERSON -- IT'S
A BEAUTIFUL TIME OF YEAR,
IN-PERSON COUNCIL.
I THINK IT'S STILL COUNCIL HERE,
AND OBSERVERS OR OTHERS WOULD BE
VIRTUALLY CONNECTING.
I'M HOPING DR. BERTAGNOLLI WILL
MEET US IN PERSON, MEET YOU IN
PERSON BECAUSE SHE PLANS TO BE
THERE GIVEN HER SCHEDULE.
AND THAT WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER
EXCITING LINEUP OF SPEAKERS TO
TALK ABOUT WHAT I THINK ARE
EMERGING FRONTS IN OUR FIELD.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, ALL THOSE
WHO HAVE TO SIGN OFF.
[END OF PROGRAM]