Anglican Communion Commissioners Visit NIH
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang
Members of the Anglican Communion Science Commission (ACSC) visited NIH on Oct. 30 to learn about research efforts across the agency.
The ACSC commissioners include scientists, theologians and church leaders from around the world. Their bishops are nominated by each of the 42 churches that make up the Anglican Communion. According to its website, ACSC supports collaboration between faith and science communities to “bring the ethical voice of faith to scientific discovery.”
After a Clinical Center (CC) overview led by CC CEO Dr. James Gilman, the group met with NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli. They then rotated through several labs: neurorehabilitation, led by CC Senior Investigator Dr. Diane Damiano; pediatric oncology, led by Dr. Troy McEachron, head of the integrated solid tumor biology section at the National Cancer Institute (NCI); cellular and molecular therapeutics led by Dr. John Tisdale, senior investigator at the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute; and an infectious disease lab, led by Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, chief, medical virology section. CC Nurse Theresa Intrater also took them on a tour of an inpatient unit.
Their visit concluded with a briefing on cancer treatment and vaccine research and a discussion on bioethics, led by NCI’s Dr. James Gulley, Dr. Richard Koup, deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center and bioethics chief Dr. Christine Grady.