April 16, 2021

Rare Diseases Are a Public Health Issue
By Eric Bock
Rare diseases are a public health issue, said NCATS director Dr. Christopher Austin during NIH’s annual—and first virtual—observance of Rare Disease Day. People who have them make up about eight percent of the global population—that’s about the same proportion who have diabetes.

Two Families Grapple with Rare Disease Diagnosis, Finding Treatments
By Dana Talesnik
When parents learn their child has a rare disease, they must navigate the limited resources for conditions with few, if any, effective treatments. Two families share their rare disease journeys during NIH’s Rare Disease Day virtual event.
NIH’ers Join Faith Leaders at Vaccine Confidence Event
By Carla Garnett
NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci and NIMHD director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable joined faith leaders, local health care providers and other public health officials to promote immunization against Covid-19 and inspire confidence in the coronavirus vaccines.
Yancey Traces Decades of Skin Biology Advances
By Rich McManus
In a recent Contemporary Clinical Medicine: Great Teachers talk, Dr. Kim Yancey traced decades of research that deepened understanding of skin biology that began since he first entered the field of dermatology in 1978.