April 15, 2022

NCATS Aims to Transform Rare Disease Research
By Eric Bock
“Getting an accurate diagnosis early, easily and expeditiously is a critical step in bringing the best possible care to people with rare diseases,” said NCATS acting director Dr. Joni Rutter during NIH’s annual observance of Rare Disease Day. Far too often, however, patients with a rare disease face a “diagnostic odyssey” that lasts, on average, 7 years, Rutter noted.

Historian Draws Lessons from Past Pandemics
By Dana Talesnik
Dr. Alexandre White of Johns Hopkins University takes us on a tour of the power politics of past pandemics. Beyond a biological threat to life, he argues, a pandemic is an economic and political phenomenon that exposes xenophobia and racial disparities.
Scientists Reveal the Good, Bad and Ugly of H. Pylori
By Amber Snyder
Dr. Barry Marshall of the University of Western Australia and Dr. Martin Blaser of Rutgers University gave a joint presentation in the Demystifying Medicine series titled “The Split Personality of Helicobacter Pylori.”
McCurdy To Discuss Kratom, Apr. 25
Dr. Christopher McCurdy, a medicinal chemist and behavioral pharmacologist at the University of Florida (UF), will give a virtual lecture, “Can a Controversial Tree Help End the Opioid Crisis?,” on Monday, Apr. 25 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. The event is part of NCCIH’s Integrative Medicine Research Lecture Series.