ATS 2013 attendees have the unique opportunity to gain firsthand insight from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Director Gary H. Gibbons, MD, during the President’s Symposium and Diversity Forum today and at a presentation at the Science and Innovation Center and Women’s Forum on Monday.

Gary H. Gibbons, MD

Dr. Gibbons will present “Imagining the Future Together—the NHLBI at 75: Partners in Stewardship in the Public Interest” at the President’s Symposium from 2 to 3:15 p.m. today in Room 113 B-C (100 Level) Pennsylvania Convention Center. His lecture will address the future of the NHLBI, focusing on how the research it funds fits into the bigger picture of improved health. Dr. Gibbons took on the directorship of the NHLBI in December.

“As I begin guiding this great institute, I consider it important to build upon the enduring principles that have made the NHLBI such a successful and respected steward of the public’s resources and health for nearly 65 years,” Dr. Gibbons said in a recent interview with the ATS Research News Quarterly.

From 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. Monday in the Science and Innovation Center in Hall C (200 Level) Pennsylvania Convention Center, he’ll present “What NHLBI Can Do for You,” which will cover how the NHLBI can help physicians and researchers. Afterward, he’ll meet with trainees, as well as senior investigators.

“The cornerstone of the Institute’s response to the increasing burden of lung diseases is clearly scientific research,” Dr. Gibbons told ATS Research News Quarterly. “The NHLBI needs to keep its lung portfolio broad and diverse, so that it encompasses everything from basic molecular studies to large-scale genomic efforts, if we are to be able to understand, treat, and cure such complex diseases. Another important step toward reducing mortality from lung diseases is empowering the public by increasing their awareness and understanding of these disorders. Partnering with communities and with organizations such as the ATS is essential if we are to be able achieve that goal.”

In his role as NHLBI director, Dr. Gibbons oversees the third-largest institute at the National Institutes of Health, with an annual budget of more than $3 billion and a staff of 917 federal employees.

“We’re very pleased that Dr. Gibbons will join us for a couple of days during ATS 2013,” said ATS President Monica Kraft, MD, chief of the Duke University Medical Center Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine. “We’re keeping him very busy during his visit. In addition to presenting and speaking at events, he’ll connect with trainees, senior investigators, and many others from our diverse membership.”

Prior to being named director of the NHLBI, Dr. Gibbons served as a member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council from 2009 to 2012. He was also a member of the NHLBI Board of Extramural Experts, a working group of the NHLBAC. Dr. Gibbons is also founding director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute and served as chairperson of the department of physiology, and professor of physiology and medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Under his leadership of the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Dr. Gibbons directed NIH-funded research in vascular biology, genomic medicine, and the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. During his tenure, the Cardiovascular Research Institute emerged as a center of excellence, leading the way in discoveries related to the cardiovascular health of minority populations. Dr. Gibbons received several patents for innovations derived from his research in the fields of vascular biology and the pathogenesis of vascular diseases.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gibbons has received numerous honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, selection as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Minority Faculty Development Awardee, and selection as a Pew Foundation Biomedical Scholar.

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Today

Diversity Forum
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Liberty Ballroom (Level 3) Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

President’s Symposium
2 to 3:15 p.m.
Room 113 B-C (100 Level) Pennsylvania Convention Center
Dr. Gibbons will present “Imagining the Future Together—the NHLBI at 75: Partners in Stewardship in the Public Interest.”

Monday

Science and Innovation Center
10:45 to 11:30 a.m.
Hall C (200 Level) Pennsylvania Convention Center
Dr. Gibbons will present “What NHLBI Can Do for You.”

Women’s Forum
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Regency Ballroom A-B (Second Floor Mezzanine) Loews Philadelphia Hotel