The Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) online newsletter is a membership benefit. Permission is granted to repost this publication only with inclusion of the header. Past issues are posted at http://www.fnidcr.org/newsletters/index.html.

NEWS

New FNIDCR National Office Staff & Location
A new staff has been hired to manage all administrative activities of FNIDCR effective June 1, 2007. "Our aim in the next phase of support operations will be to increase marketing of the FNIDCR mission to its constituencies and to increase awareness of the critical work being done at the NIDCR." President Bruce Donoff said. "With the unique combination of expertise in marketing, association management and legislative representation, we feel that the combination of people below are the best choice to help FNIDCR bring more dental and craniofacial researchers into the organization and to increase our base of support."

Peter Anas (peter@fnidcr.org) will serve as FNIDCR Executive Director, Laikisha Jeffries (membership@fnidcr.org), Membership Director, Andrew Kaffes, Director of Legislative Affairs and Bakari Kamau, Graphic Designer. “Look for a much improved package of communications to our constituencies, along with qualified and experienced staff representing the FNIDCR mission,” says new Executive Director Peter Anas.

Update Your Information for Our New
Membership Database!
FNIDCR is upgrading to a membership database that will allow us to better organize and maintain your information. Please confirm your contact information with the National Office by emailing the Membership Director at membership@fnidcr.org. Be sure to include all applicable information: name, credentials, organization, address, phone, fax, email.

2007 Annual Gala to Serve as Kickoff Event for
NIDCR 60th Birthday Activities
For nine years, the Friends has continued to honor the extraordinary leadership and work of those committed to oral health research and its sustained support at the NIH at its Annual Gala. FNIDCR has honored (see full list - downloadable PDF) the NIH Director, two Surgeons General, several US Senators, many US Representatives and several media leaders, patient advocates and community-based educators. Additionally, the event has become a wonderful opportunity to network with public health officials, elected leaders and our peers and colleagues. And this year, we’ve been asked to kick off the NIDCR 60th Birthday Celebration at our Gala.

Mark the date on your calendar - This year’s Annual Gala will be held at:
The National Press Club, Washington DC on December 10, 2007 at 6 pm.

The Day Starts at NIH - Committee Chair Yolanda Bonta states “The entire day’s activities will be exciting, starting with Dr. Margaret Chan, World Health Organization Director-General, who will be the keynote speaker at the David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture, 3pm, at NIH.” More information on the evening’s festivities will be forthcoming.

See Photos from 2006 Gala.

LEGISLATIVE

Funding of NIH and NIDCR
NIH Funding Increased by $1 Billion
The House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee approved FY08 funding for NIH at $29.65 billion, which is a 2.6% increase ($750 million), from FY07. In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee approved $29.89 billion for NIH. This is $1 billion more than FY07 (an increase of 3.5%), and $1.2 billion over the President’s request. It is also an increase from what the House Appropriations Committee appropriated.  FNIDCR recommended $30.2 billion for NIH. 

NIDCR Funding Increased by $9 Million
The House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee approved FY08 funding at $395,753,000, which is below the $420 million recommended by FNIDCR.  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $398,602,000 for NIDCR, an increase of $9 million approved by Congress for FY07.

The spending bills still need to go to the House and Senate Floors for approval.

FNIDCR Acts with Letter to House & Senate
Upon learning the result of the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee’s initial Markup that funded NIH and NIDCR at levels below those recommended by FNIDCR, we immediately sent a letter expressing our disappointment to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey.  The letter also requested the Appropriations Committee to fund NIH and NIDCR at our recommended levels of funding. 

FNIDCR Staff Attend Subcommittee Hearing
To raise awareness of FNIDCR’s commitment to NIDCR and to monitor important developments, new FNIDCR Executive Director Peter Anas and Legislative Affairs Director Andrew Kaffes attended the June 22nd Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on funding of NIDCR and other Institutes.  There, they met briefly with Dr. Lawrence Tabak who provided testimony to the Subcommittee.

Monitoring Update
We are tracking the following legislation of interest to FNIDCR (click on the links to read the legislation)

H.R.2820: The Reconstructive Surgery Act of 2007.  The bill requires health insurance coverage for certain reconstructive surgery.  Rep. Mike Ross (D-4-AR) introduced the bill on June 21, 2007.  There are no co-sponsors yet.  The bill rests with two House Committees: Education and Labor; and Energy and Commerce.  It currently does not have a companion bill in the Senate. 

H.R.2472: Essential Oral Health Care Act of 2007.The bill amends titles V and XIX of the Social Security Act to improve essential oral health care for lower-income individuals under the Maternal and Child Health Program and the Medicaid Program and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax credit to dentists for dental services provided to low-income individuals.  Rep. Albert Wynn (D-4-MD) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-2-ID) introduced the bill on May 24, 2007.  There are 18 co-sponsors.  The bill sits with two committees: Energy and Commerce; and Ways and Means.  It does not have a Senate companion.

H.R.2371: “Deamonte’s Law.”  The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand and improve the provision of pediatric dental services to medically underserved populations, and for other purposes.  Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-7-MD) introduced the bill on May 17, 2007.  The bill sits with the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It currently has 16 co-sponsors. H.R.2371 does not have a Senate companion.

H.R.1781: Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007.  The legislation has four main provisions chief of which is to improve delivery of pediatric dental services under Medicaid and SCHIP.  Rep. John Dingell (D-15-MI), who chairs the Committee on Energy and Commerce, introduced the bill on March 29, 2007.  It currently has 67 co-sponsors and it rests with two House Committees:  Energy and Commerce; and Ways and Means.  The bill has a Senate companion, S.739, introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) on March 1, 2007.  The Senate bill has 11 co-sponsors and it was referred to the Committee on Finance.

SCHIP Update
The Senate Finance Committee has agreed to a roughly $35 billion package to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program funded almost exclusively by a cigarette tax increase. The bill also includes language that will phase out adult enrollment in the program to make room for more children.    The Finance Committee SCHIP package avoids cutting any of the extra payments to Medicare Advantage programs, a relief to insurers in the private-sector Medicare program. The Senate Finance Committee will mark-up the bill on Tuesday, July 17.  The White House is threatening a veto because the administration believes the SCHIP expansion is too broad.

NIDCR Announcement

Solicitation for Biomarker Projects
The Biomarkers Consortium, a research partnership managed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, is soliciting concepts for biomarker projects.  Researchers are encouraged to submit project concepts online at http://www.biomarkersconsortium.org.  If a concept is approved for development by the consortium, the Foundation for NIH will seek funds to support the project.

The consortium is a large-scale, public-private research partnership formed in 2006 to identify and qualify biomarkers.  It encourages participation by academia, government, industry, patient advocacy groups and other non-profit organizations.  In addition to the Foundation for NIH, founding members of the consortium include the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. 

Information about the Foundation for NIH is available at http://www.fnih.org.  A news release about the consortium’s call for biomarker project concepts is available at: http://www.fnih.org/news/biomarkers_web_site.shtml.