Dr. Wendy Baldwin received her Ph. D. degree in 1973 from the University of Kentucky. She was appointed NIH Deputy Director of Extramural Research in February 1994. Dr. Baldwin was previously Deputy Director of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development at the NIH. She has been a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Steering Committee of the Task Force for Social Science Research on Reproductive Health since 1985 and is currently Committee Chair. In 1997, Dr. Baldwin began a term as US Representative to the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research. In addition, she has been on the board of the Human Frontier Science Program since 1996 and became the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors in 1998. She received the 1997 National Public Service Award for her outstanding accomplishments in the areas of science administration and reinvention activities at the NIH. Other honors and awards include the Stetson University Distinguished Alumni Award (1997), University of Kentucky Distinguished Alumni Award (1986), Public Health Service Superior Service Award (1985), Senior Executive Service Award, and the Carl S. Schultz Award from the American Public Health Association. Dr. Baldwin is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She has been the BECON Chair since the Consortium's establishment in 1997.

Dr. Richard Swaja received his Ph.D. degree in Nuclear Science from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1973. From 1968 to 1980, he worked as a Senior Scientist at the Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in areas associated with nuclear physics, reactor design and testing, emergency planning, and health physics. In 1980, he joined the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as a Senior Research Staff Member where he conducted research in radiobiology, radiation dosimetry, materials, and health effects. From 1988 to 1999, Dr. Swaja managed research and development programs at ORNL in areas concerned with environmental pollutant detection and characterization, pollutant transport modeling, human health risk assessment, computational simulation and dosimetry, nuclear medicine, photonics, visual information systems, and life cycle analysis. He is the Editor of the Health Physic Society's Web site; established the International Center for Dosimetric Modeling and Computation; served as Technical Program Chair for a series of international conferences on radiation protection and dosimetry from 1984 through 1994; and served as consultant and US representative to several international scientific committees and foreign nations for activities in health physics, radiation protection, environmental risk assessment, and emergency planning. Dr. Swaja is currently the Senior Advisor for Biomedical Engineering in the NIH's Office of Extramural Research.

Dr. Eileen Bradley has a masters degree in radiological physics, a doctorate in physiology/radiobiology, and post-doctoral training in nuclear medicine from Harvard University. Her research focused on the effects of Auger and internal conversion electrons on DNA. Dr. Bradley became a Professor of Radiology at the George Washington University in 1979 where her research was concerned with normal tissue effects of fast neutron radiotherapy. She was also Director of the Ph.D. program in Medical Physics. Dr. Bradley came to the NIH's Center for Scientific Review in 1990 and is currently the Scientific Review Administrator of the Diagnostic Imaging Review Group and the Chief of the Surgery, Radiology, and Bioengineering Integrated Review Group.

Dr. Philip Chen received the B.A. degree in Physics from Clark University in 1950 and the Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1954. Dr. Chen was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Copenhagen from 1954-55 where he performed research on the breakdown of adenine nucleotides in shed human blood. He returned to the University of Rochester as a Junior Scientist on the Atomic Energy project, and then served as a commissioned officer of the US Public Health Service at the NIH from l956-59. Dr. Chen returned to the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor of Radiation Biology and Biophysics until 1966. From 1966-67, he was a Guggenheim Memorial Fellow at the University of Copenhagen where he studied calcium deposition. Since 1967, Dr. Chen has been a science administrator at the NIH working in areas associated with grants administration, financial support of medical schools, analysis and evaluation, and training. He is currently Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director for Intramural Research and was responsible for establishing the Office of Technology Transfer at the NIH.. Dr. Chen serves as the Arctic Research Representative for the DHHS to the NSF and DOS, is a member of the Materials Technical Advisory Board for the DOC, and serves on several academic and medical advisory boards.

Dr. Alexander Gorbach has a master's degree in electronics/remote sensing, a doctorate in physiology/biophysics and post-doctoral training in magneto encephalography from an intramural NIH program. His research focused on multi modal brain functional imaging. Dr. Gorbach became Vice-President of Bioengineering Committee of USSR Academy of Science in 1981 where he managed a Technology Transfer program between the military industry and the Academy of Science. Dr. Gorbach joined the Surgical Neurology Branch of NINDS in 1996 where his research was concerned with intra-operative infrared imaging and spectroscopy. Currently Dr. Gorbach is a Staff Scientist working in the area of optical imaging and angiogenesis. In 2000 he initiated a new NIH/DOE collaboration in the areas of remote sensing, energy deposition and 3D thermometry for living tissue. Since 2001 he has served as a member of the NIH/DOE Steering Committee.

Dr. Carol Dahl is currently Assistant to the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the area of strategic technologies and serves as Director of the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations at the NCI. As Director, she oversees the activities of this office in implementing cross-cutting and experimental technology development programs at the NCI including the "Innovative Technologies for the Molecular Analysis of Cancer Program"; manages the "Unconventional Innovations Program"; and facilitates the relations of industry with the extramural programs of the NCI. Dr. Dahl has held the position of Guest Researcher at the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) in the National Institutes of Standards and Technology in the Department of Commerce and was previously Program Director of the Sequencing Technology Branch at the National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR). Prior to joining the NIH, Dr. Dahl served on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. She received a bachelors degree with honors from the University of Iowa, and masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Dahl received post-doctoral training at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and the Immunobiology Research Center at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Daniel Sullivan received an A.B. degree in l966 from Brown University and a M.D. degree in 1970 from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. From 1970 to 1977, he held several postdoctoral training and fellowship appointments at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Sullivan held faculty appointments from 1977 to 1997 at the Yale Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. In 1996, he was a member of the Project Hope Assessment Team which coordinated breast cancer detection and treatment in Poland. Dr. Sullivan's areas of clinical and research expertise are nuclear medicine and breast imaging, and he holds certifications in diagnostic radiology and nuclear radiology from the American Board of Radiology. He is currently the Associate Director for the Diagnostic Imaging Program at the National Cancer Institute at the NIH.

Dr. Michael Marron earned a Ph. D. Degree in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1968 and conducted post-doctoral research at the Theoretical Chemistry Institute in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1970, he began an academic career at the University of Wisconsin where he served as a professor of chemistry, department chairman, and Dean of Science at the Parkside Campus. During this time, Dr. Marron taught physical and biophysical chemistry, conducted research on fundamental mechanisms of interaction between extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and living organisms, and helped found the Biomedical Research Institute to foster interdisciplinary research. In 1983, Dr. Marron joined the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to become Program Manager in Molecular Biology where he managed multidisciplinary extramural research programs related to marine biology, biosensors, biomaterials, nanotechnology, and environmental biology. He also developed and managed a program in laser medicine for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. During his tenure at the ONR, he served as Chief Scientist for Biological Sciences, Director of Resources and Assessment for the Chief of Naval Operations, and DoD biotechnology representative on national and international committees. Since November of 1999, Dr. Marron has been the Associate Director of Biomedical Technology for the National Center for Research Resources.

Dr. Lore Anne McNicol was educated at the Massachusetts institute of Technology, University of California at Berkeley, University of Montana, and Boston University School of Medicine. She received a Ph. D. Degree in Medical Sciences with a thesis on the chemical structure of the virulence antigen of Salmonella typhosa. Following post-doctoral research on bacteriophage genetics, she held faculty positions at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, California Institute of Technology, and University of Maryland. Dr. McNicol was an administrator at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences where she directed the Shared Instrument Program and managed a portfolio of grants in the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease Program. She joined the National Eye Institute (NEI) as Chief of the Anterior Segment Disease Branch where she managed grants on corneal diseases and lens and cataract research. Dr. McNicol initiated two international workshops on corneal biomechanics and was active in developing research in these areas. She is currently the Director of the Division of Extramural Research at the NEI.

Dr. John Watson is the Deputy Director and Head of the Bioengineering Research Group of the Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Watson came to the NIH in 1976 from the University of Texas Health Science Center where he was Chairman of the Graduate Study Program in Biomedical Engineering and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Physiology. He has bachelor's (University of Cincinnati) and master's degrees (Southern Methodist University) in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in physiology from the University of Texas at the Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Watson's experience includes ten years in industry, 10 years in academia, and 23 years in the public sector. His research interests include medical implant design and science, biomaterials, imaging, and heart failure. Dr. Watson is a founding Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Ms. Winifred K. Rossi, M.A. is a Health Program Specialist for Genetic Epidemiology and Translational Research in the Geriatrics Program (GP) at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH. She received her Masters Degree in Applied Demography from Georgetown University in 1995. Before coming to NIH she worked at the Senate Special Committee on Aging on issues related to Medicare and Social Security, and the White House Conference on Aging, researching long-term care issues. From 1995-1997, she was a Program Analyst in aging and cancer epidemiology at NIA. In her current NIA-GP position, she is responsible for the administration of grants for research focusing on the incorporation of multiple aspects of translational research, including: genetics, gene therapy, pharmacogenetics, bioengineering, bioinformatics, and biotechnology into new and ongoing clinical studies.

Dr. Michael Eckardt received a M.S. Degree in Zoology from the University of Michigan and the Ph. D. Degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon Medical School. For twenty years, Dr. Eckardt has been an intramural researcher at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health. He has over 150 related publications in the scientific literature. Dr. Eckardt's expertise is in imaging, electrophysiology, and application of novel mathematical techniques to data analysis. He is currently the Senior Science Advisor in the Office of Scientific Affairs of the NIAAA.

DR. THOMAS AIGNER
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

Dr. Thomas Aigner received his doctorate in pharmacology in 1977 from the Medical College of Virginia. His thesis research investigated the rewarding properties of intravenously self-administered drugs of abuse in primates. Dr. Aigner continued those studies as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago where he also studied mechanisms controlling cerebral and renal blood flow. While at Chicago, he developed an early microcomputer-based data acquisition system for on-line blood flow data collection, storage, and statistical analysis. In 1982, Dr. Aigner moved to the Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Mental Health where he coordinated a long-term research program studying the neuropharmacology and neurochemistry of memory and brain function in primates. He and his colleagues were among the first to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in primates, and they developed the first nonferromagnetic stereotactic instrument for use with MRI for visualizing and targeting deep brain structures. Dr. Aigner moved to the Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 1995 where he has been a Program Director with responsibilities for stimulating research in the neurobiology of central nervous system actions of drugs and abuse. He is the NIDA representative to the Federal Agency Coordinating Committee of the Human Brain Project, and he has been the NIDA representative to BECON since 1998.

DR. LYNN LUETHKE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

Dr. Lynn Luethke received a masters degree in Audiology in 1985 and a Ph. D. degree in Hearing Science in 1988 from Vanderbilt University. Her research focused on the anatomy and physiology of the auditory cortex in rodents and primates and on psychophysical studies of human auditory motion perception. Following positions both in academia and clinical private practice, Dr. Luethke joined the NIH as a Program Director in the Hearing Program in the Division of Extramural Research at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in 1992. Her current research interests include auditory neuroscience, audiology, and auditory device development.

DR. ELENI KOUSVELARI
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH

Dr. Eleni Kousvelari is the Chief of the Biomaterials, Biomimetics, and Tissue Engineering Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health. She is responsible for the NIDCR's programs involving the design and fabrication of the next generation of biomaterials needed for the repair/regeneration of craniofacial, oral, and dental structures. Dr. Kousvelari serves as the NIDCR's representative to BECON and other trans-NIH organizations associated with bioengineering and bioinformatics as well as a liaison between NIH and other Federal agencies such as the NSTC's Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology (IWGN). She received her Dental Degree from the University of Athens (Greece) and her masters and doctorate degrees for the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Kousvelari served on the faculty of Temple University, the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, and the Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry. She was a senior investigator in the Division of Intramural Research at the NIDCR. Dr. Kousvelari has received a number of awards including the Boston University School of Dental Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award (1966) in recognition of distinguished service to the profession.

DR. WILLIAM A. SUK
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

Dr. William Suk received the Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the George Washington University Medical Center in 1977 and a M.P.H. degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1990. He is currently Director of the Office of Program Development in the Division of Extramural Research and Training at the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). In this position, Dr. Suk is responsible for the assessment of national and international efforts in biomedical research and its potential applications in determining adverse effects on human health resulting from exposure to environmental agents. He is responsible for designing, developing, and managing national and international programs that focus on those areas of research pertinent to the Institute's mission in experimental and molecular biology and population-based studies. Dr. Suk also serves as Director of the NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances Basic Research and Training Program which was established by Congress as part of the reauthorization of Superfund in 1986. His research interests include linking exposures with disease etiologies and developing research and prevention strategies to reduce risks to environmentally-induced diseases and disorders. In support of these interests, Dr. Suk has helped develop NIEHS programs in children's health, genetic susceptibility, molecular medicine, risk/exposure assessment, research at minority institutions, and research on health issues related to Central and Eastern Europe, the US-Mexico border environment, and the Pacific Basin.

Dr. Michael Huerta is Associate Director of the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science at the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH). He is responsible for a variety of programs that support basic neuroscience research as well as research and development of technology relevant to the mission of the Division. Technology research supported in these programs include hardware, software, and wetware. Dr. Huerta received his Ph. D. Degree in Anatomy from the University of Wisconsin at Madison where his research focused on the structure and function of the sensorimotor systems in the brain.

Dr. Hilary Sigmon is a Program Scientist Administrator at the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) at the National Institutes of Health. In this position, she has administrative responsibility for research, career development, and research training grants in areas of cardiopulmonary science, trauma, transplantation, wound healing, and intensive care. While at the NINR, Dr. Sigmon led the interface of nursing research with biological science. She received her RN from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, a BA in sociology cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, a MSN summa cum laude from the Catholic University of America, and the Ph.D. Degree in physiology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Sigmon completed post-doctoral studies at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. She was the first nursing director and chief flight nurse of the District of Columbia's first level one trauma center.

Dr. Michael Viola, M.D., received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a medical degree from McGill University School of Medicine. Dr. Viola received medical training at the Yale Medical Center and specialty training in medical oncology at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute. He has been Chairman of Oncology at several medical schools, most recently at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Viola is currently Director of the Medical Sciences Division in the Office of Science at the U. S. Department of Energy. His research interests are in the areas of epidemiology and genetics of melanoma and leukemia.

Dr. Jeffery A. Schloss is Program Director for Technology Development Coordination in the Division of Extramural Research (DER) at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). He manages a grants program in technology development for DNA sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scoring, and serves the NHGRI DER and Office of the Director as a resource on genome technology development issues. He led the team that launched the Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science, and initiated a program to foster effective collaborations to validate new sequencing technologies for use in high-throughput laboratories. He previously was a program director for large-scale genetic mapping, physical mapping, and DNA sequencing projects. Dr. Schloss represents NHGRI on the NIH Bioengineering Consortium (BECON), established in 1997 to foster support for bioengineering research. Schloss chaired BECON from 2001 to 2004. Among numerous BECON activities, he co-organized the 2000 symposium on nanotechnology in biomedicine and helped to develop two nanoscience program announcements. He also represents the NIH on the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET), planning for the National Nanotechnology Initiative. He has worked with local high school students, teaching about DNA sequencing and the ethical and societal implications of Human Genome Project. Before coming to NIH in 1992, Dr. Schloss was on the biology faculty at the University of Kentucky. He earned the B.S. degree with honors from Case Western Reserve University, the Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Carnegie-Mellon University, and conducted postdoctoral research at Yale University. Dr. Schloss's research in cell and molecular biology included the study of non-muscle cell motility and regulation of mRNA expression.