Principal Deputy Director of NIH meets with HU researchers

Principal Deputy Director of NIH meets with HU researchers

Principal Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak met with 20 Hampton University researchers on March 23. Tabak also toured the research facilities on campus and visited the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI).

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Tabak our campus and present to him some of the significant research projects underway at Hampton University,” said HU President Dr. William R. Harvey. “We look forward to partnering with the National Institutes of Health on more of our science-driven projects.”

Tabak heard presentations from researchers and discussed opportunities and partnerships that are available at the National Institutes of Health. Several researchers including, Dr. Meena Katdare, scientific director of the Hampton University Skin of Color Institute (HUSCI), told Tabak about the ongoing research programs at HU. Currently, there is a scarcity of research that specifically addresses the structural and functional differences as well as the disparities in disease incidence and prevalence amongst individuals from various ethnic/racial groups. It is this lack of hard research data that the HUSCRI is addressing.

Tabak asked the researchers pointed questions about their research projects and discussed different funding avenues at NIH. He also commended the HU researchers for their quantitative research efforts.

Dr. Cynthia Keppel, scientific and technical director of HUPTI, spoke to Tabak about the basic and clinical cancer research being conducted at the Institute. HUPTI will host sustained forefront scientific initiatives in cancer research at many levels – including comparative trails in prostate cancer, pioneering initiatives in breast cancer, radiation biology integration, health disparities research, instrumentation and modeling and simulation. Tabak ended his Hampton University visit with a tour of HUPTI, the largest free-standing proton therapy institute in the world.

“With continued support from the NIH, Hampton University researchers will continue to make great strides in conducting scientific research and developing technologies that address major global heath issues,” Harvey said.