NRI has received notification that the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, (NIDDK) has renewed its Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) award to the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute. This award provides greater than $2.25 million to NRI over 5 years to continue this valuable research.

Recent estimates suggest that 34% of the adult population in the United States is obese and the rate of obesity continues to increase. Bariatric Surgery is the most effective treatment to accomplish sustained and significant weight loss for people with severe obesity. A number of studies have documented that the amount of weight loss following bariatric surgery is substantial and associated with improvement or reversal in a variety of medical comorbidities including diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, stress incontinence, and infertility. This extension of the LABS Consortium allows NRI to retain subjects to complete the longitudinal observation cohort database and maintain the infrastructure to support the conduct and analysis of sub studies on the resolution of diabetes and psychosocial changes.

The LABS grant principal investigator is James E. Mitchell, M.D., NRI President, and Scientific Director. Dr. Mitchell is also the NRI/Lee A. Christoferson, M.D. Chair of Clinical Neuroscience, Chester Fritz Distinguished University Professor at the UND School of Medicine and Health Science. This grant is conducted in cooperation with the surgery department of MeritCare Health Systems.

Author:NRI Staff

The Neuropsychiatric Research Institute’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has appointed three new members to the NRI Board. Dale Shook, Jr., Harriette McCaul, Ph.D., and Bruce Pitts, M.D., MBA.

Dale Shook is associate general counsel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota where he provides corporate legal counsel on a wide range of topics with an emphasis on health law including ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA and the recently enacted health care reform legislation. In addition, Dale is the primary legal counsel for several of BCBSND’s affiliated companies and their boards of directors. Prior to joining BCBSND, Dale was an associate attorney with the Gunhus Law Firm (now merged with the Vogel Law Firm) for three years practicing in the areas of securities and real estate law including representation of a local Minnesota watershed district. Dale graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2000. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in 1997 from Jamestown College, Jamestown, North Dakota. Dale is a graduate of the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program, a Cub Scouts den leader and actively involved in a variety of leadership roles at Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral. Dale lives in Fargo with his wife, Patty, a stay-at-home mom, and their three children. He enjoys traveling with his family, golfing and reading.

Harriette McCaul received her Ph.D. in Management from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She has served on the faculties of the University of Kansas, Minnesota State University, Moorhead and North Dakota State University including Dean of the College of Business Administration from 1993 to 1996. Dr. McCaul has also worked as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, at Community First Bankshares, (now Bank of the West) and most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer for MeritCare Health Systems. She has served on the Board for the MeritCare Foundation, the Fargo-Cass County Economic Development Corporation, Hospice of the Red River Valley and currently Creative Care for Reaching Independence.

Dr. Bruce Pitts is President of Sanford Clinic. Dr. Pitts received his undergraduate degree from Yale and MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Pitts serves on the NRI Board of Directors as an ex Officio member representing Sanford Health.

The NRI Board of Directors is extremely pleased that these highly qualified individuals have chosen to contribute a portion of their time to support the mission of the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute.

Author:NIH Staff

New strategic plan for NIH obesity research seeks to curb epidemic

Researchers, health care professionals, the public create comprehensive plan

To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

More than one-third of adults in the United States and nearly 17 percent of the nation’s children are now obese, which increases a person’s chance of developing many health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and some cancers. In 2008, obesity-related medical costs were an estimated $147 billion. Government, nonprofit and community groups, businesses, health care professionals, schools, families, and individuals are taking action to address this public health problem — and research can provide the foundation for these efforts.

NIH funds research to reduce the prevalence of obesity and its health consequences, an investment of $824 million in fiscal year 2010, plus awards totaling $147 million made in the same year through the Recovery Act. This NIH strategic plan, developed by the NIH Obesity Research Task Force, recognizes that eating less and exercising more is easier said than done. Highlighting the crucial role of research in efforts to reduce obesity, the plan emphasizes moving science from laboratory to clinical trials to practical solutions, and is designed to help target efforts and resources in areas most likely to help.

“Obesity has many causes and contributing factors. This plan is a bold blueprint that will encourage the research community to examine the epidemic of obesity from diverse perspectives,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “Through the scientific opportunities outlined in the strategic plan, researchers can work together toward the goals of preventing and treating obesity, to help people lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.”

The task force is co-chaired by Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. These three institutes, along with the National Cancer Institute, led in the plan’s development.

The research recommendations include:

discover key processes that regulate body weight and influence behavior
understand the factors that contribute to obesity and its consequences
design and test new approaches for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
evaluate promising strategies to prevent and treat obesity in real-world settings and diverse populations
use technology to advance obesity research and improve healthcare delivery

To increase the reach of research and improve public health, the plan also highlights education and outreach to move proven strategies into community programs and medical practice.

Since the release of the first strategic plan in 2004, research produced many advances, including:

Lifestyle interventions for weight loss reduce risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. NIH-funded studies are testing ways to bring these proven strategies to more people.
When a woman with obesity or diabetes becomes pregnant, her child’s risk of developing obesity may increase, suggesting a critical period to intervene. Researchers can study approaches to help women achieve a healthy weight before and during pregnancy.
Many genes and other aspects of our biology, from body fat to the gastrointestinal system and brain, influence whether we’re likely to become obese. Researchers are delving deeper into these pathways and how they’re affected by our environment.

While research continues, NIH resources can help people achieve or maintain a healthy weight now. Find tips and tools from the Weight-control Information Network at www.win.niddk.nih.gov, from Aim for a Healthy Weight at http://healthyweight.nhlbi.nih.gov, and from We Can! — or Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition — at http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov. The Let’s Move campaign, led by the White House, also provides valuable ways to prevent childhood obesity at www.LetsMove.gov.

Learn more about obesity research at NIH, see a video about the plan from Collins, and view or request a free copy of the summary or complete Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research at www.obesityresearch.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. More information about NIH’s Recovery Act grant funding opportunities can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/recovery. To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the Recovery Act, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the Recovery Act, visit www.recovery.gov.