Abstract

The presentation will introduce the audience to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and specifically to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Current trans-NIH activities will be showcased: NIH Road Map, NIH Neurosciences Blueprint and others of interest to engineers and bioengineers. NIDCD-specifc scientific programs, especially activities in the Voice and Speech program, will be highlighted. The presentation will attempt to demystify the NIH and encourage prospective grant applicants to submit proposals for NIH funding. Engineers are invited to collaborate across academic disciplines. Such collaboration would increase discovery of bio-medical and bio-behavioral solutions, reduce the burden of diseases and improve public health of the US and abroad.

[Talk Slides]

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Lana Shekim is the Program Director for the Voice and Speech Programs in the Division of a Scientific Programs (DSP) at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). She is responsible for the supervision of a comprehensive research program in voice and speech sciences and disorders and advises the Institute Director in determining program priorities and recommendations for funding. She joined the NIH in 2001.

Prior to joining the NIH, she served on the faculty of the George Washington University in Washington, DC and directed the Speech-Language Pathology Service at the GWU Medical Center. Dr. Shekim's clinical experience, gained mostly in academic medical centers, is in the management of individuals with acquired neurologic communication disorders. She earned her doctorate from the University of Florida in Gainesville where she examined language dissolution in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Shekim completed postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is a board certified member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS). Dr. Shekim is a member of the ASHA International Issues Board (IIB).