This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Objective: To oversee all research, services, infrastructure, planning and growth, facilities and communications for the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, toward the goal of studying nonhuman primates to improve human and nonhuman primate health and quality of life. The Director's Office continues to benefit from the efficient teamwork and institutional knowledge of its small but dedicated core staff: Dr. Joseph Kemnitz, director since August 1996;Edi Chan, executive assistant to the director, who coordinates all conferences, retreats, seminars, numerous reports, scientific visits and other activities hosted by the Director's Office;and Jordana Lenon, public information officer and outreach specialist. Judy Peterson joined the Director's office in 2008 as a University Services Associate and reports to Edi Chan. The Director's Office hosted one general staff meeting in FY 2008-2009, and four scientific research retreats (Jan. 15, 2008, March 28, 2008, Sept. 19, 2008, Dec. 12, 2008), monthly internal action committee meetings, monthly Executive Committee meetings, and a chancellor's visit in December 2008. The deans of the UW-Madison Graduate School and Medical Schools, and one of our External Advisory Board members also attended the chancellor's visit. We had a Strategic Planning retreat on November 4, 2008. Plans are underway to host an External Advisory Board meeting on April 30 and May 1, 2009, and a conference call meeting on October 27. Highlights discussed at the research retreats included updates in our current research program, discussion of new and proposed projects, electronic submission of grants and our grant tracking process, funding opportunities including the CTSA grant, the NCRR Strategic plan, the Primate Center Strategic planning sessions held in Fall 2008, and research presentations. As part of the Primate Center component of the UW-Madison Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), established by the NIH in 2007, Dr. Joseph Kemnitz directs the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Translational and Technologies Core, Research Services provides ICTR core laboratory support, and Assay Services and Pathology Services provide services for ICTR investigators. Dr. Kemnitz and colleagues are also developing an informatics program through the ICTR. In addition, four Primate Center scientists in 2008 received CTSA grants. Administered through the ICTR, these awards help recipients handle the complexities of human studies: They free up the intellectual and creative talents of clinical and translational researchers by providing regulatory support, clinical research coordinators, technology transfer assistance and project management. The Primate Center hosted seminars by Barbara Hansen, professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, and director, Center for Preclinical Research, and director, Obesity, Diabetes, and Aging Research Center, School of Medicine, University of South Florida on July 15;Dr. Kurt Hoffman, Professor, Centro de Investigacion en Reproduccion Animal, Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico on August 7, 2008;Nickolas Keuler from the CALS Statistical Consulting Service on Aug. 19;Benjamin J. Darien, associate professor of internal medicine, Department of Medical Sciences,School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison on Aug. 21;Dr. Franziska Grieder, Director, Division of Comparative Medicine, NCRR, NIH on August 26, 2008;Dr. Renee Hukkanen, pathologist at the Washington National Primate Research Center on Sept. 30, 1008;Dr. Lakshmanan Annamalai, pathologist in the Division of Comparative Pathology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School on Oct 22, 2008;Dr. Salomao (Solomon) Segal, Paul Janssen Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons on Nov. 7, 2008;Timothy O'Brien, Professor, Veterinary Population Medicine Department, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota on Nov. 8, 2008;Dr. Tony L. Goldberg, Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for Global Health on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Other key updates (2008-2009): The director presided over a successful five-year NIH base grant renewal site visit in January 2008 and a successful Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), International site visit in October 2008. The School of Medicine and Public Health Facilities Group completed the successful first phase of the Primate Center's lab and animal space in the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research on west campus. WIMR's grand opening on Sept. 4, 2008, featured greetings from Wisconsin Governor James Doyle, Chancellor Biddy Martin, and SMPH Medical School Dean Robert Golden, among others. The Primate Center is scheduled to occupy the new space early in 2009. Lawrence Jacobsen Conservation Award: Serge Wich, a scientist at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, and one of the world's leading experts on orangutans and their habitat, was honored with a prestigious conservation award by the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Wich is the 2008 recipient of the Lawrence Jacobsen Conservation Research Award, which supports studies in applied conservation biology that protect nonhuman primates in their habitat. Wich has been awarded a $5,000 grant to help fund Sumatran orangutan research by students from Universitas Nasional in Jakarta and Universitas Syiah Kualah in Banda Aceh. More at: www.greatapetrust.org/media/releases/2008/nr_76a08.php 26th Annual AIDS meeting: The WNPRC co-hosted The 26th Symposium for Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS with the Caribbean Primate Research Center in Puerto Rico, Dec. 9-12, 2008. About 260 people attended and the meeting was a great success, according to Director Joe Kemnitz, who thanks WNPRC organizers David O'Connor, Edi Chan, Amanda Espinosa, Tom Friedrich, Shelby O'Connor and Susan Baculik for working with the Caribbean Primate Center and the local hosts in PR. The WNPRC also hosted the National Primate Research Centers Directors Meeting, which occurred in conjunction with the symposium. The director attended the following meetings off site in FY 2008-2009: --NCRR Council meeting in January 2008 in Bethesda, MD. --ILAR Council meeting in March 2008 in Irvine, CA. --CTSI Conference, University of Iowa in April 2008. --3rd International Conference on Primate Genomics and Human Disease meeting in April 2008 in Seattle, WA. --Spring Directors meeting in April 2008 in Washington, DC. --ILAR Council meeting in July 2008 in Woods Hole, MA. --NCRR Expert Panel in August 2008 in Seattle, WA. --ILAR meeting on """"""""Animal Research in a Global Environment: Meeting the Challenges"""""""" in September 2008 in Washington, DC. --NIA meeting in October 2008 in Merrimac, WI. --7th Comparative Medicine Resource Directors meeting in October 2008 in Washington, DC. --BIRN meeting in October 2008 in San Diego, CA. --NC3RS Welfare meeting in November 2008 in London, England. --NIH Primate Centers fall Directors'meeting in December 2008 in Puerto Rico. --26th Annual NHP Models for AIDS meeting in December 2008 in Puerto Rico. --Lamhdi Kickoff meeting in December 2008 in Washington, DC. --Decision Making in T1 Translational Research Workshop Logistics (NCRR) in February 2009. --CTSA-1 Review Committee meeting in February 2009 in Washington, DC. --International Primate Plan meeting in March 2009 in Irvine, CA. --ILAR Council meeting in March 2009 in Irvine, CA. --Spring Directors meeting in April 2009 in Washington, D.C. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND OUTREACH The Primate Center's general progress is readily available to a variety of audiences via printed and electronic materials produced by the Public Information Office, staffed by Jordana Lenon, B.S., B.A. Most of these materials?press releases, newsletter articles, a brochure, and fact sheets?appear at www.primate.wisc.edu. The PIO also sends out targeted e-mail responses and resources to meet daily outreach and information queries. These targeted efforts simply would not be possible without the assistance of all Primate Center staff and numerous campus, national and international colleagues and affiliates. Science news media and public outreach activities have become almost daily events at the Primate Center, thanks to 1) our director, staff and researchers who contribute a great deal of their time to these efforts, 2) a new grant supporting center outreach efforts, and 3) the explosion of science news websites (with more on-line video) in the past five years. Over the summer and fall, UW-Madison and Primate Center news releases and announcements generated mass attention by the local, national and international media. Midwestern (mostly Big Ten states) outreach audiences visited the Primate Center nearly every week. WNPRC scientists and staff describing their important work and that of their supporting teams to the media, campus communicators and the public this year included, but was not limited to, Joe Kemnitz, David Abbott, Ricki Colman, Christina Cruzen, Marina Emborg, Tom Friedrich, Ray Hamel, Ned Kalin, Tim Kamp, Erwin Montgomery, Steve Shelton, Igor Slukvin, Clive Svendsen, Ei Terasawa, James Thomson, David Watkins, Rick Weindruch, Toni Ziegler. Media and outreach topics have covered every main Center research area, as well as overlapping and related topics: HIV/AIDS research, aging, stem cells, regenerative medicine, neurobiology, hormones and behavior, animal care, reproduction and development, women's health, psychiatry, geriatric health, nutrition and genetics. The public information officer presented or coordinated near weekly talks, labs and other experiences for schools and community groups on primate research and animal care. The PIO is an active presenter and speaker coordinator through the Chancellor's Speakers Bureau, UW-Madison Science Alliance, Stem Cell &Regenerative Medicine Center (Ira and Ineva Baldwin Reilly Wisconsin Ideas grant, see """"""""Sharing in the Discovery"""""""" SPID), and the Center's own in-house outreach program. The PIO relies heavily on Center staff, especially Director's Office and Animal Services staff, to assist her with outreach activities. Finally, the WNPRC/SCRMC public information and outreach specialist was the UW-Madison point person and on the core planning committee for the September 2008 World Stem Cell Summit, attended by 900 people at the Alliant Energy Center;the public outreach day """"""""Lab on the Lake"""""""", which drew 500 people to the Pyle Center on campus;and the Governor's Reception before the summit, at the Executive Residence in Maple Bluff.
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