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 continued to benefit from the teamwork and institutional knowledge of its small but dedicated core staff. Dr. Joseph Kemnitz, director since August 1996, transferred full-time to research on Dec. 31, 2009. Edi Chan, executive assistant to the director, continued to coordinate or co-coordinate conferences, retreats, seminars, scientific visits, and security activities. Jordana Lenon, public information officer and outreach specialist, continued to split her time between the Primate Center and the Stem Cell &Regenerative Medicine Center. Judy Peterson, university services associate, transferred from the Director's Office to Operational Services in January 2010. Seminars &Meetings The Director's Office hosted four general staff meetings in FY 2009-2010, monthly internal action committee and executive committee meetings. The deans of the UW-Madison Graduate School, School of Medicine and Public Health, and other schools and colleges attended a provost visit at the Primate Center in December 2009. The Office hosted two scientific research retreats: In September, Dr. Catherine McCarty, Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin, provided an update on her endometriosis work. In December, Dr. Moshe Bushmitz, BFC Israel, discussed international research and resource development programs for Mauritian cynomolgus macaques. Highlights discussed at the research retreats included updates to the Primate Center's research program, discussion of new and proposed projects, funding opportunities, strategic planning, projected use of animals, and research presentations. The Center hosted an External Advisory Board meeting in April/May 2009, with a follow up conference call in October. The Center hosted a meeting on an ICTR/CTSA endometriosis research collaboration in August 2009, with participants from UW-Madison, Oxford University, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, McArdle Cancer Research Labs, and the Marshfield Clinic. The Center hosted an Electronic Health Records meeting in September 2009, and a Primate Portal meeting in September 2009. The Center hosted another Endometriosis meeting in January 2010 at the Primate Center. The Primate Center hosted research seminars* by: ? Michael Sussman, Professor of Biochemistry, Director, U.W. Biotechnology Center on April 17. ? Serge Wich, Scientist, Great Ape Trust of Iowa, Des Moines on May 11. ? Bernard Rollin Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University (funded through University Lectures Committee) on July 2. ? Polani B. Seshagiri, Dept. of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on August 7. ? Christopher L. Coe, Department of Psychology, U.W.-Madison on September 28. ? Suzette D. Tardif, Barshop Institute for Longevity &Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio on October 19. ? JoAnne L. Flynn, Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine on November 16. ? Andrew J. Parker, Professor of Physiology, University of Oxford on November 23. ? Jay R. Kaplan, Professor of Pathology, Wake Forest University on December 1. ? Jon E. Levine, Prof. of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University on December 14. *The Coe, Tardiff, Parker, Kaplan and Levine research seminars were co-hosted by the search committee for a new WNPRC director. Each of these candidates for director also presented a vision seminar at the Primate Center the day after their research presentations. The director attended the following meetings off site in FY 2009: ?NPRC Directors Meeting and visit to Capitol Hill in April ?Visit to NCRR, NIA, ILAR and Capitol Hill in June 2009 in Washington, DC. ?NIH Grant review session in July 2009 in Washington, DC. ?ILAR Council meeting in July 2009 in Woods Hole, MA. ?Southwest National Primate Research Center 10th Anniversary Symposium in October 2009 in San Antonio, TX. ?CTSA Consortium Steering Committee meeting in October 2009 in Washington, DC. ?National Primate Research Centers Directors'meeting and NHP Models for AIDS meeting in October 2009 in Boston, MA. ?ILAR Council meeting in November 2009 in Washington, DC. (Also March 2010.) Other key 2009-2010 updates: One of the Primate Center's most famous employees, stem cell scientist James Thomson, accepted the position of director of regenerative biology at the UW-Madison-based Morgridge Institute for Research in 2009. Thomson also remains a core scientist at the Primate Center, a position he has held for 14 years;and he continues to do an amazing job sharing the Primate Center's strengths and resources through his many collaborations and communications. We are grateful to Dr. Thomson, and to Jessica Antosiewicz-Bourget, who joins him at Morgridge as assistant director, for the many people they have trained in the lab who have likewise published seminal papers in the field. Thomson and Antosiewicz-Bourget are now honorary associate fellows of the Primate Center. Joseph Kemnitz, Primate Center Director for the past 13 years, transitioned from this position to increased participation in the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), where he is assistant director for translational technologies and resources. This core division within ICTR has strong links to WNPRC service units and includes partnerships with Marshfield Clinic Laboratories, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Research Imaging Core Facilities, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Clinical Laboratories, and Physiology Core Laboratory. He continues his personal research grant and contact activities through the WNPRC and School of Medicine and Public Health and his leadership role for the International Primate Plan through the Institute of Laboratory Animal Research of the National Academies. Commenting in a press release on Kemnitz leaving the directorship Dec. 31, 2009, Graduate School Dean Martin Cadwallader stated, """"""""We're grateful to Dr. Kemnitz for the leadership that he's provided for our primate center for so many years. Running such centers is no small thing. It is a multifaceted and complex environment, and we're fortunate that the center is on a sound footing and well positioned for the future."""""""" Kemnitz is chair of the Translational Key Function Committee (KFC) for the National Consortium of CTSA Programs and serves on the Information Technology Systems external advisory committee for the national consortium. In these roles he participates in the coordination of Translational KFC activities with the Informatics KFC and Public-Private Parternship KFC, as well as various Specific Goal Committees for the national consortium. View additional WNPRC highlights and photos on the move to WIMR, new supervisory staff, new research affiliates, research collaborations, outreach and more at: www.primate.wisc.edu/wprc/news.html (click on CenterPulse - current issue.) 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. Most of these materials?press releases, newsletter articles, a brochure and fact sheets?appear at www.primate.wisc.edu. Local, national and international scientific media interest in WNPRC activities remained high, with weekly scientific media queries and near monthly visits by science journalists and documentary crews. News highlights appear on the Primate Center's home page, www.primate.wisc.edu. Public outreach activities have nearly quadrupled at the WNPRC, thanks to strengthened collaborations among the Primate Center, Stem Cell &Regenerative Medicine Center, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers, Wisconsin Alumni Association, WiCell, Research Institute, Biotechnology-Genetics Center BioTrek outreach program, UW Science Alliance, and additional entities. More community and school outreach groups visited the Primate Center within the past year than ever before. Many staff members have been instrumental in helping the outreach specialist pull together all of these visits;however, special mention goes to Christina Cruzen, Animal Services clinical veterinarian, who volunteered her time to present talks to visiting groups at the Primate Center nearly every month in 2009.
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