ARO NEWS
Spring 1998

Spring 1998 Volume XIX Number 1

• IN THIS ISSUE:
• President's Report
• Current Issues
• Editor's Column
• New Members
• 1998 Award of Merit Recipient
• 1998 MidWinter Meeting Attendance
• 1998 Membership
• Bylaw Revisions
• 1999 Midwinter Meeting Information
  • 1999 Call for Papers
  • ARO Shortcourse
  • 2000 Call for Symposia and Workshops
  • Travel Award Information
    • Minority Student and Scientist Travel Scholarship Program
    • Resident/Medical Student Travel Scholarship Program
  • Special Interest Focus Groups
• Letter from Friends of NIDCD
• NOHR Research Proposal Request
• Short Course Videotapes Available
  
• 
  

President's Report

Friends and colleagues, greetings from the Northwest. The next MidWinter meeting is a mere eight months away. Abstracts ready? They certainly will be by October 1st, and Jerry Popelka has made a new, improved electronic submission mechanism. Thanks again, Jerry. While great research continues to be generated by all, some of us have been busy on other fronts as well. The Program Committee, chaired by Donata Oertel, has selected five great symposia for the 1999 meeting. The Presidential Symposium will be entitled, "Genes, Development and Disease", and will feature six talks that combine biology and genetics, and focus on specific diseases. Three will focus on hearing, while the other three will provide instructive examples targeting other diseases. The other symposia will be: "Cell Cycle Analyses: Auditory Receptor Development and Regeneration" , organized by Chyren Hunter; "Intregrative Neuroscience: Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Functional Implications of Auditory Physiology", by Brad May; "Otoacoustic Emissions: Physical and Physiological Mechanisms", by Chris Shera, and "Clinical Dilemmas", by Steve Rauch. It's looking like a great meeting and I have heard the weather will be perfect. A record turnout is expected.

We are also trying to deal with several new and important issues. First, we are only guaranteed the Tradewinds Resort through the year 2001, and we are constantly worrying about outgrowing this location. Therefore, we may have to either extend the meeting or find a new location. Most members that I've talked to prefer a beach location or somewhere that has "open spaces" as opposed to a typical Convention Hotel. We've appointed an ad hoc Site Selection Committee (Chaired by Elizabeth Keithley) to evaluate possible new locations. Anyone who knows a likely and desirable spot, please send the information to Betsy.

Another ad hoc committee, the Publications Committee, chaired by Art Popper (Jerry Popelka, Associate Chair), is exploring the advisability and possible formats for establishing a new ARO journal. This would be a huge step for the Association and we must move cautiously, but it has considerable membership support. This large committee is working hard to explore all of the options and I invite each of you to send opinions or ideas to Art or Jerry. The membership of both of these committees is listed on the ARO web page. The Publications Committee is planning to provide a preliminary report to the ARO Council in September.

On the funding front, we all have to get busy or remain busy contacting our Senators, members of the House of Representatives and other government officials. In spite of a good increase in funding for NIH as a whole, NIDCD continues to slip in its funding rate for grants in fiscal year 1999. I'm sorry to report that the expected NIDCD success rate for grants in fiscal 1999 will be among the lowest of all NIH institutes. Our European and Asian colleagues face similar challenges. There are only two ways to "fix" this: quit applying for grants (let's not do that!) or, build public and government support for research in hearing, balance and communication disorders. We have to educate the public and our government officials that the 21st century is the age of information, and communication is the most important attribute of our abilities for meeting this challenge. Thus, funding research in this area is essential to the well being of mankind. The best "educator" for a Congressperson is a concerned scientist sitting in his/her office at home or visiting in Washington. It is up to us to make our concerns known.

I hope each of you has a great summer (or winter down-under) and look forward to seeing you on the beach in February 1999.

Ed Rubel

Current Issues

Suga Named to National Academy of Sciences

Nobuo Suga, Ph.D., a member of the ARO for over 17 years, was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest distinctions a scientist can attain. Suga, a member of the Washington University faculty since 1969, has concentrated his career in neuroscience and has become internationally known for his studies in the neurophysiology of hearing, most notably in bats, but also in porpoises, Amazonian animals and certain insects. Suga has made groundbreaking discoveries in echolocation in bats, analyzing the neural process in bats' central auditory system in order to understand brain mechanisms for processing biosonar signals. He was recognized for "distinguished and continuing achievements in original research" by the academy.

Battey to Head NIDCD

Harold Varmus, M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced James F. Battey, M.D., Ph.D., as the new Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Dr. Battey has served as the Acting Director of the NIDCD since the retirement of the institute's first director last year.

Editor's Column

The line between electronic and print versions of scientific publications continues to blur as traditional paper publications become increasingly available on line. Even the traditional print journals that offered their publications on physical media such as CD-ROM laser disks are now beginning to offer them on the world wide web. Style manuals for references (the American Psychological Association Style Manual, e.g.) now include a format for references obtained on media other than the printed page including CD-ROM and the world wide web.

Increased availability of scientific information is fundamentally changing the way we do science. Access to all of the relevant literature from one location, your desk usually, can make you aware of studies that you may have missed using traditional methods. The definition of a library continues to evolve.

Software that searches for scientific information from larger bodies of literature is becoming very important. The entire "holdings" of the National Library of Medicine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/) from 1966 now can be searched at once, returning not only the references but the abstracts in many cases. A single search using the keywords "GABA" and "hearing" located 52 articles from 32 journals, covering the range from 1967 through 1998, 45 with complete abstracts and 6 from languages other than English but with translated titles.

A development related to an increased ability to locate scientific information is an increased ability to manage the information. Software for managing references, Endnote 3.0, e.g., now includes the ability to locate information over the internet, capture it, store it in a searchable database on a personal computer and integrate it into a paper being written on a wordprocessor. A paper I just submitted for publication contained references that were comprehensive because I was able to locate them from a single, vast comprehensive source. The references also were accurate because the path from the original source to the reference list at the end of the paper did not involve any retyping.

The ARO continues to be on the forefront of this evolution. The abstracts from the MidWinter meetings have been available on line since 1994, first with no searching capability, and then with limited searching capability. Current searching capability locates all of the papers for a particular keyword, either by year or across years. However, the search returns not only the papers of interest but all of the other papers in the session. In the process of enhancing the electronic submission procedure for 1999, the search capability of the abstracts will automatically be enhanced. With the new system, a search using a keyword or an author's name will produce only those individual papers. Look for this new capability in the next few weeks.

Gerald Popelka

New Members

1998 Award of Merit Recipient

The Association for Research in Otolaryngology bestows upon Dr. Robert Galambos the 1998 Award of Merit for his pioneering and continuing research in the hearing and brain sciences. He was born on April 20th, 1914 about the time, in his words "the vacuum tube was invented". He attended the Ohio public schools and heard his first radio message through an earphone connected to a crystal radio receiver. He was 40 years old when television sets first appeared for sale; he obtained an AB and MA Zoology degree in Oberlin (1936); MA and PhD at Harvard (1941); and MD at Rochester University (1945). At this time, penicillin had just been discovered, Hitler and Hirohito defeated, and brain research was getting underway throughout the world. Dr. Galambos married Phyllis in 1977 and because of her has achieved "more peace, order, comfort, and companionship than a person has any right to expect". He has three children and five grandchildren.

His first re-search was a collab-orative one with D.R. Griffin on bats. The experiments confirmed studies performed by Jurine a century and a half earlier that bat cochleas generate responses to sounds that humans cannot hear. Jurine's claim was that the eyes of the bat are not necessary for finding its way; and that the organ of hearing supplies sight to these animals to direct their flight and avoid obstacles. Galambos and Griffin unequivocally provided the physiological evidence for echolocation.

His microelectrode investigations include recordings from almost every level of the auditory neuraxis; and his very first recordings with Dr. Hallowell Davis from cochlear nucleus neurons, which they believed at the time to be from auditory nerve fibers, are classic. The identification of response areas also known now as tuning curves, had immediate impact on theories of hearing. Dr. Galambos, used this as he did all of his findings to fit into a theory of how the brain functions. Response areas gave credence to Helmholz's place theory of hearing.

What followed were the classic studies on the middle ear muscles, brain activity and learning in the unanesthetized preparation, evoked potentials including the 40 Hz response, and changes in the auditory brainstem responses during development, aging, and auditory pathologies. Last, but not least, has been his now three decade "heretical" preoccupation with the role that glia cells play in brain function.

What has characterized, in our view, Dr. Galambos' research career has been his irrevocable attention to details, "the cat does not lie" and his requirement that the data tell and give insight on how the brain functions. He has mentored many students and post-doctoral fellows who now occupy academic and research positions throughout the world. His work has triggered whole new lines of investigations affecting the direction that auditory research and investigators have gone. We are amongst many people who have been privileged to know him and have benefitted from his leadership. Dr. Galambos has been one of the twentieth century's true giants in the study of brain and his influence will no doubt be felt well into the twenty-first century.

George Moushegian
Aage Møller
Kurt Hecox

1998 Meeting Attendance

USA

Europe

Remainder of World

1998 Membership

USA

Europe

Remainder of World

Recommended Revisions to ARO Bylaws - March 23, 1998

In 1997, ARO President Len Rybak appointed an Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee whose goal was to review the ARO Bylaws and make recommendations to the Council regarding revisions or amendments. The members were appointed for one-year terms ending 2/28/98. The committee membership was

The committee worked by email and conference call and reported their findings to the ARO Council at their meeting on February 14, 1998. Five minor changes and clarifications in the wording of the Bylaws were recommended and were approved by the ARO Council with some additional modifications. The approved list of amendments was then distributed to the membership at the Business Meeting held at the Tradewinds on February 16, 1998. Current Bylaws are published at the end of membership directory.

According to the current Bylaws, proposed amendments to the ARO Bylaws must be circulated to the membership at least thirty days prior to a letter ballot vote on the amendments to allow the membership time to make additional suggestions. To comply with this requirement, the proposed amendments to the ARO Bylaws are listed below. A letter ballot containing the proposed amendments will be included with the ballots for Officers of the Association which will be mailed to the membership by regular mail in September 1998.

Judy R. Dubno
ARO Secretary-Treasurer

1999 MidWinter Meeting Information

Call for Papers for 1999

The Association for Research in Otolaryngology will hold its next annual MidWinter meeting from February 14-18, 1999. The meeting again will be held at the Tradewinds Hotel in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. The Association invites the submission of contributed papers from all areas of otolaryngology.

Electronic submission has been available for the last three years and is used by over 95% of authors. The electronic submission process for 1999 has been greatly enhanced and is now the official method for submitting papers. Beginning September 1, 1998, abstracts can be submitted directly over the world wide web at:

http://www.aro.org

Information concerning the submission process will be available on the web site. New features for 1999 include:

• The ability to submit special characters electronically.

• The ability to submit, delete and edit an abstract on line at any time up to the submission deadline.

• The elimination of the traditional proofreading process. You will not receive a paper galley proof. You may proofread your submitted abstract directly on line or print it on your own printer for proofreading. All proofreading must be completed by the submission deadline.

• The elimination of paper forms. No paper forms have been sent with this newsletter.

If you cannot locate access to the world wide web, consider these alternatives.

• Ask a colleague to submit your paper for you. The process takes only a few minutes.

• Ask a friend to submit your paper for you. Many individuals now have access at home through a commercial service such as America On Line.

• Try to find access to the world wide web at another institution. Many libraries, schools and other public institutions provide open access to the web.

• If you cannot gain access to the world wide web, you must contact the ARO Office to obtain a paper form. Allow enough time, at least two weeks, to meet the deadline.

• September 1, 1998 - Electronic submission process made available

• September 1 - September 30, 1998 - Period for submitting, editing and proofreading

• October 1, 1998 - Last day for all submissions

• November 1, 1998 - Scheduling information for all papers will be made available on the web

1999 ARO Short Course

ANATOMICAL TECHNIQUES 1999 Midwinter Meeting Saturday, February 13 7:00-9:45 pm Anatomical Techniques for Research in Otolaryngology The course will include information on in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, stereology, confocal microscopy and digital imaging. Further details will follow in the fall newsletter and on the ARO web site. For more information, contact Ms. Minda Paga ARO Executive Office 19 Mantua Road Mt. Royal, NJ 08061 Phone: (609) 423-0041 Fax: (609) 423-3420 E-mail: headquarters@aro.org

Call for SYMPOSIA and WORKSHOPS

Symposia and Workshops for the Association for Research in Otolaryngology 2000 MidWinter Meeting will be selected by the ARO Program Committee at the 1999 MidWinter Meeting from proposals submitted before January 31, 1999

The fundamental difference between Symposia and Workshops is the target audience.

Symposia should be on topics of interest to a wide cross-section of ARO members, and the talks should be pitched accordingly, i.e. summarizing large bodies of research not the most recent results from the speaker's laboratory. Symposia can be full or half day. However, the breadth and depth of anticipated member interest must be exceptional to support a full-day session. Half-day symposia are 3 to 4 hours in duration including breaks.

Workshops can be on topics of interest to a focused subgroup of ARO members. Workshops are often scheduled in the evening. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Evening sessions are typically 3 hours in length. Morning or afternoon workshops can be 3-4 hours.

The ARO has a conference grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that can pay travel expenses including airfare, hotel and per diem expenses. It is ARO policy that only non-members are eligible for such travel reimbursement. It is also ARO policy not to pay honoraria.

Each proposal should contain

• A session title

• A brief (<300 word) description of the theme and target audience

• A list of speakers (4 to 7), with a title and a brief (<150 word) description of each presentation, panel discussion, etc.

• A proposed schedule including time allotted for each speaker, for questions, for panel discussion, etc.

Please send your proposal to:

Dr. Donata Oertel
Chair, ARO Program Committee
University of Wisconsin
Dept. of Neurophysiology
273 Medical Sciences Building
Madison, WI 53706

Deadline January 31, 1999

Travel Award Information

Each year the ARO awards travel scholarships that allow residents and students to attend the MidWinter Meeting. Funds are provided by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, Inc., the National Institutes of Health and the Deafness Research Foundation. The winners for the 1998 meeting were:

Resident/Medical Student Awards

Minority Awards

Charles K. Oh, M.D.-Wayne State University Sam P. Mostafapour, M.D.-University of Washington George M. Brinson-University of North Carolina Ted A. Meyer, M.D., Ph.D.-Indiana University School of Medicine Shefali I. Shah-Johns Hopkins School of Medicine John C. Sun, M.D.-Washington University School of Medicine Henry C. Ou-Washington University Howard D. Stupak-Albert Einstein College of Medicine Robert M. Pettis-University of CaliformniaLA Andrew J. Griffith, M.D., Ph.D.-University of Michigan Medical Center Marc D. Eisen-University of Pennsylvania Bradley J. Goldstein-SUNY Health Science Center Timothy Hullar, M.D.-Johns Hopkins University Christopher D. Lansford-University of Michigan Yael Raz, M.D.-Johns Hopkins University Sven-Olrik Streubel-The University of Kansas Medical Center Anand Devaiah-The University of Kansas Medical Center John S. Oghalai, M.D.-Baylor College of Medicine Angelica Carranza, M.D.-Baylor College of Medicine Pavan G. Reddy-Wayne State University Gerard J. Carvalho-University of California-San Francisco Jonathan S. Erulkar-Yale University School of Medicine Rosalia C. Fonseca-University of Washington Eric V. Steinmetz-Oregon Health Sciences University Richard J. Hood, M.D.-University of Virginia Kurtis D. Korver, M.D.-SIU School of Medicine

Julian M. Husbands, II-University of Pennsylvania Debra Strother-University of South Alabama Blanca I. Durand, M.D.-University of Buffalo Sanoj K. Suneja, Ph.D.-University of Connecticut Health Center Antoinette Y. Freeman-Boston University School of Medicine Louis Benjamin-Medical College of Ohio Lisa M. Montney-University of Michiga

Minority Student and Scientist Travel Scholarship Program

The ARO has once again been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to provide travel scholarships to qualified minority scientists. The monies are to be used for attendance at the 1999 ARO MidWinter Meeting held February 14-18 in St. Petersburg Beach, FL and are provided to partially defray travel, meals and lodging costs of six graduate and/or postdoctoral students. The Minority Fellowship Committee appointed by the ARO President will select the awardees. The award is intended to increase the participation and preparation of pre- and post-doctoral minority scientists in fields related to otolaryngology. Applicants need not be a member of ARO, but must be U.S. residents.

Individuals selected will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Academic background

• Experience

• Research interests

Prospective candidates should submit the following for consideration:

• Curriculum vitae

• Statement regarding research interests

• Two letters of recommendation

• Indication of ethnic minority with which they identify

Any member of the ARO may nominate a candidate. The postmark deadline for nominations and receipt of materials is November 1, 1998. Successful candidates will be notified by December 1, 1998.

Please send all materials to:

Minority Travel Awards Committee
ARO Executive Office
19 Mantua Road
Mt. Royal, NJ 08061
Phone: (609) 423-0041
Fax: (609) 423-3420
E-mail: headquarters@aro.org

Resident/Medical Student Travel Scholarship Program

The Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) announces that applications are now being accepted for travel awards for residents and medical students in the field of Otolaryngology to attend the 1999 ARO MidWinter Meeting being held February 14-18 in St. Petersburg Beach, FL. Twenty-three awards of $400 - $500 are being offered to defray travel and lodging costs associated with attendance at the ARO's annual meeting. The winners of the ARO Travel Awards will be selected by the Physicians Research Training Committee appointed by the ARO President. Applicants need not be a member of ARO.

The purpose of the award is to encourage residents and medical students to become active in the ARO and to promote interaction between MD's and PhD's as well as clinical and basic researchers in the field of Otolaryngology. Travel awards are made possible in part by grants from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) of the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, and the Deafness Research Foundation.

Individuals selected will be judged according to the following criteria:

• 1. Resident in an ACGME accredited program in Otolaryngology or medical student in ACGME accredited medical college (Post-doctoral clinical or research fellows are not eligible for this award.)

• 2.Career goals directed toward academic practice

Prospective candidates should submit the following for consideration:

• 1. A letter from the applicant stating desire, need and qualifications for the award based on the stated criteria

• 2. The identification number of the abstract submitted for poster or paper presentation at the 1999 ARO MidWinter Meeting. This identification number is issued when the abstract is submitted. NOTE: The deadline for submission of abstracts is October 1, 1998.

• 3. Curriculum vita

• 4. Letter of recommendation from the department chair including a guarantee of matching funds of an equal amount. NOTE: If more than one applicant comes from a program, the chair must prioritize the applicants.

Applications must be postmarked by November 1, 1998 and should be submitted to:

Physicians Research Training Committee
ARO Executive Office
19 Mantua Road
Mt. Royal, NJ 08061
Phone: (609) 423-0041
Fax: (609) 423-3420
E-mail: headquarters@aro.org

A Letter from the Friends of the NIDCD

"As we approach the next century, we are in the midst of tremendous progress in biomedical research and on the brink of historic breakthroughs in Šdiseases that affect human kind. The United States, through the National Institutes of Health and NIH-funded research at institutions across our nation, is proudly leading this scientific charge." (Congressman John E. Porter, Kidney Cancer News 7: October 1996.

This statement reflects the commitment of Congressman Porter (R-IL) to biomedical research. It reflects the motivation behind his leadership's effectiveness as the senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee. This Committee has been responsible for the budget for the NIH and Congressman Porter has been a remarkably effective champion of that budget. Indeed John Porter has earned a reputation as the foremost champion of biomedical research in the entire Congress, and for good reason. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee he has stated strongly that he considers funding of biomedical research to be among the nation's highest priorities and he has matched those words with action. He has fought for and won substantial increases in funding for research through the NIH: a 5.7% increase in fiscal year in 1996 and a 6.9% increase in fiscal year in 1997. These increases were far and above those of the President's proposed budget and were accomplished at a time when most other accounts in the overall federal budget were being cut. Representative Porter did this by personally lobbying the Republican leadership in the House. He brought together a group of Nobel laureates at a meeting with House Speaker Gingrich to discuss the importance of basic research. He called on university presidents across the nation to contact President Clinton and the Speaker of the House, and to discuss their views of the importance of biomedical research funding. And of course as Chairman of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee, he rejected low funding proposals and insisted upon significant increases for the NIH in his bills.

John Porter's commitment to medical research has earned him the praise of numerous scientific, medical and research organizations across the country. Last year the ARO honored him for his effective leadership on our behalf. His commitment to biomedical research, his clearly articulated arguments, his success in promoting support for biomedical research, and the recognition and praise he has received for these efforts, have captured the attention of many others in both houses of congress. Now bills and resolutions have been introduced by Senators Mack (R-FL), Harkin (D-IO), Gramm (R-TX), Specter (R-PA) and others aimed at doubling the NIH budget, some in the next 5 years. John Porter's efforts have become a spark to ignite the efforts of others that just might, in the near future, result in the funding of all excellent and outstanding grant applications to the NIH.

As he recently stated: "The successes of biomedical research have unlocked the keys to many diseases and have saved countless thousands of lives and made the quality of life for a lot of people betterŠ.It is the best investment anywhere in government. The health care cost savings from the triumph over one disease, polio, through the Salk vaccine, has paid for all the cost of NIH since its inception." (Boston Globe, 10Mar97)

While we cannot publicly honor John Porter each year, he certainly deserves our appreciation. We should keep him in mind; and we should support him and his efforts at least to the same extent that we have come to expect him to support us and our needs.

Officers of the Friends of NIDCD
George Gates, MD, President
John Niparko, MD, Vice President
Robert Ruben, MD, Secretary
Josef Miller, PhD, Treasurer

NOHR 1999 Research Proposal Request

In 1999, the National Organization for Hearing Research will award grants of approximately $10,000 each, primarily in the form of seed money, for exploration into innovative research areas in the prevention, causes, treatments and cures of hearing loss and deafness.

Researchers and clinicians qualified in the field of auditory science may apply. Applications from researchers in other disciplines who will conduct research directly relevant to auditory science are also encouraged. Grant support is generally provided for one year. Applications are reviewed by NOHR's Scientific Review Committee.

The deadline for submission of applications is October 2, 1998. For application materials, please contact:

The National Organization for Hearing Research
225 Haverford Ave.
Narberth, PA 19072
(610) 664-3260 Phone
(610) 668-1428 Fax

Short Course Videotapes Available

Short Courses. Each videotape set is approximately 3 hours long and costs $35.00 (U.S.). An additional $5.00 shipping charge will be incurred for non-USA locations. Individuals registered for a course but unable to attend can obtain the videotape set at a special rate of $15.00. Course handouts also are available for $15.00. Please indicate when ordering if you would like the accompanying course handout.

To order videotape sets or course handouts, contact:

Meetings Department
Association for Research in Otolaryngology
19 Mantua Rd.
Mt. Royal, NJ 08601 USA
Phone (609) 423-7222 x350
Fax (609) 423-3420
meetings@aro.org

Advertising space

Advertising space is available for the ARO NEWS and the ARO Directory Please contact the ARO Office for information concerning prices, space and deadlines.

Tom Sims
Association for Research in Otolaryngology
19 Mantua Rd.
Mt. Royal, NJ 08601 USA
Phone (609) 423-7222 x350
Fax (609) 423-3420
headquarters@aro.org