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listfriends:

the nih has announced a list of 20 people who will serve on the
newly-established council of public representatives, which is to advise the
director on overall nih research funding policy.  the group was created as a
result of a 1998 report by the national institute of medicine on how nih goes
about selecting research funding priorities (in which pdf participated in a
modest way).

you can find the list at the nih website as follows:
www.nih.gov/welcome/publicliaison/get-involved.copr/members.html

one reader's view: a pretty impressive list, each member carefully researched
and selected for experience with health policy and services and the group as
a whole throughly diverse by any measure.

don't look for much direct link to parkinson's though; we knew from the
beginning that they were going to be wary of special-interest pleaders and
they certainly meant it. at the same time, i was interested to learn that all
of the 200 folks whose names were placed as candidates in the hopper (i know
of at least eight from the pd community and i am sure there were others) are
to be included in some kind of general advisory network, whatever that is to
mean.

robin elliott, executive director, parkinson's disease foundation