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Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, Named to Prestigious NIH Advisory Panel

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

CINCINNATI -- Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has been invited to serve on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Council of the National Institutes of Health.

The NIAID council advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as the assistant secretary, the director of the NIH and the director of the NIAID, on matters relating to the conduct and support of research, training and health information dissemination. The council also reviews all applications for grants and cooperative agreements for research and training relating to allergic and immunologic diseases and disorders. Dr. Rothenberg will serve on the council through Oct. 31, 2010.

Dr. Rothenberg is among 18 members of the advisory council who will be responsible for final review and approval of nearly all extramural grants supported by the NIAID. The NIAID is the second largest body of the NIH with a $4.6 billion budget, most of which is designated for grants that require advisory council approval. In addition, Dr. Rothenberg will help guide the NIAID in selecting opportunities for future funding programs. Council members work directly with NIAID director Anthony Fauci, MD.

Dr. Rothenberg is an internationally recognized authority in allergy and allergic disorders. He has uncovered critical pathways involved in allergic disease and has spearheaded the development of new therapeutics for a variety of allergic states. In addition to directing the division of allergy and immunology, Dr. Rothenberg directs the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders. This center is the international leader in caring for patients with these conditions and researching the cure.

Eosinophilic disorders occur when eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, are found in above-normal amounts in various parts of the body. When the body wants to attack a substance, such as an allergy-triggering food or airborne allergen, eosinophils respond by moving into the area and releasing a variety of toxins. However, when the body produces too many eosinophils, they can cause chronic inflammation, resulting in tissue damage. The Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic is leading the nation by bringing together experts in allergy / immunology, gastroenterology and pathology to evaluate, treat and study these chronic medical problems in children.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the leading pediatric research institutions in the nation, is dedicated to changing the outcome for children throughout the world. Cincinnati Children's ranks second among all pediatric institutions in the United States in grants from the National Institutes of Health. It has an established tradition of research excellence, with discoveries including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, the surfactant preparation that saves the lives of thousands of premature infants each year, and a rotavirus vaccine that saves the lives of hundreds of thousands of infants around the world each year. Current strategic directions include the translation of basic laboratory research into the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of disease, and furthering the development of personalized and predictive medicine.