NIH's National Library of Medicine Opens Exciting New Interactive Exhibition, ''Against...

NIH's National Library of Medicine Opens Exciting New Interactive Exhibition, ''Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health''

BETHESDA, Md.--(Business Wire)--
National Library of Medicine, the world's largest medical library
and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today
opened a new interactive exhibition, "Against the Odds: Making a
Difference in Global Health" on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.

"Against the Odds" presents a look at the public health problems
posed by Hurricane Katrina. It showcases the barefoot doctors program,
which trained over one million young people to treat the common
ailments of residents of rural China in the 1960s and 1970s. The
exhibition also profiles a campaign for oral rehydration in Bangladesh
that was so successful that it has been adopted in Afghanistan as
well. In another example of nation-to-nation collaboration, "Against
the Odds" shows how the Pholela Health Center in South Africa inspired
the community health center movement in the U.S.

Throughout, harnessing the best of 21st century technology,
engaging text and graphics, and interesting objects, "Against the
Odds" focuses on how individuals and communities, in collaboration
with scientists, advocates, governments and international
organizations, have made and are making a difference in the health of
people around the globe.

"The National Library of Medicine has long been more of an
international library than a national one," observed NLM Director Dr.
Donald A.B. Lindberg. "Most of the scientific articles we index are
written outside the U.S. and almost half of the MEDLINE
(www.pubmed.gov) inquiries we receive are from outside this country.
We have many formal partnerships with other nations, too, to provide
training and to facilitate interlibrary loan.

"The fact that the Internet has made our vast holdings accessible
to people around the globe certainly helps in the fight against the
complex and widespread health challenges facing the world today," he
continued. "Against the Odds captures many of the successes in world
health policy, such as the eradication of smallpox, and cautions us
about potential pitfalls, like the kind of discrimination that can
take place when people don't understand the facts about the
transmission of HIV/AIDS."

"People all over the world share a commitment to a better life and
a healthier future for all," commented Dr. Elizabeth Fee, chief of
NLM's History of Medicine Division. "This exhibition highlights some
of their achievements as well as the challenges that remain, and
encourages each of us to join the fight for health and human rights."
Dr. Fee's office manages the Library's exhibition program.

The exhibition features several public health heroes such as:

-- Dr. Victoria Cargill, director of clinical studies and
director of minority research of the NIH Office of AIDS
Research, Bethesda, Md., and a respected AIDS clinician in
Washington, D.C.;

-- Dr. Jack Geiger, New York City, a founding member and past
president of Physicians for Human Rights, and the architect of
the community health center network in the United States; and

-- Jeanne White Ginder, Leesburg, Fla., mother of the late Ryan
White, and an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS.

In addition, the exhibit highlights several young activists
including:

-- Gyawu Mahama, Washington, D.C. and Peachtree City, Ga. An
undergraduate at the George Washington University, pursuing a
double major in international affairs and global public
health, Mahama is an active member of the GW chapter of the
Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC). He has participated in
World AIDS Day demonstrations, and his chapter of SGAC helped
provide free oral HIV testing to GWU students;

-- Niko and Theo Milonopoulos, Palo Alto, Calif. The brothers,
students at Stanford University, founded Kidz Voice-LA and Vox
Populi after a series of shootings in their hometown, North
Hollywood. They encourage young people to get involved in the
prevention of gun violence, have led marches and rallies, and
have testified at legislative hearings;

-- Michael Tees, M.D., M.P.H. (May 2008), New Orleans, La. Tees
co-founded the Tulane University chapter of Student Physicians
for Social Responsibility during his first year of medical
school, in 2004. The group educates students and the local
community about environmental health issues. After Hurricane
Katrina, the organization maintained its educational mission
and continued its community-based emphasis by working with
local groups. One such project, Releaf New Orleans, involved
planting trees in neighborhoods devastated by the storm; and

-- Tanya Wansom, Ann Arbor, Mich. As a medical student at the
University of Michigan and a member of the American Medical
Student Association (AMSA), Wansom has trained future
physicians to educate middle and high school students about
HIV/AIDS.

Please contact Kathy Cravedi (cravedik@mail.nlm.nih.gov and
301-594-7170) or Melanie Modlin (mm354i@nih.gov and 301-496-7771) at
the National Library of Medicine for access to the following
resources, available to members of the press:

-- By-appointment tours of the exhibition

-- Thumbnails of images from the exhibition

-- Availability of key NLM staff and individuals featured in the
exhibition

-- A DVD with interviews and images featured in the exhibition

An opening program was held on site April 16th moderated by CNN
medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. In addition to remarks by NLM
Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, the program featured persons whose
stories appear in the exhibit and a panel of young activists. The
audience included students from Quince Orchard High School,
Gaithersburg, Md.; Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C.; Woodrow
Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.; and the Medical and Health
Specialty Program at Maury High School, Norfolk, Va. who participated
in the program designed to educate and inspire. The complete program
can be viewed at http://videocast.nih.gov/.

Located in Bethesda, Md., the National Library of Medicine is the
world's largest library of the health sciences. For more information,
visit the Web site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical
Research Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a
component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is
the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Fleishman-Hillard
Stephanie Vainder, 305-520-9024
Stephanie.Vainder@Fleishman.com

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