Monday, October 29, 2001 - 9:00 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Lister Hill Auditorium, National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894

Biomedical research since the Second World War has produced far-reaching scientific discoveries. The advances especially in molecular biology and genetics have broadened immeasurably our knowledge of life and the human organism, but have also raised vexing issues of ethics and public policy. New Frontiers of Biomedical Research, 1945-1980 will explore this complex and fascinating story through the first-hand accounts and historical evaluation of three preeminent scientists who have been instrumental in the development of modern biomedicine: Donald S. Fredrickson, former director of the National Institutes of Health; and two Nobel Laureates, neurobiologist Julius Axelrod and geneticist Joshua Lederberg. They will discuss their respective contributions to the growth of the biomedical research establishment in the United States, the investigation of the nervous system, and the rise of molecular genetics. Their personal experiences in science administration and in the laboratory will be placed in historical perspective through subsequent dialogue with noted historians of science. The symposium offers a unique opportunity to consider the transformation of biology with the influential figures who shaped it.

Symposium Program
Monday, October 29, 2001
All sessions in Lister Hill Auditorium

9:00-9:30 A.M. Continental Breakfast in the Lister Hill Auditorium Lobby.

9:30-10:00 A.M.

Introductory Remarks.

Welcome: Dr. Donald A. B. Lindberg, Director, National Library of Medicine

Introduction to the Profiles in Science Project: Dr. Alexa McCray, Director, Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, NLM

10:00-11:30 A.M.

Panel One: "The Elephant Who Came to Dinner": NIH and the Establishment of the Federal Biomedical Research Structure.

Chair: Dr. Paul Theerman, History of Medicine Division, NLM

Scientist: Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson, former Director, NIH, and Research Scholar, NLM

Historians: Dr. David Hart, Harvard University; Dr. Bill Leslie, Johns Hopkins University

11:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Lunch Break, with Catered Lunch for Speakers and Guests.

1:30-3:00 P.M.

Panel Two: Psychopharmacology and Behavior.

Chair: Dr. David Serlin, History of Medicine Division, NLM

Scientist: Dr. Julius Axelrod, NIMH, Nobel Laureate

Historians: Dr. David Healy, University of South Wales; Dr. Ellen Herman, University of Oregon.

3:00-3:30 P.M.

Coffee Break.

3:30-5:00 P.M.

Panel Three: "What's Bred in the Bone": Genetics, Its Promise, and Its Prospect.

Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Fee, History of Medicine Division, NLM

Scientist: Dr. Joshua Lederberg, Rockefeller University, Nobel Laureate

Historians: Dr. Nathaniel Comfort, George Washington University; Dr. Susan Lindee, University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Jan Sapp, York University, Canada

5:15-7:15 P.M. Reception in National Library of Medicine