| NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH |
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases |
| April 1996 |
Contact: Barbara A. Weldon |
Ms. Helen M. Simon has been appointed Director of the Office of Program Planning and Evaluation at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Prior to this appointment, Ms. Simon was the planning officer for the National Center for Human Genome Research, another component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In announcing her appointment, NIAMS Director Dr. Stephen I. Katz said, "Ms. Simon's extensive experience and background in program planning as well as her scientific background make her eminently qualified for her new position. In addition, as a former employee of NIAMS, Ms. Simon possesses in-depth knowledge of all facets of the Institute."
A native of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Ms. Simon received a bachelor's degree in biology in 1972 from Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and a master's degree in biology in 1974 from the same school. Ms. Simon came to the NIH in 1974 to work as a biologist in the National Eye Institute's glaucoma laboratory, and later worked as a technical information specialist in the same institute. From 1985 to 1986, she was a program analyst for the National Institute of Arthritis and Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIADDK), the predecessor to NIAMS. In 1986, when NIAMS was established, Ms. Simon was reassigned to the new institute and remained until 1989, when she joined the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. In 1990, she joined the National Center for Human Genome Research.
Ms. Simon is the author of more than 10 research papers. She has received numerous honors for her work in the area of program planning, including the NIH Director's Award, and for her volunteer work with the Washington community.
# # #
References:
F. J. Kull, E. P. Sablin, R. Lau, R. J. Fletterick, and R. D. Vale. Crystal structure of the kinesin motor domain reveals a structural similarity to myosin. Nature1996; 380:550-555
E. P. Sablin, F. J. Kull, R. Cooke, R. D. Vale, and R. J. Fletterick. Crystal structure of the motor domain of the kinesin-related motor NCD. Nature 1996; 380:555-559.