Harvard Medical School's (HMS) Center of Excellence in Women's Health will present the 4th Annual Women's Health Research Conference, entitled "Women and Cancer Research Update 2003: Novel Therapies and Enduring Disparities," co-sponsored by the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. This year's conference will be held on Wednesday, October 15 from 12 to 5:30 p.m. at the Inn at Longwood Medical, Boston, 342 Longwood Ave.

The conference will feature several speakers, including James Dirk Iglehart, Anne E. Dyson Professor in the Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), who will discuss cancer genesis; Glenn Dranoff, associate professor of medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and HMS, who will present information about new and upcoming cancer therapies; Karen Emmons, professor of society, human development, and health, HSPH, and Beth Garner, clinical fellow at BWH, who will discuss disparities in treatment and outcomes for breast, colon and cervical cancer; and others. There will also be a panel discussion moderated by Nancy Mueller, professor, Department of Epidemiology, HSPH.

Maureen Connelly, instructor in ambulatory care and prevention, HMS, will present the results from her survey evaluating the influences on career advancement and satisfaction spanning the entire full-time faculty at HMS. She will join S. Jean Emans, professor of pediatrics, HMS; JoAnn Manson, Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women's Health, BWH; and Nancy Tarbell, head, Pediatric Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, in a panel discussion about the survey results, moderated by Eleanor Shore, Dean for Faculty Affairs, HMS.

View the complete agenda and register online at http://www.hmcnet.harvard.edu/coe.

John B. Little Symposium to Focus on Genetic Stability and Aging

This year’s John B. Little Symposium in Radiation Sciences and Environmental Health will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25, in Snyder Auditorium. The symposium seeks to bridge the interests of radiation biologists and scientists studying basic mechanisms in cancer biology. The theme this year, "Cellular Mechanisms in Genetic Stability and Aging," reflects the growing knowledge in research on aging at the cellular and molecular level, which is revealing considerable overlap with mechanisms that influence the biological effects of ionizing radiation and other environmental challenges. Information on registering and on the program is at www.hsph.harvard.edu/gcd/JBL/JBL2003/JBLVIprogram.htm.