NIHAABR mission

The National Institutes of Health Alumini Association Chapter-Brazil (NIHAABR) is a self-governing body composed of former NIH post-doctoral visiting fellows that have brazilian citizenship and/or are part of the scientific community in Brazil.

This Association main interest is to contribute to the insertion of visiting fellows, that finish their trainning at NIH, in the brazilian scientific community; and to encourage establishment and maintenance of strong institutional links between brazilian researchers and investigators under NIH grants.

NIHAABR also intends to contribute in the recruitment of new brazilian visiting fellows to develop their training at NIH as well as to the organization of scientific meetings and grant workshops to the brazilian scientific community.

NIHAABR history

The NIHAABR was born from a proposal entitled “A pilot program to establish NIH Alumni Association Local Chapters in Developing Countries”. This proposal was initially presented, in 2002, by the NIH Visiting Fellows Group [officially termed NIH Visiting Fellows Committee (NIHVFC) in 2003] to members of the Fogarty International Center (FIC), including FIC former Directors, Drs. Gerald Keusch and Sharon Hrynkow; other NIH Institutional Center Members; and the former President of the American NIH Alumini Association, Dr. Cyrus Robert Creveling. For more information, please refer to the article published at NIH Record on November 25, 2003 (http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/11_25_2003/story04.htm).

Dr. Valeria de Mello Coelho, as NIHVFC vice-chair and Brazilian representative in 2003 and 2004, on behalf of the NIHVFC, contacted the Presidency of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Dr. Ricardo Tostes Gazzinelli (NIHVF from 1989 to 1995) in Brazil, to propose their nominations as the Brazilian Sponsor and the First President of the NIHAABR, respectively.

The Executive Committee and Advisory Board of the NIHAABR were created in the beginning of 2005. In March of this same year, Dr. Ricardo Gazzinelli, NIHAABR President, visited the NIH and met FIC Members, including Dr. Ana Chepelinsky, Representative of Americas and Caribbeans, and other FIC members to present the NIHAABR Development Process as well as the NIHAABR goals for the period 2005-2009, which includes establishing collaborative programs between Brazilian Institutions and the NIH.

In 2005 and 2006, FIC contributed, through an administrative grant, to the project of the establishment of the NIHAABR. In August of 2005, Dr. Art Reingold, (University of Bekerley, CA), coordinator of this FIC/NIH project in USA, met Dr. Gazzinelli in Brazil to discuss about the initial steps and future of the NIHAABR activities.

In January of 2006, the NIHAABR website was launched and NIH Former Visiting fellows in Brazil have been contacted and invited to become members.

Recently, the NIHAABR Executive Committee has developed a proposal to create Programs of Collaboration Brazil/NIH (PBR/NIH), which aims to contribute to the interaction between NIH and Brazilian researchers, or resident foreigners actively involved in academic activities in Brazil, which have worked as visiting fellows in one of the NIH Institutes or in an Institution under NIH grant.