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President George W. Bush made his fourth visit to NIH in less than 3 years on Nov. 1 to announce the government's pandemic influenza preparations and response. At a Natcher Bldg. address of just under half an hour, he outlined a $7.1 billion plan to meet the threat of avian flu. On hand for Bush's announcement were several cabinet secretaries, senators, congressmen, HHS officials and such international representatives as Dr. Jong-wook Lee, director general of the World Health Organization, and Dr. David Nabarro, senior United Nations system coordinator for avian and human influenza. Bush credited NIH for more than a century of work "at the forefront of this country's efforts to prevent, detect and treat disease, and I appreciate the good work you're doing here. This is an important facility, an important complex, and the people who work here are really important to the security of this nation."

Clockwise from left:
Conferring with Prince Charles (r) on his Nov. 3 visit are (from l) NIA director Dr. Richard Hodes, NIDDK director Dr. Allen Spiegel and NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni.

Welcoming Prince Charles to NIH in the CRC lobby are (from l) NIH deputy director Dr. Raynard Kington, NIH deputy director for intramural research Dr. Michael Gottesman and NIH Associate Director for Communications John Burklow.

The Duchess of Cornwall (l), whose interest in osteoporosis spurred the NIH visit, chats with several leaders in the field including Dr. Ethel Siris (r) of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Following a briefing on osteoporosis research in the medical board room, Prince Charles greets NIH employees, who lined the atrium cheering and waving as the royals passed through. Shaking hands with the Prince is Connie Caldwell of the NIH Freedom of Information Office.