ORS's Dattoli, Ambassador of NIH Security,
Dies
By Brad Moss
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| John Dattoli (r) was the recipient of an
NIH Merit Award from NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni. |
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John M. Dattoli, acting associate director, Security and Emergency
Response and director, Division of Physical Security Management in
the Office of Research Services, died unexpectedly of a heart attack
on Apr. 1 while jogging in his neighborhood.
Dattoli was instrumental in overseeing the development of the
new Perimeter Security System on the main campus from design to
implementation. In addition to his leadership in physical security,
he helped guide policy for the police, fire, fire marshal, emergency
preparedness and personnel security programs.
"The staff will sorely miss all the advice, guidance and support
that John provided us. In particular, we will all miss John's sense
of humor and ability to get us all laughing.especially when he
knew firsthand that we were all working under very demanding conditions," said
NIH Fire Marshal J.P. McCabe. "John was a quiet hero," said John
Burklow, NIH associate director for communications and public liaison. "I
don't think many people at NIH knew of the important and lasting
contributions he made to the agency. John helped lead NIH through
a very difficult time as we responded to the increased requirements
for security. He is a tremendous loss to NIH and our hearts go
out to his family."
A native of Gloversville, N.Y., and civil engineer by trade, Dattoli
spent the past 20 years in the federal government with the General
Services Administration and the Defense Logistics Agency before
arriving at NIH in 1993.
At NIH, he began his career as chief, shops section of the former
Division of Engineering Services, rising up the ranks to special
assistant to the director of Property Management in the Office
of Research Facilities and Development (ORF) after ORS and ORF
split into two separate organizations. He transitioned to ORS in
November 2003 as director of the Division of Physical Security
Management and assumed the role of acting associate director in
May 2004.
Juanita Mildenberg, current ORF acting director and Dattoli's
former supervisor in DES, sees his passing as a "great loss to
the NIH. His dedication and commitment to keeping our facilities
operational was unmatched. He responded no matter what the hour
and often interrupted his family activities to do so. His humor
and gentle personality were ever present. His passion for work
and love of life, family and religion made him a very special person
and friend."
He was a graduate of Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., with
a degree in civil and environmental engineering. He began his career
working for the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Corp. in Pittsburgh,
Pa., prior to his work with the government.
Dattoli was a member of St. Andrew Apostle Catholic Church in
Silver Spring. He also coached for the Catholic Youth Organization
and several of his children's athletic teams. He is survived by
his wife of 25 years, Mary Bronakowski Dattoli of Silver Spring,
three children, Navy Ensign Matthew Dattoli, 24, of Virginia Beach,
Va., and Meredith, 16, and Anthony, 13, both of Silver Spring;
a brother, Joseph Dattoli of Thurmont, Md.; and a sister, Joan
Spencer of Queensbury, N.Y.
An educational trust fund has been established for Dattoli's children.
Memorial contributions can be made to: Dattoli Children's Educational
Trust Fund, c/o Suntrust Bank, 5504 Norbeck Rd., Rockville, MD
20853.
Saunders, Formerly of NCI, Is Mourned
Dr. J. Palmer Saunders, who worked at the National
Cancer Institute from the early 1950's until 1974, passed away
on Apr. 16, in Baltimore. In 1965, he was appointed deputy director
of NCI's chemotherapy program. Two years later, he became associate
director in charge of extramural programs, helping shape cancer
research and care in the U.S. He retired from NCI in 1974 to
become dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at
the University of Texas Medical Branch. Saunders was recognized
for his generous support and commitment to graduate biomedical
education by establishing, in 2001, a professorship for the University
of Texas Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
NIGMS's Poodry Honored by Native Research
Network
 Not
that long ago, Dr. Clifton Poodry was
one of just two Native American geneticists. Today, he directs
the NIGMS Minority Opportunities in Research program, which encourages
underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in biomedical science.
For promoting "integrity, respect, and excellence in research," Poodry
received the first Frank Dukepoo Research Award from the Native
Research Network, an organization that supports scientific networking
and mentoring opportunities for indigenous peoples of the Americas.
The award pays tribute to the late Dr. Dukepoo, who formed the
other half of the original Native American genetics community. "Frank
was a good friend, so I was delighted to see him recognized," Poodry
said. "I was pleased and surprised to be the first recipient
of an award honoring his memory." Poodry accepted the award,
which included a plaque and an Iroquois Confederacy Pendleton
blanket, on behalf of NIH at the annual Indian Health Service
Research Conference in New Mexico in April.
Five Named to Women's Health Committee
Five new members have been appointed to the advisory committee
on research on women's health. They are: Constance Howes, president
and chief executive officer of Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode
Island; Nancy J. Norton, founder and president of the International
Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders; Dr. Eugene
P. Orringer, executive associate dean for faculty affairs and faculty
development in the School of Medicine at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Susan P. Sloan, associate professor
of medicine and associate residency program director of internal
medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee
State University; and Dr. Barbara W.K. Yee, professor and chair
of family and consumer sciences at the University of Hawaii at
Manoa.
Salazar Recognized by Tech Magazine
 Cyrus
Salazar of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management
has been named one of the "100 most important Hispanics in Technology
and Business" for 2006 by the editors of Hispanic
Engineer & Information
Technology magazine. Honorees are chosen because of their leadership
and outstanding work in the field of technology. They will be feted
at an event in Baltimore this September, during Hispanic Heritage
Month. Salazar is NIH Hispanic Employment Program manager.
NCI's Adhya Honored by University
of Calcutta
 This year the University of Calcutta, India, celebrated the sesquicentennial
of its founding in 1856. In a convocation ceremony held Mar. 27,
the university conferred a doctor of science (honoris causa) degree
on Dr. Sankar Adhya of NCI's Laboratory of Molecular Biology for
his seminal contributions in the field of molecular genetics.
O'Hanlon Named to NHLBI Post
 Nancy O'Hanlon was recently named deputy ethics counselor, NHLBI.
She joins the institute with more than 8 years of experience in
ethics and personnel management, most recently with the Defense
Intelligence Agency. She is responsible for overall management
of the ethics program at NHLBI.
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