Friday, September 6, 2002

Two meetings at the White House today: 1) Meeting in Executive Office Building (EOB_ in OMB’s Robin Cleveland’s office with Robin, Gary Edson, Joe O’Neill, and Mark Dybul. We presented our reenforced implementation with a beautiful computer model of accessibility to central medical centers (CMCs), primary, secondary and tertiary clinics in Uganda as a prototype. Robin was still not entirely satisfied with the presentation since she was hung up on quarantees that this plan would work given failures in previous endeavors in these countries. She and Gary also wanted to flesh out the computer model on India, Mozambique and Guyana. We will go back and try again. Next meeting likely will be with Josh Bolten. 2) Meeting in EOB with General Bruce Lawlor (deputy to Gov. Ridge of OHS), Col Kadlac (OHS), and Col Gerald Parker of Ft. Detrick for me to present to Lawlor the NIAID plan for research including collaborations with DoD and facilities at Ft. Detrick. I presented the NIAID Strategic Plan and Research Agenda. It was a great meeting. Lawlor was extremely impressed and highly supportive. We promised to work together and he offered to help in any way possible. He is a tough, nice , straight shooter. His background is that he commanded a tank battalion in the Gulf War.