Sept. 11, 2014

NIH official to speak at VCU on ways to strengthen biomedical research

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By Brian McNeill

Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health, will speak at Virginia Commonwealth University on ways to strengthen the rigor and reproducibility of biomedical research findings.

Tabak's talk, "Enhancing the Transparency and Reproducibility of Science," will be delivered on Sept. 22 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in VCU's McGlothlin Medical Education Building, Learning Theater, 1201 E. Marshall St. in Richmond. The event is free and open to the public, though registration is requested. Registration can be done online at https://www.support.vcu.edu/event/sangertabak.

In his presentation, Tabak will address concerns voiced by the public and scientists that the systems for ensuring the reproducibility of biomedical research are in need of repair.

Prior to becoming principal deputy director of NIH, Tabak served as acting principal deputy director of NIH in 2009, and as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research from 2000 to 2010.

He has provided leadership for several trans-NIH activities, including the NIH Roadmap effort to support team science, the NIH director's initiative to enhance peer review and the NIH's implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He co-chaired working groups of the advisory committee to the director of NIH on the diversity of the biomedical research workforce and information technology and informatics. He is currently coordinating a trans-NIH effort to enhance the reproducibility of scientific findings.

Tabak's major research focus is the structure, biosynthesis and function of glycoproteins. A former NIH MERIT recipient, Tabak continues to maintain an active research laboratory within the NIH intramural program in addition to his administrative duties.

The lecture is part of the Sanger Series, a partnership between VCU Libraries and the VCU Office of Research and Innovation to provide a lecture series exploring the ethical issues and trends that affect research, scholarship and creative expression.