Alice Clark’s service with NIH spans two decades
OXFORD, Miss. – Alice Clark, vice chancellor for research
and sponsored programs at the University of Mississippi, has served the
National Institutes of Health for almost 20 years. Recently, she was
chosen for membership on the NIH Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of
Antimicrobial Resistance Study Section for the Center for Scientific
Review.
The center is the portal for all NIH grant applications and
their review for scientific merit. There, peer review groups and study
sections evaluate 70 percent of the research grant applications that
are sent to NIH.
“NIH depends on highly regarded scientists,
like Dr. Clark, to help us identify the most promising grant
applications,” said Don Luckett, communications director for the
center. “The key input from these independent volunteers ensures that
the federal funds appropriated to NIH support the best research for
preventing and curing diseases and improving the health of the nation
and the world.”
Clark previously chaired the Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of
Antimicrobial Resistance Study Section for three years and is returning
for the second time as a standing member. She will be reviewing
applications related to the discovery of new drugs for resistant
pathogens.
“Our responsibility is to serve NIH by evaluating the scientific
merit of grant proposals that they receive in this area of discovering
new drugs to treat or control infection due to resistant organisms,”
Clark said. “Our objective is to recommend the best science for NIH to
support.”
The study section was created four years ago because of a
recognized need to acquire experts who are knowledgeable specifically
in the resistance area.
“The more that microorganisms get a look at a drug, the more
they’re able to alter their own machinery to be resistant to it,” Clark
said. “This means that we’re constantly trying to stay a step ahead of
them by discovering new drugs that act in new ways in order to win the
battle.”
Clark also has served two four-year terms as a study section
member on the AIDS and Related Research 4 Study Section and as a member
of the Bio-Organic and Natural Products Chemistry Study Section. She
chaired the AIDS and Related Research 4 Study Section for two years.
“I think it’s vital for members of the University of Mississippi
community to be involved in this sort of professional service because
it’s a terrific opportunity to be a part of the conversation that
shapes your discipline and ensures that the best science is being
conducted,” she said. “It is an honor for me to participate with the
leaders in my field in such a meaningful way.”