FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 23, 2002

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced a new advisory committee that will help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oversee its research into the medical problems of Gulf War veterans.

"Gulf War veterans have waited too long for answers to many of their questions," Principi said. "This committee, composed of medical experts and veterans, will focus on the research that we hope will improve the health of ill Gulf War veterans."

The 12-member Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses was established by Congress to advise the VA secretary on proposed research studies.

The panel must submit an annual report on the status and results of government research during the previous year and on research priorities identified by the committee.

The group's charter, established by Section 104 of Public Law 105-368, which was signed Nov. 11, 1998, says the panel shall "provide advice and make recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on proposed research studies, research plans and research strategies relating to the health consequences of military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War."

Although the panel will not conduct research, its charter instructs the committee to review "all relevant research, investigations, and processes" done in the past to assess methods, results and implications for future research. The committee will also review proposed federal research plans, initiatives, procurements, grant programs and other activities regarding Gulf War-associated illnesses.

Gulf War Committee 2/2/2/2

The committee will be led by James H. Binns Jr., a Vietnam veteran, former principal deputy assistant secretary of defense, and chairman of the board of Parallel Design, Inc., of Tempe, Arizona, acquired by General Electric in December 2000.

The advisory committee will be assisted by an expert panel of scientists and subject matter authorities who will add additional expertise, functioning as an auxiliary that reviews committee findings and provides expert guidance to the committee and the Secretary.
 

• James H. Binns Jr., Chairman,
• Dr. Nicola Cherry, Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta,
• Dr. Beatrice Golomb, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego,
• Dr. Robert Haley, chief of the epidemiology division of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas,
• Marguerite Knox, nurse practitioner, Hopkins, S.C.,
• Dr. William J. Meggs, chief of the division of toxicology of the East Carolina University School of Medicine,
• Jack Melling, Ph.D., director of the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Vaccine Development in Vienna, Austria,
• Dr. Pierre Pellier, vice president, neurosciences, global medical affairs, with GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.,
• Lea Steele, Ph.D., director, Kansas Persian Gulf War Veterans Health Initiative and former epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
• Joel C. Graves, an Army Gulf War veteran fromWashington state,
• Stephen L. Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resources Center; Silver Spring, Md.,
• Steve Smithson, assistant director of the Gulf War Task Force for the American Legion, Indianapolis, Ind.

• Dr. Ira B. Black, chairman, department of neuroscience and cell biology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, N.J.,
• Dr. Joseph T. Coyle, Eben S. Draper professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Mass.,
• Dr. Floyd E. Bloom, chair, department of neuropharmacology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.,
• Dr. Eugene Johnson, professor, department of neurology, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.,
• Dr. Marsel Mesulam, director, The Cognitative Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago,
• James J. Tuite, III, chief operating officer, Chronix Biomedical, Inc., Benicia, Calif.,
• Dr. Bailus Walker, Jr., professor of environmental and occupational medicine, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Questions & Answers

Why is VA creating this committee?
Federal law (PL 105-368, Nov, 11, 1998) directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an advisory committee to review research programs and make recommendations about the direction of VA's exploration of the medical problems of Gulf War veterans.

How were the committee members chosen?
 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs chose men and women who comprise a diverse set of scientific experts who have conducted Gulf War research as well as experts who have not, and thus bring "fresh eyes."  Their expertise includes epidemiology, biomedicine, neurology, occupational health, toxicology and vacinology. Likewise, four members of the committee are veterans (three from the Gulf War) and not necessarily scientists or clinicians.  Among them are men and women from the advocate and veterans service organization communities as well as one Gulf War veteran who has not been involved in the issue.  The committee chair is a successful business manager and Vietnam veteran conversant with the issue and skilled in organizing and focusing enterprises to accomplish goals.

Why did more than three years elapse between the legislation and the creation of the committee?
 This administration cannot speak for the previous administration.  It has taken us several months to refine the committee's charter, review previous research efforts, discuss with veterans the government's research program and recruit potential committee members. 

Will the committee determine which research proposals get funded?
 No.  The committee will not decide which researchers or which research projects receive federal funding.  The committee will advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, who will then make decisions regarding research.  The committee's focus will be on broader issues – Is the government funding research that will answer the central questions about Gulf War illnesses?  Are there gaps in the research? 

What can the committee hope to achieve?
The committee can contribute to ensuring all appropriate avenues are explored and that promising research, as well as gaps in research, is identified to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  The guiding principle of this committee is to advise on research in order to ultimately improve the health of Gulf War veterans.  The work of the committee will purposeful, grounded in the best science, and focused on results - whether they make a difference to the health of Gulf War veterans.  The importance of gaining every advantage from the lessons of the Gulf War cannot be overstated.  In the war on terrorism, these advantages may become critically important.  The numbers of veterans and active duty personnel who have been, or may be, affected by service in the Gulf demand that we evaluate each avenue of potential research for answers to the health questions stemming from this event.

Will the committee review only VA funded research efforts/proposals?
No.  Much research has also been done by the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services.  The committee will review this research as well, to assess its potential for contributing to the answers we seek.

How is this committee different from other such efforts?
This committee will include representation from diverse viewpoints concerning the direction of applicable research, including the veterans of the war.  The committee comprises some scientists and veterans' advocates who have criticized past federal Gulf War research efforts for not fully representing all viewpoints.  Much research has occurred in the international community since the war; reflecting that fact, the committee includes several noteworthy members of the international scientific community.

Will the committee do its own research?
 No.  The committee will not do any research.

Who will the committee report to?
The committee will report to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  An annual report, summarizing its activities, will be submitted to the Secretary by December 1 of each year for the preceding year.

How long will the committee be operate?
The committee is formed under Public Law and has no termination date.

How long will committee members serve?
People will serve terms of two or three years.  We have staggered membership terms to provide continuity - not all terms will expire in a given year.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may reappoint members when their terms have expired.

How was the committee chair chosen?
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs appointed the chairperson for a two-year term that may be renewed by the Secretary.  His background is in the private sector.  Over the past twenty-five years, he has been involved in starting and building two high-tech medical electronics companies.  He has spent a lot of time working with doctors and scientists to develop better solutions to medical questions.

How often will the committee meet?
The committee will meet at least twice per year and more often at the discretion of the chairperson.  Subcommittees will meet as necessary.

Can anyone attend committee meetings?
Committee meetings will be open to the public.  Advance notice of meeting dates and times will be published in the Federal Register.

What is the Expert Panel and how will it function in relation to the committee?
 The expert panel comprises top-tier scientists and authorities to whom the committee may turn from time to time for expert guidance or review.  The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may also use the panel for comment on committee findings; thus it is an independent resource for the department.  Panelists were chosen by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. They were appointed to staggered two- and three-year terms renewable by the Secretary.

Will the expert panel have a chair?
 No.  The committee chair, James H. Binns, Jr., will contact panelists to discuss duties and associated matters.

Will the Expert Panel meet with the committee or on its own?
 Neither.  The panel comprises six to eight panelists and may be consulted individually or collectively by members of the committee or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  It's expected that most consultations will take place by telephone, mail or email, thus precluding any travel requirements for panelists, who have offered to serve without compensation