“Policy and Action to Improve the Health of Children” is the theme for the 6th annual Washington Children’s Health Policy Conference, set for Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Shoreline Conference Center. Several UW units are co-sponsors. The registration fee is $100 before Aug. 26 and $125 after. For a brochure and registration form, call Children’s Continuing Medical Education office at 527-5701.

The UW International Health Program is one of several co-sponsors for a campus speech by Denis Halliday, former United Nations humanitarian aid coordinator for Iraq, at 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 24, in 120 Kane Hall. The event is open to the public. Halliday will speak on the continuing effects of the UN economic embargo, particularly on the health of children in Iraq.

Dr. Jackie Gardner, associate professor of pharmacy, recently received a “Special Achievement Award” from the Washington State Pharmacists Association. Gardner, whose background and training is in public health, was honored for her contributions to the field of pharmacy by building bridges between health care agencies and pharmacists on important public health-care issues. The presentation noted that she is recognized by faculty and students as energetic and enthusiastic, and her dedication has helped advance the profession of pharmacy.

Dr. Barbara Trask, professor of molecular biotechnology, will join the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on Oct. 1 as head of the Human Biology Division.

Dr. David Sweetser, a UW third-year fellow in pediatrics and a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is one of five fellows in the country who will receive a $65,000 grant for five years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Sweetser received the grant for his abstract, “Tumor Suppressor Genes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.” Loss of function of a limited number of tumor suppressor genes may play a critical role in the development or progression of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia, Sweetser suggests. He will work at identifying major tumor suppressor genes involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric AML, which could lead to the development of genetic tests to predict the disease as well as new treatments.

Dr. Danyu Lin, professor of biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, has been named a fellow of the American Statistical Association, an honor marking outstanding service and leadership in the field of statistical science. Dr. Norman Breslow, also a UW professor of biostatistics, chairs the ASA Committee on Fellows. Lin was recognized for fundamental contributions to statistical theory and methods, especially in survival analysis and clinical trials, and for extensive editorial work.

Dr. Anita Hendrickson, professor and chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Biological Structure and professor of ophthalmology, has agreed to serve as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the organization Research to Prevent Blindness. Her term begins Sept. 1. The advisory group meets twice a year in New York City.

Dr. Sureyya Dikmen, professor of rehabilitation medicine with adjunct appointments in neurological surgery and in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has received the annual William Field Caveness Award of the Brain Injury Association. The award is presented to a researcher who has made outstanding contributions toward improving the lives of people who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. The contributions of Dikmen and her collaborators, Joan Machmaer, Dr. Nancy Temkin and Dr. Richard Winn, include the natural history of recovery, as well as intervention studies ddirected at reducing impairments and disabilities associated with these injuries.