NEWS FROM THE RANKING MEMBER OF THE U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

GULF WAR ILLNESSES WILL BE SUBJECT OF TUESDAY’S HEARING

September 24, 2007

Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) At the end of the Gulf War in 1991, thousands of veterans complained of a variety of illnesses and symptoms, including chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain, skin rashes, memory loss, balance issues, sleep disorders, depression, birth defects, chronic diarrhea and concentration problems. Since that war ended the federal government has spent over $300 million researching the possible causes of the diseases and symptoms which have collectively been called Gulf War illness.

U.S. Senator Richard Burr, the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and other committee members will meet Tuesday to review what scientists and others have found in their research.

The hearing will be held Tuesday, September 25, in room 562 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, starting at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. It will be broadcast live on the Committee's website and available for viewing later http://veterans.senate.gov. Audio may also be available - during the hearing only - at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

Panel 1

• James Binns, Chairman, Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses
• Julie Mock, Gulf War Veteran and President, Veterans of Modern Warfare
• Meryl Nass, MD, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Bar Harbor, Maine
• Lea Steele, PhD, Scientific Director, Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, and Senior Health Researcher, Kansas Health Institute
• Roberta White, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health

Panel 2

• Michael E. Kilpatrick, MD, Deputy Director for Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

            Accompanied by:

            - Col. Janet Harris, PhD, RN, Director of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Department of the Army

• Joel Kupersmith, MD, Chief Research and Development Officer, Veterans Health Administration

            Accompanied by:

            Timothy O'Leary, MD, PhD, Director of Biomedical Laboratory and Clinical Science Research and Development Services, Department of Veterans Affairs

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