National Institutes of Health

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. The Institutes are responsible for 28% - about $28 billion - of the total biomedical research funding spent annually in the U.S, with most of the rest coming from industry.[1] The Institutes are located in Bethesda, Maryland, and the surrounding towns.

The predecessor of the NIH began in 1887 as the Laboratory of Hygiene. It grew and was reorganized in 1930 by the Ransdell Act into the National Institutes of Health. Today it is one of the world's foremost medical research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the U.S. The NIH, comprising 27 separate institutes, centers and the Office of the Director, is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The current NIH Director is Elias Zerhouni.

Building 50 at NIH

The goal of NIH research is to acquire new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability, from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold. The NIH mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. NIH works toward that mission by: conducting research in its own laboratories; supporting the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; helping in the training of research investigators; and fostering communication of medical and health sciences information.

Institutes of the NIH

Centers of the NIH

Office of the Director

The Office of the Director is the central office at NIH. The OD is responsible for setting policy for NIH and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all the NIH components. Program offices in the Office of the Director are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH and for planning and supporting research and related activities. Current program areas are: minority health, women's health, AIDS research, disease prevention, and behavioral and social sciences research. http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/offices.htm.

Program offices within the Office of the Director fund research through the institutes:

  • Office of Extramural Research (OER): provides guidance to institutes in research and training programs conducted through extramural (grant, contract, cooperative agreement) programs.
  • Office of Intramural Research (OIR): coordinates research conducted directly by NIH personnel through intramural programs.
  • Office of Management (OM): responsibe for management and financial functions of the NIH.
  • Office of Administration (OA): advises the NIH Director and staff on administration and management; develops and implements policies, and provides oversight in the areas of information resources management, management assessment, grant administration and contract management, procurement, and logistics.
  • Office of AIDS Research (OAR): formulates scientific policy for, and recommends allocation of research resources for, AIDS research at NIH.
  • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR): advises the NIH Director and other key officials on matters relating to research on the role of human behavior in the development of health, prevention of disease, and therapeutic intervention.
  • Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL): advises the Director and communicates information about NIH policies, programs, and research results to the general public.
  • 'Office of Community Liaison (OCL): advises the Director, plans, directs and oversees activities to promote collaboration between NIH and its community, and ensures effective communication on policy and programs involving the community.
  • Office of Disease Prevention (ODP): coordinates NIH activities regarding the application of research to disease prevention, nutrition and medical practice.
  • Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE): provides a comprehensive guide to postdoctoral training opportunities available at the NIH.
  • Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management (OEODM): advises the Director and NIH staff on matters related to equal employment opportunity programs and policies.
  • Office of Financial Management (OFM): advises the NIH Director and staff and provides leadership and direction for NIH financial management activities; develops policies and instructions for budget preparation and presentation and administers allocation of funds and manages a system of fund and budgetary controls.
  • Office of Human Resources (OHR): advises the NIH Director and staff on human resource management; directs central human resource management services; and provides NIH leadership and planning on human resource program development.
  • Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH): serves as a focal point for women's health research at the NIH. The ORWH promotes, stimulates, and supports efforts to improve the health of women through biomedical and behavioral research. ORWH works in partnership with the NIH institutes and centers to ensure that women's health research is part of the scientific framework at NIH and throughout the scientific community.

See also

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