National Institutes of Health

I

Introduction

National Institutes of Health (NIH), agency of the United States government dedicated to medical research. The NIH works to improve the nation’s health through research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases and disorders, on the processes of human growth and development, and on the biological effects of environmental contaminants. The agency conducts research in its own laboratories; funds research by scientists and health-care workers in hospitals, schools, and research institutions worldwide; and encourages the dissemination of biomedical information. The NIH also administers the National Library of Medicine, the most comprehensive collection of medical information in the world. The agency’s headquarters, which consists of more than 75 buildings and cover more than 120 hectares (300 acres), is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

II

Organization

The NIH is composed of 19 specialized institutes, which coordinate research and most NIH activities. Many of the institutes conduct and fund federal research into a specific disease, health condition, or system of the body. The NIH also includes seven centers that provide services in support of the NIH mission.

Each NIH institute and center has its own director, administration, and budget. The institutes are highly independent and determine their own research priorities, although they often collaborate with other institutes and federal agencies. The NIH maintains more than 140 advisory committees, which formulate policy guidelines and provide peer review of scientific research.

The director of the NIH oversees the agency’s activities and represents the NIH in its relations with other branches and agencies of the federal government. The NIH director and the director of the National Cancer Institute are presidential appointees who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The other directors of NIH institutes are hired according to federal employment guidelines.

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The NIH is one of eight health agencies that compose the Public Health Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

III

Funding

Each year, the director of the NIH develops and presents a proposed budget to the Congress of the United States. Congressional committees determine the budget of each center and institute individually. The proposed NIH budget is part of the larger federal budget that must be passed by Congress and signed by the president, and the final budget granted to the agency may be more or less than the amount requested by the NIH director. A very small percentage of the NIH budget is donated by people and agencies outside of the federal government. Usually, private gifts fund specific NIH projects or fellowships.

IV

NIH Institutes and Centers

A

National Cancer Institute

Established by Congress in 1937, the National Cancer Institute has the largest budget and staff of the NIH institutes. It conducts and supports research and education efforts directed at the prevention, cause, detection, and treatment of cancer; rehabilitation from cancer treatment; and continuing care for cancer patients and their families. The institute houses a data bank that collects, catalogs, and distributes the results of cancer studies conducted worldwide. The institute also sponsors and funds demonstration centers that train doctors in advanced diagnostic and treatment methods.

The National Cancer Institute sponsors several education programs for the public. The institute provides cancer information for patients and their families and for health professionals on its Web site at www.cancer.gov. Information specialists answer general questions about cancer by telephone at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

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