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.

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.