"NIH" redirects here. For other meanings of NIH, see NIH (disambiguation).

National Institutes of Health

Building 50 at NIH

Clinical Center - Building 10

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. The United States Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS) is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting Biomedical research (or experimental medicine) in general simply known as medical research, is the Basic research or Applied research conducted Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

As of 2003, 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 NIH is divided into two parts: the "Extramural" parts of NIH are responsible for the funding of biomedical research outside of NIH, while the "Intramural" parts of NIH conduct research. Intramural research is primarily conducted at the main campus in Bethesda in unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland, and the surrounding communities. The National Institutes of Health ( NIH) campus is located in Bethesda Maryland. Bethesda is an Unincorporated area in southern Montgomery County Maryland, just Northwest of Washington D Montgomery County of the US state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington D The National Institute of Aging and the National Institute on Drug Abuse are located in Baltimore, Maryland, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is in Research Triangle, North Carolina. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID maintains Rocky Mountain Labs in Hamilton, Montana,^[2] with an emphasis on virology. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH which is an agency of the United States Department

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 Institute of Health (singular at the time). The Ransdell Act (ch 251, codified as amended at,,) reorganized expanded and redesignated the Hygienic Laboratory as the National Institute of Health (later to become the National 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 United States Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS) is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting The current NIH Director is Elias Zerhouni. Elias A Zerhouni (إلياس زرهوني MD (born 12 April 1951) is the 15th and current director of the National Institutes of Health

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. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly A genetic disorder is a condition caused by abnormalities in Genes or Chromosomes While some diseases such as Cancer, are due to genetic abnormalities acquired Acute viral nasopharyngitis or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious viral Infectious disease of the 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. A scientist, in the broadest sense refers to any person that engages in a systematic activity to acquire Knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Medical education A medical school or faculty of medicine is a Tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches Medicine A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for

Institutes of the NIH

U.S. drug regulation

Prescription drugs Over-the-counter drugs

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National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Research and training aimed to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. The regulation of therapeutic goods, that is drugs and therapeutic devices, varies by jurisdiction A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained Over-the-counter (OTC drugs are medicines that may be sold without a prescription, in contrast to Prescription drugs The name "over-the-counter" The National Cancer Institute (NCI is part of the United States Federal government's National Institutes of Health. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Est. 1937.

National Eye Institute (NEI)

Conducts and supports research that helps prevent and treat eye diseases and other disorders of vision. The National Eye Institute (NEI is one of the US National Institutes of Health that was established in 1968. Eyes are organs that detect Light, and send signals along the Optic nerve to the visual areas of the brain The visual system is the part of the Nervous system which allows organisms to see. Est. 1968.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (or NHLBI) is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda The heart is a muscular organ in all Vertebrates responsible for pumping Blood through the Blood vessels by repeated rhythmic The blood vessels are part of the Circulatory system and function to transport Blood throughout the body lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products A sleep disorder (somnipathy is a medical disorder of the Sleep patterns of a person or animal Also has administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman's Health Initiative. Est. 1948.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Supports the NIH component of the Human Genome Project. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda Maryland. The Human Genome Project (HGP was an international Scientific research project with a primary goal to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA NHGRI's Intramural Research Program develops and implements technology for understanding, diagnosing, and treating genetic diseases. Est. 1989.

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Undertakes research on the biomedical, social, and behavioral aspects of the aging process, prevention of age-related diseases and disabilities, promotion of better quality of life for all older Americans. The National Institute on Aging (NIA is a division of the US National Institutes of Health ( NIH) located in Bethesda Maryland. Gerontology (from Greek γερο gero, "old age" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Geriatrics is the branch of Medicine that focuses on health care of the elderly Est. 1974.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

NIAAA research is focused on improving the treatment and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA as part of the U Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Est. 1970.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Research goals include striving to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH which is an agency of the United States Department An infection is the detrimental Colonization of a host Organism by a foreign Species. Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical Science that covers the study of all aspects of the Immune system in all Organisms It deals with Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy. Est. 1948. The NIAID-funded Influenza Genome Sequencing Project is a collaborative effort designed to increase the genome knowledge base of influenza and help researchers understand how flu viruses evolve, spread and cause disease. The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project (IGSP is an effort to dramatically improve the availability of genomic sequences and related information about the influenza (flu viruses [1]

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

NIAMS supports research into causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, or NIAMS, is an institute of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body The musculoskeletal system (also known as the locomotor system is an organ system that gives Animals the ability to physically move using the Muscles and The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant Est. 1986.

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

Promotes fundamental discoveries, design and development, and translation and assessment of technological capabilities in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, enabled by relevant areas of information science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, materials science, and computer sciences. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering ( NIBIB) is the newest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH research institutes and centers and Bioengineering (also known as Biological Engineering is the application of Engineering principles to address challenges in the fields of Biology and Medicine Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the collection classification, manipulation storage retrieval and dissemination Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Materials Science or Materials Engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of Science and Computer science (or computing science) is the study and the Science of the theoretical foundations of Information and Computation and their Est. 2000.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NICHD researchs fertility, pregnancy, growth, development, and medical rehabilitation for the promotion of all aspects of child health. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, created by congress in 1962 supports and conducts research on topics related Fertility is the natural capability of giving life As a measure "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple person or population Pregnancy ( Latin graviditas) is the carrying of one or more offspring known as a Fetus or Embryo, inside the Uterus of a Female Human development is the process of Growing to maturity In biological terms this entails growth from a one-celled Zygote to an adult Human being Child development refers to the biological and psychological changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of Adolescence, as the individual Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics) is the branch of Medicine that deals with the medical care of Infants Children and Adolescents Est. 1962.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Conducts and supports biomedical research and research training on normal mechanisms as well as diseases and disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD a member of the U Equilibrioception or sense of balance is one of the physiological Senses It helps prevent Humans and Animals from falling over when Olfaction (also known as olfactics or smell) refers to the Sense of smell. Taste (or more formally gustation) is a form of direct Chemoreception and is one of the traditional five Senses Speech refers to the processes associated with the production and perception of Sounds used in Spoken language. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Est. 1988.

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Provides leadership for a national research program designed to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious and inherited craniofacial-oral-dental diseases and disorders. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR is part of the U Craniofacial ( cranio- combining form meaning head or skull + -facial combining form referring to the facial structures grossly may be used to describe cratain Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity Est. 1948.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Conducts and supports research and provides leadership for a national program in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases, digestive diseases and nutrition, and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK of the U Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc Endocrinology (from Greek grc ἔνδον endon, "within" grc κρῑνω krīnō, "to separate" and grc -λογία Inborn errors of metabolism comprise a large class of genetic Diseases involving disorders of Metabolism. All diseases that pertain to the Gastrointestinal tract are labelled as digestive diseases. Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision to cells and Organisms of the materials necessary (in the form of food to support The kidneys are complicated organs that have numerous biological roles Urology is the branch of Surgery that focuses on the Urinary tracts of males and females and on the reproductive system of males Hematology ( American English) or haematology ( British English) is the branch of biology (physiology Pathology, Clinical laboratory Est. 1948.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIDA supports and conducts research on drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and policy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a Psychoactive drug or Performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking Est. 1973.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Research on how environmental exposures, genetic susceptibility, and age interact to affect an individual's health. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS is one of 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIHwhich is a component of the Department Est. 1969.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIGMS supports basic biomedical research not targeted to specific diseases, funds studies on genes, proteins, and cells, supports research training programs that produce the next generation of biomedical scientists, has special programs to encourage underrepresented minorities to pursue biomedical research careers. The US National Institute of General Medical Sciences is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH the principal biomedical research agency of the Federal Government History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known living Organisms It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living and is often called Est. 1962.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses through basic research on the brain and behavior, and through clinical, epidemiological, and services research. The National Institute of Mental Health ( NIMH) is part of the federal government of the United States and the largest research organization in the world specializing in Mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as The brain is the center of the Nervous system in animals All Vertebrates and the majority of Invertebrates have a brain Behavior or behaviour (see spelling differences) refers to the actions or Reactions of an object or Organism, usually Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the Health and Illness of populations and serves as the foundation and Logic of interventions made in the Est. 1949.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Supports and conducts research, both basic and clinical, on the normal and diseased nervous system, fosters the training of investigators in the basic and clinical neurosciences, and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U The nervous system is a Network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself Neuroscience is a field devoted to the scientific study of the nervous system Est. 1950.

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NINR supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of individuals across the life span. The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR as part of the U Est. 1986.

National Library of Medicine (NLM)

NLM collects, organizes, and makes available biomedical science information to investigators, educators, and practitioners and carries out programs designed to strengthen medical library services in the United States. The United States National Library of Medicine ( NLM) operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest Medical library. A health or medical library is designed to assist physicians health professionals students patients consumers and medical researchers in finding health and scientific information to Est. 1956. The NLM established the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) which is a central repository of biological information and includes the PubMed literature database and the gene database GenBank. The National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI) is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM a branch of the National Institutes Biological databases are libraries of life sciences information collected from scientific experiments published literature high throughput experiment technology and computational analyses PubMed is a free search engine for accessing the MEDLINE database of citations and abstracts of biomedical research articles The GenBank Sequence database is an Open access, annotated collection of all publicly available Nucleotide sequences and their Protein translations The NCBI is one of the largest components of the NLM.

Centers of the NIH

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

Established in 1988 as a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information - all for the better understanding of molecular processes affecting human health and disease. The National Center for Biotechnology Information ( NCBI) is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM a branch of the National Institutes

Center for Information Technology (CIT; formerly DCRT, OIRM, TCB)

The CIT incorporates computers into the biomedical programs and administrative procedures of the NIH by conducting computational biosciences research, developing computer systems, and providing computer facilities. The Center for Information Technology (CIT is an agency of the United States Federal Government. Est. 1964.

Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

The CSR is the focal point at NIH for the conduct of initial peer review of grant and fellowship applications, implements ways to conduct referral and review. The Center for Scientific Review or CSR is the portal for United States National Institutes of Health (NIH grant applications and their review Peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work research or Ideas to the scrutiny of others who are Est. 1946.

John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC)

Promotes and supports scientific research and training internationally to reduce disparities in global health. Global health is a field at the intersection of several Social science Disciplines -- Demography, Economics, Epidemiology, Political Est. 1968.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

Exploring complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, training researchers, disseminating authoritative information. The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional Medicine. Est. 1992.

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)

NCMHD leads, coordinates, supports, and assesses the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities in minority groups; conduct and support basic, clinical, social, and behavioral research, reach out to minority and other health disparity communities. Est. 1993.

National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Research projects and shared resources in biomedical technology, clinical research, comparative medicine, and research infrastructure. The National Center for Research Resources or NCRR, is a United States government agency Est. 1962.

Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC)

Provides radiotherapy quality assurance and diagnostic imaging data management for all of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored cooperative groups. The Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC is a research program within the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS that provides Radiotherapy (RT Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of Ionizing radiation as part of Cancer treatment to control Malignant Medical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create Images of the human body (or parts thereof for clinical purposes ( Medical procedures seeking to The National Cancer Institute (NCI is part of the United States Federal government's National Institutes of Health. It also contracts privately with the pharmaceutical industry for its services in clinical trials involving anti-cancer drugs. In health care clinical trials are conducted to allow safety and Efficacy data to be collected for new drugs or devices Est. 1977.

Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)

The clinical research facility of the National Institutes of Health; provides patient care, services, and environment needed to initiate and support conduct of and training in clinical research. Clinical research is a branch of Medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of Medications devices, diagnostic products Est. 1953.

Radiological Physics Center (RPC)

Offers quality assurance to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that all participating institutions in NCI sponsored cooperative groups are following the guidelines for the physics-related aspects of their protocols. Mission Statement The mission of the Radiological Physics Center (RPC is to assure NCI and the Cooperative Groups that institutions participating in Clinical trials The National Cancer Institute (NCI is part of the United States Federal government's National Institutes of Health. Est. 1968.

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/index.htm

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

References

See also

• United States Public Health Service
• National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award

External links

• NIH homepage
  • NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices
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  • History of NIH
• NIH Podcast, the official podcast of the
• National Cancer Institute
• NIH Budget: Summary of U.S. Federal Government FY 2008 Budget for biomedical science
• Quality Assurance Review Center
• Radiological Physics Center
• ClinicalTrials.gov - record of clinical trials including participation requirements
• AIDSinfo.nih.gov A comprehensive resource providing HIV/AIDS treatment and clinical trials information
• Vaccine Research Center Information about NIH NIAID vaccine research clinical trials
• Should the NIH R01 Grant Application Be Shorter? Results of National Public Survey and NIH Peer Review Advisory Committee
• National Institutes Of Health Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register *RSS Feed
• Overview of Different Kinds of Grants