National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an important U.S. health agency. It is devoted to medical research. Administratively under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH consists of 20-some separate Institutes and Centers. NIH’s program activities are represented by these Institutes and Centers. They are, along with a brief overview of their essential missions, as follows: {{}}National Cancer Institute (NCI) - mission is to “lead a national effort to reduce the burden of cancer morbidity and mortality and ultimately to prevent the disease. Through basic and clinical biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports programs to understand the causes of cancer; prevent, detect, diagnose, treat, and control cancer; and disseminate information to the practitioner, patient, and public.” National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) - mission is to “advance biomedical research and improves human health through research projects and shared resources that create, develop, and provide a comprehensive range of human, annual, technological, and other resources. NCRR’s support is concentrated in four areas: biomedical technology, clinical research, comparative medicine, and research infrastructure.” National Eye Institute (NEI) - mission is to “conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - mission is to “provide leadership for a national research program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and blood and in transfusion medicine through support of innovative basic, clinical, and population-based and health education research.” National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - mission is to “support the NIH component of the Human Genome Project, a worldwide research effort designed to analyze the structure of human DNA and determine the location of the estimated 100,000 human genes. The NHGRI Intramural Research Program develops and implements technology for understanding, diagnosing, and treating genetic diseases.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - mission is “to support and conduct research and research training (that) strives to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent the myriad infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases that threaten millions of human lives.” National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) - mission is to “conduct and support a broad spectrum of research on normal structure and function of bones, muscles, and skin, as well as the numerous and disparate diseases that affect these tissues. NIAMS also conducts research training and epidemiologic studies and disseminates information.”