NHLBI Director Nabel Publishes Her Vision for the Institute in Blood

July 1, 2005—In the July 15, 2005, issue of Blood, the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., communicates her thoughts on the future directions of the Institute. As the new NHLBI Director—Dr. Nabel was nominated to head the Institute in January 2005—she wanted to share her vision and priorities for the coming years. Her editorial is now available online.

Dr. Nabel’s vision for the future includes five sections: basic research; clinical investigations, trials, and networks; training, mentoring, and education; health disparities; and, outreach and communication. Among the points that are included in her vision, Dr. Nabel cites the need to protect and nurture investigator-initiated research. She also states that NHLBI will pursue funding opportunities that make it easier for scientists to conduct interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Nabel asserts that the Institute’s translational research agenda should focus on increasing interactions between basic and clinical investigators and easing the movement of new tools from the laboratory to the clinic. In addition, she maintains that NHLBI will conduct a careful review of its training programs to improve their ability to equip emerging scientists with the knowledge and skills needed for success in the complex research environment. Dr. Nabel expects the Institute to become more involved in health disparities research and in the formulation, evaluation, and dissemination of intervention programs to tackle these related issues. Moreover, she states that NHLBI has an obligation to translate research findings into education programs, in particular to address the health needs of at-risk populations in underserved communities.

Dr. Nabel concludes her editorial by saying that she anticipates many opportunities to build and diversify the strengths of the Institute. She states that she will work diligently to preserve public trust in NHLBI, the National Institutes of Health, and the biomedical research enterprise.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact ASH Government Affairs Manager Jeff Coughlin at (202) 776-0544.