The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recently highlighted 12 individuals who are leaders in the field of environmental health research.
These researchers have earned the first-ever Champion of Environmental Health Research Award because of their notable contributions. New awards like this are one way that the NIEHS is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
On Nov. 1, the awards will be presented at the NIEHS campus located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. This is the only institute that has its headquarters outside of Washington, D.C.
“2016 marks 50 years since NIH began a dedicated research program to discover links between environment and health,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said. “It’s a complex research field that needs the attention of top scientists, and I congratulate these awardees for their outstanding contributions.”
The NIEHS has financed an estimated 1,000 grants to U.S. researchers each year.
“NIEHS and the research it has supported during the last five decades has made significant improvements to public health,” Linda Birnbaum, director of the NIEHS, said. “From our pioneering studies showing the dangers of lead and secondhand smoke, to our more recent efforts to prevent breast cancer and other diseases, NIEHS has helped identify and reduce the environmental factors that contribute to these diseases. We couldn’t have accomplished these things, without the help of many talented, dedicated people.”
