The report says that important organizational changes are needed at the National Institutes of Health to ensure the agency meets future challenges effectively. In particular, the report advises NIH to devote additional resources to innovative interdisciplinary research that reflects its strategic objectives and cuts across all agency's institutes and centers. The report recommends that Congress should establish a formal process for determining how specific proposals for changes in the number of NIH agencies and centers should be addressed.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
2. The Evolution of NIH's Organizational Structure
3. New Opportunities, New Challenges: The Changing Nature of Biomedical Science
4. The Organizational Structure of the National Institutes of Health
5. Enhancing NIH's Ability to Respond to New Challenges
6. Accountability, Administration, and Leadership
7. Putting Principles into Practice
References
Appendix A: Sources of Information Provided to the Committee
Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations
Appendix C: Committee Member Biographies