The NAI Welcomes the National Institutes of Health

NIH traces its roots to 1887 with a one-room laboratory within the Marine Hospital Service (MHS), predecessor agency to the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). The MHS had been established in 1798 to provide for the medical care of merchant seamen. In 1930, the laboratory was renamed the National Institute of Health, which was authorized to establish fellowships for research into basic biological and medical problems. By 1998, the NIH had 27 institutes and centers. Today, the NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing more than $39 billion in taxpayer dollars to achieve its mission to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. In fiscal year 2017, NIH funding to institutions around the United States generated an estimated $68.8 billion in economic output nationwide.