status report - Office of Dietary Supplements - National Institutes of ...

individuals who were knowledgeable about the scientific and public issues related to dietary
supplements. These individuals were subsequently invited to participate as ad hoc advisers to the
ODS. Over 98 percent of those contacted accepted the invitation. The ad hoc advisers provide
scientific and technical suggestions and guidance regarding office programs and planning.
Development of Strategic Plan and Mission Statement
As a new office within the NIH, the ODS was faced with numerous decisions that would
affect the future direction and success of the office. Therefore, in an effort to progress
systematically and deliberately, the ODS determined that a coherent strategic plan was necessary
to guide decision making. The strategic plan was designed with well-defined, short- and longterm
goals that can be evaluated and improved. It was also designed to be dynamic; it will be
evaluated at regular intervals to assess the effectiveness of the strategies and methods used to
achieve the ODS goals and objectives. This evaluation process also provides opportunities for
making adjustments in response to unanticipated scientific opportunities or public health needs.
Seven strategic planning meetings were held from September 1996 through February
1997. The meetings involved over 150 scientists and professionals from academia, industry,
government, and public interest groups. The first three meetings, each attended by a different set
of specialists, focused on the definition and scope of dietary supplements and began to identify
the most significant issues for the ODS to address as scientific priorities. The next three meetings
involved additional unique groups of ad hoc advisers and built on the first phase to develop a
mission statement, further define scientific priorities, and identify specific activities for the ODS.
The collective input from these groups was used to develop a preliminary draft of the
ODS strategic plan. At the seventh meeting, the ODS convened representatives from the NIH ICs
and other interested federal agencies to review and critique the preliminary draft. Comments on
the preliminary draft, coupled with comments and suggestions from the earlier sessions led to a
final draft of the ODS strategic plan. This draft was sent to all strategic planning participants for
their review and comments. Over 700 of the comments, concerns, and suggestions were
received, carefully reviewed by the ODS staff, and incorporated into the final ODS strategic
plan, Merging Quality Science with Supplement Research, A Strategic Plan for the Office of
Dietary Supplements (ODS, 1998) (see Appendix B for executive summary).
Accomplishments Listed by Scientific Goal
Five equally weighted nonprioritized goals were established in the ODS strategic plan,
Merging Quality Science with Supplement Research, A Strategic Plan for the Office of Dietary
Supplements (ODS, 1998):
Goal 1: Evaluate the role of dietary supplements in the prevention of disease and reduction of
risk factors associated with disease.
Goal 2: Evaluate the role of dietary supplements in physical and mental health and performance.
Goal 3: Explore the biochemical and cellular effects of dietary supplements on biological
systems and their physiological impact across the life cycle.
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