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

PREFACE
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) was authorized by the Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA, Public Law 103-417, Section 13. [a]) (See
Appendix A). In late November 1995 the ODS began to function as a small unit within the
Office of the Director, NIH to address a list of items that were part of the DSHEA legislation.
While the tasks specified for the new office by DSHEA were numerous, the interpretation of
how these tasks were to be accomplished was left to the ODS. As first director of the office, I felt
it was important to concurrently move forward on as many of the Congressional mandates as
possible. I did not want to do so, however, without seeking the advice and counsel of those
scientific, government, industry, and advocacy groups who would be working with the ODS and
the various communities that were responsible for DSHEA. Therefore, one of the first activities
of the ODS was to formally contact professional societies, trade associations, public advocacy
groups, and interested government agencies to request recommendations of individuals who
could provide advice to the ODS. Through this process the ODS contacted several hundred
interested persons who agreed to serve as ad hoc advisors and reviewers for the office. Over 150
of these individuals worked with the ODS in developing its strategic plan.
This report presents an overview of the activities of the ODS for its first three years. The
items mentioned are nested within the goals and objectives of the strategic plan to illustrate the
office’s progress in each of these areas. This progress however, would not have been possible
without the help of the ODS ad hoc advisors who volunteered their time and were involved in
nearly all aspects of the work reported here. Their efforts and support have allowed the small
staff of the ODS to directly address at some level all of the major Congressional mandates in its
first three years. I am extremely grateful for the efforts of the ODS ad hoc advisors. It is to these
individuals that this report is dedicated!
Bernadette M. Marriott, Ph.D.
Director, ODS
November, 1995 - January, 1999
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