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

OVERVIEW
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) was established by the Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA, Public Law 103-417, Section 13. [a]) (see
Appendix A) to promote the scientific study of dietary supplements in “maintaining health and
preventing chronic disease and other health-related conditions.” The DSHEA placed the ODS at
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and mandated specific research and advisory duties. This
Status Report: The First Years of the Office of Dietary Supplements, 1995–1998 describes the
activities and accomplishments of the ODS that have been initiated or completed to fulfill its
congressional mandates. These activities will be addressed under six headings: Introduction,
Foundation, Types of Activities, Accomplishments, Budget, and Conclusion and A Look to the
Future.
The Introduction presents a brief background and history about why and how the ODS
was established by Congress. It includes a description of the ODS staff.
The Foundation provides the pertinent sections of DSHEA that define what the ODS
must accomplish in general, within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and
within the NIH. The ODS mission statement and an overview of the strategic plan also are
described, including the scientific goals and objectives (see Appendix B) that will guide the
office’s activities.
Types of Activities explains the mechanisms that the ODS employs to conduct research,
advisory, and educational programs. For example, this section describes the specific types of
grants and contracts that the ODS may use to fund research. It also reviews the ways in which
the ODS promotes, disseminates, and coordinates research, such as sponsoring scientific
workshops and developing databases on dietary supplements.
Accomplishments briefly describes the major activities of the ODS since its inception. It
includes a review of the process that the ODS used to develop its strategic plan goals. The
accomplishments are listed with the scientific goals that are addressed.
The Budget section gives a brief review of the ODS budgetary expenditures since 1995.
Conclusion and A Look to the Future synopsizes the vision of what the ODS aims to
accomplish in the near future.
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