Biological - NIH Office of Science Education - National Institutes of ...

About the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) is one of 27 institutes and centers that
compose the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
the principal biomedical research agency of the
federal government.
In 1948, the National Heart Institute was established
through the National Heart Act, with a mission
to support research and training in the
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular
diseases. Twenty-four years later, Congress
mandated that the Institute expand and coordinate
its activities in an accelerated attack against
heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases. The
renamed National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
expanded its scientific areas of interest and
intensified its efforts related to research and education.
Over the years, these areas have grown to
include high blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma,
heart attack, obesity, blood disorders, nutrition,
sleep, and sleep disorders.
The Institute plans, conducts, and supports a coordinated
program of basic research, clinical investigations
and trials, observational studies, and
demonstration and education projects related to
the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of
heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases and
sleep disorders.
The translation and dissemination of research to
health professionals, the public, and patients is also
an important mission of NHLBI. In addition, the
Institute establishes partnerships with a variety of
voluntary organizations, professional associations,
and international, national, and local government
agencies in order to improve public health.
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
(NCSDR) was established within the NHLBI
specifically to coordinate and support NIH
research, training, health-information dissemination,
and other activities with respect to sleep and
sleep disorders, including biological and circadian
rhythms research, basic understanding of sleep,
and chronobiological and other sleep-related
research. The NCSDR also coordinates its activities
with other federal agencies, including the
other components of NIH and other public and
nonprofit entities. In addition to identifying and
supporting key research in sleep and sleep disorders,
education programs for students, teachers,
parents, and physicians are an important component
of the NCSDR’s mandate.
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