National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Type	Governmental Organization
Headquarters	Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
Region served	United States
Parent organization	National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Website	www.niehs.nih.gov

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that constitute the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which itself is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NIEHS is uniquely located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, making it the only primary division of the NIH based outside the Washington metropolitan area. Its primary mission is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives.

Mission and Goals

The NIEHS focuses on understanding the complex interactions between environmental exposures and human biology, diseases, and conditions. Its research aims to elucidate mechanisms of disease and to enable the development of new strategies for prevention and intervention. This includes studies on air and water quality, chemical exposure, climate change, and environmental genetics, among other areas.

Research Programs

NIEHS supports a wide range of research, both at its own facilities and through grants to researchers in universities and other research institutions across the country. Key research areas include:

• Environmental Genomics
• Asthma and Inflammatory Diseases
• Environmental Neuroscience
• Cancer and Environmental Exposures
• Children's Environmental Health

Community Engagement and Outreach

An important part of the NIEHS's mission is to engage with communities, especially those disproportionately affected by environmental health risks. The institute conducts outreach and education efforts to disseminate research findings and to encourage community participation in environmental health science.

Facilities

The NIEHS is headquartered in the Research Triangle Park, a prominent high-technology research and development center that hosts many other research institutions and companies. Its facilities include state-of-the-art laboratories and a range of support services for its scientists and staff.

Leadership

The institute is led by a director, who is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The director oversees the strategic direction, management, and operations of the NIEHS.

See Also

• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Toxicology
• National Institutes of Health
• Research Triangle Park