"The Friends of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) appreciate the opportunity to submit the following comments on reforming the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our coalition of organizations represents a variety of interests, including medical and scientific professional societies, environment and public health focused organizations, children’s health advocates, women’s health advocates, and many others. Collectively, our community supports and calls attention to the unique and vital work being done by the NIEHS. The NIH is the world’s preeminent biomedical research institution, and we welcome a thoughtful discussion about how NIH reform and reauthorization could accelerate biomedical research and advance human health. However, we are extremely concerned that the discussion framework may have unintended consequences for environmental health research through the proposed consolidation of Institutes and Centers (ICs); we urge the Committee to pursue a transparent and open authorization process that involves input from the biomedical research community, including environmental health scientists."
