Visiting West Virginia University and Sharing Vision for Enhancing the Nation’s Health
Posted on by Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli
NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (left), and Dr. Ming Lei, Vice Dean of Research at the WVU School of Medicine (right), during a visit to West Virginia University Health Sciences Campus on March 27, 2024. Credit: (all photos) The Office of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
In March, I had the pleasure of joining Senator Shelley Moore Capito in my first ever visit to West Virginia University Health Sciences Campus in Morgantown, where I got to witness NIH-supported research in action. On our tour, we visited a number of labs and scientific centers, learning about work being done in important areas of research including stroke, cancer, sleep trials, vaccine development, diabetes, cardiovascular heath, and more. I also gave a presentation in which I shared my vision, discussing my guiding principles and priorities as NIH Director, and I spoke about some of the biggest challenges in American health care and what NIH might do to address them. We were joined by Senator Joe Manchin and many distinguished WVU leaders and researchers, and I’m so grateful for the time and warm welcome they provided. To see such wide-ranging and vital research being done was inspiring, and I look forward to similar visits in the future.
The tour included a visit to WVU Cancer Institute’s mobile lung cancer screening unit, LUCAS, which travels the state, bringing lung cancer screening to people in rural areas.
