President Barack Obama
President’s Visit to NIH Highlights Research on Ebola
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Caption: Dr. Nancy Sullivan of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discussing Ebola research with President Barack Obama as NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell look on.
Credit: NIH
Today, we had the great honor of welcoming President Barack Obama to the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD—to see first-hand the progress that biomedical research is making against Ebola virus disease. The President toured the NIH Vaccine Research Center, and met with scientists who are working hard to develop ways to combat this deadly virus that continues to devastate West Africa. And, in a speech before a packed auditorium at the NIH Clinical Center, the President praised the contributions of NIH staff. He also emphasized the need for emergency Congressional authorization of resources to ensure that our nation’s research and public health efforts against Ebola will lead as quickly as possible to an end to this devastating outbreak.
The President heard about many encouraging advances against Ebola during his visit here, and I’d like to share a couple with you now. I think these examples—one about a vaccine and one about a treatment—speak to the extraordinary ways in which scientists from different fields, disciplines, and organizations are pulling together to tackle this urgent disease threat.
Welcoming the BRAIN Initiative
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Introducing the President at the BRAIN Initiative event in the East Room of the White House
(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
What an exciting day for science and innovation in the United States! I was thrilled to be present at the White House this morning, as President Barack Obama announced a pioneering project to explore the complex workings of the human brain: the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. And I’m proud to report that NIH-supported scientists will be among those at the forefront of this ambitious endeavor.
I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage each of you—whether you’re a researcher, health professional, patient, or young person interested in science—to embrace the BRAIN Initiative. Not only will this landmark effort continue our nation’s strong tradition of scientific innovation, it will advance NIH’s mission of turning scientific discoveries into better health for all.
For more details on the BRAIN Initiative, check out what DARPA chief Arati Prabhakar and I have to say on WhiteHouse.gov blog.
