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  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | National Institutes of Health

The Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum

Welcome to the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum! Discover the scientific, legislative, and social history of the National Institutes of Health.

—About the Featured Image

A Note About Visiting Us

Our exhibits are located in several buildings across the NIH campus. Visitors and researchers can contact us for more information at: history@nih.gov

Highlights

A Short History of the NIH 

How NIH grew from a one-room laboratory to become the largest biomedical research agency in the world.

  • a cropped image of the Nirenberg exhibit to represent exhibits generally

    Exhibits

    The DeWitt Stetten Jr. Museum of Medical Research, established in 1986, preserves and interprets the material culture of the scientific work of the NIH. In conjunction with the broader Office of NIH History, the Stetten Museum collects biomedical research instruments, photographs, videos, journals, oral histories, and objects related to the general history of the NIH, including architectural artifacts, artwork, and clothing.

  • a cropped image of a box indexing archived slides

    Collections

    The Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum holds many collections: objects, images, and documents, and books. We have over 3,100 objects and thousands of photographs related to NIH history. There are many ways to search our collections.

  • FDR speaking at the NIH

    Archives

    The Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum was established to increase historical understanding of the National Institutes of Health and biomedical science among NIH staff, scholars, and the general public. The Office serves as a source of information for NIH history by maintaining a subject and biographical ready-reference collection.

Cover of 2022 report with blue background with microscopes on it


ONHM 2022 Annual Report

Learn about the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum's most recent projects, exhibits, and acquisitions, while finding out more about our history too.  (15 MB)

Caroline Hannaway, PhD (1943 to 2024)

ONHM was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Caroline Hannaway, PhD., an historian and editor in our office from 1992 until 2008. ONHM owes her an enduring debt of gratitude for her many contributions to this office and to the history of NIH itself.

An NIH Employee wearing a Mask to prevent COVID-19 Spread, standing in front of the NIH Clinical Center on Campus

Call for Stories: Behind the Mask

COVID-19 has impacted the NIH community in many ways—from researching and providing information about the disease, developing therapeutics and vaccines, caring for patients in the Clinical Center, and re-configuring how we perform our jobs. The Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum seeks reflections, documents, photographs, and objects about how those at NIH have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic.

Observing Native American Heritage Month

This Native American Heritage Month, we want to recognize the history of cooperation and collaboration between NIH and Tribal Nations. On his final day as NIH director – October 31, 2008 – Dr. Elias Zerhouni attended a meeting of the Director’s Council of Public Representatives (COPR). Formed in 1998 by former NIH Director Harold Varmus, COPR was composed of members of the public who gave insight on opportunities for public participation and outreach at NIH. During this meeting, committee member Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, Spirit Lake Dakota Nation member and president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, gifted a star quilt to Dr. Zerhouni. She invited Lora M. Church, a Navajo committee member from the Bitterwater and Black Streak Wood Clan, to sing a song of blessing as Zerhouni stepped down.

Dr Zerhouni is standing in a conference room wrapped in a star quilt, as a woman with dark hair holds a microphone, and appears to be singing

From left to right: Lora M. Church, Dr. Cynthia Lindquist, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, and Dr. Raynard Kington, acting director following Zerhouni.

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