Research Resources

Biographies

Charles Armstrong, M.D.: A Biography

Written by Edward A. Beeman, M.D., (2007) this manuscript (327 pages) is a biography of Dr. Armstrong and describes his pioneering work in infectious disease research. (PDF - 3.6 MB)

Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologists Odyssey

Written by Edward A. Beeman, M.D., (2005) this manuscript (670 pages) is a biography of Dr. Huebner and explains his pathbreaking work in virology and the Virus Cancer Program at NIH. (PDF - 4.5 MB)

Always There: The Remarkable Life of Ruth Lillian Kirschstein, M.D. 

There are very few people who have such a profound impact on their professions that the telling of their life story is also a recounting of the history of their time and place. Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D., (1926-2009) who provided direction and leadership to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through much of the second half of the 20th century, was one such person. This e-book by Alison F. Davis provides insight into Dr. Kirschstein's work at the NIH. 
(PDF - 9 MB)

How My Light is Spent: The Memoirs of DeWitt Stetten, Jr.

DeWitt Stetten, Jr., (1913 - 1990) was a physician-scientist-administrator who served in many capacities at NIH including Deputy Director of Science. He founded the Stetten Museum in 1986. (PDF - 2 MB)

Institutional Histories

70 Acres of Science: The NIH Moves to Bethesda

Written by Office of NIH History curator Michele Lyons (2006) this ebook describes the history of the NIH in the 1930s, covering the story of research, scientists, and landscape architecture of the agency. (PDF - 11 .5 MB)

An Administrative History of the National Cancer Institute's Viruses and Cancer Programs, 1950-1972

Written by Carl G. Baker, M.D., (2004) this manuscript (379 pages) tells the story of the background, philosophy, implementation, and outputs of these programs and concludes with the planning for the New Cancer Act. (PDF - 1.66 MB)

Beacon of Hope 1953-1993: The Clinical Center Through Forty Years of Growth and Change in Biomedicine

Written by Richard Mandel, Ph.D. (1993) this publication provides an overview of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, America's research hospital.

Early Years of NIH Research Grants

Written by Ernest M. Allen, Sc.D., in 1980, this essay tells the story of the growth and development of the NIH research grant program in the late 1940s. (PDF - 140 KB)

History of the Eye Institute: 1968-2000

Chronicles of the first 30 years of the NEI at the National Institutes of Health and its programs (2009). These first years were critical for the development and growth of the intramural research program; the strong commitment to investigator-initiated research; the creation of extramural program areas; and the inception of clinical trials for vision and eye disease. 
(PDF - 6.86 MB)

Inventing the NIH: Federal Biomedical Research Policy 1887:1937

Written by Victoria A. Harden, Ph.D. this book details biomedical research in the United States, covering the growth of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the federal government's chief medical research agency.

The Legacy of the 'Yellow Berets': The Vietnam War, the Doctor Draft, and the NIH Associate Training Program

This unpublished manuscript (1998) by Melissa K. Klein traces the history of the NIH Associate Training Program, exploring the impact of the Doctor Draft on medical research in the 1960s and 1970s. (PDF - 0.2MB). A more recent article is: Khot, Sandeep, Park, Buhm Soon; Longstreth, W.T., Jr. The Vietnam War and Medical Research: Untold Legacy of the U.S. Doctor Draft and the NIH 'Yellow Berets,' Academic Medicine 86 (2011): 502-8.

Mind, Brain, Body and Behavior: Foundations of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at the National Institutes of Health, 2004

Edited by Ingrid G. Farreras, Caroline Hannaway and Victoria A. Harden.
A history of the intramural research conducted during the 1950s at the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (today the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke). (PDF - 14.4 MB)

NIAID Intramural Contributions, 1887-1987

This commemorative book represents a sampling of important contributions during the first hundred years of NIAID's lntramural Research Program, as seen through the eyes of several key participants. (PDF - 9 MB)

Intramural Science at the NIH, 1982

A 1982 report on the Intramural Research Program's history and future. (PDF - 10 MB)

NINR: Bringing Science to Life

The National Institute of Nursing Research celebrates the publication of the first history book in commemoration of the Institute's 25 years at NIH. Written by Philip L. Cantelon, the book explores the origins of NINR, the launching of nursing science at NIH, NINR’s advancement from a Center to an Institute, and how nursing science has progressed in the past quarter century. Bethesda, MD, National Institute of Nursing Research [NIH Publication No. 10-7502], 2010. (PDF - 7 MB)

Shining Lady in the Sky: How the Rocket Boys of Buffalo were Launched by a Government Administrator and Committee at the National Institutes of Health

The story of a committee that gave a (small) research grant to a young boy in 1957 and launched a career, as well as a rocket. (PDF - 644 KB)

NIH Publications

NIH Almanac

The information is from the NIH Almanac and is updated annually. For more information on the NIH Almanac, contact the Office of Communications and Public Liaison, Online Information Branch. The Office of NIH History holds print copies of the Almanac. Call the Office of NIH History at 301.496.8856 or information. An appointment is required for use. Contact history@nih.gov for questions.

The NIH Alumni Association Newsletters

The NIHAA Update was the newsletter of the NIH Alumni Association (NIHAA), which was established in 1989 after the NIH Centennial celebration. Forty issues were published from summer 1989 until spring 2007 when NIHAA officially dissolved. The Update served as a link among NIH alumni all over the world. It kept alumni apprised of important current research and scientific achievements, and informed them about happenings, personnel changes, honors received, retirements, and deaths at NIH. The Update also served as an informal record of changes in NIH’s physical and administrative structure over the years.

NIH Calendar of Events

On Friday, September 28, 1951, the National Institutes of Health sent a printed note announcing it would began issuing a weekly calendar of events occurring at the NIH.

NIH Federal Security Agency Pamphlet 1948

This pamphlet is an early publication by the Federal Security Agency announcing plans for the National Institute of Health in 1948. The title page states "This leaflet has been prepared to give these visitors a directory of buildings and a brief picture of activities at the National Institute of Health. Federal Security Agency, Public Health Service, National Institute of Health Bethesda, Md. 1948. (PDF, 3MB)

Notable Contributions to Medical Research of Public Health Service Scientists

Series of brief bio-bibliographies presenting a selection of books and articles by medical and scientific officers of the U.S. Public Health Service, most of whom worked in the Hygienic Laboratory (later the National Institute of Health) and in the Division of Scientific Research. It covers work prior to 1940, and records contributions to medical research made by these officers during that period. (PDF, 0.3MB)