 |
 |
|
John I. Gallin, MD
|
Excitement builds at the NIH Clinical Center as we approach the homestretch leading to the opening of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center. The activation process for the new hospital is well underway with staff members throughout the organization immersed in planning for a December 2004 move. Along with our architectural, construction and other project partners we value the input of external colleagues who have experienced the complexities of moving into a similar facility—in this past year our activation planning teams visited several new hospitals throughout the country, listening to their success stories and learning what challenges lie ahead for us.
At the same time our day-to-day business continues. There have been many positive organizational changes throughout the NIH Clinical Center. These changes have been accompanied by increases in patient census and service intensity throughout the clinical and operational departments. In fiscal year 2003, inpatient days were 7.6 percent higher than in the previous year. 2003 also saw a 7.4 percent increase in outpatient visits. We are very proud that in 2003 the Clinical Center’s review by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations resulted in a near perfect score—99 out of 100—giving testimony to the high quality of our hospital.
In 2003 we commemorated the Clinical Center’s and NIH intramural scientific research program’s fiftieth anniversary. A summer kickoff program and a fall scientific symposium along with special lecture series celebrated clinical research. These were special times for our past and present staff and patient partners.
Last year NIH leadership engaged in reviews of existing and planned clinical research opportunities within the intramural science research program. In March 2003, an intramural retreat of NIH leaders and investigators generated productive discussions of successful innovative intramural clinical research, current obstacles to the conduct of clinical research and potential opportunities for enhanced intramural and extramural collaborations. As an outcome of the retreat, the NIH Director’s Blue Ribbon Panel on the Future of Intramural Clinical Research was established to review these and other clinical research issues. I was pleased to provide in-depth content on past, present and future clinical research activities at the Clinical Center to both of these groups. Recommendations from each review aim to enhance intramural-based clinical research and support the NIH roadmap for clinical research.
Advances in patient care made at the NIH Clinical Center over the past 50 years will likely promote unprecedented health and longevity for generations to come. Biomedical technology, clinical immunology, understanding of the human brain, mapping of the human genome, and vaccine research are but a few areas that have led clinical research discoveries into the twenty-first century. As our clinical research programs transition to a new facility we will continue to foster this rich history of medical discovery that serves as the hallmark of the Clinical Center. I am proud to be part of such a wonderful community of science-driven medicine and commend and thank the many people who support this enterprise.
 |
|
John I. Gallin, M.D.
Director, Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, NIH
NIH Associate Director for Clinical Research
|
|
