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Community Involvement


Four community people shaking hands and smiling

The NIEHS welcomes and encourages involvement by the public community in Institute activities. There are many public meetings at the Institute, as well as numerous opportunities for the public to comment on NIEHS research plans, budget priorities, and the use of research findings. This page contains links to more information about these opportunities.

Donations to the NIEHS

Though the NIEHS is not a fund-raising organization, the U.S. Congress has authorized the Institute to accept donations and bequests to support its mission. Donations to the NIEHS (http://niehs/nih.gov/about/community/donations.cfm) are used to support things such as research studies, purchase of equipment and supplies, workshop and conference support, and scientific staff recruitment efforts. Donations may also be made to a Memorial Garden at the NIEHS that honors employees of the Institute who have died.

En Español

Spanish translations of environmental health materials (http://niehs/nih.gov/about/community/espanol/index.cfm) and resources are available for use by the public and educators. Materiales y recursos acerca de la salud ambiental han sido traducidos al español y están disponibles para ser usados por los educadores y el público general.

Environmental Stewardship

The NIEHS has a continuing commitment to environmental stewardship (http://niehs/nih.gov/about/orgstructure/stewardship/index.cfm) through pollution prevention, resource conservation, and sustainable development of facilities and programs. This page provides information on the Institute’s efforts in these areas as well as programs such as recycling, travel reduction, fleet vehicle fuel usage, and wildlife habitat preservation.

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Events Calendar

Many NIEHS meetings and events are open to the public and the public is encouraged to attend. The Events Calendar (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/events/index.cfm) provides a listing of events taking place at the NIEHS campus in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, as well as NIEHS-sponsored meetings in other cities.

Join a Health Study or Clinical Trial

The NIEHS conducts research studies and clinical trials involving human participants. This link provides information on the purpose of these studies and how to volunteer(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/clinical/join/index.cfm).

Nomination of Chemicals for Testing

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) maintains a balanced research and testing program that provides data addressing a wide variety of issues important to public health. The NTP actively seeks to identify and select for study chemicals and other substances for which sufficient information is not available to adequately evaluate potential human health hazards. This link provides information on public input into this process(http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntpweb/index.cfm?objectid=25BC6AF8-BDB7-CEBA-F18554656CC4FCD9).

Public Interest Partners

The Public Interest Partners (http://niehs/nih.gov/about/community/publicinterest.cfm) is a cross-sectional group that meets periodically with the NIEHS director and leadership to provide input and improve communications with organizations directly affected by the mission and research of the NIEHS. Public Interest Partners members represent disease and patient advocacy organizations, at-risk groups such as women and minorities, and environmental and public health advocacy groups.

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RSS News Feed

This link provides information on how to access information including NIEHS press releases and announcements through an RSS news feed (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/rssfeed/index.cfm) that automatically downloads to your news reader.

Town Meetings

The NIEHS sponsors Town Meetings (http://niehs/nih.gov/about/community/townmeetings.cfm) in cities throughout the United States on the general theme of environmental impacts on human health. The purpose of the town meetings is to bring together members of the public who are interested in public health and the environment with NIEHS and other federal, state, and local government health officials; environmental health professionals; and disease and environmental advocacy groups.

Visits and Speakers

Educators and the public may request staff of the NIEHS to speak to students in classroom visits, judge science fairs, or participate in career fairs(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/scied/tours/index.cfm). This link provides more information and a request form.

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NIH Opportunities


Director’s Council of Public Representatives

The Director's Council of Public Representatives (http://copr.nih.gov/)Exit NIEHS Website is a federal advisory committee made up of members of the public who advise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) director on issues related to public participation in NIH activities, outreach efforts, and other matters of public interest. NIH selects new members every year, to serve an average of 3–years term.

Foundation for the National Institutes of Health

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (http://www.fnih.org/)Exit NIEHS Website was established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): improving health through scientific discovery. Guided by a board of directors composed of distinguished leaders in biomedical research, philanthropy, and business, the Foundation for NIH works to advance research by linking the generosity of private sector donors and partners to NIH programs.

Selected NIH Education and Awareness Campaigns

This page offers a number of education and awareness campaigns (http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/campaigns/)Exit NIEHS Website run by a variety of NIH Institutes.

Get Involved at NIH

This site contains a listing of public opportunities at NIH (http://getinvolved.nih.gov/)Exit NIEHS Website including the NIH Public Bulletin, Public Input and Participation, Health Programs and Campaigns, Director’s Corner, and more.

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USA.gov Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health
This page URL: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/index.cfm
NIEHS website: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Email the Web Manager at webmanager@niehs.nih.gov
Last Reviewed: July 16, 2007