The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research. Helping to lead the way toward important medical discoveries that improve people's health and save lives, NIH scientists investigate ways to prevent disease as well as the causes, treatments, and even cures for common and rare diseases. Composed of 27 institutes and centers, the NIH provides leadership and financial support to researchers in all fifty states and throughout the world.

To learn more about clinical research studies at locations throughout the nation, visit the NIH Web site, ClinicalTrials.gov, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. The Web site provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research.