This year, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health marks its first decade as a nonprofit corporation called into existence by Congress to support NIH’s mission. With NIH goals as its reference points, the foundation fosters public-private partnerships that serve both sides of the hyphen: NIH, whose funds are appropriated by Congress, identifies where progress could be made with additional funding and FNIH brokers relationships with companies, academia and other philanthropies whose own interests match NIH needs.

“That’s where creativity comes into play,” says Amy McGuire, executive director of FNIH since 2001. “We think of novel ways to involve public-private partnerships and we avoid a formulaic approach to configuring them.”

The major lesson from the recent forum on the retention of Latinos/ Hispanics at NIH—held as part of Hispanic Heritage Month—is that workplace happiness and productivity often depend on the same two factors, regardless of race, color or national origin: a great boss and a willingness to heave negativity aside in the quest for a satisfying job.

Not everyone has those circumstances, unfortunately.