Research at NIEHS
The mission of the NIEHS is to discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. The studies conducted at NIEHS are often long term and high risk in nature and involve unique components, such as epidemiological studies of environmentally associated diseases, toxicological testing of environmental substances and intervention and prevention studies to reduce the effects of exposures to hazardous environments.
NIEHS trains over 200 fellows and post-doctoral scientists on-site annually.
Intramural Research Division
There are 11 Branches and Laboratories in the Intramural Research Division. Intramural researchers work in the following research areas:
- Administrative and Research Services Branch
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Laboratory
- Clinical Research Branch
- Comparative Medicine Branch
- Epidemiology Branch
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory
- Genome Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory
- Immunity, Inflammation, and Disease Laboratory
- Neurobiology Laboratory
- Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory
- Signal Transduction Laboratory
National Toxicology Program Division
The NTP is an interagency program that coordinates toxicology testing across the federal government. NTP is headquartered at NIEHS. NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D. ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=1840&sys_revision=15&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="1840" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="1840" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="") also serves as NTP Director. The NIEHS National Toxicology Program Division takes the lead in carrying out the goals of the overall NTP.
The NTP develops and applies tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology to evaluate agents of public health concern. NTP shares its findings with stakeholders, including regulatory agencies
NTP accomplishes its mission through an integrated program comprised of five branches and five offices ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=54353&sys_revision=2&sys_variantid=1169&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="1169" sys_dependentid="54353" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="54353" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="") that are managed by NTP Associate Director, John Bucher, Ph.D. ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=54353&sys_revision=2&sys_variantid=1169&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="1169" sys_dependentid="54353" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="54353" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="")
The National Toxicology Program includes the following Branches and Laboratories:
- Biomolecular Screening ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=33796&sys_revision=14&sys_variantid=1278&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="1278" sys_dependentid="33796" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="33796" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="")
- Cellular and Molecular Pathology ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=33883&sys_revision=5&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="33883" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="33883" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="")
- NTP Laboratory ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=52442&sys_revision=1&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="52442" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="52442" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="")
- Program Operations ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=49740&sys_revision=8&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="49740" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="49740" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="")
- Toxicology
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) has a separate website for data, meetings, and reports.
Clinical Research
The NIEHS supports and conducts clinical studies to determine how exposure to chemicals or other agents in the environment may influence a variety of diseases. Our Join a Health Study or Clinical Trial page has information for participants.
The Clinical Research Program works with patients in two facilities:
- Clinical Research Unit ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=28652&sys_revision=4&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="28652" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="28652" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="") in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
- NIEHS at the NIH Clinical Center ("/Rhythmyx/assembler/render?sys_contentid=28707&sys_revision=3&sys_variantid=639&sys_context=0&sys_authtype=0&sys_siteid=&sys_folderid=" sys_dependentvariantid="639" sys_dependentid="28707" inlinetype="rxhyperlink" rxinlineslot="103" sys_dependentid="28707" sys_siteid="" sys_folderid="") in Bethesda, Maryland
Additionally, the Office of Human Research Compliance provides ethical and regulatory oversight of research that involves human subjects.
At NIEHS, our scientists are highly interactive and are often engaged in interdisciplinary research that encourages novel ideas, innovative hypotheses, and new paradigms.
