National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

• Name — National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) • Formed — 1966 • Jurisdiction — Federal Government of the United States • Chief1 Name — Dr. Richard Woychik • Chief1 Position — Director • Chief2 Name — Dr. Trevor K. Archer • Chief2 Position — Deputy Director • Parent Department — Department of Health and Human Services • Parent Agency — National Institutes of Health • Website — https: www.niehs.nih.gov/

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is a part of the National Institutes of Health, which is in turn a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The mission of the NIEHS is to "reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease". NIEHS focuses on peer-reviewed basic science, disease-oriented research, global environmental health, clinical research, and multidisciplinary training for researchers. NIEHS researchers and grantees have shown links between lung cancer and asbestos exposure, the developmental impairment of children exposed to lead and the health effects of urban pollution. The 1994 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine, Dr. Martin Rodbell, served as Scientific Director of the NIEHS from 1985 to 1989. Later on in 1994, NIEHS scientists assisted in identifying the first breast cancer gene, BRCA1, and, in 1995, identified a gene that suppresses prostate cancer. Work by NIEHS researchers and grantees has resulted in the development of genetically altered mice to improve and shorten the screening of potential toxins and to help develop aspirin-like anti-inflammatory drugs with fewer side effects. The Institute funds centers for environmental health studies at universities across the United States.

• Illustration — NIEHS facility at Research Triangle Park In 1966, U.S. Surgeon General William H. Stewart helped to create a Division of Environmental Health Sciences within the NIH. Three years later, the division became its own institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Past directors include Paul Kotin, David Rall, Kenneth Olden, David A. Schwartz, and Linda Birnbaum.

The following persons served as NIEHS director: • No. Number — Portrait — Directors — Took office — Left office — Refs. References • 1 — — Paul Kotin — November 1, 1966 — February 28, 1971 • 2 — — David Rall — March 1, 1971 — October 1, 1990 • acting — — David G. Hoel — October 2, 1990 — June 1991 • 3 — — Kenneth Olden — June 1991 — 2005 • 4 — — David A. Schwartz — May 22, 2005 — August 19, 2007 • acting — — Samuel H. Wilson — August 20, 2007 — January 15, 2009 • 5 — — Linda Birnbaum — January 16, 2009 — October 3, 2019 • acting — • Illustration — Richard Woychik — Richard Woychik — October 4, 2019 — June 6, 2020 • 6 — June 7, 2020 — October 10, 2025 • 7 — Kyle M. Walsh — October 10, 2025 — incumbent

The NIEHS is one of 27 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a component of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIEHS is located on 375 acre in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. Its current director is Dr. Richard Woychik, who is also concurrently the director of the National Toxicology Program. The deputy director is Dr. Trevor Archer. The director of the NIEHS reports to the director of the NIH, of which the NIEHS is a member agency. NIEHS is composed of: • Division of Intramural Research (DIR), which is research done at NIEHS • Division of Extramural Research and Training, which funds research conducted elsewhere • Division of the National Toxicology Program, which is an interagency program headquartered at NIEHS