October 11, 2005 -- NIH Marks 20th Anniversary of Nursing Institute

The federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) is associated with high-level research into many diseases and conditions but is less well known as the home of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), which is marking its 20th anniversary this year. In a day-long symposium October 11, nurse scientists from around the country discussed the four major areas of research currently supported by the NINR—end of life, HIV/AIDS, harnessing technology, and symptom management and health promotion. The symposium was the kick-off session in a series of events and meetings to take place on the NIH campus in suburban Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in the country this year, to highlight the contributions of nurses to the nation’s health. A formal home for nursing in the NIH became a reality on November 20, 1985, when Public Law 99-158, the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, authorized creation of a National Center for Nursing Research. The center went into operation in 1986 and was followed in 1993 by establishment of the National Institute of Nursing Research. The institute is now headed by Dr. Patricia Grady, who succeeded the institute’s first director, Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, who left in 1994 to head the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Further information about the NINR and events scheduled for this year is available at http://ninr.nih.gov/ninr.