Office of the Scientific Director

There are two components to the NHLBI Animal Program Division that work together to support the NHLBI research program: Animal Program and the Animal Surgery & Resources (ASR) Core. Animal Program operations are directly overseen by Dr. Tannia Clark. It provides care and technical services for NHLBI research animals including: husbandry, purchasing, health monitoring, animal import and export, mouse rederivation and cryopreservation services. It also provides support for NHLBI animals in other NIH facilities. The ASR services for NHLBI research animals include animal model development, surgery, surgical support, training, post-operative care, and technical services such as radiography, blood and tissue collection.

The Office of Intramural Management (OIM) plans, directs, coordinates, and provides comprehensive administrative and management support services for the DIR. In addition, OIM provides technical and advisory services in financial management, data systems, human resources, acquisitions, facility management, travel services, property management to ensure the efficient and effective implementation and operation of programs. OIM also develops policies, guidelines, and procedures on matters relating to administrative management and disseminates to staff. OIM also provides acquisition support (orders above $3,501) and facility management to the NHLBI Extramural programs and the Office of the Director.

The Office of Education is dedicated to promoting the success of all NHLBI scientists, both as trainees and as mentors of trainees. Specialized programs provide research training for high school students, college students, graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows. The Office provides mechanisms for trainees to learn each of the skills required for success in their chosen field. See our opportunities here.

The Office of Technology Transfer and Development’s primary mission is to enable researchers within the NHLBI DIR to interact more effectively with their counterparts in the private sector and academia. Its aim is to establish collaborative relationships that further develop existing technologies; facilitate the sharing of technologies with outside laboratories; and create innovative technologies in collaboration with others. The Office’s ultimate goal is to benefit the public health in a variety of basic, translational, and clinical areas, including imaging, diagnostics, regenerative medicine, genetics/genomics, developmental biology, cellular and gene therapy, and cell and molecular biology relating to heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders and diseases.

The Office of Scientific Information (OSI) supports all DIR labs by working with investigators and core facilities to ensure that their computing, networking, storage, and other IT needs are met for their individual research. The OSI is responsible for researching, securing, custom designing, and applying cutting- edge IT solutions, products, and support to facilitate a variety of biomedical and clinical research across NHLBI. In addition, the OSI collaborates with groups outside the DIR, including the NHLBI Information Technology and Applications Center (ITAC), the NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT), the NIH Clinical Center, and outside vendors. The OSI is directly responsible for representing the IT interests of the DIR to NHLBI and NIH-wide committees and workgroups, and collaborates broadly across the organization with basic and clinical researchers.

The Office of Biostatistics Research (1) Provides statistical expertise to members of all Divisions of the NHLBI and performs diverse functions in planning, designing, implementing and analyzing NHLBI-sponsored studies; (2) provides objective, statistically sound, and medically relevant solutions to problems; (3) provides a new and valid statistical solution when presented with a problem for which techniques are not yet available; (4) designs efficient studies and plans for data monitoring while studies are ongoing; (5) advises the NHLBI regarding statistical methodology relevant to clinical research studies, including survival analysis, longitudinal data analysis and statistical genetics.

Core Facilities provide scientific resources, cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches to support DIR scientists. Availability of specialized expertise creates a robust environment for conducting a wide range of studies and accelerates the pace at which scientific discovery can take place.