NIEHS's New Strategic Plan

I am pleased to present " our " new strategic plan for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS 2012). I say that it's " our " plan because the entire document reflects tremendous thought, discussion, and sharing of ideas by hundreds of scientists and community stake holders, and it speaks to the entire field of environmental health research. This plan is about what we will strive to accomplish together as we devote ourselves to research that, in my opinion, has the greatest chance for preventing disease and for improving health throughout the world. As reflected in the new strategic plan (NIEHS 2012), the NIEHS has a fresh vision, not because our values have changed but because our research has been so successful—and many of you have made a huge contribution to that progress. New technologies and increasing knowledge bring exciting new opportunities each and every year. The NIEHS's new strategic plan builds upon the accomplishments and vision that came before. The NIEHS has come a long way in making environmental health research responsive to the needs and concerns of the American people— to make environmental health part of the public health debate. This continues to be a source of motivation and purpose for NIEHS staff and our research partners. Environmental justice is an everlasting core value for NIEHS research. In the past few years, we at the NIEHS have made some important progress in exposure science, supporting new technologies for sensor devices and bioinformatics. We have been embracing new science such as epi genetics and exposure pheno typing, focusing on inter disciplinary research and translational research. In addition, our clinical research unit is now up and running. As the NIEHS moves forward, our overall goal is to make the institute , including the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the foremost trusted source of environmental health knowledge, leading the field in innova tion and the application of research to solve health problems. Our new vision statement (NIEHS 2012) captures our collective dreams and aspirations, and reflects our strong commitment to making a real difference: The vision of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to provide global leadership for innovative research that improves public health by preventing disease and disability from our environment. What this means in practical terms is that we are pursuing some of the " big influences " that have been under studied, all of which …