Letter from Leadership

A subtle but profound shift has occurred in the nature of scientific research over the past two decades. Instead of individual investigators or even institutions operating independently, major scientific breakthroughs in human health increasingly rely on partnerships and collaborations across the public and private sectors. Charles A. Sanders, M.D., who served as Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) from 1997 until 2016, pioneered this way of advancing biomedical research. Under Dr. Sanders’ dynamic leadership, the FNIH has united stakeholders across academia, industry, not-for-profit organizations and federal agencies with a shared scientific goal to contribute their expertise and support to advance biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and beyond.

These partnerships range in size and scale, but each one is vital to the FNIH’s success in achieving its mission. For example, our collaborators include the NIH, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, not-for-profit organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that as members of the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium and the groundbreaking Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) are working to identify and measure biological markers that predict multiple diseases. Our donor base also includes individuals, such as 21-year-old NIH patient Andrew Lee who, with his not-for-profit Driven to Cure, Inc., donated $200,000 in 2016 to advance rare kidney cancer research at the National Cancer Institute.

The alliances and partnerships we build have transformed the research landscape and opened exciting areas of scientific inquiry, some of which you will read about in our 2016 Annual Report and as we reflect on our 20 year history. From expanding our footprint in global health research to building new models for collaboration between the public and private sectors to educating researchers through scientific training at the NIH, this Annual Report shares stories about our work that has and will continue to shape biomedical research and to improve human health for years to come.

As we look to the future, we have no doubt that the FNIH will continue on this incredible trajectory of facilitating meaningful collaborations in order to promote scientific innovation and discovery. Our rich history foreshadows the exciting achievements yet to come—all to benefit the well-being of people around the world.

Steven M. Paul, M.D.
Chairman

Maria C. Freire, Ph.D.
President and Executive Director