f

iii

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Contents

Contents

Figures ................................................................................................................................................. v

Tables ................................................................................................................................................ vii

1. Abbreviated Staff Directory.......................................................................................................... 1

2. Program Overview........................................................................................................................ 9

3. Important Events......................................................................................................................... 19

4. Disease Statistics......................................................................................................................... 31

5. Institute-Initiated Programs Starting in FY 2008........................................................................ 51

6. Institute Public Advisory Committees........................................................................................ 57

7. Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Overview ............................................................................................ 63

8. Long-Term Trends ...................................................................................................................... 67

9. Research Grants.......................................................................................................................... 75

10. Research and Development Contracts........................................................................................ 99

11. Clinical Trials............................................................................................................................ 107

12. Minority Activities.................................................................................................................... 129

13. Research Training and Career Development Programs............................................................ 151

14. Geographic Distribution of Awards: Fiscal Year 2008 ............................................................ 159

Appendixes

Types of Research Activity ....................................................................................................... 183

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ........................................................................................ 189

Index ......................................................................................................................................... 193

v

Figures

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Deaths by Major Causes, U.S., 2005 ............................................................................................................33

Deaths From Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, U.S., 2005...........................................................33

Deaths From Cardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 2005 .......................................................................................34

Deaths From Lung Diseases, U.S., 2005.......................................................................................................34

Deaths From Blood Diseases, U.S., 2005 .....................................................................................................34

Deaths From Cardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 1900–2006..............................................................................35

Death Rates for Cardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 1900–2006..........................................................................35

Ten Leading Causes of Death: Death Rates, U.S., 2006 ..............................................................................36

Ten Leading Causes of Death Among Minority Groups, U.S., 2005............................................................36

Deaths Attributed to Heart Failure, U.S., 1970–2005...................................................................................37

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Heart Disease by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, U.S., 1985–2005.........................38

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Stroke by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, U.S., 1985–2005.....................................38

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Coronary Heart Disease, U.S., 1950–2006 ...................................................39

Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases With High Percentage Discharged Dead 

From Hospitals, U.S., 1975, 1985, and 2006 ..............................................................................................39

Death Rates for Coronary Heart Disease in Men, Ages 35–74, in Selected Countries, 1970–2005 ...............40

Death Rates for Coronary Heart Disease in Women, Ages 35–74, in Selected Countries, 1970–2005...........40

Percent Change in Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Selected Causes by Race and Sex, U.S., 1999–2006 ........41

Death Rates for Lung Diseases in Infants, U.S., 1980–2006 .........................................................................41

Ten Leading Causes of Infant Mortality, U.S., 2006 ....................................................................................42

Deaths Under Age 1 Year Due to Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases, U.S., 2005........................................42

Death Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Men, Ages 35 and Older, 

in Selected Countries, 1980–2005...............................................................................................................43

Death Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Women, Ages 35 and Older, 

in Selected Countries, 1980–2005...............................................................................................................43

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Race/Ethnicity 

and Sex, U.S., 1985–2005...........................................................................................................................44

Physician Office Visits for Sleep Disorders, U.S., 1990–2005 ........................................................................44

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases in Adults by Age and Sex, U.S., 2005–2006.....................................45

Prevalence of Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases by Age, U.S., 2006...........................................46

Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adults, U.S., 1961–2006....................46

Hypertensive Population Aware, Treated, and Controlled, Ages 18 and Older, U.S., 

1976–1980 to 2005–2006............................................................................................................................47

Adult Population With Hypertension by Age, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex, U.S., 2005–2006 ............................47

Hospitalization Rates for Heart Failure, Ages 45–64 and 65 and Older, U.S., 1971–2006.............................48

Persons Experiencing Asthma Episodes in Previous 12 Months by Age, U.S., 1997–2007 ...........................48

Total Economic Costs, U.S., 2009 ................................................................................................................49

Economic Costs of Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, U.S., 2009..................................................49

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Figures
vi

Chapter 7. Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Overview

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category............................................................................................63

NHLBI Extramural Obligations by Program...............................................................................................63

NHLBI Extramural Obligations by Division ...............................................................................................63

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Current Dollars.........................................................................................................................................68 

Constant 1998 Dollars...............................................................................................................................68

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008.................................................70

NHLBI Institute-Initiated and Investigator-Initiated Awards: Fiscal Years 1998–2008...............................71

NHLBI Grants and Research and Development Contracts as Subsets of Institute-Initiated Awards: 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008..............................................................................................................................71

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars ......................................................................................................................................................73 

Percent of Total Extramural Budget..........................................................................................................74

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Total Research Grants by Category................................................................................................76

NHLBI Research Project Grant, Research Centers Grant, and Other Research Grant Obligations: 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008..............................................................................................................................76

NHLBI Competing Research Project Grant Applications: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Number Reviewed and Awarded ...............................................................................................................77 

Percent of Reviewed Applications Funded (Success Rate).........................................................................77

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated and Institute-Initiated Grant Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008..............78

NHLBI Research Project Grants: Average Costs, Fiscal Years 1998–2008..................................................80

Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

NHLBI Research and Development Contract Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008...................................99

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

NHLBI Research Training and Career Development Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ...................... 151

NHLBI Full-Time Training Positions: Fiscal Years 1998–2008................................................................. 151

NHLBI Minority Biomedical Research Training, Career Development, and Research Supplements 

Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ........................................................................................ 157

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards: Fiscal Year 2008

Geographic Distribution of Awards by State: Fiscal Year 2008................................................................. 159

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Figures
vii

Tables

Chapter 2. Program Overview

Programs Supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute......................................................10

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Deaths From All Causes and Deaths From Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, 

U.S., 1985 and 2005 ...................................................................................................................................33

Deaths From Specific Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, U.S., 2005 ..............................................34

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Diseases, 

U.S., 1963, 1986, and 2006.........................................................................................................................37

Deaths Under Age 1 Year Due to Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases, U.S., 2005........................................42

Prevalence of Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases, U.S., 2006.......................................................45

Direct and Indirect Economic Costs of Illness by Major Diagnosis, U.S., 2009 ...........................................49

Chapter 7. Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Overview

NHLBI Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 ..................................................................63

NHLBI Extramural Obligations by Program: Fiscal Year 2008 ..................................................................64

NHLBI Cardiovascular Diseases Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 .............................................................................64

NHLBI Prevention and Population Sciences Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 .............................................................................64

NHLBI Lung Diseases Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 .............................................................................65

NHLBI Blood Diseases and Resources Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 .............................................................................65

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

Budget History of the NHLBI: Fiscal Years 1950–2008 .............................................................................67

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Current Dollars.........................................................................................................................................69 

Constant 1998 Dollars...............................................................................................................................69

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008.................................................70

NHLBI Employment: Fiscal Years 1998–2008............................................................................................70

NHLBI Extramural Programs: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars ......................................................................................................................................................72 

Percent of Total Extramural Budget..........................................................................................................72

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars ......................................................................................................................................................73 

Percent of Total Extramural Budget..........................................................................................................74

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Tables
viii

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Research Grants by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008 ..........................................................75

NHLBI Research Project Grant, Research Centers Grant, and Other Research 

Grant Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ..............................................................................................76

NHLBI Competing Research Project Grant Applications: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Number Reviewed and Awarded and Percent Funded...............................................................................77

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated and Institute-Initiated Grant Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008..............78

NHLBI Research Project Grants: Amount Funded by Type of Award, Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ................79

Facility and Administrative (F&A) Costs of NHLBI Research Project Grants: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ....79

NHLBI Research Project Grants: Average Costs, Fiscal Years 1998–2008..................................................80

NHLBI Cooperative Agreements (U01, U10) Programs..............................................................................81

Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (P50) and Centers of 

Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research (P50) Programs...................................................94

Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

NHLBI Total Research and Development Contract Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008..........................99

Major NHLBI Research and Development Contracts by Program............................................................ 100

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008...................................................... 107

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials, Fiscal Year 2008: Summary by Program ............................ 111

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Contracts................................................................................................................................................. 112 

Cooperative Agreements ......................................................................................................................... 114

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials, Fiscal Year 2008: Summary by Program 

Contracts................................................................................................................................................. 116 

Cooperative Agreements ......................................................................................................................... 116

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

Training Awards, Full-Time Training Positions, and Obligations by Activity: Fiscal Year 2008................ 152

History of Training Obligations by Activity: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ....................................................... 153

Full-Time Training Positions by Activity: Fiscal Years 1998–2008............................................................ 154

NHLBI Research Career Programs: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 .................................................................... 155

NHLBI Research Career Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008................................................... 156

NHLBI Minority Biomedical Research Training, Career Development, and Research 

Supplements Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ................................................................... 157

NHLBI Research Supplements Program by Award Type: Fiscal Years 1998–2008.................................... 158

NHLBI Research Supplements Program Obligations by Award Type: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 ................ 158

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards: Fiscal Year 2008

Geographic Distribution of Awards by State or Country: Fiscal Year 2008.............................................. 160

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Tables
1

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

1. Abbreviated Staff Directory*

Office of the Director Bldg. Room Phone MSC** †

Director, Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. ............................................. 31 5A48 496–5166 2486

Deputy Director, Susan B. Shurin, M.D................................. 31 5A48 496–1078 2486

Chief of Staff, Sheila Pohl....................................................... 31 5A48 594–5355 2486

Associate Director for Administrative Management,

Donald P. Christoferson.................................................... 31 5A48 496–2411 2490

Administrative Officer, Rebecca Ellett-Tenner................. 31 5A16 496–5931 2490

Associate Director for Basic Research,

Alan M. Michelson, M.D., Ph.D. ..................................... 31 5A48 594–5353 2490

Associate Director for Biomedical Informatics,

Stephan P. Bour, Ph.D....................................................... RKL1‡ 6100 435–0119 7994

Associate Director for Minority Health,

Helena O. Mishoe, Ph.D., M.P.H...................................... RKL2§ 9093C 451–5081 7913 

Associate Director for Prevention, Education, and Control,

Gregory J. Morosco, Ph.D., M.P.H.................................. 31 4A10 496–5437 2480

Associate Director for Scientific Program Operation,

Carl A. Roth, Ph.D., LL.M. .............................................. 31 5A07 496–6331 2482

Deputy Ethics Counselor, Nancy O’Hanlon, J.D. .................. 31 5A33 496–6471 2486

Office of Clinical Research

Director, Maria R. Stagnitto, M.S.N. ............................... RKL2 9093B 435–7594 7913

Senior Advisor to the Director

Marvin A. Konstam, M.D................................................. RKL2 8128 435–0466 7940

Senior Advisor to the Director for Genome Research, 

Christopher J. O’Donnell, M.D., M.P.H. ........................ 73 Mt. Wayte Avenue, Suite 2 

 Framingham, MA 01702-5827

 508–935–3435

Center for Population Studies

Director, Daniel Levy, M.D. .............................................. 73 Mt. Wayte Avenue, Suite 2 

 Framingham, MA 01702-5827

 508–935–3458

Center for Biomedical Informatics

Director, Stephan P. Bour, Ph.D........................................ RKL1 6100 435–0119 7994

Deputy Director, Vacant..................................................... RKL1 6102 435–0119 7994

Administrative Officer, Kathleen D. Rechen............... RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Applications Development and Support Branch

Acting Chief, Zeyad Mobassaleh................................. RKL1 6104 435–0119 7994

Information Technology Resources Branch

Chief, Christopher E. Olaes........................................ RKL1 6212 435–0119 7994

* Current as of October 31, 2008. For locating personnel not listed, the general information number is 301–496–4000. All listed 

phone numbers are in area code 301. The Personnel Directory, which is periodically updated throughout the year, is located on the 

NHLBI Home Page under About NHLBI. ** MSC—Mail Stop Code.

† Full mailing address formats are located at the end of this chapter.

‡ RKL1—Rockledge I Building.

§ RKL2—Rockledge II Building.
2

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Office of the Director (continued) Bldg. Room Phone MSC

Planning, Architecture, Communication and 

Evaluation Branch

Acting Chief, Christopher E. Olaes ....................................... RKL1 6212 435–0119 7994

Ethics Office

Director, Nancy O’Hanlon, J.D.................................................... 31 5A33 496–6471 2486

Ethics Coordinator, Kim Y. Brinson............................................. 31 5A33 496–6471 2486

Ethics Coordinator, Hedy S. Tam.................................................. 31 5A33 496–6471 2486

Office of Administrative Management

Director/Executive Officer, Donald P. Christoferson.................. 31 5A48 496–2411 2490

Deputy Executive Officer, Timothy J. Wheeles........................... 31 5A48 496–2411 2490

Administrative Officer, Rebecca Ellett-Tener ........................ 31 5A16 496–5931 2490

Office of Freedom of Information and Privacy

Director, Suzanne A. Freeman................................................ RKL1 6070 496–9737 7957

Management Policy and Administrative Services Branch 

Chief, Marilyn G. Jackson ..................................................... 31 5A16 496–5931 2490 

Financial Management Branch

Chief, Sandra L. Gault ........................................................... 31 5A34 496–4653 2490 

Extramural Administrative Management Branch

Chief, Loretta L. Usilton......................................................... RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Intramural Administrative Management Branch

Chief, Gary Unger................................................................... 10 7N220 451–0892 1670

Office of Workforce Management

Director, Gwen G. Platt........................................................... RKL1 6070 496–1763 7957

Office of Clinical Research

Director, Maria R. Stagnitto, M.S.N...................................... RKL2 9093B 435–7594 7913

Office of Research Training and Minority Health

Director, Helena O. Mishoe, Ph.D., M.P.H. ................................ RKL2 9093C 451–5081 7913

Deputy Director, Chitra Krishnamurti, Ph.D............................. RKL2 9093C 451–5081 7913

Administrative Officer, James McKenzie ............................... RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Office of Science and Technology

Director, Carl A. Roth, Ph.D., LL.M........................................... 31 5A07 496–6331 2482

Deputy Director, Barbara Marzetta, M.S. .................................. 31 5A07 496–9899 2482

Administrative Officer, Rebecca Ellett-Tenner ...................... 31 5A16 496–5931 2490

Program Studies and Reports Program

Director, Carl A. Roth, Ph.D., LL.M. .................................... 31 5A07 496–6331 2482

Science and Special Issues Program

Director, Barbara Marzetta, M.S........................................... 31 5A07 496–9899 2482

Office of Legislative Liaison

Director, Stephanie Y. Burrows, Ph.D. .................................. 31 5A07 496–9899 2482

Office of Public Liaison

Coordinator, Hilary S. Leeds, J.D........................................... 31 5A07 594–9869 2482

Office of Technology Transfer and Development

Director, Alan H. Deutch ........................................................ RKL1 6018 402–5579 7992

Administrative Officer, Kathleen Rechen ......................... RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases

Office of the Director 

Senior Advisor to the Director, Marvin A. Konstam, M.D.......... RKL2 8128 435–0466 7940

Acting Director, Sonia I. Skarlatos, Ph.D.................................... RKL2 8124 435–0466 7940
3

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases (continued) Bldg. Room Phone MSC

Acting Deputy Director, Susan E. Old, Ph.D............................... RKL2 8132 435–0477 7940

Administrative Officer, Lisa A. Freeny ................................... RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Special Assistant for Clinical Studies, 

David J. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. ............................................... RKL2 8134 435–0466 7940

Office of Research Training and Career Development 

Director, Jane Scott, Sc.D. ...................................................... RKL2 8138 435–0535 7940

Advanced Technologies and Surgery Branch

Chief, Denis B. Buxton, Ph.D. ................................................ RKL2 8216 435–0504 7940

Atherothrombosis and Coronary Artery Disease Branch

Chief, Michael J. Domanski, M.D.......................................... RKL2 8146 435–0550 7940

Heart Developmental and Structural Diseases Branch

Chief, Gail D. Pearson, M.D., Sc.D........................................ RKL2 8104 435–0510 7940

Heart Failure and Arrhythmias Branch

Chief, Alice M. Mascette, M.D............................................... RKL2 8170 435–0504 7940

Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch

Acting Chief, Eser E. Tolunay, Ph.D. .................................... RKL2 8120 435–0560 7940

Division of Lung Diseases

Office of the Director

Director, James P. Kiley, Ph.D. .................................................... RKL2 10042 435–0233 7952

Deputy Director, Gail G. Weinmann, M.D.................................. RKL2 10042 435–0233 7952

Administrative Officer, Amy W. Sheetz .................................. RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Research Training and Special Programs

Leader, Sandra Colombini Hatch, M.D................................. RLK2 10042 435–0222 7952 

Leader, Ann E. Rothgeb.......................................................... RLK2 10042 435–0202 7952

Airway Biology and Disease Branch

Chief, Thomas L. Croxton, M.D., Ph.D. ............................... RKL2 10042 435–0202 7952

Lung Biology and Disease Branch

Chief, Dorothy B. Gail, Ph.D.................................................. RKL2 10042 435–0222 7952

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research

Director, Michael J. Twery, Ph.D. .......................................... RKL2 10042 435–0199 7952

Division of Blood Diseases and Resources

Office of the Director

Acting Director, Susan B. Shurin, M.D. ...................................... 31 5A48 496–1078 2486

Acting Deputy Director, George J. Nemo, Ph.D.......................... RKL2 9144 435–0080 7950

Administrative Officer, Amy W. Sheetz .................................. RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921

Research Training and Career Development

Leader, Traci H. Mondoro, Ph.D............................................ RKL2 9140 435–0065 7950

Leader, Rita Sarkar, Ph.D....................................................... RKL2 9161 435–0070 7950

Leader, Ellen M. Werner, Ph.D. ............................................. RKL2 9162 435–0050 7950

Leader, Henry Chang, M.D. ................................................... RKL2 9176 435–0080 7950

Blood Diseases Branch

Acting Chief, Harvey S. Luksenburg, M.D........................... RKL2 9164 435–0050 7950

Thrombosis and Hemostasis Branch

Acting Chief, Rebecca P. Link, Ph.D. .................................... RKL2 9168 435–0070 7950

Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapeutics Branch

Chief, Simone A. Glynn, M.D................................................. RKL2 9142 435–0065 7950
4

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Division of Prevention and Population Sciences Bldg. Room Phone MSC

Office of the Director

Director, Michael S. Lauer, M.D.................................................. RKL2 10018 435–0422 7936 

Deputy Director, Diane E. Bild, M.D., M.P.H. ............................ RKL2 10018 435–0422 7936

Senior Scientific Advisor, Denise Simons-Morton, M.D., Ph.D. RKL2 10018 435–0384 7936

Administrative Officer, Stacey A. Long .................................. RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921 

Office of Biostatistics Research

Director, Nancy L. Geller, Ph.D.............................................. RLK2 9093A 435–0434 7913

Research Training and Special Programs

Leader, Charlotte A. Pratt, Ph.D............................................ RLK2 10018 435–0382 7936

Leader, Lorraine M. Silsbee ................................................... RLK2 10018 435–0709 7936

Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch

Chief, Lawrence J. Fine, M.D. ............................................... RKL2 10018 435–0305 7936

Deputy Chief, Peter G. Kaufmann, Ph.D. ............................. RKL2 10018 435–2467 7936 

Epidemiology Branch

Chief, Paul D. Sorlie, Ph.D. .................................................... RKL2 10018 435–0707 7936

Deputy Chief, Jean L. Olson, M.D., M.P.H. .......................... RKL2 10018 435–0707 7936

Deputy Chief, Richard R. Fabsitz, Ph.D................................ RKL2 10018 435–0707 7936

Scientific Advisor, Phyliss D. Sholinsky, M.S.P.H................. RKL2 10018 435–0707 7936

Women’s Health Initiative Branch

Director, Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D......................................... 31 5A48 496–5166 2486

Chief, Jacques E. Rossouw, Ph.D........................................... RKL2 10018 402–2900 7936

Deputy Chief, Shari E. Ludlam, M.P.H................................. RKL2 10018 402–2900 7936 

Division for the Application of Research Discoveries

Director, Gregory J. Morosco, Ph.D., M.P.H. .................................. 31 4A10 496–5437 2480

Administrative Officer, Rebecca Ellett-Tener.............................. 31 5A16 496–5931 2490

Program Operations 

Senior Manager, Nancy J. Poole, M.B.A...................................... 31 4A10 496–5437 2480

Enhanced Dissemination and Utilization Branch

Chief, Rob Fulwood, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.......................................... 31 4A10 496–0554 2480

Health Communications and Social Marketing Branch

Acting Chief, Diane E. Striar....................................................... 31 4A10 496–0554 2480

Research Translation Branch

Acting Chief, Gregory J. Morosco, Ph.D., M.P.H. ..................... 31 4A10 496–5437 2480

Division of Extramural Research Activities

Office of the Director

Director, Stephen C. Mockrin, Ph.D. .......................................... RKL2 7100 435–0260 7922

Deputy Director, Vacant................................................................ RKL2 7104 435–0260 7922

Chief of Staff, Janet George ................................................... RKL2 7220 435–0260 7922

Administrative Officer, Veronica M. VanWagner.................. RKL2 8095 435–6373 7921 

Office of Acquisitions

Director, John C. Taylor ............................................................... RKL2 6100 435–0330 7902

Deputy Director, Christopher J. Belt........................................... RKL2 6106 435–0330 7902

Special Assistant to the Director

Debra C. Hawkins................................................................... RKL2 6224 435–0330 7902

Blood Diseases and Resources Contracts Branch

Chief, Joanna Magginas......................................................... RKL2 6136 435–0360 7902
5

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Division of Extramural Research Activities (continued) Bldg. Room Phone MSC

Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases Contracts Branch

Chief, Pamela S. Lew.............................................................. RKL2 6016 435–0340 7902

Prevention and Population Sciences Contracts Branch

Chief, Paul D. McFarlane....................................................... RKL2 6126 435–0345 7902

Procurement Branch

Acting Chief, Kathleen J. Marsden........................................ RKL2 6140 435–0364 7902

Office of Committee Management 

Director, Kathryn M. Valeda ....................................................... RKL2 7110 435–0255 7922

Deputy Director, David Alperin.................................................... RLK2 7110 435–0255 7922

Office of Extramural Policy and Review

Director, Paul A. Velletri, Ph.D.................................................... RKL2 7218 435–0569 7922

Review Branch

Chief, Valerie L. Prenger, Ph.D.............................................. RKL2 7214 435–0270 7924 

Office of Grants Management

Director, Suzanne A. White.......................................................... RKL2 7160 435–0144 7926

Deputy Director, Raymond L. Zimmerman................................ RKL2 7130 435–0144 7926

Blood Diseases and Resources Grants Management Branch

Chief, Robert Vinson, Jr. ........................................................ RKL2 7156 435–0166 7926

Cardiovascular Diseases Grants Management Branch

Chief, David L. Reiter............................................................. RKL2 7172 435–0177 7926

Lung Diseases Grants Management Branch

Chief, Ryan C. Lombardi....................................................... RKL2 7154 435–0166 7926

Prevention and Population Sciences Grants 

Management Branch

Chief, Teresa F. Marquette..................................................... RKL2 7128 435–0177 7926

Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs

Director, Robert A. Musson, Ph.D............................................... RKL2 7106 435–0266 7922

Deputy Director, Rachel Permuth-Levine .................................. RKL2 7210 435–0260 7922

Division of Intramural Research

Office of the Director

Scientific Director, Robert S. Balaban, Ph.D. ............................. 10CRC* 4-1581 496–2116 1458

Intramural Administrative Management Branch

Chief, Gary Unger................................................................... 10 7N214 451–0892 1686

Office of Education

Chief, Herbert M. Geller, Ph.D.............................................. 10 2N242 451–9440 1754

Laboratory of Animal Medicine and Surgery

Chief, Robert F. Hoyt, D.V.M................................................. 14E 105B 496–9673 5570

Office of the Clinical Director

Director, Richard O. Cannon III, M.D.................................. 10CRC 5-3330 496–9895 1454

Office of Clinical Affairs

Chief, Melissa B. Bryant......................................................... 10CRC 6-5140 594–8375 1608

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Chief, Keith A. Horvath.......................................................... 10 2N246 451–7098 1454

* 10CRC──Building 10 Clinical Research Center.
6

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Division of Intramural Research (continued) Bldg. Room Phone MSC 

Hematology Branch

Chief, Neal S. Young, M.D...................................................... 10CRC 3-5140 496–5093 1202

FACs Core

Head, J. Philip McCoy, Ph.D. ........................................... 10 8C104 451–8824 1357

Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine Branch

Acting Chief, Stewart J. Levine, M.D.................................... 10CRC 5-5142 435–2310 1476

Genomics Core

Head, Nalini Raghavachari, Ph.D. ................................... 10 8C103B 435–2304 1754

Translational Medicine Branch

Chief, Toren Finkel, M.D., Ph.D. ........................................... 10CRC 5-3330 402–4081 1454

Deputy Chief, Joel Moss, M.D., Ph.D..................................... 10 6D03 496–1597 1590

Animal MRI/Imaging Core

Head, Stasia Anderson, Ph.D. ........................................... 10 2N240 401–0908 1518

Catheter Fabrication Core

Chief, Ozgur Kocaturk...................................................... 10 BID416 496–4666 1061

Biochemistry and Biophysics Center

Director, Nico Tjandra, Ph.D.................................................. 50 2134 496–2073 8012

Cell Biology and Physiology Center

Director, Edward D. Korn, Ph.D............................................ 50 2517 496–1616 8017

Light Microscopy Core

Head, Christian Combs, Ph.D. ......................................... 10 6N309 496–3236 1623

Lipid Trafficking Core

Head, Edward Neufeld, Ph.D............................................ 10 5N107 496–5879 1424

Proteomics Core

Head, Rong-Fong Shen, Ph.D. .......................................... 10 8C1036 594–1060 1597

Genetics and Development Biology Center

Director, Cecilia Lo, Ph.D....................................................... 10 6C103A 451–8041 1583

Electron Microscopy Core

Head, Mathew Daniels, Ph.D. ........................................... 50 3318 496–2898 8017

Pathology Core

Head, Zu-Xi Yu, Ph.D........................................................ 10 2N240 496–5035 1518

Transgenic Core

Head, Chengyu Liu, Ph.D. ................................................ 50 3305 435–5034 8018

Immunology Center

Director, Warren Leonard, M.D. ........................................... 10 5B07 496–0098 1674
7

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 1. Abbreviated Staff Directory

Building 10 Full Name

NHLBI, NIH

Building 10, Room ____

10 Center Drive MSC* ____

Bethesda, MD 20892–MSC**

Rockledge II Building Full Name

NHLBI, NIH

Two Rockledge Center, Room ____

6701 Rockledge Drive MSC*

 ____

Bethesda, MD 20817–MSC**

Building 31 Full Name

NHLBI, NIH

Building 31, Room ____

31 Center Drive MSC*

____

Bethesda, MD 20892–MSC**

Rockledge I Building Full Name

NHLBI, NIH

One Rockledge Center, Room ____

6705 Rockledge Drive MSC*

 ____

Bethesda, MD 20817–MSC**

Building 50 Full Name

NHLBI, NIH

Building 50, Room ____

50 South Drive MSC*

Bethesda, MD 20892–MSC**

* Retain the letters MSC before adding the mail stop code number. ** Replace the letters MSC with the mail stop code number.

NIH Mailing Address Formats

NHLBI staff e-mail addresses can be found by using the NIH Directory and E-mail Forwarding Service located 

on the Internet at http://directory.nih.gov.

Please use the following formats for NIH mailing addresses:

9

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

2. Program Overview

The National Heart Institute (NHI) was established in 1948 through the National Heart Act with a 

mission to support research and training in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular 

diseases (CVD). Twenty-four years later, through 

section 413 of the National Heart, Blood Vessel, 

Lung, and Blood Act (P.L. 92-423), Congress mandated the Institute to expand and coordinate its activities in an accelerated attack against heart, blood 

vessel, lung, and blood diseases. The renamed 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 

expanded its scientific areas of interest and intensified its efforts related to research on diseases within 

its purview. Over the years, the Institute’s areas of 

interest have grown to encompass genetic, genomic, 

and proteomic research, systems biology, sleep disorders, and the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).

The mission of the NHLBI is to provide leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, 

blood vessels, lung, and blood; sleep disorders; and 

blood resources management. The Institute:

• Plans, conducts, fosters, and supports an integrated and coordinated program of basic 

research, clinical investigations and trials, 

observational studies, and demonstration and 

education projects related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood 

vessel, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders conducted in its own laboratories and by 

other scientific institutions and individuals supported by research grants and contracts.

• Plans and directs research in development and 

evaluation of interventions and devices related 

to the prevention of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders and the treatment and 

rehabilitation of patients who suffer from them.

• Conducts research on the clinical use of blood 

and all aspects of the management of blood 

resources.

• Supports career training and development of 

new and established researchers in fundamental 

sciences and clinical disciplines to enable them 

to conduct basic and clinical research related to 

heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; 

sleep disorders; and blood resources through 

individual and institutional research training 

awards and career development awards.

• Coordinates relevant activities with other 

research institutes and all Federal health programs in the above areas, including the causes 

of stroke.

• Conducts educational activities, including 

development and dissemination of materials for 

health professionals and the public in the above 

areas, with emphasis on prevention.

• Maintains continuing relationships with institutions and professional associations, and with 

international, national, state, and local officials, 

as well as voluntary agencies and organizations 

working in the above areas.

• Oversees management of the WHI.

Each year, the NHLBI assesses progress in the 

scientific areas for which it is responsible and 

updates its goals and objectives. As new opportunities are identified, the Institute expands and revises 

its areas of interest. Throughout the process, the 

approach used by the Institute is an orderly sequence 

of research activities that includes:

• Acquisition of knowledge

• Evaluation of knowledge

• Application of knowledge

• Dissemination of knowledge.

NHLBI Programs

The programs of the NHLBI, as shown on 

page 10, are implemented through five extramural 

units:

• Division of Cardiovascular Diseases (DCVD)

• Division of Lung Diseases (DLD)

• Division of Blood Diseases and Resources 

(DBDR)
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

Programs Supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

Cardiovascular Diseases 

Advanced Technologies and 

Surgery 

Diagnostics Development

Emerging Therapeutics

Enabling Technologies

Surgery Advances

Atherothrombosis and Coronary 

Artery Disease 

Acute and Chronic Coronary 

Syndromes

Acute and Silent Ischemia

Angina

Atherothrombosis

Coronary Artery Disease

Myocardial Infarction

Revascularization

Heart Developmental and Structural 

Disease

Adult Congenital Disease

Cardiac Immunology and Infection

Cardiovascular Development

Heart Transplantation

Pediatric Cardiovascular Disease

Valvular Heart Disease

Heart Failure and Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias

Heart Failure

Myocardial Protection

Resuscitation

Sudden Cardiac Death

Vascular Biology and Hypertension

Aneurysms 

Cerebrovascular Disease

Hypertension

Lymphatic Diseases

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Renal Vascular Disease

Vascular Biology 

Vascular Development and 

Angiogenesis

Lung Diseases

Airway Biology and Disease

Asthma

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary 

Disease (COPD) and 

Environmental Lung Diseases

Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

Genetics, Genomics, and 

Biotechnology

Lung Biology and Disease

Acquired Immunodeficiency 

Syndrome (AIDS) and Tuberculosis 

(TB)

Critical Care and Acute Lung Injury

Developmental Biology and Pediatric 

Lung Disease

Immunology and Fibrosis

Lung Cell and Vascular Biology

National Center on Sleep Disorders 

Research

Sleep Disorders and Related 

Conditions

Ventilatory Control

Blood Diseases and Resources 

Blood Diseases

Anemias

Erythropoiesis

Malaria

Red Cells

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

Thalassemia

Thrombosis and Hemostasis

Hematologic Immune Disorders 

Hemophilia and Other Bleeding 

Disorders

Hemostasis

Immunity and Inflammation

Thrombosis

Transfusion Medicine and Cellular 

Therapeutics 

Hematopoietic Stem Cell 

Transplantation

Immune Deficiencies, Reconstitution, 

Response, and Tolerance

Myelodysplasia, Marrow Failure, and 

Myeloproliferative Disorders 

Novel Cellular Therapies for Repair 

and Regeneration 

Stem Cell Biology 

Transfusion Medicine Use, Safety, 

and Availability of Blood and 

Blood Components

Prevention and Population 

Sciences

Clinical Applications and 

Prevention 

Behavioral Medicine Prevention of 

Cardiovascular Disorders

Obesity Health Outcomes

Epidemiology 

Analytical Resources

Field Studies and Clinical 

Epidemiology

Genetic Epidemiology

Women’s Health Initiative 

Hormone Therapy Trial

Dietary Modification Trial

Calcium and Vitamin D Trial

Observational Study

Memory Study

Application of Research 

Discoveries

Research Translation Branch 

Research Translation

Research Opportunities Identification

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical Support and Implementation 

Applications

Knowledge Exchange Networks

Enhanced Dissemination and 

Utilization Branch 

Research Dissemination

Research Utilization

Data Analysis and Evaluation

Health Communications and Social 

Marketing Branch

Health Communication Strategies

Social Marketing

Media Relations

NHLBI Health Information Center 

Intramural Research 

Clinical Research 

Cardiothoracic Surgery 

Hematology 

Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine

Translational Medicine 

Laboratory Research 

Biochemistry and Biophysics 

Cell Biology and Physiology

Genetics and Development Biology 

Immunology
11

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

• Division of Prevention and Population Sciences 

(DPPS)

• Division for the Application of Research 

Discoveries (DARD)

and one intramural unit:

• Division of Intramural Research (DIR).

The extramural divisions use a variety of funding 

mechanisms, such as individual research project grants, 

cooperative agreements, program project grants, Small 

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, Small 

Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants, Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) 

grants, comprehensive center grants, contracts, and 

research training and career development programs.

Descriptions of the Divisions follow.

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases

The DCVD supports research on the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of CVD through an integrated program of basic and clinical research, including 

translational research, networks, and multicenter clinical 

trials. Research funded by the Division is allocated 

among investigator- and Institute-initiated grants and 

contracts in disease areas such as atherothrombosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction and ischemia, 

heart failure, arrhythmia, sudden cardiac death, adult and 

pediatric congenital heart disease, cardiovascular complications of diabetes and obesity, and hypertension. The 

DCVD fosters biotechnological research in genomics, 

proteomics, nanotechnology, imaging, device development, cell- and tissue-based therapeutics, gene therapy, 

and the development of advanced technologies, including technologies for surgery. SCCORs support clinical 

collaborative research in cardiac dysfunction and disease; pediatric heart development and disease; and vascular injury, repair, and remodeling.

The Division is organized into the five Branches and 

one Office described below.

Advanced Technologies and Surgery Branch

The Advanced Technologies and Surgery Branch 

supports integrated basic and clinical research to develop 

technologies for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment 

of CVD. Research on diagnostics focuses on proteomic, 

genomic, and other biomarker technologies and on 

imaging modalities and agents. Therapeutics research 

focuses on tissue-, cell-, and gene-based therapies; regenerative and reparative medicine; image-guided therapies; 

and cardiac and circulatory support and repair devices. 

Research related to surgery addresses improved surgical 

and image-guided therapies and the translation of cardiovascular surgical advances into clinical practice. 

Enabling technologies research includes bioinformatics, 

computational and systems biology, bioengineering, 

nanotechnology, materials research, and personalized 

medicine.

Atherothrombosis and Coronary Artery Disease 

Branch

The Atherothrombosis and Coronary Artery Disease 

Branch supports integrated basic and clinical research on 

the etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis, and 

treatment of coronary artery disease and atherothrombosis. Research on coronary artery disease focuses on acute 

and chronic coronary syndromes, including myocardial 

infarction; acute ischemia, angina, and silent ischemia; 

and percutaneous and surgical revascularization of 

stenotic and restenotic coronary lesions. Atherothrombosis research investigates atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries and other arterial beds; lipid fractions and 

interactions with the arterial wall; lesion instability, vulnerable plaques, and thrombosis; and biomarker and 

imaging diagnostics to quantify plaque and atherosclerosis progression. Atherothrombosis research also includes 

studies of diet, exercise, diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic conditions related to atherothrombosis.

Heart Development and Structural Diseases Branch

The Heart Development and Structural Diseases 

Branch supports integrated basic and clinical research on 

normal and abnormal cardiovascular development and 

the etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis, and 

treatment of pediatric and adult structural heart disease. 

Research areas in heart development include normal and 

abnormal development, molecular and genetic etiology 

of cardiovascular malformations, cardiomyogenic differentiation of stem cells, and gene–environment interactions in the development of congenital heart disease. 

Structural disease research includes the investigation of 

congenital heart disease, from embryology through 

adulthood, and the associated exercise physiology and
12

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

neurodevelopmental outcomes; valve disease; pediatric 

cardiomyopathy and heart transplantation; and pediatric 

cardiac inflammation and infection.

Heart Failure and Arrhythmias Branch

The Heart Failure and Arrhythmias Branch supports 

integrated basic and clinical research on normal and 

abnormal cardiac function to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of heart failure and arrhythmias 

and to protect the myocardium and manage resuscitation. 

Heart failure research addresses the pathogenesis and 

treatment of heart failure and cardiomyopathies, 

including the use of devices, medical treatments, and 

cell-based therapies. Arrhythmias research investigates 

the etiology of rare and common arrhythmias, sudden 

cardiac death, and arrhythmogenesis and explores the 

genetic and environmental bases of normal cardiac electrical activity. Myocardium protection research focuses 

on stunning and hibernation, ischemic/reperfusion injury, 

and preconditioning. Resuscitation research includes the 

study of whole-body oxygen deprivation; organ preservation; and cell, tissue, and organ protection during 

cardiac arrest and traumatic shock.

Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch

The Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch supports integrated basic and clinical research on the etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment 

of hypertension and vascular diseases. Vascular biology 

focuses on the biology of the vascular wall and its role in 

hypertension; cerebrovascular, renal, lymphatic, aneurysmal, and peripheral vascular disease; the development of 

arteries, veins, lymphatics, and microcirculation; and 

angiogenesis. Hypertension research includes the study 

of blood pressure regulation including central, renal, and 

vascular control, and cerebrovascular disease resulting 

from high blood pressure.

Office of Research Training and Career Development

The Office of Research Training and Career 

Development provides opportunities for people at a variety of educational levels, from high school students to 

academic faculty, to pursue and build careers in cardiovascular research. It collaborates with the scientific 

community and professional organizations to ensure that 

its programs meet the needs of young scientists from 

diverse backgrounds. Activities include institutional and 

individual research training programs and fellowships, 

diversity supplements to provide mentored experiences 

with established research scientists, the Pathway to 

Independence Program that allows recipients to bridge 

the gap between a career development award and a 

research award, and career development programs 

designed for clinical research.

Division of Lung Diseases

The DLD supports research on the causes, diagnosis, 

treatment, and prevention of lung diseases and sleep disorders. Research is funded through investigator- and 

Institute-initiated grants and contracts in disease areas 

such as asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, COPD, 

CF, sleep-disordered breathing, critical care and acute 

lung injury, developmental biology and pediatric pulmonary diseases, immunologic and fibrotic pulmonary 

disease, rare lung disorders, pulmonary vascular disease, 

and pulmonary complications of AIDS and tuberculosis. 

SCCORs support collaborative studies on COPD, pulmonary vascular disease, and host factors in chronic lung 

diseases.

The Division also supports demonstration and dissemination projects to transfer basic research and clinical 

findings to health care professionals and patients, and 

training and career development programs for individuals 

interested in furthering their professional abilities in lung 

diseases research. The DLD, through the National 

Center on Sleep Disorders Research, coordinates sleep 

research activities across the NIH, other Federal 

Agencies, and outside organizations.

The Division is organized into the three Branches 

described below.

Airway Biology and Disease Branch

The Airway Biology and Disease Branch supports 

basic and clinical research and research training in 

asthma, COPD, CF, and airway function in health and 

disease. The Branch supports innovative genetics, 

genomics, and biotechnology programs to advance discovery of lung disease risk factors, mechanisms, and 

treatment. It also funds applied studies to develop new 

methods of lung imaging.

Asthma research investigates the origins, pathogenesis, and management of asthma, including the role of 

immunologic and nonimmunologic events and inflammation in its pathogenesis; the genetics of asthma and 

atopy; airway remodeling and repair in asthma; the 
13

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

mechanisms of severe asthma; and the regulation of 

mucous hypersecretion and mucous cell metaplasia. A 

growing area of interest for the Branch is health education research and demonstration and education projects 

for the management of asthma.

Research on COPD and other diseases of the lung 

related to smoking or environmental exposures explores 

pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the development 

and progression of COPD, emphysema, and lung disease 

associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency; genetic 

determinants of lung disease; management of COPD; 

and properties and health effects of air pollution. The 

Branch is also interested in health education research 

and demonstration and education projects for COPD 

management.

Research on CF focuses on the function of the CF 

transmembrane conductance regulator and its role in lung 

disease. Areas of interest include airway epithelial ion 

transport, airway surface liquids, animal and cellular 

models for CF, signaling pathways in airway cells, regulation of mucin expression and secretion, development 

and clinical testing of treatments, and mechanisms underlying the infectious and inflammatory aspects of CF lung 

disease.

Lung Biology and Disease Branch

The Lung Biology and Disease Branch supports basic, 

translational, and clinical research, and research training 

programs in pulmonary conditions associated with 

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS, acute lung 

injury and critical care medicine, lung development and 

pediatric lung diseases, lung immunobiology and interstitial lung diseases, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and lung 

cell and vascular biology.

AIDS and tuberculosis research focuses on the course 

and pulmonary manifestations of HIV infection and 

tuberculosis, including a collaborative effort to identify 

lung complications associated with HIV infection. The 

Branch supports the development of tuberculosis curricula for medical schools.

Research on acute lung injury and critical care medicine explores the pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention 

of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The Branch supports development of 

new diagnostic tools for detection of acute lung injury 

and development of an artificial lung and oversees 

clinical studies of therapies for ARDS, including the 

ARDS Network.

Research in developmental biology and pediatric pulmonary diseases investigates the regulation of lung 

development, growth, and repair and focuses on pediatric 

pulmonary diseases in infants and children, including 

bronchopulmonary dysplasia and persistent pulmonary 

hypertension of the newborn. Research also focuses on 

identification of lung progenitor stem cells and exploration of lung cell-based therapy.

Research on immunology and fibrosis includes studies 

of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, occupational and environmental lung diseases, and the role of 

immune response and inflammation in these diseases. 

The Branch also supports research on lung immunobiology, lung transplantation, and pathogenesis of 

lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lung cell and vascular biology research investigates 

lung cell biology and function and pulmonary vascular 

disease, including pulmonary arterial hypertension and 

pulmonary embolism diagnosis. Research focuses on 

pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells, vascular endothelial 

cells, and the lung surfactant system. The Branch also 

includes research on the regulation of barrier function of 

pulmonary endothelial cells and regulation of lung 

permeability.

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research

The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research 

(NCSDR) supports research, health education, and 

research training related to sleep-disorder breathing and 

the fundamental function of sleep and circadian rhythms. 

Specific areas of interest include neurobiology of ventilatory control, respiratory rhythmogenesis, chemosensitivity, basic neurobiology of sleep–wake regulation, 

circadian-coupled cellular function, and effects of sleep 

deprivation. The NCSDR also stewards several forums, 

including the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board 

and the Trans-NIH Sleep Research Coordinating 

Committee, that facilitate the coordination of sleep 

research across the NIH and with other Federal Agencies 

and outside organizations. The Center participates in 

translation of new sleep research findings for dissemination to health care professionals and the public.
14

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

Division of Blood Diseases and Resources

The DBDR supports research on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nonmalignant blood 

diseases, including anemias, SCD, and thalassemia; 

premalignant processes such as myelodysplasia and 

myeloproliferative disorders; hemophilia and other 

abnormalities of hemostasis and thrombosis; and immune 

dysfunction. Funding encompasses a broad spectrum of 

research ranging from basic biology to medical management of blood diseases. SCCORs and other specialized 

centers support collaborative research in hemostatic and 

thrombotic diseases, transfusion biology and medicine, 

SCD, and cell-based therapy for blood diseases. The 

Division also has a major responsibility to improve the 

adequacy and safety of the Nation’s blood supply. It has 

a leading role in applying scientific advances in transfusion medicine and stem cell biology to the development 

of new cell-based therapies to repair and regenerate 

human tissues and organs.

The Division is organized into the three Branches 

described below.

Blood Diseases Branch

The Blood Diseases Branch supports research and 

research training in blood diseases, including SCD, 

thalassemia, Fanconi anemia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia 

and other aplastic anemias and malaria. Additionally, it 

supports outcomes-related research. Research in SCD 

and thalassemia focuses on elucidating the etiology and 

pathophysiology of the diseases and improving disease 

treatment and management. Areas of emphasis include 

genetics, regulation of hemoglobin synthesis, iron chelation, development of drugs to increase fetal hemoglobin 

production, hematopoietic transplantation, and gene 

therapy. Basic and translational red cell research are also 

areas of interest.

Thrombosis and Hemostasis Branch

The Thrombosis and Hemostasis Branch supports 

research and research training in hemostasis, thrombosis, 

and endothelial cell biology, including basic research, 

clinical studies, and technology development. Areas of 

interest include hemophilia and von Willebrand disease 

as well as immune disorders such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic 

purpura, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Research 

on bleeding disorders focuses on identifying effective 

treatments. Emerging areas of interest are gene transfer; 

clinical proteomics; inflammation and thrombosis; 

stroke; coagulation activation; autoimmune disease; and 

thrombotic complications of obesity, diabetes, and 

cancer. The Branch also supports research on the pathogenesis of arterial and venous thrombosis to improve the 

diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of thrombosis in 

heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular diseases. A 

major goal is to find additional platelet inhibitors, anticoagulants, and fibrinolytic agents to treat thrombotic 

and thromboembolic disorders with better specificity and 

fewer side effects than those currently used for treatment.

Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapeutics 

Branch

The Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapeutics 

Branch supports research and research training in transfusion medicine, stem cell biology and disease, hematopoiesis, clinical cellular medicine, and blood supply 

adequacy and safety. Research focuses on the use, safety, 

and availability of blood and blood components for transfusion and cellular therapies. Research areas include 

transmission of disease, noninfectious complications of 

transfusions, immunobiology, cell biology and disease, 

novel cell-based therapies, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and overall product availability. The Branch 

develops programs for basic and clinical research related 

to normal and abnormal cellular biology and pathology. 

It also collaborates with governmental, private sector, 

and international organizations to improve the safety and 

availability of the global supply of blood and blood 

components.

Division of Prevention and Population Sciences

The DPPS supports and provides leadership for population- and clinic-based research on the causes, prevention, and clinical care of cardiovascular, lung, and blood 

diseases and sleep disorders. Research includes a broad 

array of epidemiological studies to describe disease and 

risk factor patterns in populations and to identify risk factors for disease; clinical trials of interventions to prevent 

disease; studies of genetic, behavioral, sociocultural, and 

environmental influences on disease risk and outcomes; 

and studies of the application of prevention and treatment 

strategies to improve clinical care and public health. The 

Division also supports training and career development 

in these areas of research.

The Division is organized into the four components 

described below.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch

The Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch supports, designs, and conducts research and supports training on behavioral, environmental, clinical, and health 

care approaches to reduce the occurrence and consequences of CVD. Prevention research examines the 

effectiveness of interventions to slow or halt risk factor 

or disease development or progression. Interventions, 

many of which focus on high-risk individuals and populations, include medications, behavioral strategies, and 

environmental change. Studies to examine lifestyle, 

nutrition and exercise, psychological and sociocultural 

factors, and environmental and genetic influences relevant to prevention are supported. Also supported is clinical application research to examine approaches to 

improve health care delivery and patient outcomes. 

Studies include clinical and community trials and observational studies.

Epidemiology Branch

The Epidemiology Branch supports, designs, and conducts research and supports research training in the epidemiology of cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases 

and sleep disorders. Studies are conducted to identify 

temporal trends and population patterns in the prevalence, incidence, morbidity, and mortality from the diseases and include single- and multicenter observational 

epidemiologic studies of development, progression, and 

treatment of cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases and 

sleep disorders. Areas of emphasis include environmental, lifestyle, physiological, and genetic risk factors for 

disease and risk factor development including characterization of gene–gene and gene–environment interactions. 

Large cohorts consisting of minority participants such as 

Hispanics and blacks have been assembled to explore 

health disparities in minorities. The Branch also distributes data from eligible NHLBI studies to researchers 

through a process that adheres to guidelines for the protection of participant privacy and confidentiality.

Women’s Health Initiative Branch

The Women’s Health Initiative Branch in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the 

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and 

Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute on Aging 

(NIA), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders 

and Stroke (NINDS), and the Office of Research on 

Women’s Health (ORWH), supports clinical trials and 

observational studies to improve the understanding of the 

causes and prevention of major diseases affecting the 

health of women. Current studies focus on CVD, cancer, 

and fractures. Large multicenter observational studies 

seek to identify risk markers for disease or better quantify known markers using questionnaires, clinical examinations, and laboratory data. The large and long-term 

multicenter clinical trials test promising but unproven 

interventions such as hormone therapy, diet, and supplements, to prevent major diseases and evaluate overall 

effects on health. The Branch has established an infrastructure to support the use of data and blood samples 

from the studies by the scientific community.

The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study 

(WHIMS), an ancillary study to the WHI, was designed 

to test whether hormone therapy prevents the development and progression of dementia symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Office of Biostatistics Research

The Office of Biostatistics Research (OBR) provides 

statistical expertise to the Institute and performs diverse 

functions in planning, designing, implementing, and analyzing NHLBI-sponsored studies. Its primary responsibility is to provide objective, statistically sound, and 

medically relevant solutions to problems. The OBR is 

expected to provide a new and valid statistical solution 

when presented with a problem for which techniques are 

not yet available. Its methodological interests concern 

survival analysis, longitudinal data analysis, and efficient 

study designs, including the monitoring of ongoing clinical studies for efficacy and safety. Recently the OBR 

has made contributions to statistical genetics and has 

extended its expertise to bioinformatics.

Division of Intramural Research

The DIR conducts laboratory and clinical research in 

heart, vascular, lung, blood, and kidney diseases and 

develops technology related to cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Areas of interest include the biology of 

experimental and clinical arteriosclerosis and its manifestations; pathophysiology of hypertensive vascular disease; functions of the lung; clinical and experimental 

studies on physiologic and pharmacologic aspects of 

heart, lung, and blood diseases; and a broad program of 

other basic research and technical developments related 

to them.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

The DIR is organized into the four Centers and three 

Branches described below:

Biochemistry and Biophysics Center

The Biochemistry and Biophysics Center develops a 

global view of the molecular basis of structure–function 

relationships of proteins and biologically relevant molecules. It performs state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy studies of protein structure 

and functional interactions, develops mathematical tools 

for generating theoretical models of protein structure–

function relationships, elucidates the mechanisms of 

enzyme function, and investigates the relationship 

between protein structure–function and cell signaling 

pathways.

Cell Biology and Physiology Center

The Cell Biology and Physiology Center develops a 

global view of the mechanisms that regulate cellular 

function and physiology. It evaluates the mechanisms 

that control different molecular machines within the 

cytosol, including those involved in muscle contraction 

and cytosolic and membrane transport processes. The 

Center studies cellular signaling events associated with 

hormone action, cytosolic trafficking, and energy metabolism; investigates the role of cellular processes on function and adaptation in whole-animal model systems; and 

develops unique measuring devices for studying biochemical and physiological processes in intact cells, 

whole animals, and clinical situations.

Genetics and Development Biology Center

The Genetics and Development Biology Center 

develops a global view of the mechanisms that regulate 

cardiovascular development and the etiology of congenital heart anomalies and CVD. It evaluates the 

function of specific genes and transcription factors in the 

development of the heart and other tissues, develops 

techniques and approaches for gene delivery and gene 

therapy in model systems, and works toward a better 

understanding of basic processes involved in regulating 

and interpreting the genetic code in development and 

disease.

Immunology Center

The Immunology Center develops a global view of 

the molecular basis of immune processes. It studies the 

intracellular and signaling processes involved in the 

activation of lymphocytes and mast cells, investigates the 

mechanisms by which drugs and other agents result in 

allergic–autoimmune reactions, and relates the results to 

the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic 

approaches in humans.

Translational Medicine Branch

The Translational Medicine Branch conducts biomedical research directed at defining at the molecular level, 

normal and abnormal biologic function. It develops 

diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for the treatment 

and understanding of CVD and implements mechanismbased clinical studies centered on innovative discoveries 

and observations from inside and outside the Branch.

Hematology Branch

The Hematology Branch conducts basic and clinical 

research on normal and abnormal hematopoiesis. Areas 

of interest include bone marrow failure, viral infections 

of hematopoietic cells, gene therapy of hematologic and 

malignant diseases, bone marrow transplantation, and 

mechanisms of immunologically mediated syndromes 

such as graft-versus-host disease and autoimmune 

diseases.

Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine Branch 

The Pulmonary and Vascular Medicine Branch conducts research on the lung, heart, and systemic vasculature directed at defining—at the molecular, biochemical, 

and functional levels—normal physiological function 

and novel mechanisms of disease. It conducts research 

on emerging diseases of the lung characterized by 

unknown etiology and molecular pathogenesis. Areas of 

interest include lung diseases in blacks such as sickle cell 

lung disease and sarcoidosis; the role of nitric oxide, 

nitrite, gender, preconditioning, and mitochondrial function on the modulation of ischemia and reperfusion 

injury of the heart and lung; and translational study and 

drug development for therapeutic modulation of vascular, 

pulmonary, and cardiac cellular and molecular dysfunction in diseases of the lung and heart.

Division for the Application of Research 

Discoveries

The DARD supports national and international 

research translation, dissemination, and utilization programs to speed the application of scientific advances in 
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 2. Program Overview

prevention, detection, and treatment of cardiovascular, 

lung, and blood diseases and to shorten the time between 

the discovery and delivery of research advances. 

Through knowledge networks, education programs, 

community outreach, conferences, and symposia, the 

Division provides opportunities for multidirectional 

communication and collaboration among researchers, 

clinical and public health practitioners, patients, and the 

general public. It connects research and practice by 

identifying knowledge gaps that should be addressed by 

future research; synthesizing and organizing evidence 

related to priority diseases and conditions; facilitating 

knowledge-sharing and collaboration with key stakeholders; and reaching out to people in high risk, lowincome, and minority communities to eliminate health 

disparities.

The Division is organized into the three Branches 

described below.

Research Translation Branch

The Research Translation Branch synthesizes and 

organizes new scientific evidence related to priority 

diseases and conditions to facilitate rapid translation of 

research findings. It identifies knowledge gaps to inform 

future research directions and promotes the use of 

evidence-based reviews. The Branch develops or facilitates the development of clinical guidelines with relevant 

stakeholders. It also develops innovative implementation 

approaches for use in clinical and public health practice; 

maximizes opportunities for researchers and users of 

research to discuss research applicability, relevance, and 

utility; and addresses future research needs through 

knowledge networks and other strategies.

Enhanced Dissemination and Utilization Branch

The Enhanced Dissemination and Utilization Branch 

collects, synthesizes, and communicates new knowledge 

and recommendations for the dissemination and utilization of research-based findings to diverse target audiences, including minority and underserved groups. It 

provides technical assistance and information resources 

to NHLBI grantees to enhance their dissemination plans 

and practices. The Branch accelerates the introduction of 

evidence-based tools and education programs into community practice and establishes community-based 

Enhanced Dissemination and Utilization Centers to apply 

the latest research advances and evaluate their effects in 

multiple settings, achieve the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS) Healthy People 2010 goals, 

and eliminate health disparities.

Health Communications and Social Marketing Branch

The Health Communications and Social Marketing 

Branch uses the latest health and consumer communications and behavioral and social marketing research to 

plan health communications strategies and develops consumer messages and public education campaigns. It 

operates the NHLBI Health Information Center to 

respond to professional and public inquiries.

19

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

June 16, 1948. President Harry S. Truman signs 

the National Heart Act, creating the NHI in the 

Public Health Service (PHS), with the National 

Advisory Heart Council as its advisory body.

July 7, 1948. Dr. Paul Dudley White is selected 

to be “Executive Director of the National Advisory 

Heart Council and Chief Medical Advisor to the 

National Heart Institute” under section 4b of the 

National Heart Act.

August 1, 1948. The NHI is established as an 

institute of the NIH by Surgeon General Leonard 

A. Scheele. As legislated in the National Heart Act, 

the NHI assumes responsibility for heart research, 

training, and administration. Intramural research 

projects in CVD and gerontology conducted elsewhere in the NIH are transferred to the NHI. The 

Director of the NHI assumes all leadership for the 

total PHS heart program. Dr. Cassius J. Van Slyke 

is appointed as the first Director of the NHI.

August 29, 1948. Surgeon General Scheele 

announces the membership of the first National 

Advisory Heart Council. Varying terms of membership for the 16-member Council commence 

September 1.

September 8, 1948. The National Advisory 

Heart Council holds its first meeting.

January 1949. Cooperative Research Units are 

established at four institutions: the University of 

California, the University of Minnesota, Tulane 

University, and Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Pending completion of the NHI’s own research 

organization and facilities, the Units are jointly 

financed by the NIH and the institutions.

July 1, 1949. The NHI Intramural Research 

Program is established and organized on three general research levels consisting of three laboratory 

sections, five laboratory–clinical sections, and four 

clinical sections. The Heart Disease Epidemiology 

Study at Framingham, Massachusetts, is transferred 

from the Bureau of State Services, PHS, to the NHI.

3. Important Events

January 18–20, 1950. The NHI and the American Heart Association jointly sponsor the first 

National Conference on Cardiovascular Diseases to 

summarize current knowledge and to make recommendations concerning further progress against heart 

and blood vessel diseases.

December 1, 1952. Dr. James Watt is appointed 

Director of the NHI, succeeding Dr. Van Slyke, who 

is appointed Associate Director of the NIH.

July 6, 1953. The Clinical Center admits its first 

patient for heart disease research.

July 1, 1957. The first members of the NHI 

Board of Scientific Counselors begin their terms. 

The Board was established in 1956 “to provide 

advice on matters of general policy, particularly 

from a long-range viewpoint, as they relate to the 

intramural research program.”

February 19, 1959. The American Heart 

Association and the NHI present a report to 

the Nation—A Decade of Progress Against 

Cardiovascular Disease.

April 21, 1961. The President’s Conference on 

Heart Disease and Cancer, whose participants on 

March 15 were requested by President John F. 

Kennedy to assist “in charting the Government’s 

further role in a national attack on these diseases,” 

convenes at the White House and submits its report.

September 11, 1961. Dr. Ralph E. Knutti is 

appointed Director of the NHI, succeeding Dr. Watt, 

who becomes head of international activities for the 

PHS.

December 30, 1963. February is designated as 

“American Heart Month” by a unanimous joint resolution of Congress with approval from President 

Lyndon B. Johnson.

November 22–24, 1964. The Second National 

Conference on Cardiovascular Diseases, cosponsored by the American Heart Association, the NHI, 
20

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

and the Heart Disease Control Program of the PHS, is 

held to evaluate progress since the 1950 Conference and 

to assess needs and goals for continued and accelerated 

growth against heart and blood vessel diseases.

December 9, 1964. The President’s Commission on 

Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke, appointed by 

President Johnson on March 7, 1964, submits its report 

to “recommend steps that can be taken to reduce the burden and incidence of these diseases.”

August 1, 1965. Dr. William H. Stewart assumes the 

Directorship of the NHI upon Dr. Knutti’s retirement.

September 24, 1965. Dr. William H. Stewart, NHI 

Director, is named Surgeon General of the PHS.

October 6, 1965. In FY 1966, Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 89–199) allocates funds to implement 

the recommendations of the President’s Commission on 

Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke that are within existing legislative authorities. The NHI is given $5.05 million for new clinical training programs, additional 

graduate training grants, cardiovascular clinical research 

centers on cerebrovascular disease and thrombotic and 

hemorrhagic disorders, and planning grants for future 

specialized cardiovascular centers.

March 8, 1966. Dr. Robert P. Grant succeeds 

Dr. Stewart as Director of the NHI. Dr. Grant serves 

until his death on August 15, 1966.

November 6, 1966. Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson is 

appointed Director of the NHI.

March 15, 1968. Dr. Theodore Cooper succeeds 

Dr. Fredrickson as Director of the NHI, the latter electing 

to return to research activities with the Institute.

October 16, 1968. Dr. Marshall W. Nirenberg is 

awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 

discovering the key to deciphering the genetic code. 

Dr. Nirenberg, chief of the NHI Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics, is the first Nobel Laureate at the NIH and 

the first Federal employee to receive a Nobel Prize.

October 26, 1968. The NHI receives the National 

Hemophilia Foundation’s Research and Scientific 

Achievement Award for its “medical leadership . . . , 

tremendous stimulation and support of research 

activities directly related to the study and treatment of 

hemophilia.”

November 14, 1968. The 20th anniversary of the 

NHI is commemorated at the White House under the 

auspices of President Johnson and other distinguished 

guests.

August 12, 1969. A major NHI reorganization plan 

creates five program branches along disease category 

lines in extramural programs (arteriosclerotic disease, 

cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, hypertension and 

kidney diseases, and thrombotic and hemorrhagic diseases); a Therapeutic Evaluations Branch and an 

Epidemiology Branch under the Associate Director for 

Clinical Applications; and three offices in the Office of 

the Director (heart information, program planning, and 

administrative management).

November 10, 1969. The NHI is redesignated by the 

Secretary, Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), as the 

National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), reflecting a 

broadening scope of its functions.

February 18, 1971. President Richard M. Nixon’s 

Health Message to Congress identifies sickle cell anemia 

as a high-priority disease and calls for increased Federal 

expenditures. The Assistant Secretary for Health and 

Scientific Affairs, HEW, is assigned lead-Agency responsibility for coordination of the National Sickle Cell 

Disease Program at the NIH and NHLI.

June 1971. The Task Force on Arteriosclerosis, convened by Dr. Cooper, presents its report. Volume I 

addresses general aspects of the problem and presents the 

major conclusions and recommendations in nontechnical 

language. Volume II contains technical information on 

the state of knowledge and conclusions and recommendations in each of the following areas: atherogenesis, 

presymptomatic atherosclerosis, overt atherosclerosis, 

and rehabilitation.

May 16, 1972. The National Sickle Cell Anemia 

Control Act (P.L. 92–294) provides for a national diagnosis, control, treatment, and research program. The Act 

does not mention the NHLI but has special pertinence 

because the Institute has been designated to coordinate 

the National Sickle Cell Disease Program.

June 12, 1972. Elliot Richardson, Secretary, HEW, 

approves a nationwide program for high blood pressure 

information and education and appoints two committees 

to implement the program: the Hypertension Information 

and Education Advisory Committee, chaired by the 

Director, NIH, and the Interagency Working Group, 
21

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

chaired by the Director, NHLI. A High Blood Pressure 

Information Center is established within the NHLI Office 

of Information to collect and disseminate public and 

professional information about the disease.

July 1972. The NHLI launches its National High 

Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP), a program of patient and professional education that has as 

its goal to reduce death and disability related to high 

blood pressure.

July 14, 1972. Secretary Richardson approves reorganization of the NHLI, with the Institute elevated to 

Bureau status within the NIH and comprising seven 

division-level components: Office of the Director, 

Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases (DHVD), DLD, 

DBDR, DIR, Division of Technological Applications, 

and Division of Extramural Affairs (DEA). 

September 19, 1972. The National Heart, Blood 

Vessel, Lung, and Blood Act of 1972 (P.L. 92–423) 

expands the authority of the Institute to advance the 

national attack on the diseases within its mandate. The 

act calls for intensified and coordinated Institute activities to be planned by the Director and reviewed by the 

National Heart and Lung Advisory Council.

July 24, 1973. The first Five-Year Plan for the 

National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Program 

is transmitted to the President and to Congress.

December 17, 1973. The National Heart and Lung 

Advisory Council completes its First Annual Report on 

the National Program.

February 13, 1974. The Director of the NHLI forwards his First Annual Report on the National Program 

to the President for transmittal to Congress.

April 5, 1974. The Assistant Secretary for Health, 

HEW, authorizes release of the Report to the President 

by the President’s Advisory Panel on Heart Disease. 

The report of the 20-member panel, chaired by Dr. John 

S. Millis, includes a survey of the problem of heart and 

blood vessel disorders and panel recommendations to 

reduce illness and death from them.

August 2, 1974. The Secretary, HEW, approves regulations governing the establishment, support, and operation of National Research and Demonstration Centers 

for heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases, which 

implement section 415(b) of the PHS Act, as amended by 

the National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Act 

of 1972: (1) to carry out basic and clinical research on 

heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; (2) to 

provide demonstrations of advanced methods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; and (3) to supply a training source for scientists and physicians concerned with 

the diseases.

September 16, 1975. Dr. Robert I. Levy is appointed 

Director of the NHLI, succeeding Dr. Theodore Cooper, 

who was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Health, HEW, on April 19, 1974.

June 25, 1976. Legislation amending the PHS Act 

(P.L. 94–278) changes the name of the NHLI to the 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and 

provides for an expansion in blood-related activities 

within the Institute and throughout the National Heart, 

Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Program. 

August 1, 1977. The Biomedical Research Extension 

Act of 1977 (P.L. 95–83) reauthorizes the programs of 

the NHLBI, with continued emphasis on both the 

national program and related prevention and dissemination activities.

February 1978. The NHLBI and the American Heart 

Association jointly celebrate their 30th anniversaries.

September 1979. The Task Force on Hypertension, 

established in September 1975 to assess the state of 

hypertension research, completes its in-depth survey and 

recommendations for improved prevention, treatment, 

and control in 14 major areas. The recommendations are 

intended to guide the NHLBI in its future efforts.

November 1979. The results of the Hypertension 

Detection and Follow-Up Program (HDFP), a major clinical trial started in 1971, provide evidence that tens of 

thousands of lives are being saved through treatment of 

mild hypertension and that perhaps thousands more could 

be saved annually if all people with mild hypertension 

were under treatment.

November 21, 1980. The Albert Lasker Special 

Public Health Award is presented to the NHLBI for its 

HDFP, “which stands alone among clinical studies in its 

profound potential benefit to millions of people.”

December 17, 1980. The Health Programs Extension 

Act of 1980 (P.L. 96–538) reauthorizes the NHLBI, with 

continued emphasis on both the national program and 

related prevention programs.
22

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

September 8, 1981. The Working Group on 

Arteriosclerosis, convened in 1978 to assess present 

understanding, highlight unresolved problems, and 

emphasize opportunities for future research in arteriosclerosis, completes its report. Volume I presents conclusions and recommendations in nontechnical language. 

Volume II provides an in-depth substantive basis for the 

conclusions and recommendations contained in Volume I.

October 2, 1981. The Beta-Blocker Heart Attack 

Trial (BHAT) demonstrates benefits to those in the trial 

who received the drug propranolol compared with the 

control group.

July 6, 1982. Dr. Claude Lenfant is appointed 

Director of the NHLBI. He succeeds Dr. Levy.

September 1982. The results of the Multiple Risk 

Factor Intervention Trial are released. They support 

measures to reduce cigarette smoking and to lower blood 

cholesterol to prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) 

mortality but raise questions about optimal treatment of 

mild hypertension.

October 26, 1983. The Coronary Artery Surgery 

Study (CASS) results are released. They demonstrate 

that mildly symptomatic patients with coronary artery 

disease can safely defer coronary artery bypass surgery 

until symptoms worsen.

January 12, 1984. The results of the Lipid Research 

Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (LRC-CPPT) 

are released. They establish conclusively that reducing 

total blood cholesterol reduces the risk of CHD in men at 

increased risk because of elevated cholesterol levels. 

Each 1 percent decrease in cholesterol can be expected to 

reduce heart attack risk by 2 percent.

April–September 1984. The Tenth Report of the 

Director, NHLBI, commemorates the 10th anniversary of 

the passage of the National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, 

and Blood Act. The five-volume publication reviews 

10 years of research progress and presents a 5-year 

research plan for the national program.

April 1984. The Division of Epidemiology and 

Clinical Applications (DECA) is created. It provides the 

Institute with a single focus on clinical trials; prevention, 

demonstration, and education programs; behavioral medicine; nutrition; epidemiology; and biometry. It also provides new opportunities to examine the interrelationships 

of cardiovascular, respiratory, and blood diseases.

November 1984. An NHLBI-NIH Clinical Center 

inter-Agency agreement for studies on the transmission 

of HIV from humans to chimpanzees leads to the first 

definitive evidence that the transmission is by blood 

transfusion.

April 1985. Results of Phase I of the Thrombolysis 

in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) trial comparing 

streptokinase (SK) with recombinant tissue plasminogen 

activator (t-PA) are published. The new thrombolytic 

agent recombinant t-PA is approximately twice as effective as SK in opening thrombosed coronary arteries.

October 1985. The NHLBI Smoking Education 

Program is initiated to increase health care provider 

awareness about clinical opportunities for smoking cessation programs, techniques for use within health care 

settings, and resources for use within communities to 

expand and reinforce such efforts.

October 14, 1985. NHLBI-supported researchers 

Michael S. Brown and Joseph L. Goldstein are awarded 

the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning the regulation of cholesterol 

metabolism.

November 1985. The NHLBI inaugurates the 

National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) to 

increase awareness among health professionals and the 

public that elevated blood cholesterol is a cause of CHD 

and that reducing elevated blood cholesterol levels will 

contribute to the reduction of CHD.

June 1986. Results of the Prophylactic Penicillin 

Trial demonstrate the efficacy of prophylactic penicillin 

therapy in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with pneumococcal infections in children with SCD.

September 18, 1986. The NHLBI sponsors events on 

the NIH campus in conjunction with the meeting of the 

X World Congress of Cardiology in Washington, DC. 

Activities include a special exhibit at the National 

Library of Medicine entitled “American Contributions 

to Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery” and two 

symposia—“New Dimensions in Cardiovascular 

Disease Research” and “Cardiovascular Nursing and 

Nursing Research.”

December 17, 1986. The citizens of Framingham, 

Massachusetts, are presented a tribute by the Assistant 

Secretary, HHS, for their participation in the Framingham Heart Study over the past 40 years.
23

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

September 1987. The NHLBI commemorates the 

centennial of the NIH and the 40th anniversary of the 

Institute’s inception. Two publications prepared for the 

Institute’s anniversary, Forty Years of Achievement in 

Heart, Lung, and Blood Research and A Salute to the 

Past: A History of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute, document significant Institute contributions to 

research and summarize recollections about the 

Institute’s 40-year history.

October 1987. The National Blood Resource 

Education Program is established to ensure an adequate 

supply of safe blood and blood components to meet the 

Nation’s needs and to ensure that blood and blood 

components are transfused only when therapeutically 

appropriate.

April 1988. The NHLBI initiates its Minority 

Research Supplements program to provide supplemental 

funds to ongoing research grants for support of minority 

investigators added to research teams.

September 1988. AIDS research is added to the 

National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Diseases 

and Blood Resources Program. It is the first area of 

research to be added since the Program was established 

in 1973.

September 1988. The NHLBI funds the first of its 

new Programs of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 

designed to foster the study of the organization, modification, and expression of the genome in areas of importance to the Institute and to encourage investigators to 

become skilled in the experimental strategies and techniques of modern molecular biology. 

September 1988. The Strong Heart Study is initiated. 

It focuses on CVD morbidity and mortality rates and distribution of CVD risk factors in three geographically 

diverse American Indian groups. 

October 1988. The National Marrow Donor Program 

is transferred from the Department of the Navy to the 

NHLBI. The Program, which serves as a focal point for 

bone marrow research, includes a national registry of 

volunteers who have offered to donate marrow for transplant to patients not having suitably matched relatives.

March 1989. The NHLBI initiates a National Asthma 

Education Program to raise awareness of asthma as a 

serious chronic disease and to promote more effective 

management of asthma through patient and professional 

education. 

May 1989. The NHLBI Minority Access to Research 

Careers (MARC) Summer Research Training Program is 

initiated to provide an opportunity for MARC Honors 

Scholars to work with researchers in the NHLBI intramural laboratories.

September 14, 1990. The first human gene therapy 

protocol in history is undertaken at the NIH. A team of 

scientists, led by W. French Anderson, NHLBI, and R. 

Michael Blaese, NCI, insert a normal gene into a 

patient’s cells to compensate for a defective gene that left 

the patient’s cells unable to produce an enzyme essential 

to the functioning of the body’s immune system.

January 1991. The NHLBI Obesity Education 

Initiative (OEI) begins. Its objective is to make a concerted effort to educate the public and health professionals about obesity as an independent risk factor for 

CVD and its relationship to other risk factors, such as 

high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

February 1991. The expert panel of the National 

Asthma Education Program releases its report, Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Asthma, to 

educate physicians and other health care providers in 

asthma management.

April 8–10, 1991. The First National Conference on 

Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Control is attended by 

more than 1,800 health professionals.

May 1991. The Task Force on Hypertension, established in November 1989 to assess the state of hypertension research and to develop a plan for future NHLBI 

funding, presents its conclusions. The report outlines a 

set of scientific priorities and develops a comprehensive 

plan for support over the next several years.

June 11, 1991. The NHLBI initiates a National Heart 

Attack Alert Program (NHAAP) to reduce premature 

morbidity and mortality from acute myocardial infarction 

(AMI) and sudden death. The Program emphasizes rapid 

disease identification and treatment.

July 1991. Results of the Systolic Hypertension in the 

Elderly Program (SHEP) demonstrate that low-dose 

pharmacologic therapy of isolated systolic hypertension 

in those older than 60 years of age significantly reduces 

stroke and myocardial infarction.
24

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

August 1991. Results of the Studies of Left 

Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) are released. They 

demonstrate that use of the angiotensin-converting 

enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril causes a significant 

reduction in mortality and hospitalization for congestive 

heart failure in patients with symptomatic heart failure.

August 1991. The NHLBI sponsors the first national 

workshop, “Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health: 

Special Emphasis on Women and Youth,” to assess the 

current knowledge in the field and to develop scientific 

priorities and plans for support. Recommendations from 

the Working Groups are published in the supplemental 

issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

March 1992. The International Consensus Report on 

Diagnosis and Management of Asthma is released. It is 

to be used by asthma specialists and medical opinion 

leaders to provide a framework for discussion of asthma 

management pertinent to their respective countries.

March 1992. Results of the Trials of Hypertension 

Prevention Phase I are published. They demonstrate that 

both weight loss and reduction of dietary salt reduce 

blood pressure in adults with high-normal diastolic blood 

pressure and may reduce the incidence of primary 

hypertension.

June 26–27, 1992. The Fourth National Minority 

Forum on Cardiovascular Health, Pulmonary Disorders, 

and Blood Resources is attended by nearly 600 

individuals.

October 11–13, 1992. The First National Conference 

on Asthma Management is attended by more than 900 

individuals.

October 30, 1992. A celebration of the 20th anniversary of the NHBPEP is held in conjunction with the 

NHBPEP Coordinating Committee meeting. The Fifth 

Report of the Joint National Committee on the Detection, 

Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 

V) and the NHBPEP Working Group Report on the 

Primary Prevention of Hypertension are released.

June 10, 1993. The NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 

(P.L. 103–43) establishes the NCSDR within the NHLBI.

June 15, 1993. The Second Report of the Expert 

Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High 

Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP II) is released to the 

public at a press conference held in conjunction with the 

NCEP Coordinating Committee meeting.

January 30, 1995. Results of the Multicenter Study 

of Hydroxyurea (MSH) are released through a clinical 

alert. They demonstrate that hydroxyurea reduced the 

number of painful episodes by 50 percent in severely 

affected adults with SCD. This is the first effective treatment for adult patients with this disorder.

September 1995. The NHLBI funds a new Program 

of Specialized Centers of Research in Hematopoietic 

Stem Cell Biology, which is designed to advance our 

knowledge of stem cell biology and enhance our ability 

to achieve successful stem cell therapy to cure genetic 

and acquired diseases.

September 21, 1995. Results of the Bypass 

Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation are released 

through a clinical alert. They demonstrate that patients 

on drug treatment for diabetes who had blockages in two 

or more coronary arteries and were treated with coronary 

artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery had, at 5 years, a 

death rate markedly lower than that of similar patients 

treated with angioplasty. The clinical alert recommends 

CABG over standard angioplasty for patients on drug 

therapy for diabetes who have multiple coronary blockages and are first-time candidates for either procedure.

November 5–6, 1995. The first Conference on 

Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Cardiovascular Health 

and Disease is held to determine future opportunities and 

needs for research on SES factors and their relationships 

with cardiovascular health and disease.

December 4–5, 1995. A celebration of the 10th anniversary of the NCEP is held in conjunction with the 

NCEP Coordinating Committee meeting. Results of the 

1995 Cholesterol Awareness Surveys of physicians and 

the public are released.

May 1996. The NHLBI announces results from the 

Framingham Heart Study that conclude earlier and more 

aggressive treatment of hypertension is vital to preventing congestive heart failure. The Treatment of Mild 

Hypertension Study (TOMHS) demonstrates that lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, a healthy eating plan, 

and physical activity, are crucial for reducing blood lipids 

in those treated for Stage I hypertension.

September 1996. Findings from the Asthma Clinical 

Research Network (ACRN) show that for people with 

asthma, taking an inhaled beta-agonist at regularly scheduled times is safe but provides no greater benefit than 

taking the medication only when asthma symptoms 
25

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

occur. The recommendation to physicians who treat 

patients with mild asthma is to prescribe inhaled betaagonists only on an as-needed basis.

November 13, 1996. The NHLBI releases findings 

from two studies, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial and Trial of Nonpharmacologic 

Intervention in the Elderly (TONE). The DASH Trial 

demonstrates that a diet low in fat and high in vegetables, 

fruits, fiber, and low-fat dairy products significantly and 

quickly lowers blood pressure. The TONE shows that 

weight loss and reduction of dietary sodium safely 

reduce the need for antihypertensive medication in older 

patients while keeping their blood pressure under 

control.

January 1997. Definitive results from the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth 

(PDAY) program are published. They show that atherosclerosis develops before age 20 and that the following 

risk factors affect the progression of atherosclerosis 

equally in women and men, regardless of race: low highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high low-density 

lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and cigarette smoking.

February 24, 1997. The National Asthma Education 

and Prevention Program (NAEPP) releases the Expert 

Panel Report 2, Guidelines for the Diagnosis and 

Management of Asthma to the public at a press conference held in conjunction with a meeting of the American 

Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in San 

Francisco.

May 8, 1997. Results of the Antiarrhythmic Versus 

Implantable Defibrillator (AVID) clinical trial are presented. They show that an implantable cardiac defibrillator reduces mortality compared to pharmacologic therapy 

in patients at high risk for sudden cardiac death.

September 1997. The Stroke Prevention Trial in 

Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) is terminated early because 

prophylactic transfusion resulted in a 90 percent relative 

decrease in the stroke rate among children 2 to 16 years 

old.

September 1997. The Institute’s National Sickle Cell 

Disease Program celebrates its 25th anniversary.

October 1997. The NHLBI commemorates the 50th 

anniversary of the Institute’s inception. A publication 

prepared for the Institute’s anniversary, Vital Signs: 

Discoveries in Diseases of the Heart, Lungs, and Blood 

documents the remarkable research advances of the past 

50 years.

October 1, 1997. The WHI, initiated in 1991, is transferred to the NHLBI.

November 6, 1997. The Sixth Report of the Joint 

National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, 

Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 

VI) is released at a press conference held in conjunction 

with the 25th anniversary meeting and celebration of the 

NHBPEP Coordinating Committee.

December 1997. Findings from the Trial To Reduce 

Alloimmunization to Platelets (TRAP) demonstrate that 

leucocyte reduction by filtration or ultraviolet B irradiation of platelets—both methods are equally effective—

decreases development of lymphocytotoxic antibodies 

and alloimmune platelet refractoriness.

February 1998. The Task Force on Behavioral 

Research in Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Health and 

Disease, established in November 1995 to develop a plan 

for future NHLBI biobehavioral research in cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders, presents 

its recommendations. The report outlines a set of scientific priorities and develops a comprehensive plan for 

support over the next several years.

February 19–21, 1998. The NHLBI and cosponsors—California CVD Prevention Coalition; California 

Department of Health Services; CVD Outreach, 

Resources, and Epidemiology Program; and the 

University of California, San Francisco—hold 

Cardiovascular Health: Coming Together for the 21st 

Century, A National Conference, in San Francisco.

March 16, 1998. A special symposium is held at the 

annual meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, 

Allergy, and Immunology to celebrate 50 years of 

NHLBI-supported science.

June 17, 1998. The NHLBI, in cooperation with the 

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney 

Diseases (NIDDK), releases Clinical Guidelines on the 

Identification, Treatment, and Evaluation of Overweight 

and Obesity in Adults: Evidence Report.

December 11, 1998. World Asthma Day is established on this date. The NAEPP launches the Asthma 

Management Model System, an innovative Web-based 

information management tool.
26

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

March 1999. The ARDS Network Study of Ventilator 

Management in ARDS is stopped early so that critical 

care specialists can be alerted to the results. The study 

demonstrated that approximately 25 percent fewer deaths 

occurred among intensive care patients with ARDS 

receiving small, rather than large, breaths of air from a 

mechanical ventilator. 

March 22, 1999. The NAEPP holds its 10th anniversary meeting and celebration to recognize a decade of 

progress and a continued commitment to the future.

August 1999. Results of the Early Revascularization 

for Cardiogenic Shock are released. They show 

improved survival at 6 months in patients treated with 

balloon angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery compared with patients who receive intensive medical care to 

stabilize their condition. 

September 27–29, 1999. The NHLBI sponsors the 

National Conference on Cardiovascular Disease 

Prevention: Meeting the Healthy People 2010 Objectives 

for Cardiovascular Health.

November 2, 1999. The NAEPP convenes a Workshop on Strengthening Asthma Coalitions: Thinking 

Globally, Acting Locally to gather information from 

coalition representatives on ways the NAEPP could 

support their efforts. 

November 2–3, 1999. The NHLBI sponsors a Workshop on Research Training and Career Development.

March 8, 2000. A part of the Antihypertensive and 

Lipid-Lowering Treatment To Prevent Heart Attack Trial 

(ALLHAT) is terminated early because one of the tested 

drugs, an alpha-adrenergic blocker, was found to be less 

effective than the more traditional diuretic in reducing 

some forms of CVD.

March 29, 2000. The NHLBI launches the Webbased Healthy People 2010 Gateway to provide information and resources on cardiovascular health, asthma, 

sleep, and minority populations.

April 25, 2000. The NHLBI sponsors a special expert 

meeting, Scientific Frontiers in Cardiothoracic Surgery, 

to discuss the future of cardiothoracic research. 

September 2000. NHLBI-supported investigators 

identify a gene for primary pulmonary hypertension.

October 2000. Results from the Childhood Asthma 

Management Program (CAMP) demonstrate that inhaled 

corticosteroids are safe and effective for long-term treatment of children with mild-to-moderate asthma.

January 2001. Results of the DASH-Sodium Trial 

are released. They show that dietary sodium reduction 

substantially lowers blood pressure in persons with high 

blood pressure; the greatest effect occurs when sodium 

reduction is combined with the DASH diet.

February 2001. The NHLBI launches a sleep education program for children, using star sleeper Garfield the 

Cat.

February 1, 2001. The NHLBI, along with the HHS 

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the 

Office of the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC), the NINDS, and the 

American Heart Association, signs a memorandum of 

understanding to focus and coordinate their efforts to 

meet the Healthy People 2010 objectives on cardiovascular health.

March 26–27, 2001. A strategy development workshop, “Women’s Heart Health: Developing a National 

Health Education Action Plan,” is held to develop an 

agenda for the NHLBI’s new heart health education 

effort directed at women.

April 2001. The NHLBI releases the international 

guidelines for diagnosis, management, and prevention of 

COPD.

April 2001. NHLBI-supported investigators identify 

genes that regulate human cholesterol levels.

May 2001. The NHLBI releases the NCEP’s Third 

Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and 

Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III).

June 2001. NHLBI-supported investigators find that 

human heart muscle cells regenerate after a heart attack.

July 2001. A self-contained artificial heart is 

implanted in a patient for the first time.

August 2001. Early results from the National 

Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) identify characteristics of patients at high risk for death following lung 

volume reduction surgery. 
27

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

August 2001. Scientists from the NHLBI SCOR program at Yale University identify two genes responsible 

for pseudohypoaldosteronism type II, a rare Mendelian 

form of high blood pressure. These genes encode for 

protein kinases involved in a previously unknown pathway and may provide new targets for therapy.

September 10, 2001. The NHLBI, along with the 

American Heart Association and other partners, launches 

a national campaign, “Act in Time to Heart Attack 

Signs,” to increase awareness of the signs of heart attack 

and the need for a fast response.

October 2001. NHLBI-supported scientists report 

that the drug, infliximab, increases risk of TB reactivation and dissemination. The drug is used to treat refractory rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease and is 

proposed as a treatment for several chronic lung diseases. 

November 2001. Results of the Randomized 

Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance for the Treatment 

of Chronic Heart Failure Trial demonstrate that using an 

implanted left ventricular assist device can prolong survival and improve quality of life in severely ill patients 

who are not candidates for heart transplantation.

December 2001. For the first time, scientists correct 

SCD in mice using gene therapy.

April 10, 2002. The World Hypertension League 

(WHL) and the NHLBI hold an international symposium; subsequently they prepare an action plan at the 

WHL Council Conference to control hypertension and 

obesity.

April 11–13, 2002. The NHLBI and cosponsors—the 

HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the CDC, the American Heart Association, the 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the 

Health Resources and Services Administration—hold a 

national conference, “Cardiovascular Health for All: 

Meeting the Challenge of Healthy People 2010.”

June 2002. The NAEPP issues an update of selected 

topics in the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. 

June 2002. The fourth edition of The Management 

of Sickle Cell Disease, which describes the current 

approach to counseling SCD patients and managing 

many of the medical complications of SCD, is issued to 

coincide with the 30th anniversary of the NHLBI Sickle 

Cell Program.

July 9, 2002. The NHLBI stops early the trial of the 

estrogen plus progestin component of the WHI due to 

increased breast cancer risk and lack of overall benefits. 

The multicenter trial also found increases in CHD, 

stroke, and pulmonary embolism in participants on estrogen plus progestin compared to women taking placebo 

pills.

August 2002. NHLBI-supported scientists identify a 

gene variant that is associated with arrhythmia in blacks.

December 4, 2002. Results of the Atrial Fibrillation 

Follow-Up Investigation of Rhythm Management Trial 

(AFFIRM) indicate that rate control rather than rhythm 

control may be the preferred approach for patients with 

atrial fibrillation. The rate control strategy involves 

the use of less expensive drugs and results in fewer 

hospitalizations.

December 17, 2002. Results of the ALLHAT, the 

largest hypertension clinical trial ever conducted, show 

that less expensive traditional diuretics are at least as 

good as newer medicines (calcium channel blocker and 

ACE inhibitors) in treating high blood pressure and 

preventing some forms of heart disease.

January 23, 2002. An NHLBI-supported study demonstrates that magnetic resonance imaging can be used to 

detect heart attacks faster and more accurately than traditional methods in patients who arrive at the emergency 

room with chest pain.

February 24, 2002. The Prevention of Recurrent 

Venous Thromboembolism Trial is stopped early because 

treatment with low-dose warfarin to prevent recurrence 

of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism was 

so beneficial. 

April 2003. Results of the MSH Patients’ Follow-Up 

Study show that the adult patients who took hydroxyurea 

over a 9-year period experienced a 40 percent reduction 

in deaths. Survival was related to fetal hemoglobin 

levels and frequency of vaso-occlusive events. 

April 23, 2003. Results of the PREMIER trial of 

behavioral lifestyle interventions for blood pressure control show that individuals with prehypertension or stage I 

hypertension can lower their blood pressure by making 

multiple lifestyle changes. 

May 14, 2003. The Seventh Report of the Joint 

National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, 
28

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure

(JNC VII) is released. 

May 22, 2003. The NETT finds that lung volume 

reduction surgery (LVRS) benefits emphysema patients 

with certain clinical characteristics. The findings will be 

useful in the determination of Medicare coverage policy. 

July 2003. The NHLBI and Gen-Probe Corporation 

succeed in developing a test to screen donated blood for 

the West Nile Virus. 

August 2003. The NHLBI establishes a partnership 

with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 

to advance research on cardiovascular, respiratory, and 

blood diseases. 

November 2003. The Public Access Defibrillation 

Trial demonstrates that use of an automated external defibrillator and CPR by trained community volunteers can 

increase survival for victims of sudden cardiac arrest. 

March 2004. The NIH stops the estrogen-alone component of the WHI early due to the increased risk of 

stroke and deep vein thrombosis. Estrogen does not 

appear to affect heart disease. 

March 2004. Preliminary results of the Sudden 

Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial demonstrate that an 

implantable cardiac defibrillator can reduce death in heart 

failure patients. 

July 2004. The NHLBI releases an update to the 

2001 NCEP ATP III guidelines on the treatment of high 

blood cholesterol in adults. 

August 2004. The NHBPEP Working Group on High 

Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents releases the 

Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and 

Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and 

Adolescents.

August 2004. An NHLBI-funded study shows that 

nucleic acid amplification testing for HIV-1 and hepatitis 

C virus (HCV) further safeguards the Nation’s blood 

supply.

October 2004. Results from a new study of adults 

with mild asthma by researchers participating in the 

ACRN demonstrate that genes affect patient response, 

over time, to daily doses of inhaled albuterol, a drug 

used for relief of acute asthma symptoms. A few weeks 

of its regular use improves overall asthma control in 

individuals with one form of the gene, but stopping all 

use of albuterol eventually improves asthma control in 

those with another form of the gene. The findings could 

lead to better ways to individualize asthma therapy.

November 2004. Results of the Prevention of Events 

With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition 

(PEACE) demonstrate that many heart disease patients 

who are already receiving state-of-the-art therapy do not 

gain extra cardiovascular protection from ACE 

inhibitors. 

December 2004. The NHLBI stops early the Stroke 

Prevention in Sickle Cell Anemia Trial II (STOP II) so 

that physicians who treat children with sickle cell anemia 

can be alerted to its findings. STOP II, which is a study 

to determine whether children with sickle cell anemia 

and at high risk for stroke could at some point safely stop 

receiving the periodic blood transfusions that prevent 

strokes, shows that children revert to high risk for stroke 

when transfusions are stopped.

January 2005. The NHLBI issues new guidelines for 

managing asthma during pregnancy.

January 26, 2005. Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel is 

appointed Director of the NHLBI. She succeeds 

Dr. Claude Lenfant.

February 2005. NHLBI-supported scientists identify 

two genetic mutations common in individuals of African 

descent that are associated with a 40 percent reduction in 

LDL cholesterol.

February 15, 2006. Results from the WHI Calcium 

and Vitamin D Trial show that calcium and vitamin D 

supplements in healthy postmenopausal women provide 

a modest improvement in bone mass preservation and 

prevent hip fractures in certain groups, including older 

women, but do not prevent other types of fractures or 

colorectal cancer.

May 10, 2006. Results from the Childhood Asthma 

Research and Education (CARE) Network show that 

daily treatment with inhaled corticosteroids can reduce 

breathing problems in preschool-aged children at high 

risk for asthma, but does not prevent them from developing persistent asthma.

May 31, 2006. The Prospective Investigation of 

Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (PIOPED) II finds that 

the ability to diagnose pulmonary embolism is improved 

when a commonly used imaging test of the chest to 
29

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

detect potentially deadly blood clots in the lung is complemented by an extension of the scan to the legs—

where the clots typically originate—or by a standard 

clinical assessment.

June 6, 2006. Results from the Should We 

Emergently Revascularize Occluded Coronaries for 

Cardiogenic Shock (SHOCK) trial show that treating 

heart attack patients who have a life-threatening complication called cardiogenic shock with emergency angioplasty or bypass surgery greatly improves their long-term 

survival.

July 18, 2006. NHLBI scientists find that a hormone 

called brain natriuretic peptide or BNP, which can be 

detected in a simple blood test, can identify patients with 

SCD who have developed a life-threatening complication called pulmonary hypertension. The hormone is also 

a predictor of death in adult sickle cell patients. 

July 26, 2006. Results from two randomized clinical 

trials demonstrate that inhaled nitric oxide administered 

within the first few weeks of life helps prevent chronic 

lung disease in some low birthweight premature infants. 

Moreover, when administered within 48 hours after 

birth, it appears to protect some premature newborns 

from brain injury.

September 19, 2006. The NHLBI launches a peripheral artery disease awareness and education campaign, 

“Stay in Circulation: Take Steps To Learn About P.A.D.” 

(peripheral artery disease).

January 18, 2007. The NHLBI launches the Learn 

More Breathe Better campaign to increase COPD awareness among primary care physicians and the public.

August 29, 2007. The NAEPP issues the Expert 

Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and 

Management of Asthma—Full Report 2007, an update of 

the latest scientific evidence and recommendations for 

clinical practice on asthma care.

October 1, 2007. The NHLBI launches an open 

access dataset for researchers worldwide. Known as 

SNP Health Association Resource (SHARe), the 

Web‐based dataset will enable qualified researchers to 

access data from large population-based studies, starting 

with the landmark Framingham Heart Study. It is 

expected to accelerate discoveries linking genes and 

health, thereby advancing understanding of the causes 

and prevention of CVD and other disorders.

October 8, 2007. Mario Capecchi and Oliver 

Smithies, who are researchers supported by the NHLBI, 

are awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 

for their creation of a gene-targeting technique that 

allows scientists to create transgenic mice that are genetically modified to develop human diseases.

December 3, 2007. The NHLBI announces a new 

strategic plan to guide its next decade of research, training, and education to reduce the national burden of cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

December 10, 2007. Results of the Occluded Artery 

Trial (OAT) are incorporated into practice guidelines: 

The American College of Cardiology/American Heart 

Association’s 2007 Focused Update of the 2004 

Guidelines for the Management of Patients With 

ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. The guidelines discourage percutaneous coronary intervention of a totally 

occluded artery late in the course of myocardial infarction in the absence of symptoms if patients are stable and 

do not have evidence of severe ischemia.

January 28, 2008. Results from the ALLHAT demonstrate that in people—especially blacks—who have 

high blood pressure as part of metabolic syndrome, 

diuretics offer greater protection against CVD, including 

heart failure, and are at least as effective for lowering 

blood pressure as newer, more expensive medications.

February 2008. The NHLBI stops one treatment arm 

of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes 

(ACCORD) clinical trial of adults who have type 2 diabetes at high risk for heart attack and stroke after a 

review of available data showed that participants following a medical strategy to lower blood glucose below current recommendations to near-normal levels increased 

the risk of death compared with a standard treatment 

strategy. All participants now follow a medical strategy 

to reach the standard blood sugar levels while the lipid 

and blood pressure components of the study continue.

February 2008. An independent panel convened by 

the NIH concludes that the use of hydroxyurea for treating SCD should be increased among adolescents and 

adults who have the disease.

February 29, 2008. The NHLBI issues the first U.S. 

guidelines for the diagnosis and management of von 

Willebrand Disease, the most common inherited bleeding 

disorder.
30

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 3. Important Events 

March 2008. The NHLBI announces a comprehensive restructuring of its SCD research program to take 

advantage of new scientific opportunities and make SCD 

resources more widely available.

March 4, 2008. The WHI Follow-up Study confirms 

that the health risks of long-term combination hormone 

therapy outweigh the benefits for postmenopausal 

women. Researchers report that about 3 years after 

women stopped taking combination hormone therapy, 

many of the health effects of hormones such as increased 

risk of heart disease are diminished, but overall risks of 

stroke, blood clots, and cancer remain high.

March 5, 2008. Scientists report that they have 

identified the variants of the gene VKORC1 that 

determine a patient’s initial response to treatment with 

the blood-thinning (anticoagulant) drug warfarin. The 

finding is expected to enhance the ability of physicians to 

tailor the dosage of warfarin for individual patients.

April 2008. NHLBI-supported researchers identify 

gene variants associated with increased susceptibility to 

asthma and reduced lung function in three study populations. Risk for developing asthma is linked to variants in 

a gene called CHI3L1, which can be measured by checking levels of an inherited blood protein that it regulates.

April 14, 2008. The NHLBI, along with the NCI and 

National Institute of General Medical Sciences 

(NIGMS), sign a letter of intent with the Center for 

Genomic Medicine in Japan to create a Global Alliance 

for Pharmacogenomics to identify genetic factors that 

contribute to individual responses to medicines, including rare and dangerous side effects. Research results 

will eventually allow physicians to ensure the safety and 

optimize the effectiveness of drugs for each patient.

August 18, 2008. The NHLBI launches an educational Web site, “Children and Clinical Studies,” which 

features documentary videos, text, and graphics designed 

to promote a better understanding of research in children 

for health care professionals and the public.

September 15, 2008. The Surgeon General’s Call to 

Action To Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary 

Embolism is released. The Call to Action, which urges a 

coordinated, multifaceted plan to reduce the number of 

cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism 

nationwide, resulted from a Surgeon General’s Workshop 

on Deep Vein Thrombosis co-sponsored by the NHLBI.

September 25, 2008. Researchers announce that they 

have developed a genetically altered animal model for 

CF that closely matches the characteristics of the disease 

in humans.

October 6, 2008. NIH scientists show that tipifarnib, 

an experimental anticancer drug, can prevent, and even 

reverse, potentially fatal cardiovascular damage in a 

mouse model of progeria (rare genetic disorder that 

causes the most dramatic form of human premature 

aging).
31

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

4. Disease Statistics

Cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases constitute a large morbidity, mortality, and economic 

burden on individuals, families, and the Nation. 

Common forms are atherosclerosis, hypertension, 

COPD, and blood-clotting disorders—embolisms 

and thromboses. The most serious atherosclerotic 

diseases are CHD, as manifested by heart attack 

and angina pectoris, and cerebrovascular disease, as 

manifested by stroke.

In 2005, cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases 

accounted for 1,101,000 deaths and 45 percent of 

all deaths in the United States (p. 33). The projected economic cost in 2009 for these diseases is 

expected to be $667 billion, 22 percent of the total 

economic costs of illness, injuries, and death (p. 49). 

Of all diseases, heart disease is the leading cause 

of death, cerebrovascular disease is third (behind 

cancer), and COPD (including asthma) ranks fourth 

(p. 36). Cardiovascular and lung diseases account 

for 3 of the 4 leading causes of death (p. 36) and 

4 of the 10 leading causes of infant death (p. 42). 

Hypertension, heart disease, asthma, and COPD 

are especially prevalent and account for substantial 

morbidity in Americans (p. 45).

The purpose of the biomedical research conducted by the NHLBI is to contribute to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular, lung, and blood 

diseases and sleep disorders. National disease statistics show that by midcentury, morbidity and mortality from these diseases had reached record high 

levels. Since then, however, substantial improvements have been achieved, especially over the past 

40 years, as shown by the significant decline in 

mortality rates. Because many of these diseases 

begin early in life, their early detection and control 

can reduce the risk of disability and can delay death. 

Although important advances have been made in the 

treatment and control of cardiovascular, lung, and 

blood diseases, these diseases continue to be a major 

burden on the Nation.

Mortality statistics in this chapter are for diseases 

or conditions classified as the underlying cause of 

death. Heart failure, however, is never truly an 

underlying cause even though 58,933 deaths in 2005 

were nominally coded to it as the underlying cause. 

Therefore, in this chapter, mortality statistics 

attributed to heart failure represent it as either the 

underlying cause or a contributing cause of death.

The 2005 mortality statistics in this Fact Book 

are final counts. They differ from the 2005 mortality statistics presented in the FY 2007 Fact Book 

because those statistics were preliminary.

Cardiovascular Diseases

• In 2005, CVD caused 864,000 deaths—

35 percent of all deaths (p. 33).

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death; the 

main form, CHD, caused 446,000 deaths in 

2005 (pp. 34, 36).

• The annual number of deaths from CVD 

increased substantially between 1900 and 1970 

and remains high (p. 35). 

• The death rate (not age-adjusted) for CVD 

increased from 1920 until it peaked in 1968. 

Since then, the trend has been downward. In 

2006, the rate was similar to the rate in the 

1920s (p. 35).

• Cerebrovascular disease, the third leading cause 

of death, accounted for 144,000 deaths in 2005 

(pp. 34, 36).

• Heart disease is second only to all cancers 

combined in years of potential life lost (p. 36).

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in 

blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians, but 

second to cancer in Asians. Stroke ranks as the 

third or fourth leading cause of death in the 

minority groups, except in American Indians, 

where it ranks fifth (p. 36).

• Between 1970 and 1993, deaths with heart failure as the underlying or contributing cause more 

than doubled, but that was followed by hardly 

any increases from 1993 to 2005. The increase 

was a major exception to the mortality decline 

in CVD over the 23-year period (p. 37).

• Between 1985 and 2005, death rates for heart 

disease and stroke declined in men and women 

of all racial/ethnic groups. Declines in death 

rates for heart disease were steepest in whites 

and Asians (p. 38).
32

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

• Because of the rapid decline in mortality from CHD 

since the peak in 1968, there were 1,086,000 fewer 

deaths from CHD in 2006 than would have occurred 

if there had been no decline (p. 39). 

• Substantial improvements have been made in the 

treatment of CVD. Since 1975 or 1985, case-fatality 

rates from hospitalized AMI, stroke, heart failure, 

and cardiac dysrhythmia declined appreciably 

(p. 39).

• The decline in CHD mortality began earlier in the 

United States than in most countries and outpaced 

that in most countries until the 1990s (only selected 

countries are shown) (p. 40).

• Between 1999 and 2006, the percentage decline in 

death rates for CHD and stroke was slightly greater 

for whites than for blacks (p. 41).

• In 2006, an estimated 80 million persons in the 

United States had some form of CVD, 73.6 million 

had hypertension, and 16.8 million had CHD (p. 45).

• Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial reduction in the prevalence of CVD risk factors: hypertension, smoking, and high cholesterol, but not 

overweight. The large decline in prevalence of 

hypertension from 1976–1980 to 1988–1994 was 

followed by a slightly higher prevalence in 2001–

2004 and 2005–2006 (p. 46).

• Between 1976–1980 and 2005–2006, the percentage 

of persons with hypertension who were aware of 

their condition, on treatment for it, and having their 

blood pressure under control increased substantially 

(p. 47).

• A 2005–2006 national survey showed only about 

45 percent of hypertensive patients (systolic BP

 ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or on antihypertensive medication) had their condition under 

control (p. 47).

• Hospitalization rates for heart failure increased 

between 1971 and 2006 (p. 48).

• The estimated economic cost of CVD for 2009 is 

approximately $475 billion:

– $313 billion in direct health expenditures

– $39 billion in indirect cost of morbidity

– $122 billion in indirect cost of mortality (p. 49).

Lung Diseases

• Lung diseases, excluding lung cancer, caused an 

estimated 241,000 deaths in 2005 (p. 33).

• COPD caused 127,000 deaths in 2005 and is the 

fourth leading cause of death (pp. 34, 36).

• Between 1999 and 2006, death rates for COPD and 

asthma decreased in both black and white men and 

women, with one exception: the COPD death rate 

increased slightly in white women (p. 41).

• Between 1980 and 2006, infant death rates for 

various lung diseases declined markedly (p. 41).

• Of the 10 leading causes of infant mortality, 4 are 

lung diseases or have a lung disease component 

(p. 42). Between 1996 and 2006, changes in 

mortality for the causes were:

– Congenital anomalies (-10 percent)

– Disorders of short gestation (2 percent)

– Sudden infant death syndrome (-39 percent)

– Respiratory distress syndrome (-42 percent).

• About one in five deaths in children under 1 year of 

age is due to a lung disease (p. 42).

• Between 1980 and 2005, the COPD death rate for 

women in the United States increased significantly 

compared with the rates in several other countries 

(p. 43).

• Between 1985 and 2005, death rates for COPD 

increased for women in all racial/ethnic groups 

except Asian. For men, the rates decreased in all 

racial/ethnic groups except American Indians 

(p. 44).

• Among the sleep disorders, sleep apnea is increasingly being recognized as an important health problem, which can lead to serious consequences. From 

1990 to 2005, physician office visits for sleep apnea 

increased from 108,000 to 3.4 million (p. 44).

• Asthma is a common chronic condition, particularly 

in children (pp. 45, 46, 48). 

• The economic cost of lung diseases is expected to 

be $177 billion in 2009—$114 billion in direct 

health expenditures and $64 billion in indirect cost 

of morbidity and mortality (p. 49).

Blood Diseases

• An estimated 214,000 deaths, 9 percent of all 

deaths, were attributed to blood diseases in 2005 

(p. 33). These include the following:

– 204,000 due to blood-clotting disorders

– 10,000 to diseases of the red blood cell and 

bleeding disorders (p. 34).

• A large proportion of deaths from AMI and cerebrovascular disease involve blood-clotting problems 

(p. 34). 

• In 2009, blood-clotting disorders are expected to 

cost the Nation’s economy $111 billion, and other 

blood diseases will cost $15 billion (p. 49).
33

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Deaths From Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood 

Diseases, U.S., 2005

Deaths by Major Causes, U.S., 2005

Total Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases 45.0%

Other 

55.0%

Blood**

0.4%

CVD 

35.3%

Lung*

9.3%

CVD*

78.5%

Blood 

0.9%

Lung 

20.6%

* Excludes 14,000 deaths from pulmonary heart disease (0.6%). ** Excludes 204,000 deaths from blood-clotting disorders (8.3%).

Deaths From All Causes and Deaths From Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, 

U.S., 1985 and 2005

1985 2005

Cause of Death

Number of 

Deaths

Percent 

of Total

Number of 

Deaths

Percent 

of Total

All Causes 2,086,000 100 2,448,000 100

All Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases 1,171,000 56 1,101,000 45

Cardiovascular Diseases 988,000 47 864,000 35

Blood 314,000* 15 214,000** 9

Lung 187,000† 9 241,324‡ 10

All Other Causes 916,000 44 1,347,000 55

* Includes 306,000 CVD deaths involving blood-clotting diseases. ** Includes 204,000 CVD deaths involving blood-clotting diseases.

† Includes 12,000 CVD deaths due to pulmonary heart disease.

‡ Includes 14,000 CVD deaths due to pulmonary heart disease.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). 

* CVD involving blood clotting (23.6%).
34

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Bleeding 

and Red Cell 

Diseases 

4.7%

Other 

CVD* 

26.7%

Pulmonary 

Embolism 

0.9%

Other 

Atherosclerosis 

4.0%

Other CHD 

34.1%

AMI 

17.5%

Stroke 

16.7%

AMI 

48.1% Other 

Atherosclerosis 

1.9%

Stroke 

41.6%

Pulmonary 

Embolism 

3.7%

Pneumonia 

26.1%

Deaths From Specific Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Diseases, U.S., 2005

Deaths (Thousands)

Cause of Death Cardiovascular Lung Blood

Acute Myocardial Infarction 151 — 103*

Other Coronary Heart Disease 295 — —

Cerebrovascular Diseases (Stroke) 144 — 89*

Other Atherosclerosis 35 — 4*

Pulmonary Embolism 8 8* 8*

Other Cardiovascular Diseases 231 5* —

Bleeding and Red Blood Cell Diseases — — 10

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease** — 127 —

Asthma — 4 —

Other Airway Diseases — — —

Pneumonia — 63 —

Neonatal Pulmonary Disorders — 5 —

Interstitial Lung Diseases — 6 —

Lung Diseases Due to External Agents — 18 —

Other Lung Diseases — 5 —

Total 864 241 214 * Deaths from clotting or pulmonary disorders also are included as cardiovascular deaths. ** This term is preferred to the equivalent term “chronic lower respiratory diseases” given in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases 

(ICD).

Note: Total, excluding overlap, is 1,101,000.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

* Includes cardiac dysrhythmias, hypertensive 

 disease, and other heart and blood vessel diseases.

Note: Numbers may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: Estimated by the NHLBI from Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Atherosclerosis-related disease 72.3%

Deaths From Cardiovascular 

Diseases, U.S., 2005

Airway Diseases 

54.4%

Interstitial/ 

Other

12.0%

Neonatal 

2.1%

Pulmonary 

Circulation 

5.4%

Deaths From Lung Diseases, 

U.S., 2005

Deaths From Blood Diseases, 

U.S., 2005

Blood clotting disorders 95.3%
35

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Deaths/100,000 Population

Deaths From Cardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 1900–2006*

* Data for 2006 are preliminary.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Death Rates* for Cardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 1900–2006**

* Not age-adjusted. ** Data for 2006 are preliminary.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Deaths (Thousands)

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2010

Year

 Total CVD

 Heart Disease

 CHD

 Stroke

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2010

Year

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

Total CVD

Heart Disease

CHD

Stroke

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2010

Year

 CVD

 Heart Disease

 CHD

 Stroke

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2010

Year

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

CVD

Heart Disease

CHD

Stroke
36

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Ten Leading Causes of Death: Death Rates, U.S., 2006*

Cause of Death

1 = Heart Disease**

2 = Cancer

3 = Stroke

4 = COPD†

5 = Accidents

6 = Alzheimer’s Disease

7 = Diabetes

	 8	 = 	Influenza and Pneumonia

9 = Nephritis

10 = Septicemia 

Deaths/100,000 Population

Years of potential life lost (millions)‡ 3.4 4.9 0.6 0.6 3.3 <0.1 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3

* Data for 2006 are preliminary. ** Includes 141.9 deaths per 100,000 population from CHD.

† COPD and allied conditions (including asthma); the term in the ICD/10 is “chronic lower respiratory diseases.”

‡ Based on the average remaining years of life up to age 77 years.

Note: Diseases shown in bold are those addressed in Institute programs.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Septicemia

HIV Infection

Nephritis

COPD

Homicide

Diabetes

Accidents

Stroke

Cancer

Heart

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Perinatal

Pneumonia

COPD 

Homicide

Cirrhosis

Diabetes

Stroke

Accidents

Cancer

Heart

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Alzheimer's

Suicide

Nephritis

COPD

Pneumonia

Diabetes

Accidents

Stroke

Heart

Cancer

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Nephritis

Pneumonia

Suicide

COPD 

Cirrhosis

Stroke

Diabetes

Accidents

Cancer

Heart

Ten Leading Causes of Death Among Minority Groups, U.S., 2005

* Includes deaths among individuals of Asian extraction and Asian-Pacific Islanders. ** Includes deaths among Aleuts and Eskimos.

Note: Causes of death shown in bold are those addressed in Institute programs.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Percent of All Deaths Percent of All Deaths Percent of All Deaths Percent of All Deaths

Cause Black Cause Hispanic Cause Asian Cause * American Indian**

0

50

100

150

200

250

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

250

200

150

100

50

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Heart

Cancer

Stroke

Accidents

Diabetes

Homicide

COPD

Nephritis

HIV Infection

Septicemia

Heart

Cancer

Accidents

Stroke

Diabetes

Cirrhosis

Homicide

COPD

Pneumonia

Perinatal

Cancer

Heart

Stroke

Accidents

Diabetes

Pneumonia

COPD

Nephritis

Suicide

Alzheimer’s

Heart

Cancer

Accidents

Diabetes

Stroke

Cirrhosis

COPD

Suicide

Pneumonia

Nephritis
37

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Diseases, U.S., 1963, 1986, 

and 2006*

Deaths/100,000 Population

Percent 

Change 

Percent 

Change

Cause of Death 1963 1986 2006 1963–2006 1986–2006

All Causes 1,346 979 776 -42 -21

Cardiovascular Diseases 805 466 262 -67 -44

Coronary Heart Disease 478 248 135 -72 -46

Stroke 174 77** 44 -75 -43

Other 153 142 83 -46 -41

Noncardiovascular Diseases 541 512 515 -5 1

COPD and Asthma 16 35† 40 145 16

Other 524 477 474 -10 -1

* Data for 2006 are preliminary. ** Comparability ratio (1.0502) applied.

† Comparability ratio (1.0411) applied.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Deaths Attributed to Heart Failure,* U.S., 1970–2005

* Heart failure as the underlying or contributing cause of death.

Note: Breaks in trend line indicate change in ICD codes.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Deaths (Thousands)

250

300

350

400

0

50

100

150

200

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year
38

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005

Year

 Black

 White*

 American Indian

 Hispanic

 Asian

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005

Year

 Black

 White*

 American Indian

 Hispanic

 Asian

1985 2005 1985 2005

Year

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Black

White*

American Indian

Hispanic

Asian

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Heart Disease by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, U.S., 1985–2005

* Non-Hispanic.

Note: Each line is a log linear regression derived from the actual rates.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Deaths/100,000 Population

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Stroke by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, U.S., 1985–2005

Deaths/100,000 Population

* Non-Hispanic.

Note: Each line is a log linear regression derived from the actual rates.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Black

White*

American Indian

Hispanic

Asian

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Male Female

Year

1985 2005 1985 2005

Male Female
39

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Coronary Heart Disease, U.S., 1950–2006*

Actual Rate and Expected Rates if Rise Had Continued or Reached a Plateau

700

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

195019541958196219661970197419781982198619901994199820022006

Year

* Data for 2006 are preliminary.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases With High Percentage Discharged Dead From Hospitals, 

U.S., 1975, 1985, and 2006

Source: National Hospital Discharge Survey, NCHS.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Cardiac 

Dysrhythmia 

Pneumonia

Heart Failure

Stroke

AMI

Percent Discharged Dead

1975

1985

2006

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Percent Discharged Dead

1975

1985

2006

AMI

Stroke

Heart Failure

Pneumonia

 Cardiac 

Dysrhythmia

Disease

Deaths/100,000 Population

More Than 1.7 Million Deaths Expected 

in 2006 if Rise Had Continued

1,086,000 Deaths Averted in 2006 Due to 

Decline From Peak Rate in 1968 (1,511,000–425,000)

425,000 Actual Deaths in 2006

1,511,000 Deaths Expected in 2006

if No Decline From Peak Rate

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006

Year
40

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

 Finland

 Australia

 USA

 England

 Poland

 France

 Japan

Death Rates* for Coronary Heart Disease in Men, Ages 35–74, in Selected Countries, 1970–2005

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

 Finland

 Australia

 USA

 England

 Poland

 France

 Japan

Deaths/100,000 Population

*

 Age adjusted to the European Standard Population.

Source: World Heath Statistics Annual, World Health Organization (WHO).

Death Rates* for Coronary Heart Disease in Women, Ages 35–74, in Selected Countries, 1970–2005

Deaths/100,000 Population

* Age adjusted to the European Standard Population.

Source: World Heath Statistics Annual, WHO.

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Finland

Australia

USA

England

Poland

France

Japan

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Finland

Australia

USA

England

Poland

France

Japan

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
41

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Percent Change in Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Selected Causes by Race and Sex, U.S., 

1999–2006*

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

White Men

Black Men

White Women

Black Women

Percent Change

Cause of Death

COPD Asthma CHD Stroke

*

 Data for 2006 are preliminary.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Death Rates for Lung Diseases in Infants, U.S., 1980–2006*

* Data for 2006 are preliminary.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

30

20

10

0

-10

-20

-30

-40

-50

White Men

Black Men

White Women

Black Women

Deaths/100,000 Live Births

0

50

100

150

200

1980198519901995200020052010

Year

Sudden Infant Death

Syndrome

Respiratory Distress

Syndrome

Other Neonatal

Respiratory Disorder 

Hypoxia

Pneumonia

Sudden Infant 

Death Syndrome

Respiratory 

Distress Syndrome

Other Neonatal 

Respiratory Disorder

Hypoxia

Pneumonia

200

150

100

50

0

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year
42

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Congenital 

Anomolies of the 

CV System 

5.7%

Ten Leading Causes of Infant Mortality, U.S., 2006*

Disorders relating

to short gestation

0 50 100 150 200

Necrotizing enterocolitis

Bacterial sepsis of newborn

Accidents and adverse effects

Newborns affected by maternal 

complications of pregnancy

Deaths Under Age 1/100,000 Live Births

Percent Change

Cause of Mortality 1996–2006

* Data for 2006 are preliminary. ** Congenital CVD and congenital respiratory diseases accounted for 48.7 deaths under age 1 per 100,000 live births (black bar), which is 36 percent of infant 

deaths due to all congenital anomalies.

† Between 1996 and 2006, congenital CVD declined 32 percent; congenital anomalies of the respiratory system declined 36 percent; other congenital anomalies 

increased 10 percent.

NA: Not available.

Note: Diseases shown in bold are those addressed in Institute programs.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Deaths Under Age 1 Year Due to Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases, U.S., 2005

Cause of Death

Deaths 

Under Age 1

All Causes 28,440

Cardiovascular Diseases 2,151

Congenital Anomalies 1,622

Other 529

Lung Diseases 5,213

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 2,230

Respiratory Distress Syndrome 860

Pneumonia 265

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) 222

Atelectasis of Newborn 377

Congenital Anomalies 598

Other Lung Diseases 661

Other Diseases 21,076

Other Diseases 

74.1%

Congenital 

Anomalies of the 

Respiratory 

System

2.1%

Atelectasis and 

Other Lung

Diseases

BPD 3.6%

0.8%

RDS 

3.0%

Pneumonia 

0.9%

SIDS 

7.8%

Other CVD 

1.9%

CVD 7.6%

Lung Diseases 18.2% Note: Diseases shown in bold are those addressed in Institute programs.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

-10†

2

-39

18

5

24

-42

NA

16

30

Congenital Anomalies**

Disorders relating 

to short gestation

Sudden Infant 

Death Syndrome

Newborns affected by maternal 

complications of pregnancy

Newborns affected by complications 

of placenta, cord, and membrane

Accidents and adverse effects

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Bacterial sepsis of newborn

Neonatal hemorrhage

Necrotizing enterocolitis

0 50 100 150 200

Deaths Under Age 1 per 100,000 Live Births
43

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Deaths/100,000 Population

Death Rates* for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Men, Ages 35 and Older, in Selected 

Countries, 1980–2005

*

 Age adjusted to the European Standard Population.

Source: World Health Statistics Annual, WHO.

Deaths/100,000 Population

Death Rates* for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Women, Ages 35 and Older, in Selected 

Countries, 1980–2005

*

 Age adjusted to the European Standard Population.

Source: World Health Statistics Annual, WHO.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

 England

 Australia

 Poland

 Germany

 USA

 Finland

 France

 Japan

England

Australia

Poland

Germany

USA

Finland

France

Japan

Year

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

 England

 Australia

 Poland

 Germany

 USA

 Finland

 France

 Japan

England

Australia

Poland

Germany

USA

Finland

France

Japan

Year

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
44

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005

Year

 Black

 White**

 American Indian

 Hispanic

 Asian

Number of Visits (Millions)

Deaths/100,000 Population

Male Female

Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease* by Race/Ethnicity and Sex, 

U.S., 1985–2005

* COPD and allied conditions (including asthma); the term in the ICD/10 is “chronic lower respiratory diseases.” ** Non-Hispanic.

Note: Each line is a log linear regression derived from the actual rates. Rates from 1985–1998 are modified by the ICD revision comparability ratio.

Source: Vital Statistics of the United States, NCHS.

Physician Office Visits for Sleep Disorders, U.S., 1990–2005

* Represents the average of 3-year visits around the given year.

Note: Primary and secondary diagnoses.

Source: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, NCHS.

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1985 2005 1985 2005

Year

Black

White**

American Indian

Hispanic

Asian

0

1

2

3

4

1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005

3-Year Moving Average

 Sleep Apnea

 Insomnia

 Restless Leg Syndrome

 Narcolepsy

4

3

2

1

0

Sleep Apnea 

Insomnia

Restless Leg 

Syndrome

Narcolepsy

3-Year Moving Average*

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005
45

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Prevalence of Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases, U.S., 2006

Disease Number

Cardiovascular Diseases* 80,000,000

Hypertension** 73,600,000

Coronary Heart Disease 16,800,000

Heart Failure 5,700,000

Stroke 6,500,000

Congenital Heart Disease† 1,000,000

Asthma‡ 23,000,000

COPD§ 24,000,000

* Includes hypertension, CHD, stroke, or heart failure. ** Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or being on antihypertensive medication, or being told

twice of having hypertension.

† Range from 650,000 to 1,300,000 (Am Heart J 2004;147:425–439).

‡ 12,300,000 of these had an asthma attack in the past 12 months.

§ An estimated 12,000,000 diagnosed and 12,000,000 undiagnosed.

Sources: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of NCHS and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of NCHS, except as noted.

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases* in Adults by Age and Sex, U.S., 2005–2006

Percent

* Hypertension, CHD, stroke, or heart failure. Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg,

or being on antihypertensive medication.

Source: NHANES, 2005–2006, NCHS.

0

20

40

60

80

100

20–39 40–59 60–79 ≥80

Age (Years)

 Male

 Female

100

80

60

40

20

0

	 20–39	 40–59	 60–79	 ≥ 80

Age (Years)

Male

Female
46

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Asthma

Heart Failure

Stroke

COPD

CHD

Hypertension

Stroke

Heart Failure

COPD

Asthma

CHD

Hypertension 

CHD

COPD

Asthma

Hypertension

Asthma

Percent

Percent of Population

Prevalence of Common Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases by Age, U.S., 2006

Sources: NHIS and NHANES, NCHS.

Age-Adjusted Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adults, U.S., 1961–2006

Notes: Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or being on antihypertensive medication. High 

cholesterol is ≥240 mg/dL. Overweight is BMI ≥25 kg/m3. Data were collected at six time periods: 1960–1961 (plotted at 1961), 1971–1974 (plotted at 1972), 

1976–1980 (plotted at 1978), 1988–1994 (plotted at 1991), 1999–2004 (plotted at 2003), and 2005–2006 (plotted at 2006).

Sources: NHIS for smoking, ages ≥18, NCHS; NHANES for the other risk factors, ages 20–74, NCHS.

80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

196019611962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

Year

Hypertension

Smoking

High Cholesterol

Overweight

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Hypertension

Smoking

High Cholesterol

Overweight

<18 Years

18–44 Years

45–64 Years

>65 Years

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Percent

Asthma

Hypertension

Asthma

COPD

CHD

Hypertension

CHD

Asthma

COPD

Stroke

Heart Failure

Hypertension

CHD

COPD

Stroke

Heart Failure

Asthma

Disease
47

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

70

80

90

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Awareness Treatment Control

1976–1980

1988–1991

1991–1994

1999–2004

2005-2006

Hypertensive* Population Aware, Treated, and Controlled, Ages 18 and Older, U.S., 1976–1980 to 

2005–2006

* Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg, or being on antihypertensive medication.

Source: NHANES, NCHS.

Adult Population With Hypertension* by Age, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex, U.S., 2005–2006

* Hypertension is systolic blood pressure ≥ 140mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or being on antihypertensive medication. ** Non-Hispanic.

Sources: NHANES, NCHS. 

Percent of Population

-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0

 White

 Black

 Mexican-American

0 20 40 60 80 100

60+

40–59

18–39

Age (Years)

Men Women

White**

Black** 

Mexican-American

18–39

40–59 

60+

100 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of Population

1976–1980

1988–1991

1991–1994

1999–2004

2005–2006

Awareness Treatment Control

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percent of Population With Hypertension
48

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

 Ages <15 Years

 Ages 15–34 Years

 Ages ≥35 Years

Hospitalization Rates for Heart Failure, Ages 45–64 and 65 and Older, U.S., 1971–2006

Persons Experiencing Asthma Episodes in Previous 12 Months by Age, U.S., 1997–2007

Source: National Hospital Discharge Survey, NCHS.

Source: NHIS, NCHS.

Hospitalizations/100,000 Population

Percent

0

50

100

150

200

250

19701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

Year

 Ages ≥65

 Ages 45–64 Years

250

200

150

100

50

0

 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Ages ≥65 Years

Ages 45–64 Years

Ages <15 Years

Ages 15–34 Years

Ages ≥35 Years

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year
49

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 4. Disease Statistics

Morbidity

10.5%

Mortality

23.9%

Blood

0.5%

Cardiovascular

16.0%

Lung

6.0%

Other

77.5%

Direct and Indirect Economic Costs of Illness by Major Diagnosis, U.S., 2009

Amount (Dollars in Billions) Percent Distribution

Indirect Costs Indirect Costs

Direct 

Costs* Morbidity** Mortality† Total

Direct 

Costs Morbidity Mortality Total

Cardiovascular Disease $313.3 $39.1 $122.4 $474.8 14.7% 17.0% 20.2% 16.0%

(including Blood Clotting)‡ (73.7) (8.6) (28.5) (110.8) (3.5) (3.7) (4.7) (3.7)

Lung Diseases§ 113.6 30.0 33.8 177.4 5.3 13.0 5.6 6.0

Blood Diseases 11.3 0.7 3.2 15.2 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.5

Subtotal 438.2 69.8 159.4 667.4 20.6 30.3 26.3 22.5

Diseases of the Digestive System 220.8 11.8 27.0 259.6 10.4 5.1 4.5 8.8

Neoplasms 99.0 19.6 124.8 243.4 4.6 8.5 20.6 8.2

Mental Disorders 175.7 30.4 10.5 216.6 8.2 13.2 1.7 7.3

Diseases of the Nervous System 153.3 9.0 14.7 177.0 7.2 3.9 2.4 6.0

Diseases of the Musculoskeletal 

System

123.3 23.5 3.2 150.0 5.8 10.2 0.5 5.1

Diseases of the Genitourinary System 92.5 6.0 7.5 106.0 4.3 2.6 1.2 3.6

Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic 

Diseases

85.6 7.5 22.8 115.9 4.0 3.3 3.8 3.9

Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 44.0 14.0 27.3 85.3 2.1 6.1 4.5 2.9

Diseases of the Skin 49.2 1.7 0.7 51.6 2.3 0.7 0.1 1.7

Other and Unallocated to Diseases 649.0 36.9 207.4 893.3 30.5 16.0 34.3 30.1

Total 2,130.6 230.2 605.3 2,966.1 100% 100% 100% 100%

* Direct costs are personal health care expenditures for hospital and nursing home care, drugs, home care, and physician and other professional services. The 

estimation method is based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projections for total 2009 health expenditures by type of direct costs and NCHS 

estimates of direct costs in 1995 for each of the major diagnostic groups. The proportion of costs for 1995 for each diagnostic group is applied to the equivalent 

2009 total by type of direct cost.

**	Morbidity costs were estimated for 2009 by multiplying NCHS estimates for 1980 by a 1980–2009 percent inflation factor derived from the increase in mean

earnings estimated by the Bureau of the Census.

†	 The mortality cost for each disease group was estimated for 2009 by first multiplying the number of deaths in 2005 in each age- and sex-specific group by

the 2004 present value of lifetime earnings (latest available) discounted at 3 percent; second, summing these estimates for each diagnostic group; and third, 

multiplying the estimates by a 2004–2009 inflation factor (1.138) based on change in mean earnings.

‡	 Costs of blood-clotting disease are estimated from predetermined proportions of CVD morbidity and mortality statistics for MI, cerebrovascular diseases, and

diseases of arteries.

§ Does not include lung cancer or leukemia.

Note: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: Estimates by NHLBI; data from the NCHS, the CMS, the Bureau of the Census, and the Institute for Health and Aging, University of California.

Total Economic Costs, U.S., 2009 Economic Costs of Cardiovascular, Lung, and 

Blood Diseases, U.S., 2009

Indirect 34.3%

Direct

65.7%

51

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 5. Institute-Initiated Programs

5. Institute-Initiated Programs 

Starting in FY 2008

More than two-thirds of the research supported 

by the NHLBI is initiated by individual investigators; the remainder is initiated by the Institute. 

Institute-initiated programs are developed in 

response to evolving national needs, Congressional 

mandates, and advances in scientific knowledge. 

Each initiative represents the outcome of extensive 

discussions and thorough reviews by representatives 

of the scientific community, Institute advisory committees, the Board of Extramural Experts (BEE), 

and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory 

Council (NHLBAC). The advisory committees and 

the BEE, together with professional societies and 

NHLBI staff, continually review the progress of 

research within the NHLBI program areas, assess 

newly acquired knowledge, and identify research 

topics that offer the best opportunities or constitute 

the greatest needs. This planning process contributes to policy development at the national level by 

setting priorities among programs and establishing 

budgets for individual programs and projects.

Initiatives generally emanate as Requests for 

Applications (RFAs) for grants, including cooperative agreements, or Requests for Proposals (RFPs) 

for contracts. Other initiatives take the form of 

Program Announcements (PAs). Applications and 

proposals submitted in response to RFAs and RFPs 

compete among themselves for specific “set-aside” 

funds. Applications submitted in response to PAs 

generally compete with other investigator-initiated 

applications for funding.

RFA, RFP, and PA concepts prepared by the 

Institute are presented to the BEE, which reviews 

and prioritizes them. The concepts, along with the 

comments from the BEE, are then sent to the 

NHLBAC for review, comment, and concurrence. 

Initiatives that receive the concurrence of the 

NHLBAC are considered further by the NHLBI 

Director in the context of the Institute’s budget, 

program priorities, review workload, and proposed 

mechanisms. These considerations guide the 

Director’s subsequent decisions to approve 

initiatives for release. RFAs, RFPs, and PAs are 

announced in the NIH Guide to Grants and 

Contracts.

Applications and proposals submitted in response 

to RFAs and RFPs are reviewed by the NHLBI. 

Applications submitted in response to PAs are 

reviewed by the NIH Center for Scientific Review.

Descriptions of the Institute-initiated programs 

that began or were renewed (i.e., were funded) in 

FY 2008 are presented below according to NHLBI 

scientific programs. Also described are trans-NIH, 

trans-PHS, interagency, and private-public partnership initiatives in which the NHLBI participates.

Heart and Vascular Diseases Program 

Initiatives Being Renewed

Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS): Transition 

Phase

The purpose of this renewal is to maintain the 

infrastructure that provides access to CHS resources 

and expertise, scientific collaborations, and mentorship of early-career investigators.

Framingham Heart Study

The purpose of this renewal is to continue support 

for the Framingham Heart Study in order to increase 

understanding about the complex influences of 

genes and environment on development and progression of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep 

disorders.

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

The purpose of this renewal is to capitalize and 

expand upon the resources of data, samples, and 

infrastructure of the MESA cohort, which was 

established to identify factors associated with the 

progression of subclinical CVD in four major racial/

ethnic groups within the U.S. population (white, 

black, Hispanic, and Chinese).
52

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 5. Institute-Initiated Programs

Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study

The purpose of this renewal is to continue to test the 

effects of hormone therapy on cognitive decline, mild 

cognitive impairment, and probable dementia in postmenopausal women.

New Initiatives

Mechanisms and Management of Cardiovascular and 

Metabolic Complications of HIV/AIDS

The purpose of this RFA is to elucidate the underlying 

mechanisms of metabolic and anthropometric abnormalities in HIV patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy and to determine their relationship to CVD 

risk; to evaluate biomarkers and imaging modalities in 

the assessment of coronary artery disease and risk; and 

to identify treatment strategies and interventional 

approaches to reduce cardiovascular risk while optimizing medical management of HIV infection.

New Approaches in Arrhythmia Detection and 

Treatment

The purpose of this PA is to develop new or improved 

methods, tools, and technologies to detect, treat, and 

prevent cardiac arrhythmias.

Lung Diseases Program

New Initiatives 

Molecular Phenotypes for Lung Disease

The purpose of this initiative is to identify molecular 

phenotypes of major lung diseases that will lead to 

improved diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized treatment of these diseases.

Protein Interactions Governing Membrane Transport 

in Pulmonary Health and Disease

The purpose of this PA is to delineate the protein 

interactions and pathways governing membrane trafficking pathways operative in pulmonary health and disease 

and develop innovative therapeutic interventions.

Small Grants for Lung Tissue Research

The purpose of this RFA is to conduct tissue-based 

research on COPD and interstitial fibrotic lung conditions. Scientists will use biospecimens and clinical data 

collected by the Lung Tissue Research Consortium to 

study the correlation of lung molecular characteristics 

with histopathology and presence, severity, and phenotypic manifestations of interstitial lung diseases and 

COPD.

Blood Diseases and Resources Program

Initiatives Being Renewed

Basic and Translational Research Program

The NHLBI reconfigured the Comprehensive Sickle 

Cell Centers program to the Basic and Translational 

Research Program. This program emphasizes fundamental investigations and their translation into initial 

studies in humans, as well as community translation to 

promote evidence-based clinical practice. It continues 

to support the Sickle Cell Disease Scholars program for 

the career development of young investigators and the 

Summer-for-Sickle Cell-Science program for research 

training and mentoring of high school students.

Pediatric Hydroxyurea Phase III Clinical Trial (BABY 

HUG) Follow-Up Study

The purpose of this renewal is to follow up for 

2 years the infants and toddlers who have sickle cell 

anemia who participated in the BABY HUG trial to 

identify toxicities and any persistent effects from 

treatment with hydroxyurea to prevent chronic organ 

damage.

Trans-NHLBI

Initiatives Being Renewed

NHLBI Career Transition Award

The purpose of this renewal is to enable highly 

qualified postdoctoral fellows to obtain research training 

in the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research and to 

facilitate their successful transition to an extramural 

environment as independent researchers.

Short-Term Research Education Program To Increase 

Diversity in Health-Related Research

The purpose of this renewal is to provide opportunities to students who are from underrepresented racial 

and ethnic minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds, or 

who have disabilities to become exposed to biomedical 

research to stimulate career development in areas relevant to cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases and 

sleep disorders.

New Initiatives

Biorepository and Limited Access Data Set 

Information Coordinating Center 

The purpose of this RFP is to establish a Biorepository and Limited Access Data Information Coordinating 
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 5. Institute-Initiated Programs

Center (BioLINCC), which will be responsible for 

establishing and maintaining an infrastructure to facilitate and maximize access to the NHLBI Biologic 

Specimen Repository and Limited Access Data Set 

programs.

Deep Vein Thrombosis and Venous Disease

The purpose of this RFA is to support collaborative 

basic and clinical research on deep vein thrombosis and 

venous thrombotic diseases to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of venous thrombotic diseases.

Elucidating Nature’s Solutions to Heart, Lung, and 

Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorder Processes

The purpose of this PA is to elucidate the natural 

molecular and cellular adaptations of mammalian species to extreme environmental conditions that would 

rapidly evoke life-threatening cardiovascular or respiratory responses.

Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellowships

The purpose of this PA is to provide research training 

to applicants in combined MD/PhD programs who have 

the potential to become productive, independent physician-scientists in areas relevant to the mission of the 

NHLBI.

Investigator-Initiated Multi-Site Clinical Trials

The purpose of this PA is to support investigatorinitiated multisite (Phase II or Phase III) randomized, 

controlled clinical trials related to the mission of the 

NHLBI. The trials may involve clinical or behavioral 

interventions.

New Approaches to Non-Viral Systems for Gene 

Transfer Applications for Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Diseases 

The purpose of this PA is to develop efficient nonviral vectors that can overcome limitations of viral 

vectors for gene therapy clinical trials in heart, lung, 

and blood diseases.

Randomized Trial of Genotype-Guided Dosing of 

Warfarin Therapy

The purpose of this RFP is to determine whether use 

of a genotype-enhanced dosing algorithm to initiate warfarin treatment improves anticoagulation status compared to a dosing algorithm using only clinical 

information.

Research Demonstration and Dissemination Grants

The purpose of this PA is to test the effectiveness of 

interventions that are based on strategies designed to 

promote healthy lifestyles and prevent or ameliorate disease in defined populations and improve delivery of 

proven efficacious treatment in clinical practice.

Right Heart Function in Health and Chronic Lung 

Diseases 

The purpose of this PA is to stimulate research on cellular, molecular, and physiological determinants of right 

ventricular function in health and dysfunction in chronic 

lung diseases. The goal is to gain knowledge that can be 

used to develop improved methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating right heart failure.

Trans-NIH

Initiatives Being Renewed

Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative

The purpose of this renewal is to develop and apply 

nanotechnology to biomedicine.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Pathophysiology and 

Treatment 

The purpose of this renewal is to examine the etiology, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of 

chronic fatigue syndrome in diverse groups and across 

the lifespan.

Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and 

Adolescents 

The purpose of this renewal is to improve the selfmanagement and quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses. Self-management is 

intended to enhance individual well-being and 

strengthen patient participation in health care while 

reducing inappropriate health care use and health care 

costs.

Data Resource for Analyzing Blood and Marrow 

Transplants

The purpose of this renewal is to continue support of 

the Center for International Blood and Marrow 

Transplant Research, a resource for data from blood and 

bone marrow transplant centers throughout the world.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 5. Institute-Initiated Programs

Innovations in Biomedical Computational Science and 

Technology

The purpose of this renewal is to support fundamental 

research in biomedical information science and technology and to develop new informatics, computational and 

mathematical tools, and technologies that can speed 

progress in biomedical research.

Mind-Body Interactions and Health

The purpose of this renewal is to increase understanding of the processes underlying mind-body interactions and health and to apply the knowledge gained to 

interventions and clinical practice to promote health and 

prevent or treat disease and disabilities.

Novel Approaches To Enhance Animal Stem Cell 

Research

The purpose of this renewal is to enhance the utility 

of animal stem cells as model biological systems. 

Researchers will focus on isolation and characterization 

of embryonic and other multipotent stem cells in a variety of animal species.

Pathogenesis and Treatment of Lymphedema and 

Lymphatic Diseases

The purpose of this renewal is to stimulate research 

on the lymphatic system, characterize its function and 

pathophysiologic mechanisms that cause disease, 

develop new methods for imaging and quantitating 

lymph flow, and discover new therapeutic interventions 

for lymphatic diseases.

Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health 

The purpose of this renewal is to encourage the development of health research that integrates knowledge 

from biomedical and social sciences.

New Initiatives

Advancing Novel Science in Women’s Health Research

The purpose of this PA is to support innovative, interdisciplinary research that will develop new concepts in 

women’s health research and the study of gender differences. Researchers are encouraged to examine the role 

of gender on women’s health.

Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation in Children 

The purpose of this RFA is to improve graft 

acceptance and patient/graft survival in pediatric heart, 

lung, liver, kidney or intestinal transplant recipients by 

assessing risk factors, testing novel drug treatments, and 

developing diagnostic tools.

Collaborations With National Centers for Biomedical 

Computing

The purpose of this PA is to support investigators 

working in collaboration with the National Centers for 

Biomedical Computing (NCBCs) of the NIH Roadmap 

for Medical Research to build a computational infrastructure for biomedical computing and expand the 

scope of biological, behavioral, and computational problems currently being addressed by the NCBCs.

Development and Application of New Technologies 

to Targeted Genome-Wide Resequencing in WellPhenotyped Populations

The purpose of this RFA is to develop and validate 

resequencing applications for cost-effective, highthroughput sequencing of every exon of all protein 

coding genes in the human genome by assembling 

current and emerging technologies in the areas of DNA 

target capture and sequencing. The purpose of 

developing these resequencing applications is to enable 

the sequencing of thousands of individual DNA samples 

in well-phenotyped populations in a cost-effective 

manner.

Exploratory/Developmental Investigations on Primary 

Immunodeficiency Diseases

The purpose of this PA is to stimulate exploratory/

developmental investigations in primary immunodeficiency diseases by supporting research to characterize 

and determine the molecular basis for the diseases and 

develop clinical strategies for their diagnosis and 

treatment.

Improving Diet and Physical Activity Assessment

The purpose of this PA is to improve the quality of 

measurements of diet and physical activity for use in 

general and diverse populations through development 

of better instruments, technologies, and statistical/ 

analytical techniques. 

Lymphatic Biology in Health and Disease

The purpose of this PA is to stimulate research to 

identify developmental, molecular, and cellular mechanisms that contribute to health and disease of the lymphatic system.
55

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 5. Institute-Initiated Programs

Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and 

Social Sciences 

The purpose of this PA is to improve the quality and 

scientific power of data collected in behavioral and 

social sciences relevant to the missions of the Institute 

through innovations in research design, data collection 

techniques, measurement, and data analysis techniques.

Multidisciplinary Translational Research in Critical 

Care 

The purpose of this PA is to promote multidisciplinary translational research that will improve treatment, diagnosis, and outcome of patients with critical 

illness and increase understanding of fundamental processes causing critical illness.

Sarcoidosis: Research Into the Cause of Multi-Organ 

Disease and Clinical Strategies for Therapy

The purpose of this PA is to stimulate research on 

the etiology and management of sarcoidosis, an 

immune-mediated granulomatous inflammatory disorder, and to delineate possible causes and phenotypic 

host characteristics in susceptible people so that preventive strategies can be developed, early diagnosis 

improved, and better therapies devised to lessen initial 

disease immunopathology.

Trans-PHS

New Initiatives

Small Business Innovation Research Contract 

Solicitation

The purpose of this SBIR contract solicitation is to 

encourage scientific and technological innovations in 

areas identified by the Institute. Specific projects 

include production of generic modified hemoglobin for 

research purposes and development of a computational 

model library of cardiovascular and pulmonary anatomy 

and related blood and tissue material properties.

Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures 

in COPD Study

The purpose of this RFP is to define pathogenetically 

homogeneous subgroups of COPD subjects on the basis 

of biomarkers, genotypes, and computed tomography 

images and to identify intermediate outcome measures 

for use in future clinical trials.

Interagency

New Initiative

Enabling Technologies for Tissue Engineering and 

Regenerative Medicine 

The purpose of this PA is to develop innovative technologies, tools, methods, and devices that will enhance 

tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The overall goal is to engineer functional tissues in vitro for 

implantation in vivo or to foster tissue regeneration 

directly in vivo with the purpose of replacing, repairing, 

preserving, or enhancing organ function lost due to disease, injury, or aging or for use as 3D tissue model systems for drug development.

Private-Public Partnership

New Initiative

Understanding and Treating Ataxia-Telangiectasia 

The purpose of this PA is to stimulate multidisciplinary research to improve understanding of and 

develop treatments for ataxia-telangiectasia.

57

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

6. Institute Public Advisory Committees

Structure

Chair: Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., Director, 

NHLBI

Executive Secretary: Stephen C. Mockrin, 

Ph.D., Director, Division of Extramural Research 

Activities, NHLBI, National Institutes of Health, 

Bethesda, MD 20892; 301–435–0260 

The Secretary of HHS appoints 18 members: 

12 members are leading representatives of the health 

and scientific disciplines (including public health 

and behavioral or social sciences), and 6 are from 

the general public and are leaders in the fields of 

public policy, law, health policy, economics, and 

management. 

Members are appointed for overlapping terms of 

4 years. 

The Council includes the following ex officio 

members: 

• Secretary, HHS 

• Director, NIH 

• Director, NHLBI 

• Chief Medical Director, or Designee, Veterans 

Affairs 

• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 

Affairs, or Designee. 

Functions

The NHLBAC reviews applications for research 

grants, cooperative agreements, and training 

grants in heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood 

diseases; sleep disorders; and blood resources, and 

recommends scientific projects that merit support to 

the Director, NHLBI. 

The Council advises the Secretary, HHS, the 

Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS, and the Directors, NIH and NHLBI, on matters relating to causes, 

prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases 

and resources within the purview of the Institute. 

The Council also may review any grant, contract, 

or cooperative agreement proposed to be made or 

entered into by the Institute; may make recommendations to the Director of the Institute respecting 

research conducted at the Institute; may collect, by 

correspondence or by personal investigation, information as to studies that are being carried on in the 

United States or any other country with respect to 

the cause, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of 

heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases, and to 

the use of blood and blood products and the management of blood resources and with the approval 

of the Director of the Institute, make available 

such information through appropriate publications 

for the benefit of public and private health entities 

and health professions personnel and scientists and 

for the information of the general public; and may 

assemble ad hoc working groups, appoint subcommittees, and convene workshops and conferences.

The Council may also make recommendations 

to the Director, NIH and other authorized officials 

regarding the acceptance of conditional gifts pursuant to section 231 of the Public Health Service Act, 

as amended. 

Meetings 

The Chair convenes meetings not fewer than four 

times a year and approves the agenda. 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council
58

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. 

Chair 

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

Jeanine Arden Ornt, J.D. (2010)

Case Western Reserve University

C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D. (2011)

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Shaun R. Coughlin, M.D., Ph.D. (2010)

University of California, San Francisco

Victor J. Dzau, M.D. (2009)

Duke University

Charles T. Esmon, Ph.D. (2008)

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

Joe G. N. Garcia, M.D. (2010)

University of Chicago

Katherine A. High, M.D. (2008)

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Helen H. Hobbs, M.D. (2009)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Jennie R. Joe, Ph.D. (2009)

University of Arizona

J. Hoxi Jones (2008)

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D. (2009)

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Andrew R. Marks, M.D. (2011)

Columbia University

Jeffrey McCullough, M.D. (2008)

University of Minnesota

S. K. Rao Musunuru, M.D. (2010)

Bayonet Point/Hudson Cardiology Associates

Paula Y. Polite (2010)

Division of General Services, Memphis

Marlene Rabinovitch, M.D. (2011)

Stanford University

Steven D. Shapiro, M.D. (2010)

University of Pittsburgh

Patricia W. Wahl, Ph.D. (2008)

University of Washington

Ex Officio Members 

Robert L. Jesse, M.D., Ph.D.

McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Michael O. Leavett

Department of Health and Human Services

Cdr. Richard T. Mahon, M.D.

Naval Medical Research Center

Elias A. Zerhouni, Jr., M.D.

National Institutes of Health

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council Membership* 

* Current as of October 2008. The current roster, containing full addresses for the NHLBI Advisory Council and Committees, can be obtained 

from the Internet at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/nhlbac/roster.htm.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee 

Chair: Vacant

Executive Secretary: Harvey S. Luksenburg, Ph.D., 

Health Scientist Administrator, Division of Blood 

Diseases and Resources, NHLBI, National Institutes of 

Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 301–435–0050 

The Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee advises 

the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health, 

HHS and the Directors of the NIH, the NHLBI, and the 

DBDR on matters related to the Sickle Cell Disease 

Program and makes recommendations concerning planning, execution, and evaluation of all aspects of the 

program. 

Membership* 

Michael A. Bender, M.D., Ph.D. (2010)

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Punam Malik, M.D. (2010)

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Susan P. Perrine, M.D. (2011)

Boston University

Yogen Saunthararajah, M.D. (2011)

Cleveland Clinic

Wally R. Smith, M.D. (2011)

Virginia Commonwealth University

Ex Officio Members 

Joseph Desimone, Ph.D. 

Department of Veterans Affairs, Chicago

Marie Y. Mann, M.D. 

Health Resources and Services Administration

David E. McCune, M.D.

Madigan Army Medical Center

Elias A. Zerhouni, Jr., M.D.

National Institutes of Health

Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board 

Chair: Phyllis C. Zee, M.D., Ph.D., Northwestern 

University Medical School 

Executive Secretary: Michael J. Twery, Ph.D., 

Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, 

NHLBI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 

20892; 301–435–0202.

The Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board 

advises the Directors of the NIH, the NHLBI, and the 

NCSDR on matters related to the scientific activities carried out by and through the Center and policies 

regarding such activities, including the identification of 

research priorities for coordination of sleep and sleep 

disorders research by the NIH and other Federal, professional, and voluntary organizations. 

Membership* 

Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Ph.D. (2010)

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine

Rose A. Austin (2011)

SSM Healthcare

Karen M. Cushing (2011)

American Insomnia Association

Charles A. Czeisler M.D., Ph.D. (2011)

Harvard Medical School

Estelle B. Gauda, M.D. (2010)

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

F. Javier Nieto, M.D., Ph.D. (2010)

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine

Howard P. Roffwarg, M.D. (2009)

University of Mississippi Medical Center

Robert H. Waterman (2011)

The Waterman Group

* Current as of October 2008.

Program Advisory and Review Committee 
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

Ex Officio Members 

Thomas J. Balkin, Ph.D.

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Robert W. Greene, M.D., Ph.D.

Veterans Administration, North Texas Medical Center 

Merrill M. Mitler, Ph.D.

NINDS, National Institutes of Health

Andrew Monjan, Ph.D.

NIA, National Institutes of Health

Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.

NHLBI, National Institutes of Health

Michael J. Twery, Ph.D.

NCSDR, National Institutes of Health

Marian Willinger, Ph.D.

NICHD, National Institutes of Health

Elias A. Zerhouni, Jr., M.D.

National Institutes of Health

Heart, Lung, and Blood Initial Review Group 

Scientific Review Officer: Jeffery H. 

Hurst, Ph.D., Health Science Administrator, 

Division of Extramural Research Activities, NHLBI, 

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 

301–435–0303 

The Heart, Lung, and Blood Initial Review Group 

provides initial technical merit review for the NHLBAC 

and the Director, NHLBI. This group consists of three 

subcommittees: the Heart, Lung, and Blood Program 

Project Review Committee, the Clinical Trials Review 

Committee, and the NHLBI Institutional Training 

Mechanism Review Committee. 

Heart, Lung, and Blood Program Project 

Review Committee 

Chair: Susan S. Smyth, M.D., Ph.D., The Gill Heart 

Institute 

Scientific Review Officer: Jeffery H. 

Hurst, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, 

Division of Extramural Research Activities, NHLBI, 

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 

301–435–0303 

The Heart, Lung, and Blood Program Project Review 

Committee provides initial technical merit review for 

the NHLBAC and the Director, NHLBI on program 

project applications proposing research in the areas of 

heart, lung, and blood diseases and resources. 

Membership* 

Edward Abraham, M.D. (2009)

University of Alabama at Birmingham

David Atkinson, Ph.D. (2012)

Boston University School of Medicine

Karen E. Bornfeldt, Ph.D. (2011)

University of Washington

Peng-Sheng Chen, M.D. (2010)

Indiana University School of Medicine

Samuel Hawgood, M.D. (2010)

University of California, San Francisco

Catherine C. Hedrick, Ph.D. (2011)

University of Virginia

Sriram Krishnaswamy, Ph.D. (2009)

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Christine S. Moravec, Ph.D. (2012)

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Diane J. Nugent, M.D. (2009)

University of California, Los Angeles

David J. Pinsky, M.D. (2012)

University of Michigan

Bruce R. Pitt, Ph.D. (2009)

University of Pittsburgh

Nanduri R. Prabhakar, Ph.D. (2012)

University of Chicago

Ann Marie Schmidt, M.D., Ph.D. (2010)

Columbia University

* Current as of October 2008.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

Curt D. Sigmund, Ph.D. (2011)

University of Iowa

Arun Srivastava, Ph.D. (2011)

University of Florida

Robert A. Wise, M.D. (2010)

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Katherine E. Yutzey, Ph.D. (2010)

Children’s Hospital Research Foundation 

Clinical Trials Review Committee 

Chair: Vacant

Scientific Review Officer: Keary A. Cope, Ph.D., 

Health Science Administrator, Division of Extramural 

Research Activities, NHLBI, National Institutes of 

Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 301–435–2222 

The Clinical Trials Review Committee provides initial technical merit review for the NHLBAC and the 

Director of the NHLBI on clinical trial applications for 

the support of studies to evaluate preventive or therapeutic measures of blood, cardiovascular, or lung diseases. 

Membership* 

Walter T. Ambrosius, Ph.D. (2010)

Wake Forest University

Ulrika M. Birgersdotter-Green, M.D. (2009)

University of California, San Diego

Ivan Chan, Ph.D. (2010)

Merck Research Laboratories

Scott S. Emerson, M.D., Ph.D. (2011)

University of Washington

Kenneth E. Freedland, Ph.D. (2011)

Washington University School of Medicine

Terry B. Gernsheimer, M.D. (2009)

University of Washington School of Medicine

Robert A. Harrington, M.D. (2010)

Duke School of Medicine

Wendy J. Mack, Ph.D. (2011)

University of Southern California

Pamela Ouyang, M.D. (2010)

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

John J. Reilly, M.D. (2009)

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

NHLBI Institutional Training Mechanism 

Review Committee

Chair: William C. Balke, M.D., University of 

Kentucky

Scientific Review Officer: Charles Joyce, Ph.D., 

Health Science Administrator, Division of Extramural 

Research Activities, NHLBI, National Institutes of 

Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 301–435–0291

NHLBI Institutional Training Mechanism Review 

Committee provides initial technical merit review for the 

NHLBAC and the Director of the NHLBI on training 

applications that provide predoctoral, postdoctoral, and 

short-term research training at academic institutions.

Membership*

Ifeanyi J. Arinze, Ph.D. (2012)

Meharry Medical College

Linda J. Burns, M.D. (2011)

University of Minnesota

David M. Center, M.D. (2011)

Boston University Medical Campus

David M. Guidot, M.D. (2010)

Emory University

Meredith Hay, Ph.D. (2009)

University of Iowa

Carlton A. Hornung, Ph.D. (2010)

University of Louisville

Mariell Jessup, M.D. (2009)

University of Pennsylvania Health System

* Current as of October 2008.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 6. Institute Public Advisory Committees 

Craig K. Kent, M.D. (2010)

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Bertram H. Lubin, M.D. (2010)

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Russell V. Luepker, M.D. (2012)

University of Minnesota

Jonathan C. Makielski, M.D. (2012)

University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics

Fernando J. Martinez, M.D. (2009)

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Josef T. Prchal, M.D. (2012)

University of Utah

Sharon Rounds, M.D. (2010)

Brown University

Robin Shandas, Ph.D. (2012)

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Sanjeev G. Shroff, Ph.D. (2010)

University of Pittsburgh

Brian Smith, M.D. (2011)

Yale University School of Medicine

Marilyn J. Telen, M.D. (2009)

Duke University Medical Center

Mary I. Townsley, Ph.D. (2012)

University of South Alabama

Donna H. Wang, M.D. (2011)

Michigan State University

Scott T. Weiss, M.D. (2011)

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Marlys H. Witte, M.D. (2009)

University of Arizona, Health Sciences Center

Reen Wu, Ph.D. (2011)

University of California at Davis

* Current as of October 2008.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 

Special Emphasis Panel 

The Institute has established the NHLBI Special 

Emphasis Panel (SEP) to perform initial peer review of 

applications and proposals that were previously handled 

by ad hoc committees. Concept review, previously 

handled by divisional program advisory committees, has 

also been incorporated into the SEP system. The SEP, 

which has neither a fixed membership nor a set meeting 

schedule, is constituted to provide required peer review 

expertise at precisely the time that it is needed. 

Board of Scientific Counselors 

Chair: Gary K. Owens, M.D., Ph.D., University of 

Virginia School of Medicine

Executive Secretary: Robert S. Balaban, Ph.D., 

Director, Laboratory Research Program, NHLBI, 

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; 

301–496–2116 

The Board of Scientific Counselors advises the 

Director and the Deputy Director for Intramural 

Research, NIH, and the Directors of NHLBI and the 

Division of Intramural Research, NHLBI, on the intramural research programs of the NHLBI. 

Membership* 

Stephen Black, Ph.D. (2011)

Medical College of Georgia

Eduardo Marban, M.D., Ph.D. (2011)

Johns Hopkins University

Elizabeth M. McNally, M.D., Ph.D. (2010)

University of Chicago

Edwin W. Taylor, Ph.D. (2009)

University of Chicago

Alan S. Verkman, M.D., Ph.D. (2009)

University of California, San Francisco
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 7. Budget Overview

Lung 

Diseases 

21.6%

Prevention 

and Population 

Sciences 

11.9%

Heart and 

Vascular 

Diseases* 

62.3%

Lung 

Diseases 

21.6%

Blood 

Diseases 

and Resources 

16.1%

7. Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Overview

NHLBI Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Funding Mechanism

Obligated Dollars* 

(Thousands)

Percent of Total 

NHLBI Budget

Research Project Grants** $1,983,633 67.5%

SCORs/SCCORs 90,120 3.1

Sickle Cell Centers 13,587 0.5

Centers for AIDS Research 3,686 0.1

Other Research Grants 125,942 4.3

Research Careers Programs† 78,715 2.7

Training Programs 94,873 3.2

Research and Development Contracts 338,787 11.5

Intramural Laboratory and Clinical Research 177,490 6.1

Research Management and Support‡ 109,215 3.7

Total Obligations $2,937,333 100.0%

* Excludes funds provided by other Agencies by means of a reimbursable agreement. ** Includes $77,914 for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grants.

† Research Career Programs are a subset of Other Research Grants and are not added as a distinct funding mechanism.

‡ Excludes OD and DIR research contracts, which are included in R&D contracts.

NHLBI Total Obligations 

by Budget Category

NHLBI Extramural 

Obligations by Program

NHLBI Extramural 

Obligations by Division

For detailed data on FY 2008:

• Research grants, see Chapters 9 and 11.

• Research and development contracts, see Chapters 10 and 11.

• Research training and career development, see Chapter 13.

• Geographic distribution of awards, see Chapter 14.

Heart and 

Vascular 

Diseases* 

56.2%

Research 

Management 

Support 

3.7%

Blood 

Diseases 

and Resources 

14.5%

Lung 

Diseases 

Intramural 19.5%

Laboratory and 

Clinical Research 

6.1%

Blood Diseases 

and Resources 

16.1%

Cardiovascular 

Diseases 

50.4%

* Includes Cardiovascular Diseases and Prevention and Population Sciences.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 7. Budget Overview

NHLBI Extramural Obligations by Program: Fiscal Year 2008

Program

Obligated Dollars 

(Thousands)

Percent of NHLBI 

Extramural Budget

Heart and Vascular Diseases* $1,652,204 62.3%

Lung Diseases 572,172 21.6

Blood Diseases and Resources 426,252 16.1

Total, Extramural Obligations $2,650,628 100%

* Includes Cardiovascular Diseases and Prevention and Population Sciences.

NHLBI Cardiovascular Diseases Program* 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Funding Mechanism

Obligated Dollars 

(Thousands)

Percent of 

Program Budget

Research Project Grants $1,024,361 76.7%

SCORs/SCCORs 44,548 3.3

Other Research Grants 43,647 3.3

Research Career Programs** 31,762 2.4

Training Programs 44,504 3.3

Research and Development Contracts 178,713 13.4

Total, Cardiovascular Diseases $1,335,773 100%

* Includes Cardiovascular Diseases only. ** Research Career Programs are a subset of Other Research Grants and are not added as a distinct funding mechanism.

NHLBI Prevention and Population Sciences Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Funding Mechanism

Obligated Dollars 

(Thousands)

Percent of 

Program Budget

Research Project Grants $178,724 56.5%

SCORs/SCCORs — —

Other Research Grants 9,833 3.1

Research Career Programs* 6,428 2.0

Training Programs 8,092 2.6

Research and Development Contracts 119,782 37.9

Total, Prevention and Population Sciences $316,431 100%

* Research Career Programs are a subset of Other Research Grants and are not added as a distinct funding mechanism.

Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 7. Budget Overview

NHLBI Lung Diseases Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Funding Mechanism

Obligated Dollars 

(Thousands)

Percent of 

Program Budget

Research Project Grants $458,438 80.1%

SCORs/SCCORs 25,505 4.5

Other Research Grants 44,789 7.8

Research Career Programs* 25,765 4.5

Training Programs 25,241 4.4

Research and Development Contracts 18,199 3.2

Total, Lung Diseases $572,172 100%

* Research Career Programs are a subset of Other Research Grants and are not added as a distinct funding mechanism.

NHLBI Blood Diseases and Resources Program 

Obligations by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Funding Mechanism

Obligated Dollars 

(Thousands)

Percent of 

Program Budget

Research Project Grants $322,110 75.6%

SCORs/SCCORs 20,067 4.7

Sickle Cell Centers 13,587 3.2

Centers for AIDS Research 3,686 0.9

Other Research Grants 27,674 6.5

Research Career Programs* 14,760 3.5

Training Programs 17,035 4.0

Research and Development Contracts 22,093 5.2

Total, Blood Diseases and Resources $426,252 100%

* Research Career Programs are a subset of Other Research Grants and are not added as a distinct funding mechanism.

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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

8. Long-Term Trends

A TQ=Transition Quarter, July 1–September 30, 1976.

B Senate Allowance reflects the Institute share of the Government-wide rescission 

and the HHS rescission.

C Obligations reflect the Institute share of the Government-wide rescission, the 

HHS rescission, and a transfer to other NIH Institutes through the NIH Director’s 

1 percent transfer authority.

D Excludes funds for AIDS research activities consolidated in the NIH Office of 

AIDS Research (OAR).

E Excludes enacted administrative reduction.

F Excludes Director transfer, Secretary transfer, and rescission.

G Includes Bioterrorism reduction.

H Excludes Office of Human Research Protection transfer, Secretary 

transfer, and rescission.

I Excludes Government-wide rescission, Labor/HHS/Education rescission, from 

HHS to OMB rescission, and Secretary 1 percent transfer.

J Excludes Government-wide rescission.

K Includes Roadmap adjustments.

L Includes Roadmap Transfer and Government-wide rescission.

Budget History of the NHLBI: Fiscal Years 1950–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal 

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance

Senate 

Allowance Appropriation Obligations

Cumulative Fiscal 

Year Obligations

1950 $ 34,630 $ 11,575 $ 29,117 $ 16,075 $ 15,768 $ 15,768

1951 8,800 8,800 9,400 9,400 8,497 24,265

1952 10,237 10,074 10,156 10,083 9,850 34,115

1953 9,779 9,623 12,000 12,000 11,398 45,513

1954 11,040 12,000 15,418 15,168 14,952 60,465

1955 14,570 16,168 17,168 16,668 16,595 77,060

1956 17,454 17,398 23,976 18,808 18,838 95,898

1957 22,106 25,106 33,396 33,396 32,392 128,290

1958 33,436 33,436 38,784 35,936 35,973 164,263

1959 34,820 36,212 49,529 45,613 45,468 209,731

1960 45,594 52,744 89,500 62,237 61,565 271,296

1961 63,162 71,762 125,166 86,900 86,239 357,535

1962 97,073 105,723 160,000 132,912 110,849 468,384

1963 126,898 143,398 149,498 147,398 120,597 588,981

1964 130,108 129,325 130,545 132,404 117,551 706,532

1965 125,640 124,521 125,171 124,824 124,412 830,944

1966 141,412 146,212 143,462 141,462 141,171 972,115

1967 148,407 154,770 164,770 164,770 164,342 1,136,457

1968 167,954 167,954 177,954 167,954 162,134 1,298,591

1969 169,735 164,120 172,120 166,928 161,834 1,460,425

1970 160,513 160,513 182,000 171,257 160,433 1,620,858

1971 171,747 178,479 203,479 194,901 194,826 1,815,684

1972 195,492 211,624 252,590 232,627 232,577 2,048,261

1973 255,280 300,000 350,000 300,000 255,722 2,303,983

1974 265,000 281,415 320,000 302,915 327,270 2,631,253

1975 309,299 321,196 330,000 327,996 327,953 2,959,206

1976 324,934 329,079 379,059 370,096 368,648 3,327,854

TQA 59,715 58,015 58,015 58,763 60,639 3,388,493

1977 342,855 380,661 420,661 396,661 396,857 3,785,350

1978 403,642 432,642 456,000 447,901 447,968 4,233,318

1979 454,336 485,584 485,584 510,134 510,080 4,743,398

1980 507,344 527,544 527,544 527,544 527,248 5,270,646

1981 532,799 560,264 565,264 549,693 550,072 5,820,718

1982 579,602 583,831 587,741 559,637 559,800 6,380,518

1983 577,143 620,947 624,542 624,259 624,260 7,004,778

1984 639,774 665,859 683,489 704,939 705,064 7,709,842

1985 718,852 764,135 807,149 805,269 803,810 8,513,652

1986 775,254 856,388 863,652 859,239 821,901 9,335,553

1987 785,697 921,410 921,502 930,001 929,982 10,265,535

1988 821,887 990,808 1,000,349 965,536 965,283 11,230,818

1989 1,054,503 1,018,983 1,056,003 1,045,985 1,045,508 12,276,326

1990 1,039,846 1,090,930 1,091,597 1,072,354 1,070,683 13,347,009

1991 1,112,502 1,135,589 1,137,235 1,126,942 1,125,915 14,472,924

1992 1,209,924 1,202,398 1,190,396 1,191,500 1,190,070 15,662,994

1993 1,245,396 1,228,455 1,228,455 1,214,693 1,214,693 16,877,687

1994 1,198,402 1,277,880 1,277,880 1,277,880 1,277,852 18,155,539

1995 1,266,961 1,259,590 1,259,590 1,258,472 1,314,969 19,470,508

1996 1,337,021 1,355,866 1,320,254B 1,355,866 1,351,422C 20,821,930

1997 1,320,555D 1,438,265 1,344,742D 1,432,529E 1,431,821 22,253,751

1998 1,467,189 1,513,004 1,531,898 1,531,061F 1,526,276 23,780,027

1999 1,709,328G 1,720,344 1,793,697 1,793,697F 1,788,008 25,568,035

2000 1,759,806 1,937,404 2,001,185 2,040,291F 2,027,286 27,595,321

2001 2,069,582 2,328,102 2,328,105 2,299,866H 2,298,035 29,893,356

2002 2,567,429 2,547,675 2,618,966 2,576,125I 2,569,794 32,463,150

2003 2,791,411 2,812,011 2,818,684 2,812,011J 2,793,681 35,256,831

2004 2,867,995 2,867,995 2,897,595 2,882,715K 2,882,601 38,139,432

2005 2,963,953 2,963,953 2,985,900 2,965,453 2,922,573L 41,062,005

2006 2,951,270 2,951,270 3,023,381 2,951,270J 2,893,527 43,955,532

2007 

2008

2,901,012

2,894,341

2,901,012

2,965,775

2,924,299

2,992,197

2,921,757

2,974,900

2,922,322L

2,937,333

46,877,854

49,815,187
68

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 TOTAL

 Heart

 Lung

 Blood

 Intramural Research

 Research Management

 and Support

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Current Dollars

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Constant 1998 Dollars

Current Dollars (Millions)

Constant 1998 Dollars (Millions)

Note: From 1999 to 2006, the WHI was reported separately. In this chart, it has been incorporated into the “Heart” line. The Sleep Disorders Research was 

reported separately from 1996 to 2006. In this chart, it has been incorporated into the “Lung” line.

Note: From 1999 to 2006, the WHI was reported separately. In this chart, it has been incorporated into the “Heart” line. The Sleep Disorders Research was 

reported separately from 1996 to 2006. In this chart, it has been incorporated into the “Lung” line.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 TOTAL

 Heart

 Lung

 Blood

 Intramural Research

 Research Management

 and Support

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

TOTAL

Heart

Lung

Blood

Intramural Research

Research Management 

and Support

TOTAL

Heart

Lung

Blood

Intramural Research

Research Management 

and Support

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year
69

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Current Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

Budget Category 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Extramural Research

 Heart $ 795.6 $ 961.1 $1,115.7 $1,245.8 $1,412.4 $1,538.8 $1,604.7 $1,599.6 $1,582.7 $1,624.9 $1,652.2

 Lung 304.0 377.4 415.5 481.0 535.2 590.5 596.0 628.2 610.3 597.6 572.2

 Blood 257.5 266.1 305.9 364.0 396.0 419.3 429.2 439.5 434.9 429.7 426.2

Intramural Research 111.6 119.5 122.3 133.7 146.7 157.8 164.2 166.3 168.3 169.5 177.5

Research Management 

and Support

57.6 63.9 67.9 73.5 79.4 87.3 88.5 89.0 97.2 100.6 109.2

Total $1,526.3 $1,788.0 $2,027.3 $2,298.0 $2,569.7 $2,793.7 $2,882.6 $2,922.6 $2,893.4 $2,922.3 $2.937.3

Note: From 1999 to 2006, the WHI was reported separately. In this table, it has been incorporated into the “Heart” line. The Sleep Disorders Research was 

reported separately from 1996 to 2006. In this table, it has been incorporated into the “Lung” line.

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Category: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Constant 1998 Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

Budget Category 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Extramural Research

 Heart $ 795.6 $ 931.3 $1,042.7 $1,126.4 $1,236.8 $1,301.9 $1,307.8 $1,255.6 $1,187.3 $1,172.4 $1,152.2

 Lung 304.0 365.7 388.3 434.9 468.7 499.6 485.7 493.1 457.8 431.2 399.0

 Blood 257.5 257.8 285.9 329.1 346.8 354.7 349.8 345.0 326.3 310.0 297.2

Intramural Research 111.6 115.8 114.3 120.9 128.5 133.5 133.8 130.5 126.3 122.3 123.8

Research Management 

and Support

57.6 61.9 63.5 66.5 69.5 73.9 72.1 69.9 72.9 72.6 76.2

Total $1,526.3 $1,732.6 $1,894.7 $2,077.8 $2,250.2 $2,363.5 $2,349.3 $2,294.0 $2,170.6 $2,108.4 $2,048.3

This table is based on the Biomedical Research & Development Price Index through 2008.

Note: From 1999 to 2006, the WHI was reported separately. In this table, it has been incorporated into the “Heart” line. The Sleep Disorders Research was 

reported separately from 1996 to 2006. In this table, it has been incorporated into the “Lung” line.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Research Grants

 Research and

 Development (R&D)

 Contracts

 Training Programs

 Intramural Research and

 Research Management

 and Support

Dollars (Millions)

NHLBI Total Obligations by Budget Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

Funding Mechanism 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Research Grants* $1,189.8 $1,346.6 $1,570.5 $1,796.9 $2,006.2 $2,172.3 $2,257.3 $2,310.2 $2,275.9 $2,263.1 $2,216.9

Research and Development (R&D) Contracts116.7 197.2 201.3 220.1 258.3 290.5 285.5 268.6 262.8 295.8 338.8

Training Programs 50.6 60.8 65.4 73.7 79.2 85.8 87.1 88.4 89.2 93.3 94.9

Intramural Research and 

Research Management 

and Support**

169.2 183.4 190.1 207.3 226.1 245.1 252.7 255.4 265.6 270.1 286.7

Total $1,526.3 $1,788.0 $2,027.3 $2,298.0 $2,569.8 $2,793.7 $2,882.6 $2,922.6 $2,893.5 $2,922.3 $2,937.3

* Includes Research Career Programs. ** Excludes Office of the Director and DIR research contracts, which are included in R&D contracts.

NHLBI Employment: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Fiscal Year

Staff 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

FTEs* 840 847 865 868 880 880 861 796 797 814 846

* Full-time equivalents.

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Research Grants

Research and 

Development (R&D) 

Contracts

Training Programs

Intramural Research and 

Research Management 

and Support
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Investigator-Initiated

 Grants*

 Institute-Initiated

 Awards (Grants and 

 R&D Contracts)

Percent of Extramural Funds

NHLBI Institute-Initiated and Investigator-Initiated Awards: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

* Includes Research Career Programs.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Institute-Initiated

 Awards (Grants

 and R&D Contracts)

 Grants

 R&D Contracts

NHLBI Grants and Research and Development Contracts as Subsets of Institute-Initiated Awards: 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Percent of Extramural Funds

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Investigator-Initiated 

Grants*

Institute-Initiated 

Awards (Grants 

and R&D Contracts)

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Institute-Initiated 

Awards (Grants 

and R&D Contracts)

Grants

R&D Contracts

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Extramural Programs: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

Funding Mechanism 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Investigator-Initiated Awards

Investigator-Initiated Grants* $ 930.5 $1,022.2 $1,187.4 $1,388.8 $1,521.4 $1,616.1 $1,716.8 $1,747.2 $1,747.0 $1,719.3 $1,742.1

Research Career Programs 36.1 47.7 54.2 57.5 63.5 65.8 67.8 71.0 70.4 55.4 78.7

Subtotal, Investigator-Initiated 

Awards

966.6 1,069.9 1,241.6 1,446.3 1,584.9 1,681.9 1,784.6 1,818.2 1,817.3 1,774.7 1,820.8

Institute-Initiated Awards

Institute-Initiated Grants (RFA) 223.2 276.7 328.9 350.7 421.3 490.4 472.5 492.1 458.6 488.2 396.1

Centers** 114.4 119.9 123.8 127.2 128.2 138.9 140.6 151.5 141.1 141.0 107.3

R&D Contracts (RFP) 116.7 197.2 201.3 220.1 258.3 290.5 285.5 268.6 262.9 295.8 338.8

Subtotal, Institute-Initiated 

Awards

339.9 473.9 530.2 570.8 679.6 780.9 758.0 760.7 721.4 784.0 734.9

Training

Individual Awards 7.6 9.2 8.9 8.9 9.5 8.6 8.8 9.7 10.0 8.2 9.0

Institutional Awards 43.0 51.6 56.5 64.8 69.7 77.2 78.4 78.7 79.1 85.1 85.8

Subtotal, Training 50.6 60.8 65.4 73.7 79.2 85.8 87.2 88.4 89.2 93.3 94.8

Total, Extramural $1,357.1 $1,604.6 $1,837.2 $2,090.8 $2,343.7 $2,548.6 $2,629.8 $2,667.3 $2,628.0 $2,652.0 $2,650.5

* Includes all R18s. ** Centers are a subset of Institute-Initiated Grants (RFAs) and are not added to the Institute-Initiated Awards subtotal as a distinct category.

NHLBI Extramural Programs: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Percent of Total Extramural Budget

Fiscal Year

Funding Mechanism 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Investigator-Initiated Awards

Investigator-Initiated Grants* 68.6% 63.7% 64.6% 66.4% 64.9% 63.4% 65.3% 65.5% 66.5% 64.8% 65.7%

Research Career Programs 

(K04, K06)

2.7 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.1 3.0

Subtotal, Investigator-Initiated 

Awards

71.2 66.7 67.6 69.2 67.6 66.0 67.9 68.2 69.2 66.9 68.7

Institute-Initiated Awards

Institute-Initiated Grants (RFA) 16.4 17.2 17.9 16.8 18.0 19.2 18.0 18.4 17.5 18.4 14.9

Centers** 8.4 7.5 6.7 6.1 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.4 5.3 4.0

R&D Contracts (RFP) 8.6 12.3 11.0 10.5 11.0 11.4 10.9 10.1 10.0 11.2 12.8

Subtotal, Institute-Initiated 

Awards

25.0 29.5 28.9 27.3 29.0 30.6 28.8 28.5 27.5 29.6 27.7

Training

Individual Awards 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3

Institutional Awards 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.2

Subtotal, Training 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

Total, Extramural 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

* Includes all R18s. ** Centers are a subset of Institute-Initiated Grants (RFAs) and are not added to the Institute-Initiated Awards subtotal as a distinct category.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Research Grants*

 (Excluding Centers)

 Centers

 R&D Contracts 

 Research Training

Dollars (Millions)

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

Funding Mechanism 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Research Grants* $1,075.4 $1,226.7 $1,446.7 $1,669.8 $1,878.0 $2,033.4 $2,116.6 $2,158.8 $2,134.9 $2,121.9 $2,109.6

Centers 114.4 119.9 123.8 127.2 128.2 138.9 140.6 151.5 141.1 141.0 107.3

R&D Contracts 116.7 197.2 201.3 220.1 258.3 290.5 285.5 268.6 262.9 295.8 338.8

Research Training 50.6 60.8 65.4 73.7 79.2 85.8 87.1 88.4 89.2 93.3 94.8

Total, Extramural $1,357.1 $1,604.6 $1,837.2 $2,090.8 $2,343.7 $2,548.6 $2,629.8 $2,667.3 $2,628.0 $2,652.0 $2,650.5

* Includes Research Career Programs; does not include Centers.

* Includes Research Career Programs; does not include Centers.

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Research Grants* 

(Excluding Centers)

Centers

R&D Contracts

Research Training

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 8. Long-Term Trends

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Research Grants*

 Centers

 R&D Contracts 

 Research Training

Percent of Total Extramural Budget

NHLBI Extramural Research Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Percent of Total Extramural Budget

Fiscal Year

Funding Mechanism 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Research Grants* 79.2% 76.4% 78.7% 79.9% 80.1% 79.8% 80.5% 80.9% 81.2% 80.0% 79.6%

Centers 8.4 7.5 6.7 6.1 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.4 5.3 4.0

R&D Contracts (RFP) 8.6 12.3 11.0 10.5 11.0 11.4 10.9 10.1 10.0 11.2 12.8

Research Training 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

Total, Extramural 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

* Includes Research Career Programs; does not include Centers.

Note: Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.

* Includes Research Career Programs; does not include Centers.

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Research Grants* 

(Excluding Centers)

Centers

R&D Contracts

Research Training

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

9. Research Grants

NHLBI Research Grants by Funding Mechanism: Fiscal Year 2008

Number of 

Grants

Total Cost 

(Dollars in 

Thousands)

Percent of Total 

NHLBI Research 

Grant Dollars

Research Project Grants (RPGs)

 Research Project Grants (Excluding Small Business RPGs)

 Regular Research Grants (R01) 3,068 $1,306,763 58.94%

 Program Project Grants (P01) 161 328,652 14.82

 Cooperative Agreements (U01) 184 170,800 7.70

 Explorative Developmental Grant (R21) 214 45,478 2.05

 Method to Extend Research in Time (R37) 69 29,969 1.35

 Exploratory/Developmental Grants Phase II (R33) 34 10,382 0.47

 Area Grants (R15) 24 4,937 0.22

 NIH Director’s New Innovator’s Award (DP2) — 2,388 0.11

 Research Transition Award (R00) 9 2,180 0.10

 Cooperative Agreements (U19) 1 2,089 0.09

 Small Research Grants (R03) 16 1,242 0.06

 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1) — 839 0.04

 Subtotal, Research Project Grants (Excluding Small Business RPGs) 3,780 1,905,719 85.96

 Small Business Research Project Grants

 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR Phase I) (R41) 14 2,030 0.09

 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR Phase II) (R42) 17 8,374 0.38

 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR Phase I) (R43) 49 9,246 0.42

 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR Phase II) (R44) 93 58,264 2.63

 Subtotal, Small Business Research Project Grants 173 77,914 3.51

Subtotal, Research Project Grants 3,953 1,983,633 89.49

Research Center Grants 

 Specialized Centers of Clinical Research (SCCOR) (P50) 30 81,189 3.66

 Sickle Cell Centers (U54) 13 13,587 0.61

 Center for AIDS Research (P30) — 3,686 0.17

 Specialized Centers (Cooperative Agreements) (U54) 5 8,496 0.38

 National Swine Research and Resource Center (U42) — 435 0.02

Subtotal, Research Center Grants 48 107,393 4.84

Research Career Programs 

 Mentored Research Development Award for Minority Faculty (K01) 35 4,574 0.21

 Minority Institution Faculty Mentored Research Scientist Award (K01) 7 949 0.04

 Mentored Scientist Development Award in Research Ethics (K01) 1 102 0.00

 Independent Scientist Award (K02) 22 2,184 0.10

 Pediatric Transfusion Medicine Academic Award (K07) 4 486 0.02

 Cultural Competence & Health Disparities Academic Award (K07) 18 2,197 0.10

 Clinical Investigator Scientist Award (K08) 210 27,005 1.22

 Vascular Medicine Research Career Development Program (K12) 7 5,499 0.25

 Clinical Hematology Research Career Development Program (K12) 6 2,364 0.11

 Genetics and Genomics of Lung Disease Career Development Program (K12) 8 3,190 0.14

 Career Enhancement Award for Stem Cell Research (K18) 6 1,014 0.05

 Career Transition Award (K22) 1 162 0.01

 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) 133 18,556 0.84

 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) 29 4,161 0.19

 Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) 15 2,082 0.09

 Career Transition Award (K99) 47 4,190 0.19

Subtotal, Research Career Programs 549 78,715 3.56

Other Research Grants

 Cooperative Clinical Research (U10, R10) 29 23,514 1.06

 Minority Biomedical Research Support (S06, R25, SC2) 7 1,527 0.07

 Other (R09, R13, R18, R24, R25, T15, U09, U24, UH1) 93 22,186 1.00

Subtotal, Other Research Grants 129 47,227 2.13

Total, NHLBI Research Grants 4,679 $2,216,968 100%
76

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Total Research Grants by Category

Research 

Project Grants 

89.5%

Other Research 

Grants 

2.1%

Research 

Career Programs 

3.6%

NHLBI Research Project Grants,* Research Centers Grants, and Other Research Grant Obligations: 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Research 

Project 

Grants*

$1,009,152 $1,142,473 $1,356,034 $1,580,751 $1,779,573 $1,920,201 $2,003,769 $2,042,050 $2,011,049 $1,986,692 $1,983,633

Research 

Centers 

Grants

114,397 119,889 123,803 127,232 128,161 138,941 140,600 151,495 141,086 141,034 107,393

Other 

Research 

Grants**

66,234 84,219 90,666 88,958 98,460 113,172 112,785 116,713 123,802 135,284 125,942

Total $1,189,783 $1,346,581 $1,570,503 $1,796,941 $2,006,194 $2,172,314 $2,257,154 $2,310,258 $2,275,937 $2,263,010 $2,216,968 

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 

beginning in 2008. ** Includes Research Career Programs; excludes General Research Support Grants.

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 

beginning in 2008. ** Includes Research Career Programs; excludes General Research Support Grants.

0

400

800

1,200

1,600

2,000

2,400

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

 Research Project Grants*

 Research Centers Grants

 Other Research Grants**

Dollars (Millions)

Research Project Grants*

Research Centers Grants

Other Research Grants**

2,400

2,000

1,600

1,200

800

400

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Year

NHLBI Research Project Grants,* Research Centers Grants, and Other Research Grant Obligations: 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Research 

Center Grants 

4.8%
77

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Competing Research Project Grant Applications:* Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Number Reviewed and Awarded

Number Reviewed and Awarded and Percent Funded

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Applications Reviewed 2,657 2,704 2,893 2,895 3,064 3,098 3,548 3,865 4,412 4,504 4,492

RPGs Awarded 837 959 1,003 1,033 1,018 1,064 1,034 909 871 943 997

Success Rate (percent) 31.5 35.5 34.7 35.7 33.2 34.3 29.1 23.5 19.7 20.9 22.2

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, and R37; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 beginning in 2008.

Percent of Reviewed Applications Funded (Success Rate)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

 Reviewed

 Awarded

Number of Applications

Reviewed

Awarded

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Percent

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
78

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated and Institute-Initiated Grant Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated and Institute-Initiated Grant Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Investigator-Initiated* $ 966.6 $1,069.9 $1,241.6 $1,446.2 $1,584.9 $1,681.9 $1,773.4 $1,822.9 $1,802.1 $1,774.8 $1,820.8

Institute-Initiated** 223.2 276.7 328.9 350.7 421.3 490.4 483.8 487.3 473.8 488.2 396.1

Total $1,189.8 $1,346.6 $1,570.5 $1,796.9 $2,006.2 $2,172.3 $2,257.2 $2,310.2 $2,275.9 $2,263.0 $2,216.9

* Includes RPGs, SBIRs/STTRs, Research Career Programs, and Other Research. ** Includes RPGs, Centers Grants, Research Career Programs, Other Research, and Cooperative Agreement RFAs.

* Includes RPGs, SBIRs/STTRs, Research Career Programs, and Other Research. ** Includes RPGs, Centers Grants, Research Career Programs, Other Research, and Cooperative Agreement RFAs.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

 Investigator-Initiated

 Research Grants*

 Institute-Initiated

 Research Grants**

Dollars (Millions) 2,000

1,800

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

Investigator-Initiated 

Research Grants*

Institute-Initiated 

Research Grants**

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Year
79

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Research Project Grants:* Amount Funded by Type of Award, Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Millions)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Competing

New Competing $147.5 $ 202.0 $ 266.4 $ 280.0 $ 291.2 $ 285.5 $ 290.5 $ 270.0 $ 242.9 $ 330.9 $314.2

Renewal Competing 103.9 127.2 152.0 143.9 143.9 177.2 185.5 176.1 168.3 169.4 196.9

Competing 

Supplements

1.0 1.2 0.9 0.4 2.3 1.0 1.3 1.7 0.4 — 1.7

Subtotal, Competing 252.4 330.4 419.3 424.3 437.4 463.7 477.3 447.8 411.6 500.3 512.8

Noncompeting

Subtotal, Noncompeting 721.3 770.6 889.3 1,101.5 1,281.3 1,390.3 1454.9 1,520.0 1,527.0 1,486.4 1,470.8

Total, Competing and 

Noncompeting $973.7 $1,101.0 $1,308.6 $1,525.8 $1,718.7 $1,854.0 $1,932.2 $1,967.8 $1,938.6 $1,986.7 $1,983.6

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 

beginning in 2008.

Facility and Administrative (F&A) Costs of NHLBI Research Project Grants:* 

Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year Direct Cost F&A Cost Total Cost

F&A Cost as a 

Percent of Direct Cost

1998 $ 660,009 $313,765 $ 973,774 47.5%

1999 764,198 336,756** 1,100,954 44.1

2000 891,244 417,312 1,308,556 46.8

2001 1,045,144 480,673 1,525,817 46.0

2002 1,182,408 536,324 1,718,732 45.4

2003 1,276,819 577,131 1,853,950 45.2

2004 1,329,106 603,133 1,932,239 45.4

2005 1,355,803 612,007 1,967,810 45.1

2006 1,334,406 604,183 1,938,589 45.3

2007 1,378,134 608,558 1,986,692 44.2

2008 1,376,276 607,357 1,983,633 44.1

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; 

and DP1 and R00 beginning in 2008. ** Excludes Program Evaluation Assessment of $1,216,000.
80

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Research Project Grants:* Average Costs, Fiscal Years 1998–2008

NHLBI Research Project Grants:* Average Costs, Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Noncompeting $322.6 $323.4 $346.6 $390.7 $418.8 $444.4 $458.7 $490.6 $503.9 $510.3 $512.4

Competing 301.6 344.5 418.0 410.8 409.1 406.7 419.7 459.9 458.1 477.8 462.0

Total $316.9 $329.4 $366.6 $396.1 $416.2 $433.8 $447.9 $484.8 $492.8 $501.7 $501.8

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 

beginning in 2008.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Noncompeting

 Competing

 Total

Dollars (Thousands)

Noncompeting 

Competing

Total

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

* Includes R01, U01, P01, R03, R15, R21, R29, R37, R41, R42, R43, and R44; R33 beginning in 2001; DP2 and U19 beginning in 2007; and DP1 and R00 

beginning in 2008.

550

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
81

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Cooperative Agreements (U01, U10) Programs

Cooperative Agreements were instituted to support discrete, circumscribed projects in areas of an investigator’s specific 

interest and competency with substantial programmatic participation by the NHLBI during performance of the activity.

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

Total FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases

AIM HIGH: Niacin Plus Statin to Prevent Vascular Events $ 13,005,383 $ 1,380,228 $ 14,385,611 

Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetics 

(BARI 2D)

55,096,975 1,955,667 57,052,642

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network 4,424,183 7,568,262 11,992,445

Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS) Events Follow-up Study 3,208,255 1,353,530 4,561,785

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) 18,144,173 3,269,101 21,413,274

Claudication Exercise vs. Edoluminal Revascularization 4,745,409 — 4,745,409

Clinical Research Consortium To Improve Resuscitation Outcomes 34,924,311 5,279,451 40,203,762

Community-Responsive Intervention To Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in 

American Indians and Alaska Natives

3,732,749 3,150,539 6,883,288

Design and Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies 3,538,913 1,759,053 5,297,966

Dynamic Evaluation of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention 6,180,419 748,083 6,928,502

Family Blood Pressure Program 96,943,741 661,448 97,605,189

Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaskan Natives (GOCADAN) 13,867,724 2,057,625 15,925,349

Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise 

Training (HF–ACTION)

36,964,599 652,481 37,617,080 

Heart Failure Clinical Research Network 13,443,043 7,813,234 21,256,277 

IMMEDIATE Trial: Immediate Myocardial Metabolic Enhancement 

During Initial Assessment and Treatment in Emergency Care

25,650,639 — 25,650,639 

Improved Measures of Diet and Physical Activity for the Genes and 

Environment Initiative

2,632,681 2,218,516 4,851,197

Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigation in Cardiovascular 

Medicine 

6,008,848 8,681,013 14,689,861

NHLBI Clinical Proteomics Program 14,945,281 1,697,669 16,642,950

Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) 18,676,892 1,276,603 19,953,495

Partnership Programs To Reduce Cardiovascular Health Disparities 28,259,603 7,021,298 35,280,901

Pediatric Heart Network 36,186,196 12,254,539 48,440,735

Pharmacogenetics Research Network 57,295,500 5,592,456 62,887,956

Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight Reduction (POWER) Trials 6,281,092 3,656,172 9,937,264

Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) 6,779,823 662,200 7,442,023

Programs in Gene Environmental Interactions (PROGENI) 48,172,690 1,773,599 49,946,289

Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology 28,546,460 10,975,656 39,522,116

Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics Study (SANDS) 11,276,341 217,817 11,494,158

Strong Heart Study 64,156,449 5,675,383 69,831,832

Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) 34,442,239 3,638,832 38,081,071

Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM) 17,318,900 145,082 17,463,982

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 714,849,511 103,135,537 817,985,048

Lung Diseases

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN), Phase II 42,028,773 872,328 42,901,101

Centers for Reducing Asthma Disparities 27,350,819 145,000 27,495,819

Childhood Asthma Management Program–Continuation Study 

(CAMP-CS)/Phase III

2,077,278 1,965,954 4,043,232

Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) Network 48,753,133 4,887,330 53,640,463

COPD Clinical Research Network 36,630,386 3,400,000 40,030,386

Early Antipseudomonal Therapy in Cystic Fibrosis 4,068,898 836,733 4,905,631

Genetic Epidemiology of COPD 6,113,536 8,120,487 14,234,023

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network 18,051,677 7,154,215 25,205,892
82

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

Total FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Lung Diseases (continued)

Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in Cystic Fibrosis (ISIS) — 732,476 732,476

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma Treatment 20,685,719 3,127,710 23,813,429

Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis-III 

(PIOPED III)

8,161,984 3,265,909 11,427,893

Randomized Controlled Study of Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood 

Sleep Apnea

4,654,831 1,345,909 6,000,740

Sedation Management in Pediatric Patients With Acute Respiratory 

Failure

— 567,715 567,715

Study of Acid Reflux Therapy for Children With Asthma 1,620,787 841,425 2,462,212

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 220,197,821 37,263,191 257,461,012

Blood Diseases and Resources

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Research Network 43,195,601 6,951,519 50,147,120

Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients Requiring Temporary Interruption 

of Warfarin Therapy for an Elective Invasive Procedure or Surgery 

(BRIDGE) Trial

— 4,632,060 4,632,060

Pharmacomechanical Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for Acute 

DVT–ATTRACT Trial

— 2,070,898 2,070,898

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network 11,259,232 7,172,797 18,432,029

Stroke With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea (SWITCH) 10,808,766 3,828,227 14,636,993

Thalassemia (Cooley’s Anemia) Clinical Research Network 19,405,539 2,600,482 22,006,021

Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical Research Network 37,535,254 6,373,860 43,909,114

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources 122,204,392 33,629,843 155,834,235

Total, NHLBI Cooperative Agreements $1,057,251,724 $174,028,571 $1,231,280,295 
83

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Heart and Vascular Diseases Program

AIM HIGH: Niacin Plus Statin To Prevent 

Vascular Events, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this multicenter clinical trial is to 

determine whether extended-release niacin plus simvastatin is superior to simvastatin alone for preventing or delaying a major CVD event in patients with 

atherogenic dyslipidemia. Niacin is used to raise HDL 

(“good”) cholesterol and simvastatin is used to lower 

LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Twenty-seven percent of the 

population will be from minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,380,228

Fiscal Years 2005–2007— $13,005,383

Total Funding to Date—$14,385,611

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-081616

2. AXIO Research, LLC 

Seattle, Washington —HL-081649

Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization 

Investigation in Type 2 Diabetics (BARI 2D), 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2000

The purpose of this trial is to compare alternative 

treatment strategies for managing patients with type 2 

diabetes with angiographically proven coronary artery 

disease and stable angina or ischemia. Revascularization combined with aggressive medical anti-ischemia 

treatment is being compared to aggressive medical antiischemia treatment alone; simultaneously, researchers 

seek to determine whether insulin-sensitizing drugs such 

as metformin and the glitazones for controlling blood 

sugar level offer any survival advantage over drugs 

that increase insulin level. Thirty-three percent of the 

patients are from minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,955,667

Fiscal Years 2000–2007—$55,096,975

Total Funding to Date—$57,052,642

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-061744

2. St. Louis University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-061746

3. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —HL-061748

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS) Events 

Follow-Up Study, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this project is to continue follow-up 

of the CHS cohort for cardiovascular events in order to 

enhance power among subgroups to study associations 

of CVD risk factors and incidence and prognosis following CVD events in older adults. The additional events 

will permit greater opportunity to address the study aims 

by CHS investigators and other researchers interested in 

making use of the study’s extensive database and specimens. Seventeen percent of the participants are from 

minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,353,530

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$3,208,255

Total Funding to Date—$4,561,785

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-080295

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal 

Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL), Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this trial is to determine whether 

revascularization of a stenotic renal artery plus medical 

therapy is associated with improved clinical outcomes 

compared with medical therapy alone. Twenty-three 

percent of the participants will be from minority 

populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,269,101

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$18,144,173

Total Funding to Date—$21,413,274
84

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Toledo Health 

Sciences Campus 

Toledo, Ohio —HL-071556

2. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-072734

3. University of Virginia 

Charlottesville, Virginia —HL-072735

4. Mid-America Heart Institute of 

St. Luke Hospital 

Kansas City, Missouri —HL-072736

5. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-072737

Claudication Exercise vs. Edoluminal 

Revascularization, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that 

a strategy of aortoiliac stenting and pharmacotherapy 

improves maximum walking duration better than a 

strategy of supervised rehabilitation, exercise, and pharmacotherapy for those with aortoiliac artery obstruction 

at 6 months. Other objectives are to compare the two 

treatment groups with a third group, usual care and pharmacotherapy, at 6 months, and to compare maximum 

walking duration change scores at 18 months, changes 

in free living daily activity levels, and patient-perceived 

quality of life among all three groups.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$0

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$4,745,409

Total Funding to Date—$4,745,409

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Rhode Island Hospital 

Providence, Rhode Island —HL-077221

2. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-081656

Clinical Research Consortium To Improve 

Resuscitation Outcomes, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2004 

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Community-Responsive Intervention To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Risk in American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Design and Analysis of Genome-Wide 

Association Studies, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this program is to develop and test 

innovative, informative, and cost-effective study designs 

and analytical strategies to perform genome-wide association studies on complex diseases. Strategies and 

tools developed through the program will be made available to the scientific community.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,759,053

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$3,538,913 

Total Funding to Date—$5,297,966

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-084689

2. Cornell University Ithaca 

Ithaca, New York —HL-084706

3. University of Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-084715

4. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-084729

5. University of Maryland, Baltimore 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-084756

6. Translational Genomics Research 

Institute 

Phoenix, Arizona —HL-086528

Dynamic Evaluation of Percutaneous Coronary 

Intervention, Initiated in Fiscal Year 1997

This program, which complements prior NHLBI 

percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty 

(PTCA) registries and the New Approaches to Coronary 

Intervention Registry, is evaluating patterns of device 

usage, as well as immediate and follow-up outcomes in 

patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary 

revascularization. Results will provide guidance to the 

cardiology community in selecting appropriate therapies 

and in designing clinical trials to evaluate competing 

devices.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$748,083

Fiscal Years 1997–2007—$6,180,419

Total Funding to Date—$6,928,502
85

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-033292

Family Blood Pressure Program, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 1995

The objectives of this program are to identify major 

genes associated with high blood pressure and to investigate the interactions between genetic and environmental 

determinants of hypertension in defined populations, 

many of which consist of specific minority groups. The 

study consists of collaborative networks that share technology, data, skills, biological materials, and population 

resources.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$661,448

Fiscal Years 1995–2007—$96,943,741

Total Funding to Date—$97,605,189

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Utah 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HL-054471

2. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-054473

3. University of Texas 

Health Science Center 

Houston, Texas —HL-054481

4. Pacific Health Research Institute

Honolulu, Hawaii —HL-054498

5. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-054512

Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska 

Natives (GOCADAN), Initiated in Fiscal Year 

2000

The purpose of this study is to document CVD and 

CVD risk factors in approximately 40 extended families (1,214 members from villages in Northern Alaska). 

Scientists seek to identify and characterize genes that 

contribute to CVD in this unique and understudied 

population.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$2,057,625

Fiscal Years 2000–2007—$13,867,724

Total Funding to Date—$15,925,349

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. MedStar Research Institute 

Hyattsville, Maryland —HL-064244

2. Norton Sound Health Corporation 

Nome, Alaska —HL-082458

3. Southwest Foundation for 

Biomedical Research 

San Antonio, Texas —HL-082490

Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating 

Outcomes of Exercise (HF-ACTION), Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2002

The purpose of this trial is to determine the longterm safety and effectiveness of exercise training for 

patients with heart failure. Patients receiving the exercise regimen also will receive standard care and will be 

compared with patients receiving standard care alone. 

Thirty-eight percent of the participants are from minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$652,481

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$36,964,599

Total Funding to Date—$37,617,080

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-063747

Heart Failure Clinical Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

IMMEDIATE Trial: Immediate Myocardial 

Metabolic Enhancement During Initial 

Assessment and Treatment in Emergency Care, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this program is to study the effects 

of early administration of glucose, insulin, and potassium (GIK) in reducing mortality in patients from acute 

coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients experiencing an 

ACS (including AMI and unstable angina pectoris) will 

be treated with GIK as soon as possible in prehospital 

emergency medical service settings or immediately upon 

arrival for those presenting to emergency departments.
86

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$0

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$25,650,639

Total Funding to Date—$25,650,639

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Tufts Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-077821

2. State University of New York 

Stony Brook, New York —HL-077822

3. Tufts Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-077823

4. Tufts Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-077826

Improved Measures of Diet and Physical Activity 

for the Genes and Environment Initiative, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this program is to support the development of technology to make precise, quantitative 

measurements of personal exposure to environmental 

chemical or biological agents, diet, physical activity, and 

psychosocial stress. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$2,218,516

Fiscal Year 2007—$2,632,681

Total Funding to Date—$4,851,197

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-091736

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Cambridge, Massachusetts —HL-091737

3. Princeton Multimedia Technologies 

Corporation 

Princeton, New Jersey —HL-091738

Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical 

Investigation in Cardiovascular Medicine, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

NHLBI Clinical Proteomics Program, Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this program is to promote systematic, 

comprehensive, large-scale validation of existing and 

new candidate protein markers that are appropriate for 

routine use in the diagnosis and management of heart, 

lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders. The 

Program will facilitate validation of protein panels that 

may be used to predict disease susceptibility or to assist 

in differential diagnosis, disease staging, selection of 

individualized therapies, or monitoring of treatment 

responses. It will also establish a high-quality education 

and skills development program to ensure that scientists 

develop the expertise needed to address the complex, 

multifaceted challenges in clinical proteomics. 

Obligations 

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,697,669

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$14,945,281

Total Funding to Date—$16,642,950

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, Minnesota —HL-081331

2. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —HL-081332

3. University of Colorado 

Denver, Colorado —HL-081335

4. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-081341

Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 1999

The purpose of this study is to determine whether 

percutaneous revascularization to open an occluded 

artery within a few days or as long as a month following an acute MI in asymptomatic patients improves 

their outcome. Although the benefits of early restoration 

of blood flow following an acute MI have been wellestablished, it is not known whether later intervention is 

also beneficial. The trial is in its follow-up phase.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,276,603

Fiscal Years 1999–2007—$18,676,892

Total Funding to Date—$19,953,495

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. New York University 

School of Medicine 

New York, New York —HL-062509

2. Maryland Medical Research 

Institute, Inc 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-062511
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Partnership Programs To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Health Disparities, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2004

The objectives of this study are to improve the provider and patient approaches to treatment of hypertension and diabetes, modify physician-related barriers to 

minority enrollment in clinical trials, improve patient 

adherence to treatment plans, and build sustainable 

research programs at minority-serving institutions.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,021,298

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$28,259,603

Total Funding to Date—$35,280,901

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Bon Secours Hospital Baltimore, Inc. 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-079150

2. University of Maryland 

Baltimore Professional School 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-079151

3. Queen’s Medical Center 

Honolulu, Hawaii —HL-079152

4. Cooper Green Hospital 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-079153

5. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-079156

6. Denver Health and Hospital Authority 

Denver, Colorado —HL-079160

7. University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Honolulu, Hawaii —HL-079163

8. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-079171

9. University of Colorado 

Health Sciences Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-079208

10. Morehouse School of Medicine 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-079214

11. Jackson Hinds Comprehensive 

Health Center 

Jackson, Mississippi —HL-079378

12. University of Mississippi 

Medical Center 

Jackson, Mississippi —HL-079458

Pediatric Heart Network, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2006

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Pharmacogenetics Research Network, Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2001

The purpose of this study is to establish a network to 

systematically evaluate candidate genes that may influence pharmacologic response to drug treatments for 

arrhythmia, heart failure, hypertension, and lipid disorders. Investigators seek to identify gene polymorphisms 

capable of predicting drug toxicity and efficacy. One of 

the projects has 38 percent minority participation.

Obligations 

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,592,456

Fiscal Years 2001–2007—$57,295,500

Total Funding to Date—$62,887,956

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —HL-065962

2. Children’s Hospital and Research Center 

Oakland, California —HL-069757

3. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —GM-061374

Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight 

Reduction (POWER) Trials,*

 Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2006 

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary 

Strategies (POUNDS LOST), Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2003

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of 

four diets low in saturated fat and differing in macronutrient composition on weight loss and its maintenance 

in 800 overweight or obese adults. The diet consists of 

moderate fat (40 percent energy) or low fat (20 percent 

energy) with two different protein levels (15 and 25 

percent). Seventeen percent of the participants are from 

minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$662,200

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$6,779,823

Total Funding to Date—$7,442,023

* Formerly known as Weight-Loss in Obese Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
88

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Harvard School of Public Health 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-073286

Programs in Gene Environmental Interactions 

(PROGENI),*

 Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

The purpose of this study is to identify novel genes 

that interact with specific environmental exposures to 

modify risk factors for heart, lung, and blood diseases 

and sleep disorders. The genetic aspects of response 

to environmental change and related biological mechanisms will be studied using short-term, focused interventions in black families. Subgroups will be identified 

based on genotypes that are most likely to benefit from 

targeted environmental changes designed to reduce the 

development or progression of heart, lung, and blood 

diseases or sleep disorders. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,773,599

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$48,172,690

Total Funding to Date—$49,946,289

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Tulane University 

New Orleans, Louisiana —HL-072507

2. University of Maryland 

Baltimore Professional School 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-072515

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-072518

4. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-072524

Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this program is to establish multidisciplinary teams to develop nanotechnology and biomolecular engineering tools and methodologies to detect and 

analyze atherosclerotic plaque formation. The program 

presents an unique opportunity for research collaboration and skills training by bring bioengineering and 

nanotechnology solutions into medicine and vice versa. 

Obligations 

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$10,975,656

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$28,546,460

Total Funding to Date—$39,522,116

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-080711

2. Burnham Institute for Medical Research 

La Jolla, California —HL-080718

3. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-080729

4. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-080731

Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics Study 

(SANDS), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

This study will address the high incidence of CVD in 

American Indians who have a high prevalence of diabetes, but relatively low levels of LDL cholesterol and 

blood pressure. It will compare aggressive lowering of 

LDL cholesterol and blood pressure to the usual care 

standard.

After 3 years of therapy, aggressive reduction of 

SBP and LDL-C resulted in regression of carotid artery 

intimal medial thickness (CIMT), whereas progression 

of CIMT was seen in the standard treatment group. In 

addition, a greater reduction of left ventricular mass was 

observed in the aggressively treated group. Further followup is planned to determine whether these improvements in subclinical cardiovascular endpoints will result 

in lower long-term cardiovascular event rates and favorable benefit-risk ratios. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$217,817

Fiscal Years 2002–2007— $11,276,341

Total Funding to Date—$11,494,158

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. MedStar Research Institute 

Hyattsville, Maryland —HL-067031

* Formerly known as Interaction of Gene and Environment in Shaping Risk Factors for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorders.
89

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Strong Heart Study, Initiated in Fiscal Year 1988

The objectives of this study are to survey CVD morbidity and mortality rates among three geographically 

diverse groups of American Indians and to estimate 

their levels of CVD risk factors. Phases II and III of the 

cohort study extended surveillance of community mortality and assessed development of CVD and changes 

in CVD risk factors. In Phase III, investigators added a 

substudy of asthma and a pilot family study. Phase IV 

expanded the family study to 120 families comprising 

3,600 members to investigate genetic and environmental 

contributors of CVD. Phase V will examine the family 

study cohort to assess genetic relationships to risk factor 

change over a 5-year period.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,675,383

Fiscal Years 1988–2007—$64,156,449

Total Funding to Date—$69,831,832

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. MedStar Research Institute 

Hyattsville, Maryland —HL-041642

2. Missouri Breaks Research, Inc. 

Timberlake, South Dakota —HL-041652

3. University of Oklahoma 

Health Sciences Center 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma —HL-041654

4. Southwest Foundation for 

Biomedical Research 

San Antonio, Texas —HL-065520

5. Weill Medical College of 

Cornell University 

New York, New York —HL-065521

Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure 

(STICH), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine 

whether CABG plus intensive medical therapy improves 

long-term survival of patients with heart failure and 

left ventricular (LV) dysfunction who have coronary 

artery disease amenable to surgical revascularization, 

compared to medical therapy alone; and to determine 

whether CABG plus surgical ventricular restoration to 

a more normal LV size improves survival free of subsequent hospitalizations of patients with anterior LV dysfunction, compared to CABG alone.

Obligations:

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,638,832

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$34,442,239

Total Funding to Date—$38,081,071

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Thomas Jefferson University 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-069009

2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, Minnesota —HL-069010

3. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-069011

4. Northwestern University 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-069012

5. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-069013

6. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-069015

7. University of Southern California 

Los Angeles, California —HL-072683

Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM), Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2003

The purpose of this multicenter trial is to evaluate 

the effectiveness of two strategies to maintain weight 

loss for 21⁄2 years in approximately 800 overweight or 

obese adults. Individuals who are taking medication for 

hypertension of dyslipidemia or who are diabetic enter 

a 6-month weight program. Those who lose at least 9 

pounds are randomized into one of three groups: one 

that provides monthly personal contacts with a trained 

interventionist, primarily by telephone; one that provides 

frequent contacts through an interactive Web-based program; or usual care. Forty percent of the participants 

will be black.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$145,082

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$17,318,900

Total Funding to Date—$17,463,982

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute 

Oakland, California —HL-068676
90

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Lung Diseases Program

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN) 

Phase II, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2003

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Centers for Reducing Asthma Disparities, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

The purpose of this study is to establish cooperative 

centers of research to reduce asthma disparities between 

whites and minorities and economically disadvantaged 

populations. The mission of the centers, comprising 

partnerships between minority-servicing medical institutions and research-intensive institutions, is to promote 

interdisciplinary investigation of factors that contribute 

to disparities in asthma, accelerate development and 

evaluation of strategies to promote effective asthma 

management among minority and economically disadvantaged populations, encourage training and career 

development for minority clinical research investigators, and improve the effectiveness of NHLBI-supported 

research-intensive institutions in developing and sustaining culturally appropriate research and demonstration 

activities on reducing disparities.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$145,000

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$27,350,819

Total Funding to Date—$27,495,819

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Rhode Island Hospital 

Providence, Rhode Island —HL-072438

2. Hektoen Institute for Medical Research 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-072496

Childhood Asthma Management Program–

Continuation Study (CAMP–CS)/Phase III, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The objective of this observational study is to follow 

the original CAMP cohort for 4 more years (through 

ages 21–29) to determine clinical and genetic risk factors for patterns of lung function decline indicative of 

chronic air flow obstruction in later adulthood; 31 percent of the participants are from minority groups.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,965,954

Fiscal Year 2007—$2,077,278

Total Funding to Date—$4,043,232

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-075232

2. Hospital for Sick Children 

Toronto, Ontario —HL-075407

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-075408

4. Asthma, Inc. 

Seattle, Washington —HL-075409

5. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HL-075415

6. National Jewish Medical 

and Research Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-075416

7. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-075417

8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-075419

9. University of New Mexico 

Albuquerque, New Mexico —HL-075420

Childhood Asthma Research and Education 

(CARE) Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 1999

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

COPD Clinical Research Network, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2003

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Early Antipseudomonal Therapy in Cystic 

Fibrosis, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this study is to determine a safe, 

effective, and systematic approach for treating young 

children (ages 1 to 12 years) with CF who are found to 

be infected with Pseudomonas aemginosa (Pa). The 

goal is to intervene with antipseudomonal therapy at the 

first isolation of Pa to delay or prevent chronic infections that lead to irreversible lung destruction. 
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$836,733

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$4,068,898

Total Funding to Date—$4,905,631

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Children’s Hospital 

and Regional Medical Center 

Seattle, Washington —HL-080310

Genetic Epidemiology of COPD, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this study is to perform a genomewide association analysis to identify the genetic risk 

factors that determine susceptibility for COPD and 

COPD-related phenotypes in a large biracial population.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$8,120,487

Fiscal Year 2007—$6,113,536

Total Funding to Date—$14,234,023

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-089856

2. National Jewish Medical and 

Research Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-089897

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research 

Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in Cystic Fibrosis 

(ISIS), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2008 

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to 

assess the efficacy and safety of 7 percent hypertonic 

saline (HS) inhaled twice daily for 48 weeks among 

infants with CF 4 to 15 months of age at enrollment. 

In short-term studies, HS has been shown to improve 

mucociliary clearance and in long-term studies, to 

improve lung function, decrease the rate of pulmonary 

exacerbations, and improve quality of life in patients 

with CF over 6 years of age. The ISIS will examine 

infants at enrollment and weeks 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48. 

Subjects will undergo lung function testing at enrollment and 24 and 48 weeks. The primary endpoint is the 

change in the functional residual capacity, a measure 

of hyperinflation, from baseline to end of treatment. 

Additional lung function measures will also be assessed.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$732,476

Total Funding to Date—$732,476

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Children’s Hospital and Regional 

Medical Center 

Seattle, Washington —HL-092931

2. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-092932

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma Treatment, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2000

The objective of this project is to bring together 

research experts in asthma, epidemiology, statistics, 

bioinformatics, physiology, clinical trials, genetics, and 

genomics to focus on the pharmacogenetics of asthma 

treatment.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,127,710

Fiscal Years 2000–2007— $20,685,719

Total Funding to Date—$23,813,429

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-065899

Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary 

Embolism Diagnosis III (PIOPED III), Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic 

resonance angiography of the pulmonary arteries in 

combination with magnetic resonance venography of 

the lower extremities for the detection of acute venous 

thromboembolic disease.

Obligations 

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,265,909

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$8,161,984

Total Funding to Date—$11,427,893
92

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-077149

2. University of Michigan 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-077150

3. University of Calgary 

Calgary, Alberta —HL-077151

4. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-077153

5. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-077154

6. George Washington University 

Washington, DC —HL-077155

7. St. Joseph Mercy-Oakland 

Pontiac, Michigan —HL-077358

8. New York University 

New York, New York —HL-081593

9. St. Joseph Mercy-Oakland 

Pontiac, Michigan —HL-081594

Randomized Controlled Study of 

Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood Sleep Apnea, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this randomized controlled study is 

to compare adenotonsillectomy and watchful waiting 

followed by re-evaluation after 7 months for treatment 

of OSA in children aged 5 to 9 years; 50 percent of the 

participants will be black.

Obligations 

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,345,909

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$4,654,831

Total Funding to Date—$6,000,740

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-083075

2. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-083129

Sedation Management in Pediatric Patients With 

Acute Respiratory Failure, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2008

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to test 

an innovative approach to sedation management in a 

pediatric population; 40 percent of the participants will 

be from minority populations. The approach involves 

team education and consensus on the use of sedatives 

in patients support on mechanical ventilation; team 

identification of the patient’s trajectory of illness and 

daily prescription of a sedation goal; nurse-implemented 

goal-directed comfort algorithm that guides moment-tomoment titration of opioids and benzodiazepines; and 

team feedback on sedation management performance.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$567,715

Total Funding to Date—$567,715

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-086622

2. Children’s Hospital Boston 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-086649

Study of Acid Reflux Therapy for Children With 

Asthma, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical 

trial is to investigate whether an approved proton-pump 

inhibitor lansoprazole will reduce asthma exacerbations 

in children with poorly controlled asthma, ages 6–16 

years. Thirty percent of the participants will be from 

minority populations.

Obligations 

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$841,425

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$1,620,787

Total Funding to Date—$2,462,212

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-080433

2. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-080450

Blood Diseases and Resources

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Research 

Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2001

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.
93

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients Requiring 

Temporary Interruption of Warfarin Therapy 

for an Elective Invasive Procedure or Surgery 

(BRIDGE) Trial, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2008

The purpose of this trial is to determine in patients 

with atrial fibrillation who are on chronic warfarin 

therapy whether the current practice of providing low 

molecular weight heparin as a “bridge” before and after 

elective surgery (time when warfarin is suspended) is 

efficacious. A randomized clinical trial of 3,282 patients 

with atrial fibrillation will receive either therapeutic 

dose of low molecular weight heparin or a matching placebo before and after surgery (1,641 patients per arm); 

32 percent of the participants are expected to come from 

minority populations. Primary efficacy outcome is arterial thromboembolism (stroke, transient ischemic attack, 

or systemic embolism), and primary safety outcome is 

major bleeding (symptomatic, clinically overt, or fatal). 

Researchers seek to demonstrate that “no bridging” has 

a risk for arterial thromboembolism equal to a bridging 

strategy.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$4,632,060

Total Funding to Date—$4,632,060

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-86755

2. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-87229

Pharmacomechanical Catheter-Directed 

Thrombolysis for Acute DVT–ATTRACT Trial, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2008

The purpose of the ATTRACT (Acute Venous 

Thrombosis: Thrombus Removal With Adjunct 

Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis) Trial is to determine 

whether pharmacomechanical catheter-directed throm -

bolysis (i.e., thrombus removal) can prevent postthrombotic syndrome, a common complication in 

patients with deep vein thrombosis; 25 percent of the 

participants are expected to come from minority populations. Although the procedure, which is costly and 

potentially risky, has been demonstrated to be effective 

in a small selected sample population, it is not known 

whether it should be routinely used as the first-line 

treatment of acute proximal deep vein thrombosis. 

Research findings will greatly improve clinical practice 

and decrease morbidity in patients with acute deep vein 

thrombosis, a cornmon blood disorder.

Obligations

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$2,070,898

Total Funding to Date—$2,070,898

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. McMaster University 

Hamilton, Ontario —HL-088118

2. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-088476

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials. 

Stroke With Transfusions Changing to 

Hydroxyurea (SWITCH), Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2005

The purpose of this Phase III clinical trial is to compare standard therapy (transfusions and chelation) with 

alternative therapy (hydroxyurea and phlebotomy) for 

the prevention of secondary stroke and management 

of iron overload in children with sickle cell anemia. 

Additional objectives include comparisons of growth 

and development, frequency of nonstroke neurological 

and other sickle-related events, and quality of life. The 

patient population will be black.

Obligations 

Funding History: 

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,828,227

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$10,808,766 

Total Funding to Date—$14,636,993

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 

Memphis, Tennessee —HL-078787

2. Rho Federal Systems Division, Inc. 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HL-078987 

Thalassemia (Cooley’s Anemia) Clinical 

Research Network

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.

Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical 

Research Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

See Chapter 11. Clinical Trials.
94

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 9. Research Grants

NHLBI Research Centers (P50) Programs

Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (P50) and Centers of Excellence in Translational 

Human Stem Cell Research (P50) Programs

The NHLBI initiated the Specialized Centers of Research (SCOR) program in 1971 to encourage translational 

research—converting basic science findings to the clinic—in high priority areas. The SCOR concept emphasized 

multidisciplinary research (i.e., basic science and clinical investigations) on diseases relevant to the Institute’s mission. In 2002, the NHLBI revised the SCOR program—primarily on recommendation from the NHLBAC—to place 

more emphasis on clinical research projects. The SCCOR program still requires clinical and basic scientists to work 

together on a unified theme, but now requires at least 50 percent of the projects to be clinical. The SCOR program 

ended in 2008.

The Centers of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research program was initiated in 2005 to accelerate 

the translation of basic scientific discoveries in human stem cell biology to new treatments for patients. Listed below 

is the funding history for the individual SCCORs and Centers of Excellence supported by the Institute.

Obligations (Dollars in Thousands)

Area of Concentration

Period of 

Operation

Prior to 

FY 2008 FY 2008

Total 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases Program

Cardiac Dysfunction and Disease (SCCOR) 2005– $ 50,097 $15,352 $ 65,449

Pediatric Heart Development and Disease (SCCOR) 2004– 51,830 12,047 63,877

Vascular Injury, Repair, and Remodeling (SCCOR) 2006– 30,248 14,426 44,674

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases Program 132,175 41,825 174,000

Lung Diseases Program

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (SCCOR) 2007– 11,276 10,960 22,236

Host Factors in Chronic Lung Diseases (SCCOR) 2006– 15,807 8,058 23,865

Pulmonary Vascular Disease (SCCOR) 2007– 6,379 6,353 12,732

Subtotal, Lung Diseases Program 216,540 25,371 241,911

Blood Diseases and Resources Program

Hemostatic and Thrombotic Diseases (SCCOR) 2006– 16,065 8,076 24,141

Transfusion Biology and Medicine (SCCOR) 2005– 13,284 4,534 17,818

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources Program 29,349 12,610 41,959

Total, Specialized Centers of Research (P50) 378,064 79,806 457,870

Centers of Excellence in Translational Human Stem 

Cell Research

2005– 5,537 1,383 6,920

Subtotal, Centers of Excellence in Translational Human 

Stem Cell Research

5,537 1,383 6,920

Total, (P50) $383,601 $81,189 $464,790 
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Chapter 9. Research Grants

Heart and Vascular Diseases Program

Cardiac Dysfunction and Disease

The purpose of this SCCOR is to foster multidisciplinary research on clinically relevant questions related 

to dysfunction and disease of the myocardium. The 

program will enable rapid application of basic science 

findings to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of 

cardiac disorders, including ischemic and other cardiomyopathies, left ventricular dysfunction, metabolic 

abnormalities, heart failure, and rhythm disturbances. 

Because some segments of the population disproportionately suffer from heart disease, research that addresses 

issues of health disparity will be emphasized.

Obligations 

Fiscal Year 2008—$15,352,102

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Columbia University 

Health Science Center 

New York, New York —HL-077096

2. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-077100

3. University of Cincinnati 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HL-077101

4. Cleveland Clinical Lerner College 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-077107

5. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-077113

Pediatric Heart Development and Disease 

The purpose of this SCCOR is to foster multidisciplinary collaborations so that basic research advances 

can be translated rapidly to clinical care for children 

with heart disease. Research focus ranges from the 

genetic basis of heart valve disease to clinical trials 

of novel surgical strategies for congenital heart disease repair and immune modulation in pediatric heart 

transplantation. Two of the centers will have Clinical 

Research Skills Development Cores to train fellows and 

junior faculty in clinical research methods.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$12,046,658

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HL-074728

2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-074731

3. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-074732

4. Children’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-074734

Vascular Injury, Repair, and Remodeling

The purpose of this SCCOR is to foster multidisciplinary, clinically relevant research on vascular injury, 

repair, and remodeling. The program emphasizes development and translation of basic discoveries to understand the mechanisms of vascular disease; improved 

detection, characterization, staging, and management 

of vascular disease through use of cutting-edge methodologies, such as nanotechnology, molecular imaging, 

genomics, proteomics, and quantitative systems analysis; and development of new methods to treat vascular 

diseases such as cell- and gene-based therapies for 

regenerative medicine. 

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$14,426,483

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-083762

2. University of Texas Health 

Science Center 

Houston, Texas —HL-083794

3. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-083799

4. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —HL-083800

5. Boston University Medical Campus 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-083801

6. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-083813

Lung Diseases Program

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The purpose of this SCCOR is to foster multidisciplinary research to accelerate progress in the diagnosis, 

prevention, and treatment of COPD. The program will 

include a broad spectrum of basic and clinical research 

that will encompass animal models of COPD pathogenesis, human proteomic, genetic and genomic investigations, technologically refined disease phenotypes 

classification, and the development of new experimental 

therapeutic interventions. 
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Chapter 9. Research Grants

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$10,959,666

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-084922

2. Weill Medical College 

of Cornell University 

New York, New York —HL-084936

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-084945

4. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-084948

Host Factors in Chronic Lung Diseases 

The purpose of this SCCOR is to identify alterations 

in host responses and lung homeostasis and to determine 

how the dysregulation contributes to development or 

progression of chronic lung diseases. Enhanced understanding of these processes should facilitate identification of new targets for intervention, providing the basis 

for development of new therapeutic options for prevention and treatment of chronic lung diseases.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$8,057,527

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-084917

2. Children’s Hospital 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-084932

3. University of North Carolina 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HL-084934

Pulmonary Vascular Disease

The objective of this SCCOR is to facilitate multidisciplinary research that proposes original hypotheses and 

applies cutting-edge approaches, including genomics 

and proteomics, to clinical issues in pulmonary vascular 

disease. 

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$6,352,758

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Colorado at Denver 

Denver, Colorado —HL-084923

2. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-084946

Blood Diseases and Resources Program

Hemostatic and Thrombotic Disorders

The purpose of this SCCOR is to conduct multidisciplinary research to improve the prevention, diagnosis, 

and treatment of thrombotic and bleeding disorders. The 

program will support rapid translation of basic science 

findings into clinical application.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$8,076,374

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —HL-081009

2. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-081011

3. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-081012

Transfusion Biology and Medicine

The purpose of this SCCOR is to foster new 

approaches for improving the availability, efficacy, 

safety, and quality of blood and blood products for 

therapeutic uses. One of the centers has a large minority 

population.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$4,534,085

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers 

1. Puget Sound Blood Center 

Seattle, Washington —HL-081015

2. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HL-081027
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Chapter 9. Research Grants

Centers of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research (P50) Program 

The purpose of this program is to stimulate multidisciplinary collaboration among basic stem cell biologists, 

researchers, and clinicians with disease-specific expertise; physicians and surgeons skilled in innovative modes of 

cell delivery; and investigators experienced in developing and assessing animal models of human diseases to conduct 

projects such as preclinical studies for cell-based therapy employing human stem cells in animal models. Research 

findings will ultimately lead to innovative approaches for the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease, and will 

accelerate the translation of basic scientific discoveries into new therapies.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,382,673

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. University of California, Davis 

Davis, California —HL-085036

Basic and Translational Research Program (U54)

The NHLBI reconfigured the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers program into a Basic and Translational Research 

Program (BTRP). The Program emphasizes fundamental investigations and their translation into initial studies in 

humans, as well as community translation to promote evidence-based clinical practice. The BTRP continues to support the Sickle Cell Disease Scholars program for the career development of young investigators and the Summer-forSickle Cell-Science program for research training and mentoring of high-school students. These components are part 

of a larger effort by NHLBI to prepare the next generation of scientists to advance the field of SCD research.

Obligation

Fiscal Year 2008—$13,586,635

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Thomas Jefferson University 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-070585

2. RHO Federal Systems Division, Inc. 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HL-070587

3. University of Texas 

Southwestern Medical Center 

Dallas, Texas —HL-070588

4. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 

Memphis, Tennessee —HL-070590

5. Boston Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-070819

6. Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HL-070871

7. Medical College of Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HL-090503

8. Howard University 

Washington, DC —HL-090508

9. Children’s Hospital 

Los Angeles, California —HL-090511

10. University of Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-090513

11. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-090515

12. Virginia Commonwealth University 

Richmond, Virginia —HL-090516

13. University of Miami School of Medicine 

Miami, Florida —HL-090569
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1. Baylor College of Medicine 

Houston, Texas —HL-081007

2. EMMES Corporation 

Rockville, Maryland —HL-081021

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-081028

4. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-081030

Centers for AIDS Research (P30) Program

The NHLBI, along with five other NIH Institutes, contributes to the support of six Centers for AIDS Research that 

were established to provide a multidisciplinary environment that promotes basic, clinical, behavioral, and translational 

research activities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. Almost half of the patient 

population comes from minority groups.

Obligations

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,686,177

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. New York University 

School of Medicine 

New York, New York —AI-027742

2. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —AI-027757

3. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —AI-027763

4. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —AI-027767

5. University of California, Los Angeles 

Los Angeles, California —AI-028697

6. Baylor University 

Houston, Texas —AI-036211

7. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —AI-036214

8. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —AI-036219

9. University of Massachusetts 

Medical School 

Worcester, Massachusetts —AI-042845

10. Miriam Hospital 

Providence, Rhode Island —AI-042853

11. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —AI-045008

12. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —AI-050409

13. University of North Carolina 

at Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —AI-050410

14. Yeshiva University 

New York, New York —AI-051519

15. University of Colorado 

Health Sciences Center 

Denver, Colorado —AI-054907

16. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —AI-054999

17. Harvard Medical School 

Boston, Massachusetts —AI-060354

18. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —AI-064518

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapies for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases (U54) Program 

The Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapies Program, which includes a Data and Coordinating Center, was 

initiated in FY 2005 to support preclinical and clinical studies for cell-based therapy for heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders. A key feature of the program is the ability to conduct preclinical studies in the first year or 

two of the program, in order to meet the requirements for an Investigational New Drug application prior to initiating 

clinical studies. Clinical studies are expected to be initiated by the beginning of the third year.

Obligations 

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,337,366
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Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

NHLBI Total Research and Development Contract Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart $ 77,886 $156,370 $156,415 $184,491 $214,971 $258,647 $245,881 $219,796 $213,320 $260,205 $296,445

Lung 13,123 25,432 23,341 10,993 16,578 11,745 14,131 20,946 25,902 15,191 20,249

Blood 25,695 15,436 21,538 24,572 26,751 20,082 25,460 27,831 23,629 20,446 22,093

Total $116,704A $197,238B $201,294C $220,056D $258,300E $290,474F $285,472G $268,573H $262,851I $295,842J $338,787K

A Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $12,589,000.

B Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $14,904,000.

C Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $17,944,000.

D Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $24,579,000.

E Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $35,827,000.

F Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $54,550,000.

G Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $57,545,722.

H Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $64,399,000.

I Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $67,795,000.

J Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $68,405,000.

K Includes Program Evaluation and IMPAC II Assessments of $77,487,000.

Note: From 1999 to 2006 the WHI was reported separately. In this table, it has been incorporated in the “Heart” line.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

 Other R&D

 Contracts

 Major Contract-

 Supported Clinical

 Trials*

10. Research and Development Contracts

Dollars (Millions)

NHLBI Research and Development Contract Obligations:* Fiscal Years 1998–2008

* For detailed data on contract-supported clinical trials, see Chapter 11.
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Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

Major NHLBI Research and Development Contracts by Program

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

Total FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) $135,395,804 $ 7,005,220 $142,401,024 

Candidate Gene Association Resources 16,261,517 1,959,413 18,220,930

Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) 77,171,177 879,849 78,051,026

Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) 82,239,746 6,289,554 88,529,300

DNA Resequencing and Genotyping 24,000,000 1,352,366 25,352,366

Framingham Heart Study 75,999,817 23,134,059 99,133,876

Genetically Triggered Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Other

Cardiovascular Conditions (GENTAC): National Registry 2,951,713 1,856,536 4,808,249

Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS) 24,169,620 15,615,264 39,784,884

Jackson Heart Study (JHS) 28,102,322 4,694,251 32,796,573

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) 68,667,692 7,850,725 76,518,417

NHLBI Gene Therapy Resource Program (GTRP) 5,900,000 5,900,000 11,800,000

Pediatric Circulatory Support 16,837,343 5,357,682 22,195,025

Proteomics Initiative 115,878,890 41,727,195 157,606,085

Randomized Trial of Genotype-Guided Dosing of 

Warfarin Therapy — 2,637,062 2,637,062

Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support 3,747,718 1,314,180 5,061,898

Lung Diseases

Lung Tissue Research Consortium 23,098,806 776,166 23,874,972

Tuberculosis Curriculum Coordinating Center 4,875,000 1,125,000 6,000,000

Blood Diseases and Resources

Maintenance of NHLBI Biological Specimen Repository 9,807,153 3,560,582 13,367,735

Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II (REDS-II) 30,483,895 6,729,971 37,213,866

Sickle Cell Disease Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire 1,471,008 3,701,968 5,172,976

Somatic Cell Therapy Processing Facilities 21,732,735 18,191 21,750,926

Heart and Vascular Diseases Program 

Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 1985

The ARIC is a large, longitudinal study that aims to 

measure associations of CHD risk factors with atherosclerosis by race, gender, and geographic location. It 

focuses on early detection of CVD before symptoms, 

heart attacks, or strokes occur. The project consists of 

two groups: a community surveillance in four communities and a cohort component of 15,792 participants 

from the same communities. Three of the cohort components represent the racial mix of their community, 

whereas the fourth is exclusively black.

In 2006, the study began conducting a community 

surveillance of inpatients (ages ≥55 years) and outpatients (ages ≥65 years) who have heart failure. The 

study will continue through 2009 to determine the 

number of heart failure events occurring during the 

2005–2009 period. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,005,220

Fiscal Years 1985–2007—$135,395,804

Total Funding to Date—$142,401,024
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Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HC-55015

2. Baylor College of Medicine 

Houston, Texas —HC-55016

3. University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HC-55018

4. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HC-55019

5. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HC-55020

6. Mississippi Medical Center 

Jackson, Mississippi —HC-55021

Candidate Gene Association Resources, Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2006

This program establishes a genotyping and bioinformatics center to perform high-throughput genotyping 

for candidate gene association studies in up to 50,000 

participants, and a genome-wide association study in 

about 500 disease cases and 1,000 controls. The data 

will be combined with available phenotype data to form 

a genotype–phenotype resource for public use. DNA 

for the 50,000-person sample will be collected from 

multiple NHLBI cohort studies that have stored samples 

and available data on a wide array of heart, lung, blood, 

and sleep phenotypes. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,959,413

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$16,261,517

Total Funding to Date—$18,220,930

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Cambridge, Massachusetts —HC-65226

Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 1988 

The CHS is a population-based, longitudinal study 

of risk factors for development and progression of CHS 

and stroke in elderly adults, 17 percent of whom are 

from minority populations. Extensive data and samples 

have been collected from nearly 6,000 participants 

since 1989–1990. The current CHS: Transition Phase 

provides partial support for an infrastructure to enable 

continued access to study resources and expertise, scientific collaborations, and mentorship of early-career 

investigators. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$879,849

Fiscal Years 1988–2007—$77,171,177

Total Funding to Date—$78,051,026

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HC-85239

Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young 

Adults (CARDIA), Initiated in Fiscal Year 1984

CARDIA is a long-term study examining the evolution of CVD risk factors in a cohort of black and white 

adults, aged 18 to 30 years in 1985–1986. The study 

examines risk for heart and lung disease and diabetes 

by collecting information on body mass index, physical 

activity and lifestyle, genetics, serologic and metabolic 

components, inflammatory markers, and other subclinical markers of disease. Fifty percent of the participants 

are black.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$6,289,554

Fiscal Years 1984–2007—$82,239,746

Total Funding to Date—$88,529,300

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. New England Medical Center 

Hospitals, Inc. 

Boston, Massachusetts —HC-45204

2. Wake Forest University Health Sciences 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HC-45205

3. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HC-48047

4. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HC-48048

5. Northwestern University 

Chicago, Illinois —HC-48049

6. Kaiser Permanente Division of Research 

Oakland, California —HC-48050

7. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HC-95095
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DNA Resequencing and Genotyping, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this program is to obtain rapid, reliable, and cost-efficient DNA sequencing and genotyping of candidate genomic regions potentially important 

in the disease pathways of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders. This information will assist 

ongoing investigations of genetic components involved 

in the causes, variable outcome, and progression of the 

diseases and disorders.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,352,366

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$24,000,000

Total Funding to Date—$25,352,366

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HV-48194

2. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HV-48195

3. J. Craig Venter Institute, Inc. 

Rockville, Maryland —HV-48196

Framingham Heart Study

The original Framingham Heart Study was designed 

as a longitudinal investigation of constitutional and 

environmental factors influencing the development 

of CVD in individuals free of these conditions at the 

outset. Of the original 5,209 subjects, about 500 members remain alive. In 1971, the Framingham Offspring 

Study was initiated to assess familial and genetic factors 

associated with CHD. More than 5,000 offspring (and 

their spouses) were included. A third-generation cohort 

consisting of approximately 4,000 grandchildren has 

been added to permit examination of numerous hypotheses about the genetic contribution to CVD and CVD 

risk factors. Additional goals include identifying new 

risk factors for cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases 

and developing new imaging tests that can detect very 

early stages of coronary atherosclerosis in otherwise 

healthy adults.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$23,134,059

Fiscal Years 1983–2007—$75,999,817

Total Funding to Date—$99,133,876

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. Boston University Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HC-25195

Genetically Triggered Thoracic Aortic 

Aneurysms and Other Cardiovascular 

Conditions (GENTAC): National Registry, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this program is to establish a national 

registry to enable investigators to determine the best 

medical practices to advance the clinical management 

of genetic thoracic aortic aneurysms and other cardiovascular complications associated with connective tissue diseases such as Marfan Syndrome.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,856,536

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$2,951,713

Total Funding to Date—$4,808,249

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. Research Triangle Institute 

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina —HV-68199

Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS), 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this program is to determine the 

prevalence of and risk factors for cardiovascular and 

lung diseases in Hispanic populations and the role of 

cultural adaptation and disparities in development of 

the diseases. The program is supporting a multicenter, 

6.5-year epidemiology study comprising approximately 16,000 participants (Mexican Americans, 

Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Central/South 

Americans, 4,000 at each of 4 sites), aged 18 to 

74 years.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$15,615,264

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$24,169,620

Total Funding to Date—$39,784,884

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HC-65233

2. University of Miami 

Miami, Florida —HC-65234
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Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

3. Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

New York, New York —HC-65235

4. Northwestern University 

Chicago, Illinois —HC-65236

5. San Diego State University 

San Diego, California —HC-65237

Jackson Heart Study (JHS), Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 1998

The JHS is a single-site, epidemiologic study of CVD 

in blacks, similar to established studies in Framingham, 

Massachusetts, and Honolulu, Hawaii, with primary 

goals of identifying risk factors for development and 

progression of CVD; enhancing retention; building 

research capabilities at minority institutions; developing 

partnerships between minority and majority institutions; 

and expanding minority investigator participation in 

large-scale, epidemiologic studies.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$4,694,251

Fiscal Years 1998–2007—$28,102,322

Total Funding to Date—$32,796,573

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Jackson State University 

Jackson, Mississippi —HC-95170

2. Mississippi Medical Center 

Jackson, Mississippi —HC-95171

3. Tougaloo College 

Tougaloo, Mississippi —HC-95172

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 1999

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence, correlates, and progression of subclinical CVD, 

i.e., disease detected noninvasively before it has produced clinical signs and symptoms, in a population 

that is 38 percent white, 28 percent black, 22 percent 

Hispanic, and 12 percent Asian. In 2007, the fourth 

cohort exam was completed and plans are underway 

for a fifth exam beginning in 2010 to continue periodic 

monitoring of participants to identify recent hospitalizations and other clinical events. Researchers seek to 

increase understanding of the basis for racial/ethnic difference in CVD.

 Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,850,725

Fiscal Years 1999–2007—$68,667,692

Total Funding to Date—$76,518,417

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HC-95159

2. University of California, Los Angeles 

Los Angeles, California —HC-95160

3. Columbia University 

New York, New York —HC-95161

4. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HC-95162

5. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HC-95163

6. Northwestern University 

Chicago, Illinois —HC-95164

7. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HC-95165

8. University of Vermont 

Colchester, Vermont —HC-95166

9. New England Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HC-95167

10. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HC-95168

11. Harbor-UCLA Research and 

Education Institute 

Los Angeles, California —HC-95169

NHLBI Gene Therapy Resource Program 

(GTRP), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this program is to promote the 

translation of basic research into clinical trials. The 

program will support the production of safe and wellcharacterized vectors; conduct extensive toxicology and 

pharmacology studies on animals to determine vector 

dosing, related toxicity, and vector dissemination; and 

provide investigators with regulatory assistance to initiate a clinical trial. The GTRP also will support a maximum of two phase I/II gene transfer clinical trials per 

year that have successfully met all regulatory requirements and are ready to enroll patients within 12 months 

of application approval.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,900,000

Fiscal Year 2007—$5,900,000

Total Funding to Date—$11,800,000
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Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Social and Scientific Systems, Inc.

Silver Spring, Maryland —HV-78200

2. Lovelace Biomedical Research & 

Education Institute 

Albuquerque, New Mexico —HV-78201

3. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HV-78202

4. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HV-78203

5. Indiana University 

Indianapolis, Indiana —HV-78204

Pediatric Circulatory Support, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2004

The purpose of this program is to establish multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative circulatory assist 

devices or other bioengineered systems for infants and 

children with congenital and acquired CVD who experience cardiopulmonary failure and circulatory collapse.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,357,682

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$16,837,343

Total Funding to Date—$22,195,025

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Cleveland Clinic 

Lerner College of Medicine 

Cleveland, Ohio —HV-48188

2. Ension, Inc. 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HV-48189

3. Jarvik Heart, Inc. 

New York, New York —HV-48190

4. Pennsylvania State University 

Hershey, Pennsylvania —HV-48191

5. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HV-48192

Proteomics Initiative, Initiated in Fiscal Year 

2002

The purpose of this program is to establish highly 

interactive, multidisciplinary centers to enhance and 

develop innovative proteomic technologies directed 

to relevant biologic questions associated with heart, 

lung, blood, and sleep health and disease. Scientists 

will focus on the cells’ protein machinery directed 

toward understanding the molecular basis of the causes 

and progression of heart, lung, and blood diseases and 

sleep disorders and identifying targets for therapeutic 

interventions.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$41,727,195

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$115,878,890

Total Funding to Date—$157,606,085

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Boston University 

Boston, Massachusetts —HV-28178

2. Institute for Systems Biology 

Seattle, Washington —HV-28179

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HV-28180

4. Medical University of South Carolina 

Charleston, South Carolina —HV-28181

5. Medical College of Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HV-28182

6. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —HV-28183

7. University of Texas 

Galveston, Texas —HV-28184

8. University of Texas 

Southwestern Medical Center 

Dallas, Texas —HV-28185

9. Yale University 

New Haven, Connecticut —HV-28186

10. Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the 

Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. 

Rockville, Maryland —HV-28187

Randomized Trial of Genotype-Guided Dosing 

of Warfarin Therapy, Initiated in Fiscal Year 

2008

The purpose of this multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial is to compare three approaches to guiding 

warfarin therapy initiation: one based on an algorithm 

using clinical information and the individual’s genotype relative to two genes known to influence warfarin 

metabolism (CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genes); one based 

on an algorithm using only clinical information; and one 

based on a standard, guideline-based initiation strategy. 

The trial will randomize approximately 2,000 participants with any indication for chronic long-term anticoagulation and no previous treatment with warfarin. 
105

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Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

Obligations:

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$2,637,062

Total Funding to Date—$2,637,062

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HV-88210

Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this program is to establish a data 

and clinical coordinating center to manage a registry 

of patients receiving a mechanical circulatory support 

device (MCSD) to treat heart failure. The registry will 

collect and analyze clinical and laboratory data and 

tissue samples from patients who receive MCSDs as 

destination therapy for end-stage heart failure at 60 to 

70 participating hospitals. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,314,180

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$3,747,718

Total Funding to Date—$5,061,898

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. University of Alabama 

Birmingham, Alabama —HV-58198

Lung Diseases Program

Lung Tissue Research Consortium, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this program is to establish a consortium for collecting lung tissues and preparing and distributing them for research. Scientists seek to improve 

management of lung diseases by increasing understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of lung diseases 

through molecular histopathological studies on tissues 

with and without disease. Primary emphases are on 

COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$776,166

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$23,098,806

Total Funding to Date—$23,874,972

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, New York —HR-46158

2. University of Colorado 

Health Science Center 

Denver, Colorado —HR-46159

3. University of Michigan 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HR-46162

Tuberculosis Curriculum Coordinating Center, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2003

The purpose of this program is to establish a consortium of five Tuberculosis Curriculum Centers to 

strengthen and increase access to the best ongoing educational and training opportunities in TB for medical, 

nursing, and allied health schools, especially those 

that provide primary care to communities where TB is 

endemic and the population is at high risk.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,125,000

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$4,875,000

Total Funding to Date—$6,000,000

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HR-36157

Blood Diseases and Resources Program

Maintenance of NHLBI Biological Specimen 

Repository, Initiated in Fiscal Year 1998

The purpose of this project is to establish an NHLBI 

Biological Specimen Repository for blood specimens 

from Institute-supported research. The Repository 

monitors storage, labeling, and testing of the specimens, 

as well as administers safe shipment of precise sample 

aliquots to approved investigators for future studies.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,560,582

Fiscal Years 1998–2007—$9,807,153

Total Funding to Date—$13,367,735

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc. 

Rockville, Maryland —HB-87144
106

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 10. Research and Development Contracts

Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II 

(REDS-II), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of the program is to conduct epidemiologic, laboratory, and survey research on volunteer blood 

donors within the United States to ensure the safety 

and availability of the blood supply. The study seeks to 

assess the prevalence and incidence of existing as well 

as newly discovered infectious agents that pose a threat 

to blood safety; evaluate characteristics and behaviors of 

voluntary blood donors; determine the causes of adverse 

transfusion reactions of unknown etiology; assess new 

and existing blood donor screening methodologies; 

assess the impact of new blood bank technologies on 

blood safety and availability; and evaluate the donation 

process for ways to improve the adequacy of the blood 

supply. 

An international component was added to conduct 

epidemiologic, laboratory, and survey research on blood 

donors in China and Brazil, two countries seriously 

affected by the AIDS epidemic, to ensure the availability 

and safety of blood for transfusion.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$6,729,971

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$30,483,895

Total Funding to Date—$37,213,866

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HB-47168

2. American Red Cross Blood Service, 

New England 

Farmington, Connecticut —HB-47169

3. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HB-47170

4. University of Cincinnati 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HB-47171

5. Institute for Transfusion Medicine 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HB-47172

6. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HB-47174

7. Westat, Inc. 

Rockville, Maryland —HB-47175

8. Blood System Research, Inc. 

San Francisco, California —HB-57181

Sickle Cell Disease Health-Related Quality of 

Life Questionnaire, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this project is to develop a psychometrically sound and clinically useful health-related 

quality-of-life instrument and related materials for use in 

sickle cell clinical trials and outcomes research among 

adults with SCD, and to assist researchers who are early 

users of the instrument and materials.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,701,968

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$1,471,008

Total Funding To Date—$5,172,976

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. American Institutes for Research 

Health Program 

Silver Spring, Maryland —HL-54264

Somatic Cell Therapy Processing Facilities, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2003

This program is designed to develop novel somatic 

cellular therapies in areas ranging from basic science 

through animal studies to proof-of-principle and 

eventually human trials for heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders. The goal is to provide rapid, 

safe translation of basic research ideas into clinical 

practice.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$18,191

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$21,732,735

Total Funding to Date—$21,750,926

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Baylor College of Medicine 

Houston, Texas —HB-37163

2. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HB-37164

3. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HB-37165

4. The EMMES Corporation 

Rockville, Maryland —HB-37166
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Dollars in Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Infant Heart Surgery: Central Nervous 

System Sequelae of Circulatory Arrest

$ 582 $ 584 $ 392 $ 75 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ —

Women’s Health Study (WHS) 1,536 1,530 1,594 — — — — 889 — 868 875

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and the 

Menopause

528 186 — — — — — — — — —

Women’s Antioxidant and Cardiovascular 

Study (WACS)

525 540 556 572 598 592 599 670 — — —

Stress Reduction and Atherosclerotic CVD 

in Blacks

40 326 339 360 376 394 — — — — —

Enalapril After Anthracycline 

Cardiotoxicity

789 — — — — — — — — — —

Estrogen Replacement and Atherosclerosis 

(ERA) Trial* 1,668 1,017 — — — — — — — — —

Shock Trial: Should We Emergently 

Revascularize Occluded Coronaries for 

Cardiogenic Shock?

874 — 440 362 298 291 296 — — — —

HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study 340 — 326 — — — — — — — —

Women’s Estrogen/Progestin Lipid 

Lowering Hormone Atherosclerosis 

Regression Trial (WELL-HART)*

1,269 1,131 — 32 — — — — — — —

Mode Selection Trial in Sinus Node 

Dysfunction (MOST)* 1,700 2,879 1,136 154 — — — — — — —

Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy in 

Unstable Angina

271 276 — — — — — — — — —

Estrogen and Graft Atherosclerosis 

Research Trial (EAGER)* 305 — 361 371 — — — — — — —

Soy Estrogen Alternative Study 

(SEA)

221 — — — — — — — — — —

REMATCH Trial* 1,798 1,333 825 750 — — — — — — —

Dietary Patterns, Sodium Intake, and 

Blood Pressure (DASH Sodium)* ** 3,693 3,646 1,247 151 387 376 395 — — — —

Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure 

Trial (SCD-HeFT)* 1,667 1,709 1,698 1,798 1,412 1,930 — — — — —

CVD Risk and Health in Post-Menopausal 

Phytoestrogen Users

662 574 244 — 304 152 — — — — —

Treatment of Hypertension With Two 

Exercise Intensities

474 473 481 420 — — — — — — —

A clinical trial is defined as a scientific research 

study undertaken with human subjects to evaluate 

prospectively the diagnostic, prophylactic, or therapeutic effect of a drug, device, regimen, or procedure 

used or intended ultimately for use in the practice of 

medicine or the prevention of disease. A clinical trial 

is planned and conducted prospectively and includes 

a concurrent control group or other appropriate comparison group.

* Paid by U01/U10. ** Previously an Institute-Initiated Clinical Trial.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Dollars in Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular Diseases (continued)

Prevention of Recurrent Venous 

Thromboembolism (PREVENT)

1,242 894 521 543 1,272 — — — — — —

PREMIER: Lifestyle Interventions for Blood 

Pressure Control*

2,234 3,425 3,595 2,925 1,505 — — — — — —

Azithromycin and Coronary Events Study 

(ACES)*

847 2,663 2,182 720 1,254 1,137 — — — — —

Antiarrhythmic Effects of N-3 Fatty Acids — 514 542 529 647 — — — — — —

Fatty Acid Antiarrhythmia Trial (FAAT) — 519 605 — — — — — — — —

Occluded Artery Trial (OAT)* — 4,892 5,079 2,604 1,724 1,963 — — 963 1,452 1,277

Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization 

Investigation in Type 2 Diabetics 

(BARI 2D)*

— — 3,942 6,515 9,342 8,189 8,265 8,304 8,592 2,647 1,971

Hematocrit Strategy in Infant Heart Surgery* — — 473 557 596 590 492 — — — —

Angiotensin-II Blockade in Mitral 

Regurgitation

— — — 553 610 629 500 — — — —

Heart Failure Adherence and Retention Trial 

(HART)

— — — 795 1,617 1,453 1,174 862 740 304 —

Reduction of Triglycerides in Women on HRT — — — 708 746 555 544 721 — 625 501

Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation 

(WISE)* **

— — — 1,502 1,506 1,306 1,303 996 — — —

ACE Inhibition and Novel Cardiovascular 

Risk Factors

— — — — 694 656 602 — — — —

Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial 

Investigating Outcomes of Exercise 

(HF-ACTION)*

— — — — 7,471 9,582 7,973 4,483 4,590 2,846 652

Clinical Trial of Dietary Protein on Blood 

Pressure

— — — — 655 610 612 504 500 — —

Home Automatic External Defibrillator Trial 

(HAT)*

— — — — 3,567 5,433 4,264 1,801 2,115 — —

Perioperative Interventional Neuroprotection 

Trial (POINT)

— — — — 553 553 562 572 378 — —

Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics 

Study (SANDS)*

— — — — 2,410 2,165 2,107 2,324 2,074 197 218

Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure 

(STICH)*

— — — — 5,709 4,495 1,613 6,082 5,583 9,396 3,639

Girls Health Enrichment Multisite Studies 

(GEMS)*

— — — — — 2,461 2,400 2,369 1,950 — —

Treatment of Depression Following Bypass 

Surgery

— — — — — 964 1,132 1,181 1,193 885 —

Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM)* — — — — — 3,687 4,368 3,099 4,015 2,151 145

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal 

Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL)*

— — — — — — 4,343 5,610 4,884 3,307 3,269

* Paid by U01/U10. ** Previously an Institute-Initiated Clinical Trial.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Dollars in Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular Diseases (continued)

FREEDOM Trial: Future Revascularization 

Evaluation in Patients With Diabetes 

Mellitus: Optional Management of 

Multivessel Disease

— — — — — — 3,663 4,669 — 5,180 2,818

IMMEDIATE Trial: Immediate Myocardial 

Metabolic Enhancement During Initial 

Assessment and Treatment in Emergency 

Care*

— — — — — — 5,170 9,514 10,966 — —

AIM HIGH: Niacin Plus Statin To Prevent 

Vascular Events* — — — — — — — 663 6,324 6,018 1,380

Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal 

Revascularization (CLEVER)* — — — — — — — 1,368 1,478 1,898 —

Intervention To Control Obesity in College — — — — — — — — 677 633 670

PACEmaker and Beta-Blocker 

Therapy Post-Myocardial Infarction 

(PACE-MI)

— — — — — — — — 1,300 4,555 384

Efficacy of Smoking Quit Line in the Military — — — — — — — — — 739 720

Vest prevention of Early Sudden Death Trial 

(VEST) and PREDiction of ICd Therapies 

Studies (PREDICTS)*

— — — — — — — — — 1,390 1,356

Planned Care for Obesity and Risk Reduction 

(Planned CORR)

— — — — — — — — — — 784

Effects of Niacin on Lp(a), Oxidized LDL, and 

Inflammation on the AIM-High Trial 

— — — — — — — — — — 302

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 23,265 29,111 26,578 22,996 45,253 50,163 52,377 56,681 58,312 45,091 20,961

Lung Diseases

Lung Health Study II* ** 980 — — — — — — — — — —

Lung Health Study III* ** 1,997 1,986 1,616 1,672 927 — — — — — —

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN)* ** 4,934 5,399 5,686 5,705 5,863 — — — — — —

Fetal Tracheal Occlusion for Severe 

Diaphragmatic Hernia* — 419 429 181 — — — — — — —

Scleroderma Lung Study* — 1,040 1,501 1,761 1,501 1,055 — — 71 — —

Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Prevention of 

Chronic Lung Disease* — — 1,959 1,803 1,764 1,442 1,245 — — — —

Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Prevention of Chronic 

Lung Disease* — — 1,548 1,742 1,839 1,604 903 — — — —

Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary 

Embolism Diagnosis II (PIOPED II)* — — 2,190 3,667 3,388 472 — — — — —

Randomized Trial To Reduce ETS in Children 

With Asthma

— — 555 545 468 277 — — — — —

Apnea Positive Pressure Long-Term Efficacy 

Study (APPLES)* — — — — 3,224 3,021 3,110 3,188 — 1,532 —

Childhood Asthma Management ProgramContinuation Study (CAMP-CS)/Phase II* ** — — — — — 1,489 2,043 2,623 2,750 — —

Clinical Trial of Acid Reflux Therapy in Asthma* — — — — — 736 783 791 773 662 —

* Paid by U01/U10. ** Previously an Institute-Initiated Clinical Trial.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Dollars in Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Lung Diseases (continued)

Impact of CPAP on Functional 

Outcomes in Milder Obstructive 

Sleep Apnea (CATNAP)

— — — — — 682 612 608 694 — —

Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older 

Men

— — — — — 4,163 4,262 1,390 1,142 910 —

Supplemental Selenium and Vitamin E 

and Pulmonary Function

— — — — — 698 610 630 605 561 —

Improving Asthma Care in Minority 

Children in Head Start

— — — — — — 721 826 1,004 779 —

Randomized Control Study of 

Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood 

Sleep Apnea

— — — — — — — — 2,255 2,388 1,346

Early Insulin Therapy and 

Development of ARDS

— — — — — — — — — 489 454

Childhood Asthma Management 

Program—Continuation Study 

(CAMP-CS)/Phase III* **

— — — — — — — — — 2,077 1,966

Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in 

Cystic Fibrosis (ISIS)* — — — — — — — — — — 732

Scleroderma Lung Study II — — — — — — — — — — 2,281

Sedation Management in Pediatric 

Patients With Acute Respiratory 

Failure*

— — — — — — — — — — 568

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 7,911 8,844 15,484 17,076 18,974 15,639 14,289 10,056 9,294 9,398 7,347

Blood Diseases and Resources

Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell 

Anemia (STOP)* 2,036 — 293 — — — — — — — —

Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell 

Anemia (STOP 2)* — — 4,200 3,166 3,168 2,320 2,366 — — — —

Induction of Stable Chimerism for 

Sickle Cell Anemia

— — — 489 525 527 551 — — — —

Sibling Donor Cord Blood Banking 

and Transplantation

— — — 1,222 1,224 1,286 1,353 — — — —

FOCUS — — — — — 1,639 1,796 2,923 2,446 1,974 —

Stroke With Transfusions Changing to 

Hydroxyurea (SWITCH)* — — — — — — — 3,345 3,932 3,531 3,828

Randomized Trial of Interventions To 

Improve Warfarin Adherence

— — — — — — — — — — 801

Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients 

Requiring Temporary Interruption 

of Warfarin Therapy for an Elective 

Invasive Procedure or Surgery 

(BRIDGE)*

— — — — — — — — — — 4,632

Pharmacomechanical CatheterDirected Thrombolysis for Acute 

DVT–ATTRACT Trial

— — — — — — — — — — 2,071

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources 2,036 — 4,493 4,877 4,917 5,772 6,066 6,268 6,378 5,505 11,332

Total, NHLBI $33,212 $37,955 $46,555 $44,949 $69,144 $71,574 $72,732 $73,005 $73,984 $59,994 $39,640

* Paid by U01/U10. ** Previously an Institute-Initiated Clinical Trial.
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

NHLBI Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials, Fiscal Year 2008: Summary by Program

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases

AIM HIGH: Niacin Plus Statin to Prevent Vascular Events* $ 13,005,383 $ 1,380,228 $ 14,385,611

Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetes 

(BARI 2D)* 55,796,975 1,970,667 57,767,642

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL)* 18,144,173 3,269,101 21,413,274

Effects of Niacin on Lp(a), Oxidized LDL, and Inflammation in the 

AIM-HIGH Trial

— 301,776 301,776

Efficacy of Smoking Quit Line in the Military 738,869 719,504 1,458,373

FREEDOM Trial: Future Revascularization Evaluation in Patients With 

Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal Management of Multivessel Disease

13,512,766 2,817,871 16,330,637

Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise 

Training (HF-ACTION)* 36,945,998 652,481 37,598,479

Intervention to Control Obesity in College 1,300,228 670,326 1,970,554

Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) 18,676,892 1,276,603 19,953,495

PACEmaker and Beta-Blocker Therapy Post-Myocardial Infarction 

(PACE-MI)*

5,854,590 383,500 6,238,090

Planned Care for Obesity and Risk Reduction (Planned CORR) — 784,317 784,317

Reduction of Triglycerides in Women on HRT 3,900,110 500,999 4,401,109

Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics Study (SANDS)* 11,276,341 217,811 11,494,152

Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH)* 32,878,158 3,638,832 36,516,990

Vest Prevention of Early Sudden Death Trial (VEST) and PREDiction of 

ICd Therapies Studies (PREDICTS)*

1,389,760 1,356,317 2,746,077

Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM)* 17,318,900 145,082 17,463,982

Women's Health Study (WHS) 17,790,540 875,149 18,665,689

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 248,529,683 20,960,564 269,490,247

Lung Diseases

Randomized Controlled Study of Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood Sleep 

Apnea* 4,642,131 1,345,909 5,988,040

Childhood Asthma Management Program III (CAMP III)* 2,077,278 1,965,954 4,043,232

Early Insulin Therapy and Development of ARDS 489,176 454,040 943,216

Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in Cystic Fibrosis (ISIS)* — 732,476 732,476

Scleroderma Lung Study II — 2,280,616 2,280,616

Sedation Management in Pediatric Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure* — 567,715 567,715

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 7,208,585 7,346,710 14,555,295

Blood Diseases and Resources

Pharmacomechanical Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for Acute 

DVT–ATTRACT Trial* — 2,070,898 2,070,898

Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients Requiring Temporary Interruption 

of Warfarin Therapy for an Elective Invasive Procedure or Surgery 

(BRIDGE) Trial

— 4,632,060 4,632,060

Interventions To Improve Warfarin Adherence — 800,516 800,516

Stroke With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea (SWITCH)* 10,808,766 3,828,227 14,636,993

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources 10,808,766 11,331,701 22,140,467

Total, NHLBI $266,547,034 $39,638,975 $306,186,009

* Paid by U01/U10.
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Contracts

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Lipid Research Clinics $ 685 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ —

Antiarrhythmic vs. Implantable 

Defibrillator (AVID)

871 548 — — — — — — — — —

Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering 

Treatment To Prevent Heart Attack 

Trial (ALLHAT)

17,119 — 6,259 7,000 3,980 2,761 3,346 — — — —

Activity Counseling Trial (ACT) 2,439 — — — — — — — — — —

Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin 

Interventions (PEPI)

170 — — — — — — — — — —

Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart 

Disease Patients (ENRICHD)

5,904 3,303 3,487 596 425 70 — — — — —

Atrial Fibrillation Follow-Up: 

Investigation in Rhythm 

Management (AFFIRM)

— 3,785 1,239 2,401 802 — — — — — —

Beta-Blocker Evaluation Survival Trial 

(BEST)

2,448 — — — — — — — — — —

Women’s Angiographic Vitamin and 

Estrogen Trial (WAVE)

1,917 3,878 886 756 — 32 — — — — —

Women’s Ischemia Syndrome 

Evaluation (WISE)

2,932 856 1,424 10 50 — — — — — —

Prevention of Events With Angiotensin 

Converting Enzyme Inhibitor 

Therapy (PEACE)

2,836 2,850 5,988 — 2,849 558 — — — — —

Magnesium in Coronaries (MAGIC) 1,169 2,009 1,243 — 238 — — — — — —

Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart 

Failure and Pulmonary Artery 

Catheterization Effectiveness 

(ESCAPE)

— 1,750 1,820 — 1,129 — — — 311 — —

Action To Control Cardiovascular Risk 

in Diabetes (ACCORD)

— 4,130 6,590 — 1,750 18,521 33,779 26,126 — 19,484 16,343

Women’s Health Initiative — 59,100 57,700 59,200 59,010 63,222 57,483 37,826 12,124 14,873 22,609

Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) 

Community Trial

— 2,923 2,414 3,058 1,101 — — — — — —

Trial of Aldosterone Antagonist 

Therapy in Adults With Preserved 

Ejection Fraction Congestive Heart 

Failure (TOPCAT)

— — — — — — 837 5,162 5,480 2,218 7,912

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 38,490 85,132 89,050 73,021 71,334 85,164 95,445 69,114 17,915 36,575 46,864

Lung Diseases

Pediatric Pulmonary and Cardiac 

Complications of HIV Infection 

(P2C2)

1,979 — 315 — 113 — — — — — —

Childhood Asthma Management 

Program (CAMP)

— 6,551 729 1,330 2,786 2,287 1,475 599 — — —

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome 

Clinical Network (ARDSNet)

4,880 6,837 5,587 2,667 1,502 4,402 5,517 4,707 7,396 5,037 1,992
113

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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Contracts (continued)

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Lung Diseases (continued)

National Emphysema 

Treatment Trial (NETT)

3,367 7,545 4,047 6,989 7,910 1,630 1,648 357 — — —

Feasibility of Retinoid 

Treatment in Emphysema 

(FORTE)

— 884 7,711 — 2,429 725 507 185 — — —

Long-Term Oxygen Treatment 

Trial (LOTT)

— — — — — — — — — 6,208 10,042

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 10,226 21,817 18,389 10,986 14,740 9,044 9,147 5,848 7,396 11,245 12,034

Blood Diseases and 

Resources

Clinical Course of Sickle 

Cell Disease

2,144 350 106 — — — — — — — —

T-Cell Depletion in 

Unrelated Donor 

Marrow Transplantation

2,228 690 1,085 1,144 557 774 164 — — — —

Viral Activation 

Transfusion Study 

(VATS)

1,668 — 339 — — — — — — — —

Cord Blood Stem Cell 

Transplantation Study 

(COBLT)

12,530 1,456 5,122 1,846 2,166 588 707 822 — — —

Multicenter Study of 

Hydroxyurea (MSH) 

in Sickle Cell Anemia 

Adult Follow-Up

475 469 — — 588 994 1,136 1,340 — — —

Pediatric Hydroxyurea 

Phase III Clinical Trial 

(BABY HUG)

— — 1,606 405 3,100 1,112 1,964 1,526 891 3,966 5,573

Sildenafil for Sickle 

Cell DiseaseAssociated Pulmonary 

Hypertension

— — — — — — — — 1,867 2,801 3,702

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and 

Resources

19,045 2,965 8,258 3,395 6,411 3,468 3,971 3,688 2,758 6,767 9,275

Total, NHLBI Clinical 

Trials Contracts

$67,761 $109,914 $115,697 $87,402 $92,485 $97,676 $108,563 $78,650 $28,069 $54,587 $68,173
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Cooperative Agreements

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular 

Diseases

Bypass Angioplasty 

Revascularization 

Investigation (BARI)

$ 1,360 $ 1,609 $ 1,634 $ 1,549 $ 1,456 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ —

Child and Adolescent 

Trial for Cardiovascular 

Health (CATCH)

572 210 — — — — — — — — —

Obesity Prevention in 

Young American 

Indians (PATHWAYS)

3,945 4,196 2,459 — — — — — — — —

Rapid Early Action for 

Coronary Treatment 

(REACT)

496 — — — — — — — — — —

Girls Health Enrichment 

Multisite Studies 

(GEMS)

— 2,282 2,365 2,877 2,713 — — — — — —

Trial of Activity for 

Adolescent Girls 

(TAAG)

— — 5,274 4,831 5,919 5,828 6,350 5,103 905 — —

Pediatric Heart Network — — — 3,447 4,822 5,381 4,948 3,992 6,988 6,607 12,255

Clinical Research 

Consortium To Improve 

Resuscitation Outcome

— — — — — — 6,886 9,339 9,728 8,972 5,279

Dynamic Assessment of 

Patient-Reported 

Chronic Disease 

Outcomes

— — — — — — 1,010 — — — —

Clinical Trials in Organ 

Transplantation (CTOT)

— — — — — — — 1,900 1,855 1,801 1,635

Heart Failure Clinical 

Research Network

— — — — — — — — 5,642 7,801 7,813

Practice-Based 

Opportunity for Weight 

Reduction (POWER) 

Trials*

— — — — — — — — 2,567 3,714 3,656

Community-Responsive 

Interventions To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Risk in 

American Indians and 

Alaska Natives

— — — — — — — — 1,419 2,314 3,151

Pediatric HIV/AIDS 

Cohort Study 

(PHACS)—Data and 

Operations Center

— — — — — — — — 1,000 500 490

* Formerly known as Weight-Loss in Obese Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 (continued)

Cooperative Agreements (continued)

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Heart and Vascular 

Diseases (continued)

Network for Cardiothoracic 

Surgical Investigations in 

Cardiovascular Medicine

— — — — — — — — — 6,009 8,681

Cardiovascular Cell 

Therapy Research 

Network)

— — — — — — — — — 4,424 7,568

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular 

Diseases

6,373 8,297 11,732 12,704 14,910 11,209 19,194 20,334 30,104 42,142 50,528

Lung Diseases

Asthma Clinical Research 

Network (ACRN)* — — — — — 8,181 8,424 8,667 7,839 8,918 872

Childhood Asthma 

Research and Education 

(CARE) Network

— 4,175 5,002 5,314 6,005 5,610 5,292 5,704 5,735 5,916 4,887

COPD Clinical Research 

Network

— — — — — 6,843 6,848 8,438 7,664 6,836 3,400

Idiopathic Pulmonary 

Fibrosis Clinical 

Research Network

— — — — — — — 3,486 7,349 7,216 7,154

NICHD Cooperative 

Multicenter Neonatal 

Research Network

— — — — — — — — 1,336 238 27

Subtotal, Lung Diseases — 4,175 5,002 5,314 6,005 20,634 20,564 26,295 29,923 29,124 16,340

Blood Diseases and 

Resources

Thalassemia (Cooley’s 

Anemia) Clinical 

Research Network

— — 2,192 2,219 2,269 2,320 2,375 2,730 2,682 2,618 2,600

Blood and Marrow 

Transplant Clinical 

Research Network

— — — 5,360 5,899 5,950 5,972 6,460 6,845 6,709 6,952

Transfusion Medicine/ 

Hemostasis Clinical 

Research Network

— — — — 6,053 6,241 6,093 6,221 6,521 6,407 6,374

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical 

Research Network

— — — — — — — — 3,761 7,498 7,173

Subtotal, Blood Diseases 

and Resources

— — 2,192 7,579 14,221 14,511 14,440 15,411 19,809 23,232 23,099

Total, NHLBI-Initiated 

Clinical Trials, Cooperative 

Agreements

$6,373 $12,472 $18,926 $25,597 $35,136 $46,354 $54,198 $62,040 $79,836 $94,498 $89,967

Total, NHLBI-Initiated 

Clinical Trials

$74,134 $122,386 $134,623 $112,999 $127,621 $144,030 $162,761 $140,690 $107,905 $149,085 $158,140

* Investigator-Initiated from 1998 to 2002.
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Institute-Initiated Clinical Trials, Fiscal Year 2008: Summary by Program

Contracts

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

Total FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) $110,379,858 $16,343,623 $ 126,723,481 

Trial of Aldosterone Antagonists Therapy in Adults With Preserved 

Ejection Fraction Congestive Heart Failure (TOPCAT)

13,696,387 7,912,414 21,608,801

Women’s Health Initiative 737,438,335 22,608,710 760,047,045

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 861,514,580 46,864,747 908,379,327

Lung Diseases

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Clinical Network (ARDSNet) 63,348,358 1,991,538 65,339,896

Long-Term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT) 6,208,395 10,041,750 16,250,145

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 69,556,753 12,033,288 81,590,041

Blood Diseases and Resources

Pediatric Hydroxyurea Phase III Clinical Trial (BABY HUG) 14,570,399 5,573,216 20,143,615

Sildenafil for Sickle Cell Disease-Associated Pulmonary 

Hypertension

4,668,174 3,701,968 8,370,142

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources 19,238,573 9,275,184 28,513,757

Total, NHLBI-Initiated Clinical Trials, Contracts $950,309,906 $68,173,219 $1,018,483,125 

Note: From 1999 to 2006, the WHI was reported separately under its own major heading. In this table, it is included in the Heart and Vascular Diseases section.

Cooperative Agreements

Total Obligations 

Prior to FY 2008

Total FY 2008 

Obligations

Total Obligations 

to Date

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network $ 4,424,183 $ 7,568,262 $ 11,992,445

Clinical Research Consortium To Improve Resuscitation Outcome 34,924,311 5,279,451 40,203,762

Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation (CTOT) 5,556,895 1,635,346 7,192,241

Community-Responsive Interventions To Reduce Cardiovascular 

Risk in American Indians and Alaska Natives

3,732,749 3,150,539 6,883,288

Heart Failure Clinical Research Network 13,443,043 7,813,234 21,256,277

Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigations in 

Cardiovascular Medicine

6,008,848 8,681,013 14,689,861

Pediatric Heart Network 36,186,196 12,254,539 48,440,735

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study—Data and Operations Center 1,500,000 490,000 1,990,000

Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight Reduction (POWER) Trials* 6,281,092 3,656,172 9,937,264

Subtotal, Heart and Vascular Diseases 112,057,317 50,528,556 162,585,873

Lung Diseases

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN), Phase II 42,028,773 872,328 42,901,101

Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) Network 48,753,133 4,887,330 53,640,463

COPD Clinical Research Network 36,630,386 3,400,000 40,030,386

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network 18,051,677 7,154,215 25,205,892

NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal Research Network 1,573,806 27,440 1,601,246

Subtotal, Lung Diseases 147,037,775 16,341,313 163,379,088

Blood Diseases and Resources

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Research Network 43,195,601 6,951,519 50,147,120

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network 11,259,232 7,172,797 18,432,029

Thalassemia (Cooley’s Anemia) Clinical Research Network 19,405,539 2,600,482 22,006,021

Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical Research Network 37,535,254 6,373,860 43,909,114

Subtotal, Blood Diseases and Resources 111,395,626 23,098,658 134,494,284

Total, NHLBI-Initiated Clinical Trials, Cooperative Agreements $370,490,718 $89,968,527 $460,459,245 

Total, NHLBI-Initiated Clinical Trials $1,320,800,624 $158,141,746 $1,478,942,370 

* Formerly known as Weight-Loss in Obese Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
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Heart and Vascular Diseases Program

Action To Control Cardiovascular Risk in 

Diabetes (ACCORD), Initiated in Fiscal Year 

1999

The purpose of this study is to evaluate three diabetic 

treatment strategies (intensive glycemic control, blood 

pressure control, and fibrate treatment to raise HDLcholesterol and lower triglycerides) to prevent major 

cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes 

mellitus. The primary outcome measure is CVD mortality or major morbidity (MI and stroke). A vanguard 

phase of about 1,000 participants was completed in FY 

2002, and the main trial proceeded in FY 2003.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$16,343,623

Fiscal Years 1999–2007—$110,379,858

Total Funding to Date—$126,723,481

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 

Albuquerque

Albuquerque, New Mexico —HC-10100

2. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis 

Memphis, Tennessee —HC-90350

3. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HC-95178

4. McMaster University 

Hamilton, Ontario —HC-95179

5. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HC-95180

6. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HC-95181

7. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HC-95182

8. Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HC-95183

9. Trustees of Columbia University of 

New York 

New York, New York —HC-95184

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this program is to establish a research 

network to evaluate innovative cell therapy treatment 

strategies for individuals with CVD. The network 

will provide the necessary infrastructure to develop, 

coordinate, and conduct multiple collaborative clinical 

protocols to facilitate application of emerging scientific 

discoveries to improve CVD outcomes. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,568,262

Fiscal Year 2007—$4,424,183

Total Funding to Date—$11,992,445

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-087314

2. University of Texas 

Health Science Center 

Houston, Texas —HL-087318

3. Texas Heart Institute 

Houston, Texas —HL-087365

4. University of Florida 

Gainesville, Florida —HL-087366

5. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-087394

6. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —HL-087403

Clinical Research Consortium To Improve 

Resuscitation Outcomes, Initiated in Fiscal Year 

2004

The purpose of this study is to establish a resuscitation research consortium to conduct research in cardiopulmonary arrest and traumatic injury leading to arrest. 

The consortium will facilitate the rapid translation of 

promising scientific and clinical advances to improve 

resuscitation outcomes.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,279,451

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$34,924,311

Total Funding to Date—$40,203,762

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-077863

2. University of Iowa 

Iowa, City, Iowa —HL-077865

3. Medical College of Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HL-077866

4. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-077867

5. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-077871
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6. St. Michael’s Hospital 

Toronto, Ontario —HL-077872

7. Oregon Health and Science University 

Portland, Oregon —HL-077873

8. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-077881

9. Ottawa Health Research Institute 

Ottawa, Ontario —HL-077885

10. University of Texas 

Southwestern Medical Center 

Dallas, Texas —HL-077887

11. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HL-077908

Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation 

(CTOT), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this program is to support a multisite 

consortium for interventional or observational clinical 

studies to enhance our understanding of, and ultimately 

reduce, the immune-mediated morbidity and mortality 

of organ transplantation.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,635,346

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$5,556,895

Total Funding to Date—$7,192,241

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —AI-063589

2. Mount Sinai School of Medicine 

New York, New York —AI-063594

3. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —AI-063623

Community-Responsive Interventions To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Risk in American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

 The purpose of this program is to develop and 

evaluate the effectiveness of culturally appropriate 

interventions to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors to reduce CVD risk in American Indian/

Alaska Native communities. Interventions will focus 

on weight reduction, regular physical activity, and 

smoking cessation. A central feature of this project is 

to develop interventions that can be incorporated into 

clinical programs of the community health care system 

or delivered through public health approaches in Native 

communities.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,150,539

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$3,732,749

Total Funding to Date—$6,883,288

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-087322

2. University of Oklahoma Health 

Sciences Center 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma —HL-087354

3. University of Wisconsin—Madison 

Madison, Wisconsin —HL-087381

4. Black Hills Center/American Indian 

Health 

Rapid City, South Dakota —HL-087422 

Heart Failure Clinical Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this network is to accelerate research 

in the diagnosis and management of heart failure in 

order to improve outcomes through optimal application 

of existing therapies and evaluation of novel therapies. 

The network will provide the necessary infrastructure to 

develop, coordinate, and conduct multiple collaborative 

clinical protocols to facilitate application of emerging 

basic science discoveries into clinical investigations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,813,234

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$13,443,043

Total Funding to Date—$21,256,277

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Minneapolis Medical Research 

Foundation, Inc. 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-084861

2. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-084875

3. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-084877

4. University of Utah 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HL-084889 

5. Baylor College of Medicine 

Houston, Texas —HL-084890

6. Morehouse School of Medicine 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-084891

7. University of Vermont and State 

Agriculture College 

Burlington, Vermont —HL-084899
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

8. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-084904

9. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, Minnesota —HL-084907

10. Montreal Heart Institute 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada —HL-084931

Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical 

Investigations in Cardiovascular Medicine, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this program is to establish a network 

to evaluate newer surgical techniques, technologies, 

devices, and innovative pharmaceutical and bioengineered products directed at CVD to ensure that the 

public has access to the best procedures determined 

by careful assessment. The Network will also serve as 

a clinical trials training ground for fellows and junior 

faculty. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$8,861,013

Fiscal Year 2007—$6,008,848

Total Funding to Date—$14,689,861

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville 

Charlottesville, Virginia —HL-088925

2. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-088928

3 Yeshiva University 

Bronx, New York —HL-088939

4. Columbia University Health Sciences 

New York, New York —HL-088942

5. Columbia University Health Sciences 

New York, New York —HL-088951

6. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-088953

7. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-088955

8. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-088957

9. Montreal Heart Institute 

Montreal, Quebec, Canada —HL-088963

Pediatric Heart Network, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2001

The objective of this study is to establish a clinical 

network to evaluate novel treatment methods and 

management strategies for children with structural 

congenital heart disease, inflammatory heart disease, 

heart muscle disease, or arrhythmias.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$12,254,539

Fiscal Years 2001–2007—$36,186,196

Total Funding to Date—$48,440,735

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-068269

2. New England Research Institute, Inc. 

Watertown, Massachusetts —HL-068270

3. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-068279

4. Medical University of South Carolina 

Charleston, South Carolina —HL-068281

5. Children’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-068285

6. Hospital for Sick Children 

Toronto, Ontario —HL-068288

7. Columbia University Health Sciences 

New York, New York —HL-068290

8. University of Utah 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HL-068292

9. Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HL-085057

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS)—

Data and Operations Center, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2006

The purpose of this study is to create a body of data 

to understand more fully the effect of HIV on sexual 

maturation, pubertal development, and socialization of 

perinatally HIV-infected preadolescents and adolescents, 

and to acquire more definitive information regarding 

long-term safety of antiretroviral agents when used during pregnancy and in newborns.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$490,000

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$1,500,000

Total Funding to Date—$1,990,000

Current Active Organization and Grant Number

1. Harvard University 

Boston, Massachusetts —HD-052102
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Chapter 11. Clinical Trials

Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight 

Reduction (POWER) Trials,*

 Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2006

The purpose of this study is to conduct randomized 

clinical trials in routine clinical practice settings to test 

the effectiveness of weight loss interventions in obese 

patients who have one or more additional cardiovascular risk factors. An important secondary focus of these 

effectiveness clinical trials is to incorporate the weight 

loss strategies with approaches to improve application of 

evidence-based guidelines to reduce the other cardiovascular risk factors commonly present in obese patients, 

such as elevated lipids, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or cigarette smoking. All of the participants will be from minority populations.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,656,172

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$6,281,092

Total Funding to Date—$9,937,264

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-087071

2. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-087072

3. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-087085

Trial of Aldosterone Antagonists Therapy 

in Adults With Preserved Ejection Fraction 

Congestive Heart Failure (TOPCAT), Initiated 

in Fiscal Year 2004

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of aldosterone antagonist therapy to reduce mortality in patients who have heart failure with preserved 

systolic function.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,912,414

Fiscal Years 2004–2007—$13,696,387

Total Funding to Date—$21,608,801

Current Active Organization and Contract Number

1. New England Research Institutes, Inc. 

Watertown, Massachusetts —HC-45207

Women’s Health Initiative, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 1992

The purpose of the WHI is to study cardiovascular 

disease, cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal 

women. The program consists of three major components: a randomized controlled clinical trial of HRT, 

dietary modification, and calcium/vitamin D supplementation; an observational study to identify predictors of 

disease; and a study of community approaches to developing healthful behaviors.

In 2007, the WHI began a program to maximize the 

scientific yield from the biologic resources and associated participant exposure and outcome data from the 

study. The program seeks innovative technologies that 

will enable comprehensive investigation of sets of markers associated with disease outcomes or treatment effects, 

or of groups of mediators that might explain the pathway 

of exposure or treatment effects on disease outcomes.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$22,608,710

Fiscal Years 1992–2007**—$737,438,335

Total Funding to Date—$760,047,045

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —WH-22110

2. University of Medicine and Dentistry 

of New Jersey 

Newark, New Jersey —WH-24152

3. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —WH-32100

4. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —WH-32101

5. University of Iowa 

College of Medicine 

Iowa City, Iowa —WH-32102

6. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —WH-32105

* Formerly known as Weight-Loss in Obese Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors. ** This figure reflects funding for the clinical trials and observational studies only. From 1992 to 1998, major support was provided through the Office of 

the Director, NIH. The Community Prevention Study receives funding through an inter-Agency agreement with the CDC: $4,000,000 in FY 1999 and 

$12,000,000 from FY 1996–98.
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7. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —WH-32106

8. Northwestern University 

Chicago, Illinois —WH-32108

9. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —WH-32109

10. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —WH-32111

11. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —WH-32112

12. University of California, Davis 

Davis, California —WH-32113

13. University of Arizona 

Tucson, Arizona —WH-32115

14. University of Tennessee 

Memphis, Tennessee —WH-32118

15. Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island 

Pawtucket, Rhode Island —WH-32119

16. State University of New York at Buffalo 

Buffalo, New York —WH-32122

17. University of California, Irvine 

Irvine, California —WH-42107

18. George Washington University 

Washington, DC —WH-42108

19. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —WH-42109

20. Baylor College of Medicine 

Houston, Texas —WH-42110

21. University of Texas 

Health Science Center 

San Antonio, Texas —WH-42111

22. Ohio State University 

Columbus, Ohio —WH-42112

23. University of Nevada 

School of Medicine 

Reno, Nevada —WH-42113

24. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute 

Oakland, California —WH-42114

25. State University of New York at 

Stony Brook 

Stony Brook, New York —WH-42115

26. University of Massachusetts Medical 

School 

Worcester, Massachusetts —WH-42116

27. University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —WH-42117

28. Wayne State University 

Detroit, Michigan —WH-42118

29. Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

New York, New York —WH-42119

30. Harbor-UCLA Research and Education 

Institute 

Torrance, California —WH-42120

31. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute 

Oakland, California —WH-42121

32. Medical College of Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —WH-42122

33. MedStar Research Institute 

Washington, DC —WH-42123

34. Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s 

Medical Center 

Chicago, Illinois —WH-42124

35. University of California, Los Angeles 

Los Angeles, California —WH-42125

36. University of Cincinnati 

Medical Center 

Cincinnati, Ohio —WH-42126

37. University of Florida 

College of Medicine 

Gainesville, Florida —WH-42129

38. University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Honolulu, Hawaii —WH-42130

39. University of Miami 

Miami, Florida —WH-42131

40. University of Wisconsin 

Madison, Wisconsin —WH-42132

41. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —WH-44221

42. Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

New York, New York —WH-74310

43. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —WH-74311

44. California Pacific Medical Center

San Francisco, California —WH-74312

45. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —WH-74313

46. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —WH-74314

47. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —WH-74315

48. The Ohio State University 

Columbus, Ohio —WH-74316

49. Tufts University 

Boston, Massachusetts —WH-74317

50. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —WH-74318

51. University of California, Davis 

Davis, California —WH-74319

52. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —WH-74320

53. Wake Forest University 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —WH-74321
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Lung Diseases Program

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Clinical 

Network (ARDSNet), Initiated in Fiscal Year 

1994

The purpose of this network is to develop and conduct randomized controlled clinical trials to prevent, 

treat, and improve the outcome of patients with acute 

lung injury, ARDS, and other related critical illnesses.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$1,991,538

Fiscal Years 1994–2007—$63,348,358

Total Funding to Date—$65,339,896

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Baystate Medical Center 

Springfield, Massachusetts —HR-56165

2. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HR-56166

3. University of Colorado 

Health Sciences Center 

Denver, Colorado —HR-56167

4. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of 

Medicine-Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HR-56168

5. Duke University Medical Center 

Durham, North Carolina —HR-56169

6. John Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HR-56170

7. LDS Hospital 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HR-56171

8. Louisiana State University 

New Orleans, Louisiana —HR-56172

9. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HR-56173

10. Vanderbilt University Medical Center 

Nashville, Tennessee —HR-56174

11. Wake Forest University Health Sciences 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HR-56175

12. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, Minnesota —HR-56176

13. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HR-56179

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN), 

Phase II, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2003

The purpose of this network is to evaluate current 

and novel therapies and management strategies for adult 

asthma and to ensure that findings are rapidly disseminated to the medical community. Approximately 33 percent of the participants will be minorities.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$872,328

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$42,028,773

Total Funding to Date—$42,901,101

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. National Jewish Medical and Research 

Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-074073

2. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HL-074204

3. University of Texas Medical Branch 

Galveston, Texas —HL-074206

4. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-074208

5. University of Wisconsin 

Madison, Wisconsin —HL-074212

6. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HL-074218

7. Wake Forest University Health Sciences 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina —HL-074225

8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-074227

9. Pennsylvania State University 

Hershey Medical Center 

Hershey, Pennsylvania —HL-074231

Childhood Asthma Research and Education 

(CARE) Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 1999

The purpose of this clinical network is to evaluate 

current and novel therapies and management strategies 

for children with asthma. Emphasis is on clinical trials 

that help identify optimal therapy for children with different asthma phenotypes, genotypes, and ethnic backgrounds and children at different developmental stages. 

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$4,887,330

Fiscal Years 1999–2007—$48,753,133

Total Funding to Date—$53,640,463

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HL-064287
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2. National Jewish Medical and 

Research Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-064288

3. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HL-064295

4. University of Wisconsin 

Madison, Wisconsin —HL-064305

5. University of Arizona 

Tucson, Arizona —HL-064307

6. Pennsylvania State University 

Hershey, Pennsylvania —HL-064313

COPD Clinical Research Network, Initiated in 

Fiscal Year 2003

The purpose of this network is to investigate disease 

management approaches in patients with moderate-tosevere COPD and to ensure that the findings are rapidly 

disseminated to the medical community.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,400,000

Fiscal Years 2003–2007—$ 36,630,386

Total Funding to Date—$40,030,386

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Harbor-UCLA Research 

and Education Institute 

Torrance, California —HL-074407

2. Temple University 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-074408

3. Denver Health and Hospital Authority 

Denver, Colorado —HL-074409

4. Minnesota Veterans Research Institute 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-074416

5. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HL-074418

6. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-074422

7. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-074424

8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-074428

9. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HL-074431

10. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-074439

11. University of Maryland 

Baltimore Professional School 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-074441

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research 

Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2005

The purpose of this network is to establish six to 

seven clinical centers to design and perform multiple 

therapeutic trials for treatment of patients with newly 

diagnosed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a Data 

Coordinating Center for the network.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,154,215

Fiscal Years 2005–2007—$18,051,677

Total Funding to Date—$25,205,892

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 

Rochester, Minnesota —HL-080274

2. Vanderbilt University 

Nashville, Tennessee —HL-080370

3. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-080371

4. Weill Medical College of Cornell University 

New York, New York —HL-080383

5. University of California, Los Angeles 

Los Angeles, California —HL-080411

6. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-080413

7. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HL-080509

8. Tulane University of Louisiana 

New Orleans, Louisiana —HL-080510

9. University of Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-080513

10. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-080543

11. National Jewish Medical and 

Research Center 

Denver, Colorado —HL-080571

12. University of California, San Francisco 

San Francisco, California —HL-080685

Long-Term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT), 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2007

The purpose of this program is to determine the effectiveness and safety of long-term, home-administered 

oxygen therapy in patients with COPD. Approximately 

3,200 patients with moderate COPD will be enrolled to 

determine whether supplemental oxygen can improve 

their quality of life and extend their lifespan. Research 

findings will help Medicare decide whether to extend 
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coverage for home oxygen treatment for patients with 

moderately severe disease.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$10,041,750

Fiscal Year 2007—$6,208,395

Total Funding to Date—$16,250,145

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HR-76183

2. Cleveland Clinic Foundation 

Cleveland, Ohio —HR-76184

3. Denver Health and Hospital Authority 

Denver, Colorado —HR-76185

4. Duke University Medical Center 

Durham, North Carolina —HR-76186

5. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals 

Portland, Oregon —HR-76187

6. Los Angeles Biomedical 

Institute/Harbor-UCLA 

Los Angeles, California —HR-76188

7. The Ohio State University 

Columbus, Ohio —HR-76189

8. Temple University 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HR-76190

9. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HR-76191

10. University of Michigan 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HR-76192

11. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HR-76193

12. University of Utah 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HR-76194

13. University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington —HR-76195

14. Washington University 

St. Louis, Missouri —HR-76196

15. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HR-76197

NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal 

Research Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this network is to investigate the 

safety and efficacy of treatment and management strategies to care for newborn infants, particularly those 

related to management of low-birth-weight infants. The 

objective of this program is to facilitate evaluation of the 

strategies by establishing a network of academic centers 

that, by rigorous patient evaluation using common protocols, can study the required numbers of patients and 

can provide answers more rapidly than individual centers acting alone.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$27,440

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$1,573,806

Total Funding to Date—$1,601,246

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HD-021364

2. University of Texas 

Health Science Center 

Houston, Texas —HD-021373

3. Wayne State University 

Detroit, Michigan —HD-021385

4. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HD-027851

5. Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

Cincinnati, Ohio —HD-027853

6. Indiana University-Purdue University 

at Indianapolis 

Indianapolis, Indiana —HD-027856

7. Yale University 

New Haven, Connecticut —HD-027871

8. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —HD-027880

9. Women and Infants Hospital 

Providence, Rhode Island —HD-027904

10. University of Alabama at Birmingham 

Birmingham, Alabama —HD-034216

11. University of California 

San Diego, California —HD-040461 

12. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HD-040492

13. University of Texas 

Southwestern Medical Center 

Dallas, Texas —HD-040689

14. University of New Mexico 

Albuquerque, New Mexico —HD-053089

15. University of Iowa 

Iowa City, Iowa —HD-053109

16. New England Medical Center Hospitals 

Boston, Massachusetts —HD-053119

17. University of Utah 

Salt Lake City, Utah —HD-053124 
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Blood Diseases and Resources Program

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Research 

Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2001

The purpose of this network is to promote the 

efficient comparison of novel treatment methods and 

management strategies of potential benefit for children 

and adults undergoing blood or marrow transplantation.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$6,951,519

Fiscal Years 2001–2007—$43,195,601

Total Funding to Date—$50,147,120

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Nebraska Medical Center 

Omaha, Nebraska —HL-069233

2. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 

Seattle, Washington —HL-069246

3. Dana Farber Cancer Institute 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-069249

4. National Childhood Cancer Foundation 

Arcadia, California —HL-069254

5. University of California, San Diego 

La Jolla, California —HL-069273

6. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-069274

7. City of Hope Medical Center 

Duarte, California —HL-069278

8. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-069286

9. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-069290

10. Stanford University 

Stanford, California —HL-069291

11. Medical College of Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HL-069294

12. University of Florida 

Gainesville, Florida —HL-069301

13. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-069310

14. Sloan Kettering Institute 

for Cancer Research 

New York, New York —HL-069315

15. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 

Ann Arbor, Michigan —HL-069330

16. University of Texas 

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 

Houston, Texas —HL-069334

17. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-069348

Pediatric Hydroxyurea Phase III Clinical Trial 

(BABY HUG), Initiated in Fiscal Year 2000

The objective of this clinical trial is to determine 

if hydroxyurea therapy is effective in prevention of 

chronic end organ damage in pediatric patients with 

sickle cell anemia.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$5,573,216

Fiscal Years 2000–2007—$14,570,399

Total Funding to Date—$20,143,615

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Children’s Research Institute 

Washington, DC —HB-07150

2. Duke University Medical Center 

Durham, North Carolina —HB-07151

3. Howard University 

Washington, DC —HB-07152

4. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HB-07153

5. Medical University of South Carolina 

Charleston, South Carolina —HB-07154

6. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 

Memphis, Tennessee —HB-07155

7. The Research Foundation of SUNY 

New York, New York —HB-07156

8. University of Miami 

Miami, Florida —HB-07157

9. University of Mississippi Medical Center 

Jackson, Mississippi —HB-07158

10. University of Texas 

Southwestern Medical Center 

Dallas, Texas —HB-07159

11. Clinical Trials and Surveys Corporation 

Baltimore, Maryland —HB-07160

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network, 

Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006

The purpose of this clinical research network is to 

conduct Phase III randomized controlled clinical trials 

to test the efficacy and effectiveness of new therapies 

to treat and prevent complications of SCD, and when 

appropriate, thalassemia. In addition, the network is 

designed to create data sets that can be used to improve 

characterization of patients and their clinical course, 

apply genomic and proteomic techniques for improved 

diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and expand the 

clinical application of multimodal therapies in SCD.
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Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$7,172,797

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$11,259,232

Total Funding to Date—$18,432,029

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-083698

2. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-083699

3. Children’s Hospital and Research Center 

Oakland, California —HL-083704

4. Drexel University 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-083705

5. New England Research Institutes, Inc. 

Watertown, Massachusetts —HL-083721

6. University of Illinois at Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HL-083730

7. Virginia Commonwealth University 

Richmond, Virginia —HL-083732

8. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-083746

9. Howard University 

Washington, DC —HL-083748

10. Boston Medical Center 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-083771

Sildenafil for Sickle Cell Disease-Associated 

Pulmonary Hypertension, Initiated in Fiscal 

Year 2006

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the 

safety and efficacy of 18 weeks of therapy with sildenafil, a nitric oxide potentiator, in adult patients with SCD 

and pulmonary hypertension; exercise endurance and 

pulmonary artery pressure will be measured. Pulmonary 

hypertension occurs in up to 30 percent of SCD cases 

and is strongly associated with mortality in adults with 

SCD.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$3,701,968

Fiscal Years 2006–2007—$4,668,174

Total Funding to Date—$8,370,142

Current Active Organizations and Contract Numbers

1. Rho Federal Systems Division, Inc. 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HB-67182

2. Imperial College of London 

London, England —HB-67183

3. Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HB-67184

4. University of Colorado 

Denver, Colorado —HB-67185

5. Children’s Hospital and Research Center 

at Oakland 

Oakland, California —HB-67186

6. University of Illinois at Chicago 

Chicago, Illinois —HB-67187

7. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HB-67188

8. Howard University 

Washington, DC —HB-67189

9. Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

New York, New York —HB-67190

Thalassemia (Cooley’s Anemia) Clinical 

Research Network, Initiated Fiscal Year 2000

The purpose of this network is to accelerate research 

in the management of thalassemia, standardize existing 

treatments, and evaluate new ones in a network of clinical centers.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$2,600,482

Fiscal Years 2000–2007—$19,405,539

Total Funding to Date—$22,006,021

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-065232

2. Hospital for Sick Children 

Toronto, Ontario —HL-065233

3. New England Research Institute, Inc. 

Watertown, Massachusetts —HL-065238

4. Children’s Hospital and Research 

Center at Oakland 

Oakland, California —HL-065239

5. Weill Medical College 

of Cornell University 

New York, New York —HL-065244

6. Children’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-065260
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Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical 

Research Network, Initiated in Fiscal Year 2002

The purpose of this network is to promote the efficient comparison of new management strategies for 

individuals with hemostatic disorders, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenia and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and to evaluate new and existing blood 

products and cytokines for treatment of hematologic 

disorders.

Obligations

Funding History:

Fiscal Year 2008—$6,373,860

Fiscal Years 2002–2007—$37,535,254

Total Funding to Date—$43,909,114

Current Active Organizations and Grant Numbers

1. University of Iowa 

Iowa City, Iowa —HL-072028

2. Case Western Reserve University 

Cleveland, Ohio —HL-072033

3. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 

Minneapolis, Minnesota —HL-072072

4. Johns Hopkins University 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-072191

5. Weill Medical College of 

Cornell University 

New York, New York —HL-072196

6. Emory University 

Atlanta, Georgia —HL-072248

7. New England Research Institutes, Inc. 

Watertown, Massachusetts —HL-072268

8. Tulane University of Louisiana 

New Orleans, Louisiana —HL-072274

9. University of Oklahoma 

Health Sciences Center 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma —HL-072283

10. Duke University 

Durham, North Carolina —HL-072289

11. Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin —HL-072290

12. Children’s Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-072291

13. Massachusetts General Hospital 

Boston, Massachusetts —HL-072299

14. Puget Sound Blood Center 

Seattle, Washington —HL-072305

15. University of Pittsburgh 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania —HL-072331

16. University of Pennsylvania 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania —HL-072346

17. University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill 

Chapel Hill, North Carolina —HL-072355

18. University of Maryland 

Baltimore Professional School 

Baltimore, Maryland —HL-072359

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Chapter 12. Minority Activities

12. Minority Activities

Throughout its history, the NHLBI has been a 

leader in conducting and supporting research to eliminate health disparities that exist between various 

segments of the U.S. population. The Institute has 

not only initiated research projects with significant 

minority participation in order to compare health 

status between various populations, but also given 

high priority to programs that focus exclusively on 

minority health issues. 

Since FY 1991, the Institute has had procedures in 

place to ensure full compliance with the NIH Policy 

on Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in 

Clinical Research. As a result, all NHLBI-supported 

research that involves human subjects includes 

minorities, with the exception of a very few projects 

for which a compelling justification for limited diversity in the study population exists. Thus, all segments of the population, minority and nonminority, 

women, and children, stand to benefit from the 

Institute’s research programs.

It has long been a goal of the NHLBI to increase 

the number of individuals from underrepresented 

groups in biomedical and behavioral research. 

Selected FY 2008 activities addressing this goal 

include the following:

• Minority K–12 Initiative for Teachers and 

Students (MKITS): Supports research, development, and evaluation of innovative science 

training programs to provide minority students 

in grades K–12 with the exposure, skills, and 

knowledge that will encourage them to pursue 

advanced studies in biomedical and behavioral 

sciences.

• Historically Black College and University 

(HBCU) Research Scientist Award and the 

Research Scientist Award for Minority Institutions: Strengthens the biomedical and behavioral research capabilities and resources of 

HBCUs or minority institutions by recruiting an 

established research scientist in areas related to 

cardiovascular, lung, or blood health and disease; transfusion medicine; or sleep disorders.

• Sickle Cell Scholars Program: Supports career 

development of young or new investigators in 

SCD research as part of the BTRP.

• Summer for Sickle Cell Science Program: Supports research training and mentoring of individuals at the high school level as part of the 

BTRP.

• Clinical Research Education and Career Development in Minority Institutions: Encourages the 

development and implementation of curriculumdependent programs in minority institutions to 

train selected doctoral and postdoctoral candidates in clinical research leading to a Master of 

Science Degree in Clinical Research or Master 

of Public Health Degree in a clinically relevant 

area.

• Minority Undergraduate Biomedical Education 

Program: Encourages development of pilot 

demonstration programs at minority undergraduate educational institutions to recruit and retain 

talented undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences.

• Summer Institute Program To Increase Diversity 

in Health-Related Research: Enables faculty 

and scientists from underrepresented racial and 

ethnic groups or with disabilities to advance 

their research skills and knowledge in basic and 

applied sciences relevant to heart, lung, and 

blood diseases and sleep disorders, so that they 

can compete for funding for scientific research 

in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.

The Office of Research Training and Minority 

Health (ORTMH) within the Office of the Director 

provides oversight for, and coordinates, supports, 

and evaluates Institute programs related to minority 

health outcomes, including research, research training and career development, public outreach, and 

translation of research findings. The ORTMH also 

coordinates activities to foster greater participation of 

underrepresented minorities in NHLBI research and 
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Chapter 12. Minority Activities

research training and career development programs. 

Selected FY 2008 activities include the following:

• Issuing four training and career development RFAs 

to increase the number of highly trained minorities 

conducting biomedical and behavioral research. 

Additional targeted groups include individuals from 

disadvantaged backgrounds and individuals with 

disabilities.

• Participating in HHS-Endorsed Minority Organization Internship Programs by supporting positions 

in NHLBI extramural and intramural divisions for 

students from the National Association for Equal 

Opportunity in Higher Education, the Hispanic 

Association of Colleges and Universities, the 

Washington Internships for Native Students programs, and the Directors of Health Promotion and 

Education Internship Program/CDC.

• Cosponsoring with the NIH, the Cherokee Elementary School Project: Out of the Box, which is 

designed to create awareness and interest in the 

importance of science, medicine, and health; eliminate gaps in quality of health among minorities by 

encouraging health-related careers; and encourage 

children to take responsibility for their own health.

• Supporting the African American, Hispanic, and 

Native American Youth Initiatives to bring minority 

students to the NIH campus for scientific presentations, an introduction to NHLBI research training 

and career development programs, and a tour of 

NHLBI laboratories.

• Providing undergraduate students from the Tougaloo 

College Scholars program an opportunity to learn 

about the NIH, biomedical research, and research 

training opportunities at the NHLBI during a 3-day 

tour of the NIH.

• Serving as a Web site resource for recruitment of 

minority individuals into the Ruth L. Kirschstein 

Institutional National Research Service Award 

(T32).

• Increasing recruitment of individuals for the NHLBI 

intramural and extramural training programs by 

representing the Institute at five minority-focused 

research meetings to raise awareness of research 

and research training and career development 

opportunities available from the NHLBI.

• Coordinating the Biomedical Research Training 

Program for Individuals From Underrepresented 

Groups, which offers opportunities for underrepresented undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, and 

graduate students to receive training in fundamental 

biomedical sciences and clinical research as they 

relate to the etiology and treatment of heart, blood 

vessel, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

• Serving as the NHLBI contact for guidance to 

candidates applying for the NIH Pathway to 

Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) and the 

NHLBI Career Transition Award (K22) for 

extramural programmatic issues.

See Chapter 13 for additional NHLBI-supported 

minority research training and career development 

programs.

The following text describes selected current projects 

that focus on minority populations and reflect the 

Institute’s research portfolio related to minority health. 

Additional information can be found in Chapters 9 

through 11.

Heart and Vascular Diseases

Risk Factors

Epidemiology

Long-term epidemiologic studies are critical to uncovering risk factors that lead to disease. The Institute has 

initiated several major studies of heart disease focused 

significantly or completely on minority populations.

• CARDIA (see Chapter 10): To determine the evolution of CHD risk factors and lifestyle characteristics 

in young adults that may influence development of 

risk factors prior to middle age; 50 percent of the 

participants are black.

• ARIC (see Chapter 10): To investigate the association of CHD risk factors with development of 

atherosclerosis and CVD in an adult population; 

30 percent of the participants are black.

• CHS (see Chapter 10): To examine risk factors for 

CHD and stroke in the elderly; 16 percent of the 

participants are black.

• Strong Heart Study (see Chapter 9): To compare 

risk factor levels and morbidity and mortality from 

CVD among American Indians from three different 

geographic locations.
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Chapter 12. Minority Activities

• JHS (see Chapter 10): To identify environmental 

and genetic factors influencing evolution and progression of CVD in blacks.

• MESA (see Chapter 10): To examine the characteristics of subclinical CVD that predict progression to 

clinically overt CVD and related risk factors that 

predict subclinical disease in blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians; 62 percent of the participants are 

minorities.

• GOCADAN (see Chapter 9): To document CVD 

risk factors and measures of subclinical disease and 

to identify and characterize genes that contribute to 

CVD in approximately 40 extended Alaska Native 

families.

• HCHS (see Chapter 10): To identify risk factors for 

cardiovascular and lung disease in Hispanic populations in the United States and determine the role of 

acculturation in their prevalence and development.

The Institute supports components of the NHANES 

that track the prevalence of disease and risk factors for 

cardiovascular and lung diseases by race and ethnicity in 

the U.S. population.

Several investigator-initiated epidemiologic studies 

are examining gene–environment interactions that 

increase CVD risk factors among various racial groups. 

Included among them are studies that compare gene–

environment interactions in black populations in Africa, 

the Caribbean, and selected areas of the United States; 

determine the genes responsible for the metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for CVD, in 10,000 Chinese sibling 

pairs; determine the genes responsible for CVD risk factor response to dietary fat changes in blacks; and identify 

and map specific genes that contribute to CVD risk in 

Mexican Americans.

Scientific evidence is emerging that implicates cellular 

and inflammatory processes in the development and 

characteristics of atherosclerotic plaque and the clinical 

course of CVD. One study seeks to identify cellular, 

metabolic, and genomic correlates of atherosclerotic 

plaque characteristics and early changes in the vascular 

wall in a subset of the ARIC cohort; one-third of participants are black. Another study is elucidating the links 

between socioeconomic factors, stress, inflammation and 

hemostasis, and cardiovascular risk in a large and diverse 

population.

Several drugs in four widely used classes of noncardiovascular medications (fluoroquinolone and 

macrolide antibiotics, antipsychotics, and antidepressants) have been shown to be proarrhythmic and thus 

increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. Investigators 

are conducting a study, using a large and comprehensive 

dataset of about 800,000 persons, 40 percent of whom 

are black, to understand the role of those medications on 

the risk of sudden cardiac death. Research findings are 

expected to provide information that will enable clinicians to prescribe these widely used medications in a 

way that minimizes the risk of sudden cardiac death.

Ancillary studies to MESA are investigating subclinical CVD in ethnic minority groups. They include investigations of regional left ventricular function, progression 

of calcification in the aorta, abnormalities in the small 

vessels of the retina, association of air pollution and subclinical CVD, lung function in relation to endothelial 

dysfunction and biomarkers, identification of genes for 

subclinical CVD, and relationships of sociodemographic 

factors and other factors to subclinical CVD.

The Institute is supporting additional epidemiologic 

investigations that include a project to use pooled data 

from nine existing U.S. studies to compare between 

blacks and whites, CHD incidence and mortality rates, 

exposure–outcome relationships, patterns of comorbidity, 

and population attributable risk; and a study to evaluate 

and compare the extent of atherosclerosis and risk factors 

for CHD in three different populations: U.S. (75 percent 

white and 25 percent black), Japanese Americans in 

Hawaii, and Japanese in Japan.

Treatment and Prevention

Low-dose aspirin is cost effective and efficacious for 

the prevention and treatment of CHD. However, some 

individuals, perhaps because of individual genetic variations, do not respond to the treatment. A genetic study in 

high-risk siblings of patients with premature CHD, along 

with their adult offspring, is seeking to determine 

whether low-dose aspirin responsiveness is heritable 

and whether it is associated with specific variations in 

candidate genes or defined haplotypes; 50 percent of the 

participants are black.

Although great progress has been achieved in reducing CVD morbidity and mortality in the United States 

over the past 40 years, minorities have not shared fully in 
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Chapter 12. Minority Activities

the progress and continue to have higher CVD morbidity. 

To address this problem, the Institute has initiated programs directed at reducing cardiovascular health 

disparities:

• Partnership Programs To Reduce Cardiovascular 

Disparities (see Chapter 9): To expand the capacity 

of research institutions to reduce health disparities, 

encourage more researchers to focus on minority 

health, and improve minority acceptance and community willingness to participate in research by 

pairing research-intensive medical centers that have 

a track record of NIH-supported research and 

patient care with minority health care serving institutions that lack a strong research program and are 

the primary source for care of minorities. Researchers are examining the complex biological, behavioral, and societal factors that result in cardiovascular health disparities in their target populations (e.g., 

blacks, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians, Pacific 

Islanders). 

• Cultural Competencies and Health Disparities Academic Award Program: To enhance the ability of 

physicians and other health care professionals to 

address, in a culturally sensitive manner, disparities 

in the occurrence, management, and outcomes of 

cardiovascular, lung, and blood diseases and sleep 

disorders among various population groups in the 

United States. The award addresses ethnic, cultural, 

religious, socioeconomic, linguistic, and other factors that contribute to health disparities and seeks 

culturally competent approaches to mitigating them.

• Community-Responsive Interventions To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Risk in American Indians and 

Alaska Natives: To test the effectiveness of culturally appropriate behavioral interventions that promote adoption of healthy lifestyles (healthy diet, 

regular physical activity, smoking cessation, and 

stress management) related to heart disease and 

stroke risk in American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Education

The NHLBI, through the DARD, seeks to translate 

research findings into practice by communicating 

research advances effectively and disseminating health 

information to physicians, health care professionals, 

patients, and the public on ways to prevent or treat diseases within the Institute’s mandate. The Division has 

developed the following community-based programs to 

combat cardiovascular health disparities among five 

major cultural/ethnic groups: blacks, Hispanics, 

American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, 

and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders:

• Public Health in Public Housing Community 

Outreach: Improving Health, Changing Lives: To 

disseminate information about improving cardiovascular health by adopting heart healthy lifestyles 

to populations residing in public housing.

• NHLBI-Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Primary Care Partnership: To integrate clinical care management teams and trained 

community health educators to implement pilot programs for blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, and 

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders who 

are at high risk for CVD.

• Salud para su Corazón: To disseminate information 

on CVD prevention, intervention, and treatment 

and promote heart healthy behaviors in Hispanic 

communities through lay health educators (promotores model).

• NHLBI-Pan American Health Organization/WHO 

Partnership To Promote Cardiovascular Health in 

the Americas: To develop and evaluate communitybased interventions to prevent and control CVD 

risk factors among low-resource communities in 

Argentina, Chile, and Guatemala using lay health 

workers (promotores de salud). Research results 

will be shared with country health authorities and 

the members of the CARMEN Network: an Initiative for Integrated Prevention of Noncommunicable 

Diseases in the Americas.

• Honoring the Gift of Heart Health: To develop and 

evaluate community-based interventions to prevent 

and control CVD risk factors through education and 

outreach using tribal community health workers and 

community health educators.

• Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: To develop and 

evaluate culturally and linguistically appropriate 

outreach activities and information to increase community awareness of heart disease and its associated 

risk factors and to promote heart healthy lifestyles 

among the growing Filipino American population.

• The Heart Truth Campaign: To raise awareness of 

heart disease in women through community-based 

interventions. Campaign goals include outreach to 

women of color through educational materials 

addressed to special populations and partnerships 

with national African American and Hispanic 

organizations.
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• Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn About 

P.A.D.: To increase public and health care provider 

awareness of P.A.D. and its association with other 

CVD. The NHLBI has developed and disseminated 

information through partnerships with faith-based 

organizations and media outlets. Special attention is 

directed to minority and Hispanic populations.

In addition to the activities mentioned above, the 

Institute has prepared publications on CVD prevention 

for minority populations. They include the following:

• On the Move to Better Heart Health for African 

Americans

• Your Heart is Golden: Heart Health Promotion 

Activities for Vietnamese Communities

• Healthy Homes, Healthy Hearts Series. Six easy-toread English and Spanish booklets on heart healthy 

living.

• Bringing Heart Health to Latinos: A Guide for 

Building Community Programs

• Your Heart, Your Life: A Health Educator’s Manual 

for the Latino Community

• Vietnamese Aspire for Healthy Hearts in Vietnamese 

and English

• Honoring the Gift of Heart Health: A Heart Health 

Educational Manual for American Indians and 

Alaska Natives

• With Every Heartbeat is Life: A Community Health 

Worker’s Manual for African Americans

• The Heart Truth for African American Women: An 

Action Plan

• Su Corazόn, Su Vida: A Community Health 

Worker’s Manual for Latinos

• The Heart Truth for Latinas: An Action Plan

• Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community 

Health Worker’s Manual for the Filipino Community 

in English and Tagalog

• Facts About Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) for 

African Americans

• Información acerca de la enfermedad arterial 

periférica (P.A.D.)

The educational materials listed throughout this chapter can be obtained from the NHLBI public Web site or 

through the NHLBI online catalog.

Arrhythmias

The NHLBI is supporting basic and genetic research 

on the mechanisms that underlie cardiac arrhythmias to 

improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of arrhythmias in all ethnic and racial groups in the United States. 

Prolongation of electrocardiographic QT interval is a 

risk factor for sudden cardiac and individuals with diabetes are known to have increased risk for prolongation of 

electrocardiographic QT interval. In one study replicating the association of two common genetic variants with 

prolonged QT interval in a population predominately of 

individuals (624 European Americans and 127 blacks) 

with type 2 diabetes, researchers found strong association 

in the European American sample, but no association in 

the limited number of blacks. Testing in large numbers 

of blacks will be required to confirm this result. 

Another study identified two mutations in a gene 

encoding the major intracellular calcium release channel 

in two cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 

One mutation was identified in 1 out of 50 (2%) black 

infants and the other in 1 out of 83 (1.2%) white infants. 

Researchers report a pathogenic mechanism for SIDS, 

whereby SIDS-linked mutant ion channels become 

“leaky” during stress and thus potentially trigger fatal 

cardiac arrhythmias. They have importantly added further evidence that cardiac arrhythmias of genetic origin 

contribute to SIDS, a concept that offers a chance to prevent some avoidable tragedies. 

A third study identified an association between variations in certain receptors that are activated during sympathetic nervous system stimulation and an increased risk 

of sudden cardiac death, most often due to ventricular 

arrhythmia. Although no significant differences were 

found between blacks and whites in associated risk of 

sudden cardiac death, continued research in this area is 

expected to advance understanding of differences in 

genetic predisposition for cardiac arrhythmias among 

ethnic and racial groups and ultimately lead to improved 

therapy.

Heart Failure

Heart failure (heart muscle dysfunction) affects about 

5 million Americans of all ethnicities and is a growing 

public health concern. It is frequently the end result of 

other conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and 

prior heart attacks. 
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The NHLBI is supporting basic and clinical research 

associated with heart failure that will benefit Americans 

of all ethnicities. One project focuses on Native 

Hawaiians and the other has a minority component:

• Heart Failure Disparities in Native Hawaiians: To 

characterize ethnic differences in patients hospitalized for heart failure, determine whether a culturally 

competent educational program can reduce hospitalizations, and compare the effectiveness of early 

diagnosis in high-risk patients by using communitybased portable echocardiography to hospital-based 

echocardiography performed by professional 

sonographers. The project is within the Partnership 

Programs To Reduce Cardiovascular Disparities 

Initiative (see page 132).

• Heart Failure Clinical Research Network (see Chapter 9): To develop, coordinate, and conduct multiple 

collaborative proof-of-concept clinical protocols to 

improve heart failure outcomes. The Network has 

been expanded to include a historically black medical center with minority investigators and access to 

a high-risk, underserved population. 

Other research targeting minority populations includes 

an investigation of genetic variations (especially those 

common in blacks) that affect individual responses to the 

beta blocker drugs used to treat heart failure and identification of underlying genetic variations that result in 

familial dilated cardiomyopathy, an inherited form of 

heart dysfunction; five black families are participating. 

Another study is focusing on angioedema or severe 

allergic reaction, a life-threatening side effect of ACEinhibitor drugs that is more common in blacks than in 

whites. Investigators are determining the mechanisms 

that cause the side effect and studying the genetic profile 

of affected individuals and their families to determine 

who should avoid taking the drugs. 

High Blood Pressure

Etiology and Pathophysiology

High blood pressure is a serious health problem that is 

especially prevalent and severe among minorities. An 

Institute-initiated study is seeking to determine the etiology and pathophysiology of high blood pressure:

• Family Blood Pressure Program (see Chapter 9): 

To use a network of investigators to identify genes 

associated with high blood pressure and to examine 

interactions between genetic and environmental 

determinants of hypertension in specific minority 

populations: Asians, blacks, and Mexican 

Americans.

The NHLBI supports a number of investigatorinitiated studies to identify genes linked to hypertension 

in blacks, Mexican Americans, and whites to determine 

if part of the disparity in prevalence can be attributed to 

genetic differences among the groups. Genes under 

investigation include those associated with the reninangiotensin system, the autonomic nervous system, and 

sodium transport.

The Institute supports a number of projects to examine 

antecedents of hypertension in children to determine 

racial differences in blood pressure regulation. One 

study is determining relationships between cardiovascular reactivity in adolescent normotensive blacks and 

development of pathobiologic markers of hypertension 

risk (i.e., increased resting blood pressure, left ventricular 

mass, and relative wall thickness) later in life. Another is 

investigating the genetics of cardiovascular reactivity following stress in black youth.

Researchers also are examining the influence of SES 

and ethnic discrimination on stress reactivity to determine if it provides a pathophysiologic link to CVD in 

blacks. One group is examining the combined influence 

of low SES and ethnicity on development of behavioral 

risk factors (i.e., hostility, anxiety, heightened cardiovascular reactivity to stress) in a group of adolescents; 

50 percent of them are black. Another group is assessing 

the relationship between early life exposure to socioeconomic stressors—such as adverse socioeconomic 

conditions, low levels of social integration, and racial 

discrimination—and development of hypertension in 

blacks.

Investigators have observed that blacks have an 

exaggerated blood pressure response to salt. A study to 

improve understanding of the biological basis of saltsensitive hypertension in blacks has located a molecule 

that transports sodium in a specific region of the kidney 

where sodium is reabsorbed to a greater extent in blacks 

than in whites. 

Impaired sodium regulation also appears to be linked 

to the development of hypertension. In a twin study consisting of 41 percent blacks, scientists are investigating 

sodium retention as a mechanism augmenting systemic 
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vascular resistance and changes in vascular function, 

ventricular structure, and blood pressure. In another 

study, scientists are investigating the effects of stress on 

salt retention and measuring hormonal variables known 

to influence sodium regulation. 

A third study is seeking to determine whether the 

mechanisms regulating sodium retention differ between 

blacks and whites. Researchers found that black youths 

have a slower salt excretion rate in response to stress 

than white youths. New data suggest that obesity may 

contribute to the racial differences in response to stress. 

A study among blacks living in three different environments (Nigeria, Jamaica, and Chicago) is examining the 

role of sodium and obesity in hypertension development. 

The role of dietary factors, particularly macronutrients, in the etiology of high blood pressure is another 

area of investigation. Scientists are conducting epidemiologic studies among participants with diverse ethnicity, 

SES, and dietary habits in four countries to determine the 

effect of selected dietary components (proteins, lipids, 

carbohydrates, amino acids, calcium, magnesium, 

sodium, potassium, antioxidants, fiber, caffeine) on blood 

pressure. Another study is seeking to identify the link 

between healthy diet, genetic factors, and their underlying biological mechanisms.

Treatment and Prevention

Identifying effective treatment strategies for various 

populations requires large-scale studies in representative 

populations with sufficient numbers.

• Ancillary Pharmacogenetic Studies in Heart, Lung, 

and Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorders: To conduct pharmacogenetic studies in ongoing or completed clinical trials/studies related to heart, lung, 

and blood diseases and sleep disorders to examine 

genetic influences on inter-individual differences in 

prescription drug response. Understanding the 

genetic influences may permit improved medication 

choice and dosing for individuals and help avoid 

either serious adverse response or poor response to 

therapy. Three of the studies focus on antihypertensive drugs and include 50 to 58 percent blacks.

An investigator-initiated ancillary study to ALLHAT, 

the largest hypertension clinical trial conducted by the 

NHLBI, is evaluating the pharmacogenetic response to 

antihypertensive treatment and long-term clinical complications in blacks, whites, and Hispanics. Scientists are 

seeking to determine whether pharmacogenetics is a feasible approach to personalized therapy for hypertension.

Although it is well known that reducing hypertension 

will reduce CVD rates, the implementation of evidencebased guidelines for hypertension treatment in clinical 

practice is disappointing. To address this issue, the 

NHLBI initiated a program to improve hypertension control rates in blacks, a group with the highest prevalence 

and earliest onset of hypertension and with disparately 

high premature cardiovascular mortality and morbidity:

• Interventions To Improve Hypertension Control 

Rates in African Americans: To evaluate the feasibility of clinical interventions directed at the medical care delivery system to increase the proportion 

of blacks who have their blood pressure controlled 

to levels specified by the JNC VII guidelines. 

Nearly 3,900 black patients are being enrolled in 

community-based projects to evaluate interventions 

such as pharmacy- and visiting nurses associationbased approaches, telemanagement, and patient and 

physician education.

The Institute also supports a number of investigatorinitiated studies to prevent hypertension and improve 

blood pressure control in ethnic and racial minorities. 

Interventions target both lay and medical communities. 

Strategies being tested include communication skill 

enhancement, organizational change, educational 

programs, lifestyle and nutritional counseling, use of 

technology, case management, pharmacy-based interventions, and provision of care by community health 

workers and other nontraditional providers.

Anger and hostility have been shown to be risk factors 

for hypertension. Scientists are evaluating an anger 

management intervention in a hospital setting to determine whether it will reduce blood pressure and alleviate 

psychosocial risk factors (e.g., reduce depression); 

46 percent of the participants are black.

Understanding racial differences in blood pressure 

control is an area of major interest for the Institute. 

Scientists are examining whether variations in genes of 

the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system predict differences in blood pressure response to diuretic therapy 

among hypertensive blacks and whites. Research also is 

being focused on variations in the ACE gene between 

blacks and whites to explain racial differences in the 

antihypertensive responsiveness to ACE inhibitors.
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Education

The NHLBI has developed a number of outreach 

activities to inform minority populations of the importance of blood pressure control. Included among them 

are a toll-free number that provides materials on hypertension in English or Spanish; mini telenovelas (Más 

vale prevenir que lamentar), “health moments” to 

reinforce CVD prevention for local Spanish-language 

television stations; a Spanish version of the High Blood 

Pressure Education Month Kit; and several publications 

and Web-based products for health professionals, 

patients, and the public. Some examples are:

• Plan de Alimentación Saludable Contra la 

Hipertensión: Prevenir y Controlar la Presión 

Arterial Alta Siguiendo el Plan de Alimentación 

Conocida Como DASH (DASH to the Diet: Prevent 

and Control High Blood Pressure Following the 

DASH Eating Plan)

• Presión arterial alta: NHLBI Diseases and 

Conditions Index

• Sí se Puede: Prevenir y Controlar la Presión 

Arterial Alta: Lo Que Usted Debe Saber Sobre la 

Preventión y Control de la Presión Arterial Alta 

(Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: What 

You Should Know)

• Sí se Puede: Prevenir y Controlar la Presión 

Arterial Alta. Lo Que los Médicos Deben Saber 

(Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure. What 

Every Physician Should Know)

• Keep the Beat: Control Your High Blood Pressure in 

English and Spanish

• Churches as an Avenue to High Blood Pressure 

Control 

• Working With Religious Congregations: A Guide for 

Health Professionals

• Help Your Heart: Control Your High Blood Pressure

in Tagalog and English

• Keep Your Heart in Check—Know Your Blood 

Pressure Number in Vietnamese and English

• Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: Mission 

Possible. 

NHBPEP Coordinating Committee Activities

Member organizations of the NHBPEP coordinating 

committee have continuing education programs on the 

prevention and treatment of hypertension that are 

focused on their minority members. They are also 

involved with outside activities that include designing 

public health interventions to address excessive stroke 

mortality in the Southeastern United States; publishing 

reports about best treatment practices to control hypertension; conducting demonstration projects at the work 

site and in urban and rural settings; developing reports 

and intervention programs regarding hypertension among 

special populations or situations (e.g., blacks, patients 

who are hypertensive and have renal disease or diabetes, 

children, older Americans); and promoting population 

strategies for the primary prevention of hypertension.

High Serum Cholesterol

Etiology

The Institute supports a number of investigatorinitiated projects to identify genes that influence the 

lipoprotein profile within various racial and ethnic 

groups. Research findings could offer an explanation 

for differences in susceptibility to CHD found among 

various racial and ethnic groups.

Variation in hepatic lipase activity is associated with 

differences in plasma concentrations of HDL and LDL 

synthesis and catabolism. Researchers are investigating 

whether ethnic differences in hepatic lipase activity are 

responsible for the well-known differences in plasma 

HDL concentrations found in blacks and whites. Genetic 

studies are being conducted on a population that is 

39 percent black.

Prevention

The NHLBI is supporting an investigator-initiated 

study among minority preschool children to track the 

long-term effectiveness of nutrition interventions on diet 

and blood cholesterol levels. Additional potential risk 

factors such as increased blood pressure, obesity, and 

intention to smoke, will also be monitored.

Education

The Institute has prepared the following publications 

on blood cholesterol for minority audiences:

• Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels? in English 

and Spanish

• Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African American 

Style

• Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes
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• American Indian and Alaska Native People: Treat 

Your Heart to a Healthy Celebration!

• Be Heart Smart: Keep Your Cholesterol in Check in 

Tagalog and English

• Serve Up a Healthy Life—Give the Gift of Good 

Nutrition in Vietnamese and English.

Obesity

Etiology

Recent NHANES data show a continued rise in the 

proportion of Americans who are overweight; black 

women are especially at risk. Results from the NHLBI 

Growth and Health Study (NGHS) that examined the 

development of obesity and CVD risk factors in a biracial cohort of young girls found black girls consumed 

more calories and a higher percentage of calories from 

fat and watched more television than white girls. An 

investigator-initiated study using the NGHS cohort, 

starting at ages 18 to 19 years, is examining the changes 

in cardiac output and total peripheral resistance, which 

occur with developing obesity, and their influence on 

ethnic difference in blood pressure regulation. Another 

project, using data from the NGHS, is examining CHD 

risk factors in black and white girls to identify genes 

involved in black–white differences in lipid metabolism 

and obesity.

Black women have been shown to manifest lower 

resting energy expenditure than white women. Scientists 

seeking to improve our understanding of ethnicity, 

genetics, energy metabolism, and obesity development 

are examining the relationship between two genes 

implicated in energy metabolism and resting energy 

expenditure in high-risk blacks.

Menopause-related coronary risk was previously 

believed to be associated with a gain in total body fat. 

Research, however, suggests that the location of the fat, 

not the total fat per se, is the key risk factor. An 

investigator-initiated study is seeking to determine if 

indices of central adiposity, particularly intra-abdominal 

fat, predict coronary events better than indices of total 

fat. The study is also examining the role of central 

adiposity with altered glucose and lipid metabolism and 

elevated blood pressure; 48 percent of the participants 

are black.

Treatment and Prevention

The NHLBI has initiated programs to test approaches 

for treating or preventing obesity.

• Overweight and Obesity Control at Worksites: To 

test innovative interventions that emphasize environmental approaches or the combination of environmental and individual approaches at worksites to 

prevent or treat obesity in adults. Environmental 

strategies include programs, policies, or organizational practices (e.g., increasing the availability of, 

and providing access to, healthful food choices and 

facilities for physical activity, and creating a socially 

supportive climate to influence healthy behaviors). 

Targeted groups for some projects include individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. 

• POUNDS LOST (see Chapter 9): To evaluate the 

effectiveness of four diets differing in macronutrient 

composition to promote and sustain weight loss in 

overweight and obese individuals; 17 percent of the 

participants are from minority populations.

• WLM (see Chapter 9): To determine the effectiveness of continuous patient contact on weight loss 

maintenance in adults who recently lost weight; 

40 percent of the patients are black.

• POWER (see Chapter 11): To test the effectiveness 

of interventions delivered in routine clinical practice 

on achieving weight loss in obese patients who have 

other CVD risk factors (e.g., hypertension). One 

study focuses on a low-income minority population.

The Institute supports a number of investigatorinitiated studies on the effectiveness of obesity prevention and control interventions among diverse 

populations. One study is testing the effectiveness of 

weight-control interventions (involving diet, physical 

activity, psychosocial and familial influences) administered during the critical transition period from prepuberty to puberty in black girls at high risk for obesity. 

Another study in preadolescent black girls is evaluating 

the efficacy of an after-school dance program and a 

family-based intervention involving reduced use of television, videotapes, and video games to reduce weight 

gain.

Two studies are evaluating the effectiveness of weight 

control programs to prevent weight gain in a predominately black population that has recently completed a 

smoking cessation program. The blood pressure status of 
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the participants, who are prehypertensive or hypertensive 

at the beginning of the studies, are being monitored.

Blacks at high risk of CVD often have limited success 

in weight loss and lifestyle change programs. A study 

was initiated to examine the role of social support, particularly from family members and friends, to facilitate 

weight loss and related dietary and physical activity 

changes in blacks.

Hispanics are also an important population targeted 

for intervention programs. One project is studying the 

effects of physical activity and dietary behaviors in a 

microenvironment (i.e., home environment) and in a 

macroenvironment (i.e., apartment complex, schools, 

grocery stores, parks, restaurants). Community health 

workers (promotoras) are working with the families and 

the community to increase awareness and promote environmental change. Another project with strong Hispanic 

participation is evaluating how well an intervention, 

Planned Care for Obesity and Risk Reduction, supports 

primary care treatment of obesity in adults with at least 

one other cardiovascular risk factor. The study is seeking 

to improve the way primary care providers offer services 

to their patients who are overweight and who also have 

other important medical conditions or health risks such 

as hypertension, smoking, or high cholesterol. 

A project with a subject population consisting of 

Asians, Hispanics, and whites is testing an integrated 

school- and community-based intervention involving 

physical activity and diet to reduce the prevalence of 

obesity.

In a study among Hispanic adolescents, researchers 

are developing new instrumentation for evaluating the 

effects of overweight or obesity on adverse metabolic 

effects (such as insulin resistance) or autonomic nervous 

system disturbances (such as sleep disordered breathing), 

which may precede diabetes or hypertension.

Obesity is one of the major health challenges facing 

Native American children and has serious implications 

for the development of type 2 diabetes. A school-based 

intervention, augmented with a family intervention, is 

focusing on reducing excess weight gain by increasing 

physical activity and healthy dietary practices in kindergarten and first-grade Native American children. 

Education

The NHLBI has prepared health information on losing 

excess weight for minorities:

• Do You Need To Lose Weight? in English and 

Spanish

• Embrace Your Health! Lose Weight if You Are 

Overweight.

• Keep the Beat: Aim for a Healthy Weight in Tagalog 

and English

• We Can!TM (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & 

Nutrition): Many bilingual (English and Spanish) 

publications on energy balance are available on the 

Web site.

Physical Inactivity

Physical inactivity among children is often attributed 

to the lack of open space, lack of recreational equipment, 

and fear by parents for the safety of children playing outdoors. A study is being conducted to determine if an 

intervention that changes these neighborhood features in 

a low-income, inner-city neighborhood will increase 

physical activity in children. 

Scientists have observed an age-related decline in 

aerobic capacity, but have not been able to discern the 

effects of physical activity, body fat, and genetic 

variation on its rate of change. They also have little 

understanding about how the rate of change in aerobic 

capacity during early and middle adulthood affects the 

development of CVD. An ancillary, investigator-initiated 

study being conducted in conjunction with the Year 20 

CARDIA examination is addressing these issues. Data 

from this study should increase understanding of the 

interrelationships of cardiorespiratory fitness, body 

composition, and CVD-related risk factors and endpoints, and may provide the basis for more extensive 

evidence-based recommendations on the role of fitness 

in cardiovascular health; 45 percent of the participants 

are black.

A project in the field of bioengineering and obesity is 

seeking to develop better measurement techniques for 

assessing levels of activity and the impact of inactivity 

on overweight and obese children. Carried out in an 

approximately 50 percent black population, this project 

is developing and testing devices that can precisely measure activity levels in highly sedentary overweight or 

obese adolescents.
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Education

The Institute has prepared the following publications 

for minorities on the importance of physical activity and 

ways to become more physically active:

• Energize Yourself! Stay Physically Active

• Sí se Puede: Prevenir y Controlar la Presión 

Arterial Alta con Actividad Física (Move To Prevent 

and Control High Blood Pressure With Physical 

Activity)

• American Indian and Alaska Native People: Be 

Active for Your Heart!

• Are You at Risk for Heart Disease? in Tagalog and 

English

• Be Active for a Healthier Heart in Vietnamese and 

English.

The Institute also has developed a Web-based application on physical activity for lay health educators in 

English and Spanish, which can be found at 

http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/salud/pa/index.htm.

Smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for CHD and stroke 

and is the leading cause of preventable death. Although 

great progress has been made in smoking cessation programs, maintenance of behavior change has been limited. 

To address this problem, the Institute is supporting several investigator-initiated smoking intervention and 

follow-up cessation maintenance studies. One study 

targets low-income, high-risk women from a variety 

of ethnic and racial backgrounds who have quit smoking 

because of their pregnancy. It is comparing the 

biochemically confirmed smoking abstinence rates of 

women who quit smoking during their pregnancy and 

who receive intervention-based telephone counseling 

with the rates of quitters who receive usual care. Maintenance of abstinence will be assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 

12 months postpartum. 

Another study targets respiratory therapists and nurses 

who provide hospital-based tobacco cessation interventions to parents of hospitalized pediatric patients with 

respiratory illness. It focuses on refining an interactive 

Internet-based program, WeBREATHe (Web-Based 

Respiratory Education About Tobacco and Health); evaluating the program for use in children’s hospital settings 

in a randomized trial of respiratory therapists and nurses 

assigned to either the Training Condition (WeBREATHe 

program) or a Delay Training Control condition; and 

developing a final version of the interactive training program with manuals. Forty-two percent of the participants 

are expected to come from minority populations.

Obesity and smoking are risk factors for hypertension. 

Typically, smokers who succeed in quitting tend to gain 

excess weight, which may exacerbate existing hypertension. Intervention programs for smokers who are hypertensive need to include a weight loss component. Two 

studies in smokers with hypertension will compare the 

effectiveness of a pharmacologic smoking cessation 

intervention followed by a weight gain prevention and 

blood pressure control program consisting of changes in 

dietary intake and physical activity to the same smoking 

cessation intervention followed by general health education. At a 1-year follow-up session, researchers will 

compare the changes in blood pressure, body weight, 

dietary intake, physical activity, hypertensive status, and 

medication status between the two groups. Sixty percent 

of the participants are expected to be black.

Smoking prevalence among active duty military personnel is high, especially among young recruits and 

those in the Marines where the rate is almost 40 percent. 

Because of the unique challenges such as high troop 

mobility, remote locations, and limited access to health 

care services, many interventions that have shown strong 

efficacy in civilian populations often fail in military populations. One program, Tobacco Quit Lines, is a promising and widely disseminated approach that can address 

many of the issues, such as troop mobility and remote 

access, associated with the military. An investigatorinitiated study is seeking to determine the long-term 

(1-year) efficacy of an interventionist versus a Reactive 

Quit Line intervention; 28 percent of the population is 

expected to come from minority populations.

Smoking rates among the homeless population are 

extremely high, with estimates of 70 percent or more. 

Two of the three major causes of death among the 

homeless are heart disease and cancer, both of which 

are tobacco related. Recent studies have shown that 

many homeless smokers are ready to quit smoking. 

Maintenance of smoking cessation, however, is rather 

low. The Institute is supporting a study to compare 

smoking abstinence at 6 months among homeless 

participants who received nicotine patches for 8 weeks: 

the intervention group received five counseling sessions 
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encouraging adherence, and the control group received 

advice to quit in one brief session.

The estimated prevalence of smoking among individuals with HIV is approximately 50 percent. As they age, 

they are at an increased risk of smoking-related lung 

damage. Investigators are developing and evaluating a 

specialized smoking cessation intervention for nicotinedependent HIV smokers. The study also will examine 

the effects of smoking cessation on the course of lung 

function decline, prevalence of respiratory symptoms, 

and occurrence or progression of emphysema in a cohort 

of HIV individuals; 38 percent of the participants are 

expected to be black. 

Education

The Institute has prepared the following publications 

on smoking cessation for minorities:

• Enjoy Living Smoke Free in English and Spanish 

• Refresh Yourself! Stop Smoking

• American Indian and Alaska Native People: Help 

Your Heart

• Be Heart Healthy: Enjoy Living Smoke Free in 

Tagalog and English

• Don’t Burn Your Life Away—Be Good to Your Heart

in Tagalog and English and in Vietnamese and 

English. 

Psychosocial Factors

Major depression is a risk factor in the development of 

ischemic heart disease and for death after an acute MI. 

Investigator-initiated research is seeking to determine the 

pathways that link depression to physiological mechanisms in patients who are post-MI. One study is examining the link between the severity of depressive symptoms 

to the inflammatory process implicated in atherogenesis 

by focusing on the basal expression of cytokines and cell 

adhesion molecules on blood monocytes. Another study 

is focused on the autonomic nervous system and its link 

to depression. A third study is investigating the role of 

platelets, platelet aggregation, and adhesion in patients 

with major depression. Approximately 30 percent of the 

participants in the studies are black.

The NHLBI is interested in the effect of depression, 

anxiety, and lack of social support on prognosis after a 

CHD event. An investigator-initiated study is examining 

the efficacy of individual and group therapy in patients 

who are post-MI and socially isolated or clinically 

depressed. Scientists will be measuring biological risk 

factors (e.g., lipids, adiposity, coagulation factors) and 

possible subclinical markers of disease (e.g., carotid 

intimal-medial thickness, coronary calcification); 

34 percent of the participants are black.

The Institute supports investigator-initiated research 

on the role of race and ethnicity, psychosocial and environmental factors, and low SES in the development of 

CHD. Scientists are investigating the contribution of 

biobehavioral factors (hostility, anxiety, and heightened 

cardiovascular reactivity to stress) in the etiology, pathogenesis, and course of CHD. Racial differences in stressinduced physiologic responses also are being examined. 

Other investigators are focused on the relationships of 

psychosocial stress, sleep disordered breathing, and nocturnal physiological measures with emerging risk factors 

and subclinical CVD; 50 percent of the participants are 

black.

Although psychosocial risk factors such as depression, 

hostility, and stress have been associated with CVD, their 

role in stroke incidence and mortality has not been determined. An investigator-initiated study is seeking to 

determine whether psychosocial risk factors (depression, 

stress, hostility, perceived discrimination) or living in 

stressful neighborhoods are associated with increased 

risk of incident stroke and stroke mortality in a biracial 

population. Scientists will also compare the risk of 

stroke in blacks and whites and examine the degree to 

which racial differences in stroke risk are mediated by 

psychosocial risk factors.

Investigators are interested in the effects of race and 

psychosocial factors, such as hostility, on glucose metabolism. A study was initiated to determine how hostility is 

differentially related to glucose metabolism in blacks and 

whites. Research findings may increase understanding of 

the differences in the etiology of diabetes in the two 

groups.

Additional areas of interest include the genetic basis 

of aggression and the relationships between riskpromoting variables (psychosocial stress, smoking, 

poor diet, physical inactivity), presumed mediating 

variables (sympathetic nervous system activity and 

insulin metabolism), and CHD risk factors; 50 to 60 

percent of the participants are black or Hispanic.
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Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a strong risk factor for CVD. Its 

prevalence is increasing due to the significant increase of 

obesity and physical inactivity in the population, especially among blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. 

To address this growing problem, the Institute is supporting an investigator-initiated study on defining the relationship between the overall dose of endurance exercise 

training and the corresponding response of metabolic 

risk factors in an overweight and obese biracial female 

population. Another study will determine if adolescents 

with type 2 diabetes have a high risk of developing clinical CVD in their late 20s or 30s. Scientists are using 

noninvasive imaging techniques for detecting subclinical 

atherosclerosis to measure CVD development in a predominantly black population.

Hypertension and diabetes are major contributors to 

CVD and occur disproportionately in blacks. In particular, black women seem to have earlier disease onset and 

poorer outcomes. Scientists are investigating the link 

between hypertension and type 2 diabetes and the relative excess of androgen found in black women to determine whether insulin resistance, excess androgen, and 

endothelial dysfunction contribute to accelerated vascular injury in blacks.

Treatment

The NHLBI supports clinical trials to determine the 

benefits of various strategies to reduce CVD among 

patients with diabetes or treat patients with coronary 

artery disease and diabetes.

• ACCORD (see Chapter 11): To evaluate the 

benefits of different therapies to reduce CVD in 

type 2 diabetes; more than 33 percent of the 

participants are minorities.

• BARI 2D (see Chapter 9): To evaluate whether 

urgent revascularization offers an advantage over 

medical therapy in patients with coronary artery 

disease and diabetes. In addition, for a given level 

of glycemic control, to determine whether insulinproviding drugs offer advantages or risks compared 

to insulin sensitizers (drugs that enhance insulin 

action); 33 percent of the participants are from 

minority populations.

• SANDS (see Chapter 9): To compare intensive 

treatment (pharmacologic agents, such as ACE 

inhibitors and simvastatin for high blood pressure 

and LDL cholesterol) to conventional treatment in 

549 American Indians, aged 40 years or older, with 

diabetes. The primary endpoint is a combination of 

measures of carotid intimal-medial thickness and 

cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or 

strokes. 

An investigator-initiated study is evaluating the 

effectiveness of a multiple risk factor intervention (diet, 

exercise, stress management, social support, smoking 

cessation) targeting postmenopausal Hispanic women 

with type 2 diabetes.

Education

The Institute has prepared the following publications 

on diabetes for minorities:

• Protect Your Heart Against Diabetes in English and 

Spanish.

• Protect Your Heart: Prevent and Control Diabetes 

in Tagalog and English

Women’s Health Initiative

CHD, cancer, and osteoporosis are the most common 

causes of death, disability, and impaired quality of life in 

postmenopausal women. The WHI (see Chapter 11) is 

addressing the benefits and risks of hormone therapy, 

changes in dietary patterns, and calcium/vitamin D supplements in disease prevention. Several of the centers 

have recruited primarily minority populations: American 

Indians, Asians, blacks, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. 

The clinical trial recruited 12,607 minorities and the 

observational study recruited 15,658. Overall, of the 

161,808 postmenopausal women recruited into the WHI, 

17 percent were minorities.

The Institute awarded 12 new contracts in 2007 to 

help explain the postmenopausal hormone therapy and 

other clinical trial findings and to investigate the effects 

of genetic and biological markers on common diseases 

affecting postmenopausal women. Investigators will 

conduct their research using blood, DNA, and other biological samples and clinical data from WHI participants. 

Four contracts focus specifically on minority women:

• Physical Activity, Obesity, Inflammation, and CHD 

in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort of Women: To clarify the 

mechanisms underlying the reduced risk of CHD 

conferred by physical activity and lower body fat, 

beyond their effects on traditional risk factors. 
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Using data from the WHI observational study, 

researchers will examine the association of physical 

activity and inflammatory markers and determine 

whether the association varies by a person’s weight; 

and investigate the association between physical 

activity combined with weight/obesity status and 

risk of CHD. They will compare the role of inflammatory markers in mediating the associations of 

physical activity combined with weight with CHD 

risk to the role of traditional risk factors, such as 

blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

• Ancestry Association Analyses of WHI Traits: To 

determine the contribution of ancestry informative 

markers in DNA samples to differences in risk of 

CHD, stroke, breast cancer, and hip fractures in 

blacks and Hispanics and analyze genetic factors 

related to ancestry or country of origin affecting hip 

fracture and bone mineral density in whites and 

blacks. 

• Biochemical Antecedents of Fracture in Minority 

Women: To examine biochemical factors for fracture in minority and white women. Research results 

could explain differences in fracture rates and contribute to prevention strategies.

• Interaction Effects of Genes in the Inflammatory 

Pathway and Dietary Supplement and Medication 

Exposures on General Cancer Risk: To identify 

genetic variants in genes involved in inflammation 

and immunity that are associated with cancer risk 

(breast, colon and rectum, and lung) in whites and 

blacks. Scientists will test associations between the 

use of dietary supplements and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) with inflammatory 

markers and risk of overall cancer. They will then 

study interaction effects of genetic variants with 

dietary supplement and NSAID exposure on cancer 

risk.

Lung Diseases

The NHLBI supports research on a number of lung 

diseases, such as asthma, COPD, sarcoidosis, TB, and 

HIV-related lung diseases, which disproportionately 

affect minorities. The following section provides 

examples of research to address health disparities in 

lung diseases; selected sleep disorders are also included.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and 

narrows the airways. It affects people of all ages, but it 

most often starts in childhood. In the United States, 

more than 22 million people are known to have asthma 

and nearly 6 million are children.

Etiology and Pathophysiology

The NHLBI has initiated several studies to determine 

the etiology and pathophysiology of asthma.

• Severe Asthma Research Program: To determine 

the mechanistic basis for severe asthma and to determine how it differs from mild-to-moderate asthma. 

Several of the projects have strong minority 

participation.

• Asthma Exacerbation: Biology and Disease 

Progression: To elucidate the biologic mechanisms 

of asthma exacerbation pathobiology and resolution 

and to determine their effect on lung function, 

physiology, and disease state; 27 to 56 percent of the 

study participants will come from various minority 

populations.

• Genome-Wide Association Studies to Identify 

Genetic Components Related to Heart, Lung, and 

Blood Disorders: To identify genetic variants 

related to heart, lung, and blood disorders and their 

risk factors using existing population, family, and 

clinical studies. Several of the asthma-related 

projects have strong minority representation in the 

study populations.

The Institute also supports investigator-initiated 

projects on the etiology and pathophysiology of asthma. 

They include a study to identify positional gene candidates for airway hyperresponsiveness and compare their 

association with asthma between two asthmatic groups: 

a white population on Tangier Island, VA, and a black 

population from Barbados; a study to establish the link 

between specific genotypic variants and phenotypic 

markers, and to elucidate the immunological pathways 

that contribute to asthma severity in blacks; and a casecontrolled study to identify genetic determinants of 

asthma risk among populations of African ancestry by 

performing genome-wide association studies and gene–

gene and gene–environment interaction studies.

Latinos carry a disproportionate burden of asthma. 

Yet few investigators studying the genetics of asthma 

have focused on them, partly due to the complexity of 

the Latino gene pool. One study, however, is developing 

and testing new methods to correct for population 

stratification due to racial admixture, a key problem 
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confounding genetic studies in the Latino population. 

The project focuses on data from the NHLBI-supported 

Genetics of Asthma in Latino Americans to assess 

population stratification. 

Other projects that focus on Hispanic populations 

include one that uses genomic screening to search for 

the genetic basis of asthma in a homogeneous Hispanic 

population in Costa Rica and another that involves a 

population-based case control association study to 

examine the influence of genetic and environmental 

factors on the development and severity of asthma in 

Puerto Rican children.

Occupational and environmental factors are known to 

trigger asthma symptoms. An investigator-initiated study 

is focusing on understanding the mechanisms by which 

occupational or environmental factors trigger the onset of 

asthma among low-income, urban blacks and Hispanics. 

Another study is examining the association of early 

exposure to endotoxin (which appears to promote the 

development of the immune system), nitrogen dioxide, 

and aeroallergens (which trigger asthma exacerbations); 

obesity; physical inactivity; and environmental tobacco 

smoke on the prevalence, persistence, and incidence of 

asthma in black and Hispanic children enrolled in innercity Head Start programs.

Circadian change in airway function is an important 

aspect of asthma, as more than 70 percent of deaths and 

80 percent of respiratory arrests occur during sleep. 

Focusing on nocturnal asthma, researchers are investigating the mechanisms that cause the changes in airway 

function that lead to exacerbation of symptoms; minority 

populations comprise 36 percent of the study population.

Treatment and Control

The Institute has initiated research to identify optimal 

drug strategies for treatment and management of asthma. 

Because the burden of asthma disproportionately affects 

minority children, it is important for them to be well 

represented in clinical trials.

• ACRN-Phase II (see Chapter 11): To establish an 

interactive network of asthma clinical research 

groups to conduct studies of new therapies for 

asthma and disseminate findings to the practicing 

community. Overall, 30 percent of the participants 

are from minority populations. 

• CARE (see Chapter 11): To establish a network of 

pediatric clinical care centers to determine optimal 

treatment and management strategies for children 

with asthma. The studies considered by the network 

will attempt to customize therapy based on specific 

asthma phenotypes and genotypes; minorities comprise 30 percent of the population.

• Centers for Reducing Asthma Disparities (see 

Chapter 9): To support partnerships between 

minority-serving institutions and research-intensive 

institutions to conduct studies on causes of and 

corrections for disparities in asthma among racial/

ethnic and low SES populations. Reciprocal training 

is encouraged to ensure culturally sensitive projects 

and enhance research capabilities.

The Institute is also supporting investigator-initiated 

studies focusing on finding effective treatment for 

various populations. One study is examining the effect 

of steroids on enhanced alpha-adrenergic vascular 

responsiveness in asthma; 77 percent of the participants 

are minority. Another study is using preexisting, wellcharacterized cohorts of patients with asthma to identify 

genetic variants that can predict therapeutic response to 

asthma drugs. Scientists are interested in the influence 

of race/ethnicity on the genetic factors associated with 

asthma therapeutic responses.

Translational Activities

Ensuring full use of modern asthma treatment strategies is an important goal of the NHLBI. The Institute is 

supporting an investigator-initiated study to determine 

the effectiveness of an intervention that is removing barriers to preventive care to improve asthma management 

and lower asthma morbidity. Scientists are using a 

Breathmobile to deliver asthma screening to black children attending Head Start programs and a special consultation service to communicate directly with the parents 

about asthma management. Another study among lowincome, inner-city children with asthma attending preschool is testing a bilingual intervention program to 

improve asthma management; 60 percent of the participants are Hispanic and 40 percent are black.

Additional studies to improve asthma management 

among minority groups include a study to test whether 

individualized interventions will improve asthma management in a black and Hispanic population. Another 

study seeks to improve asthma management by teaching 

children with asthma to recognize symptoms of the 
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presence of airflow obstruction; 42 percent of the participants are black and 6 percent are Hispanic.

Two randomized controlled trials are being conducted 

among patients recruited at the time of an emergency 

department visit for asthma exacerbation. One study is 

testing an intervention to enhance knowledge, selfefficacy, and asthma-related social support; 40 percent 

of the patients are minorities. The other study focuses 

on young black children recruited at the time of an emergency department visit for asthma exacerbation. Investigators are testing the effectiveness of an intervention 

strategy that includes case management, telephone contacts, and a monetary incentive to increase follow-up 

visits to primary care providers.

Three studies are evaluating the benefits of working 

with public school systems to improve adherence to 

asthma management. In Birmingham, Alabama, scientists are evaluating the impact of school-based supervised 

asthma therapy on asthma exacerbations in a predominately black population with moderate-to-severe asthma. 

In New York, they are testing the ability of an intervention that includes in-school intensive asthma education to 

9th- and 10th-grade students who have persistent asthma 

and intensive asthma education for their community physicians to improve asthma morbidity; 90 percent of the 

participants are black. In Detroit, investigators are developing and evaluating an Internet-based self-management 

program for black teens with asthma.

Chronic environmental tobacco smoke exposure, 

particularly from parental smoking, is associated with 

more severe asthma, increased incidence of emergency 

department visits, life-threatening attacks, and prolonged 

time to recovery from asthma exacerbation requiring 

hospitalization. A study is being conducted to evaluate 

an intervention tailored to parental stage of change 

regarding smoking practice, to reduce asthma crisis care 

used by children with persistent asthma.

Education

The Institute has developed easy-to-read materials on 

asthma treatment and control directed to English and 

Spanish audiences with low literacy.

• Facts About Controlling Your Asthma

• El Asma: Cómo Controlar Esta Enfermedad (Facts 

About Controlling Your Asthma) 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

COPD is a disease in which the lungs are damaged, 

making breathing difficult. It is responsible for more 

than 500,000 hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths in the 

United States each year. The Institute has established a 

research network to determine effective disease management approaches for individuals with moderate-to-severe 

COPD. 

• COPD Clinical Research Network (see Chapter 11): 

To perform collaborative, therapeutic interventional 

trials of medications, devices, and disease management strategies in individuals with moderate-tosevere COPD. In addition to evaluating treatment 

efficacy, network studies may include examinations 

of genetic factors, biomarkers, or genomic/

proteomic profiles that may identify patients who 

are more or less likely to benefit from various 

treatments.

The NHLBI has recently begun a large, investigatorinitiated study of genetic factors that determine the risk 

of developing COPD or that influence the type and 

extent of damage done to the body by the disease. The 

COPDGeneTM study will enroll approximately 3,500 

blacks with a substantial history of cigarette smoking, 

obtain extensive baseline clinical and phenotypic data 

regarding the individuals, and compare the severity and 

character of COPD in the subjects to analyses of their 

DNA. Genomewide genetic assays will be performed 

on a substantial fraction of this cohort.

Although COPD is less common among blacks than 

among whites, it is nevertheless the seventh leading 

cause of death among blacks. Any disparity, whether 

higher or lower in the minority group, may reflect racial 

differences in the biology of the disease that would 

require use of different treatments or drugs for optimal 

disease management. If the genes found to be determinants of COPD risk differ in blacks and whites, this will 

provide clues to how the roles of specific pathogenetic 

pathways of COPD differ among races.

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease of unknown 

etiology characterized by persistent granulomas with 

damage to surrounding tissue. The Institute has initiated 

a program to determine the immunopathogenesis of granulomatous inflammation found in sarcoidosis, including 

the role of predisposing factors, the immune components 
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involved in the formation of granulomas, and the defective regulatory immune response. 

In the United States, sarcoidosis often occurs more 

frequently and with more severity in blacks than in 

whites. This may reflect the intensity of the noncaseating granuloma, the hallmark of sarcoidosis, in affected 

tissue. A twofold greater density of granuloma in bronchiolar lung biopsies was recently found in black 

patients, which correlated as a measure of disease 

severity.

Investigator-initiated studies on the causes of sarcoidosis include a study to identify genes linked to 

sarcoidosis susceptibility in blacks and to determine if 

hereditary susceptibility predisposes blacks to sarcoidosis, and a project to elucidate the mechanisms involved 

in the immunologic and inflammatory processes that 

ultimately lead to end-stage fibrosis in progressive 

pulmonary sarcoidosis; many of the participants are 

black.

A new project funded in FY 2008 will support mentored research to investigate selected genetic and nongenetic potential risk factors for sarcoidosis. This project 

will be conducted within the Black Women’s Health 

Study.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), a condition characterized by repetitive interruption in breathing, is a common disorder that disproportionately affects blacks. It is 

associated with an increased risk of CVD, including 

hypertension and stroke, and is particularly prevalent in 

patients with heart failure. Ongoing programs are assessing the interrelationship between sleep disorders and 

heart failure and the mechanisms leading to cardiovascular stress when the two intersect.

The Institute also supports a spectrum of investigatorinitiated projects to elucidate cardiovascular and other 

health consequences of SDB, sleep deprivation, and shift 

work in various community settings. Characterization of 

how SDB occurs within family groups is helping to identify potential genetic risk factors that may allow early 

identification and treatment of high-risk individuals. A 

community-based study of sleep in Hispanics is assessing the prevalence and awareness of sleep disorders.

The Institute supports research related to the consequences of short sleep or sleep disturbances.

• Mechanisms Linking Short Sleep Duration and 

Risk of Obesity or Overweight: To examine causeand-effect relationships and mechanisms that may 

explain the association between short sleep duration 

and increased risk of obesity or overweight due to 

altered metabolism, appetite, or inflammation. 

Minority participation ranges from 29 percent 

blacks to a Chinese twin cohort.

• Inter-Relationships of Sleep, Fatigue, and HIV/

AIDS: To elucidate the etiology of sleep disturbances and fatigue associated with HIV/AIDS. 

Most of the participants are black.

Treatment and Control

The NHLBI has initiated a clinical trial to determine 

whether adenotonsillectomy is an effective treatment for 

SDB in children.

• Randomized Controlled Study of Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood Sleep Apnea (see Chapter 9): 

To assess the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy as a 

treatment for SDB in children aged 5 to 9 years; 

50 percent of the participants are from various 

minority and ethnic populations.

Education

The NHLBI published Your Guide to Healthy Sleep,

which provides the latest information about sleep apnea 

and other sleep disorders, including insomnia, restless 

legs syndrome, and narcolepsy.

HIV-Related Lung Diseases

HIV infection disproportionately affects minority 

populations in the United States and due to multidrug 

antiretroviral therapy, has become a chronic condition 

for many patients. Among them, HIV-associated lung 

complications are frequent causes of illness and death. 

But the long-term consequences of HIV infection and 

HIV-associated lung infections and complications are 

unknown. Little is known about drug-resistant 

Pneumocystis, the prevalence and pathogenesis of HIVassociated COPD, HIV-associated pulmonary hypertension, and immune reconstitution syndromes. In 

developing countries where millions of people are HIVinfected, many have serious or fatal lung complications 

including TB and bacterial pneumonias that have never 

been well characterized.
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Etiology and Pathophysiology 

In addition to supporting investigator-initiated 

research on the etiology and pathogenesis of HIVassociated lung diseases, the Institute has initiated 

research to understand their causes and impact and to 

identify potential therapeutic targets and preventive 

strategies. 

• The Mechanisms of HIV-Related Pulmonary Complications: To encourage innovative research on the 

roles of co-infections, immune factors, and genetic 

predisposition in the pathogenesis of HIV-related 

pulmonary diseases. 

• Longitudinal Studies of HIV-Associated Lung Infections and Complications: To accelerate research on 

lung complications associated with HIV-infection by 

characterizing lung infections, other HIV-associated 

lung complications, and their consequences in longitudinal studies in existing HIV-infected cohorts and 

other established groups of patients who are HIVinfected. Expected minority enrollments at the U.S. 

sites range from approximately 40 to greater than 

80 percent, depending on the center. 

Tuberculosis

TB is a common and often deadly infectious disease 

caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 

the United States, it is estimated that 10 to 15 million 

people are infected with the TB bacteria, and 22,000 new 

cases of TB occur each year. 

Etiology and Pathogenesis

The Institute supports investigator-initiated research 

that includes characterizing genes associated with TB 

susceptibility, investigating host lung defenses, including 

immune responses to infection and studying the impact 

of TB on HIV disease.

Treatment and Control

The NHLBI supports a number of investigatorinitiated studies focused on understanding the relationship between the immune system and TB. Most of the 

studies are being conducted among patients from 

minority populations. Included among them are studies 

to compare susceptibility to TB in populations in Mexico 

and Peru; examine the role of interferon-gamma in the 

pathogenesis of TB among Hispanics with and without 

HIV; identify and characterize host factors that predispose Asians to develop TB; and determine the 

effectiveness of adding aerosolized interferon-gamma to 

the usual treatment regimen for advanced TB in 

predominately minority populations in the United States 

and South Africa.

The NHLBI also supports research to improve TB 

control among minority populations. One project is evaluating educational strategies to improve adherence to 

medication regimens and regular clinic visits among 

Hispanic adolescents infected with TB. Another study, 

located in the Harlem community of New York City, is 

testing a new strategy to promote adherence to therapy 

among inner-city patients who have TB. Both programs 

are outgrowths of behavioral research programs begun 

by the Institute in 1995.

A third program, directed toward public health 

workers, could affect the health of minority populations, 

where TB rates are disproportionately high. Scientists 

are evaluating the effectiveness of a new TB contact 

priority model for investigating contacts of persons who 

have infectious TB. An effective model could enhance 

contact investigations and provide more efficient TB 

disease control.

Education

Building on the foundation laid by the Tuberculosis 

Academic Award program, the NHLBI is supporting a 

consortium of five TB curriculum centers:

• TB Curriculum Coordinating Center: To strengthen, 

expand, and increase access to the best ongoing educational and training opportunities in TB for medical, nursing, and allied health schools, especially 

those that provide primary care to communities 

where TB is endemic and the population is at high 

risk of developing TB.

Blood Diseases

The NHLBI supports basic and clinical research on 

SCD and Cooley’s anemia with the goal of curing the 

disorders and improving patient care.

Sickle Cell Disease

Basic Research

SCD is an inherited blood disorder that produces 

chronic anemia, periodic episodes of pain, and end 

organ damage. It affects about 1 in 500 blacks and 1 in 

1,000 Hispanics. Since 1972, the NHLBI has supported 
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ongoing Phase II-III clinical trials or network clinical trials related to heart, lung, and blood diseases 

and sleep disorders. One study seeks to identify 

genetic variations underlying Rh antigenic diversity 

in patients who have SCD. Research findings will 

be used to develop high throughput microchips to 

screen for matching donors and recipients prior to 

blood transfusion. Knowledge of the genetic basis 

for compatibility between donors and patients who 

have SCD for transfusion could contribute to preventing alloimmunization and improve care for 

patients who have SCD. Another study employs 

proteomic approaches to identify biomarkers of early 

cerebral ischemia in children who have SCD. Identifying such circulating biomarkers could allow earlier therapeutic intervention in these children.

Clinical Research

The NHLBI is committed to finding improved treatments and ultimately a cure for SCD and other hemoglobinopathies. Institute-initiated studies have begun to 

yield therapies that will alleviate the symptoms of sickle 

cell anemia and procedures that should ultimately provide 

a cure.

• BABY HUG (see Chapter 11): To assess the effectiveness of hydroxyurea in preventing onset of 

chronic organ damage in young black children who 

have sickle cell anemia. At baseline, the trial has 

demonstrated that the spleens and kidneys of 1-yearold children are already damaged.

• SWITCH (see Chapter 9): To determine whether 

hydroxyurea and phlebotomy can maintain an 

acceptable stroke recurrence rate and significantly 

reduce hepatic iron burden compared with transfusion plus chelation in black children who have had 

overt stroke.

• Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network 

(see Chapter 11): To conduct Phase III randomized 

controlled clinical trials to test the efficacy and 

effectiveness of new therapies to treat and prevent 

complications of SCD and, when appropriate, 

thalassemia.

• Sildenafil for Sickle Cell Disease-Associated 

Pulmonary Hypertension (see Chapter 11): To test 

the effects of 16 weeks of chronic sildenafil therapy 

on exercise endurance and pulmonary artery 

pressure in patients aged 14 years or older with 

pulmonary hypertension and SCD. The NHLBI 

an extensive research program to improve understanding of the pathophysiology of SCD, identify better 

approaches for its diagnosis and treatment, and prevent 

complications.

Basic and translational research currently focuses on 

genetic influences on disease manifestations, regulation 

of hemoglobin synthesis, discovery of drugs to increase 

fetal hemoglobin production, transplantation of bloodforming stem cells, gene therapy, and development of 

animal models for preclinical studies. The NHLBI 

supports this research through Institute-initiated and 

investigator-initiated projects. 

• BTRP (see Chapter 9): To encourage fundamental 

investigations and their translation into initial studies in humans, as well as community translation to 

promote evidence-based clinical practice. SCD 

Scholars programs for the career development of 

young investigators and Summer-for-Sickle-CellScience programs for research training and mentoring of high-school students also will be supported as 

part of a larger effort by the Institute to prepare the 

next generation of scientists to advance the field of 

SCD research. The BTRP was reconfigured from 

the NHLBI Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers 

(CSCC) program. 

• Pulmonary Complications of Sickle Cell Disease: 

To stimulate collaborative translational research on 

the pulmonary complications of SCD. Researchers 

in hematology and pulmonary science, using a combination of basic and clinical approaches, are investigating the major known pulmonary complications 

of SCD due to acute chest syndrome, pulmonary 

hypertension, and oxyhemoglobin desaturation.

Two trans-NHLBI initiatives support research in SCD:

• Genome-Wide Association Studies to Identify 

Genetic Components Related to Heart, Lung, and 

Blood Disorders (see page 142): To investigate 

common genes involved in subphenotypes of SCD 

and centenarians. Scientists seek to identify genetic 

associations with specific clinical features in the two 

populations and subsequently compare the two datasets for differences and similarities. Research 

results could lead to improved treatment for SCD 

and increase our understanding of the genetic components that enhance healthy aging.

• Ancillary Studies in Clinical Trials: To conduct 

time-sensitive ancillary studies in conjunction with 
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Intramural Vascular Medicine Branch is 

participating as one of the nine clinical centers in 

this trial.

• Clinical Trials Consortium: To complete two 

Phase II trials that had been initiated by the CSCC 

program: CHAMPS, which examines the effectiveness of hydroxyurea and magnesium pidolate alone 

and in combination in subjects with hemoglobin 

SCD, and the Neuropsych II Study, a pilot study that 

compares the neuropsychological outcomes of adult 

patients who receive chronic transfusions compared 

with patients who are not transfused.

• The Adult Sickle Cell Quality of Life Measurement 

Information System (ASCQ-Me): To develop, 

validate, and disseminate a sickle cell-specific 

quality-of-life measurement tool that is a partner 

with and complementary to the NIH Roadmap 

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). ASCQ-Me will be 

publicly available to researchers who plan to assess 

health-related quality of life in clinical trials, and 

studies comparing effectiveness of different 

therapies.

The NHLBI supports several transplant-related 

clinical studies that seek to reach minority populations.

• Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials 

Network (BMT CTN) (see Chapter 11): In collaboration with the NCI, to perform clinical trials to 

advance hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To 

reach minority populations, the Network supports 

bilingual transplant center personnel and provides 

public Web pages and educational materials. In 

addition, the Network is working with the National 

Marrow Donor Program to develop strategies and 

implement procedures to enhance enrollment of 

patients from minority groups.

A new clinical trial of unrelated donor marrow and 

umbilical cord blood transplantation for severe SCD is 

being supported through the BMT CTN and the Sickle 

Cell Disease Clinical Research Network. The Sickle Cell 

Unrelated Transplant Trial is the first Phase II study to 

assess the promise of this therapy as a curative option for 

patients who are severely affected by SCD.

The NIH Hydroxyurea Treatment for SCD Consensus 

Conference, sponsored by the NIH Office of Medical 

Applications of Research and the NHLBI, along with 

other NIH and HHS components was held in February 

2008. This conference assessed the available scientific 

evidence and concluded that hydroxyurea treatment for 

patients who have sickle cell anemia is underutilized and 

should be increased in adolescents and adults. Research 

has shown that patients who have SCD and are taking 

hydroxyurea experience fewer pain crises and hospital 

admissions. The conference panel advocated increased 

use of the drug with appropriate monitoring, and continuing follow-up of children in ongoing clinical trials.

To build capacity for clinical research, the NHLBI is 

funding the Clinical Hematology Research Career 

Development Program, which supports the early career 

development of clinical researchers who are expected to 

become independent investigators and assume academic 

leadership roles in nonmalignant clinical hematology. 

Recommitment to Sickle Cell Disease Research

In March 2008, after a rigorous program assessment, 

extensive public input, and advice from the NHLBAC, 

the NHLBI announced a comprehensive and innovative 

restructuring of its research SCD program. As a result, 

the NHLBI is moving forward with the following innovations to its SCD portfolio:

• Basic science: Support for basic research will be 

expanded through funding of investigator-initiated 

grant applications and through NHLBI-initiated 

RFAs focused on the pathophysiology of SCD, the 

biology of pain in SCD, fetal hemoglobin switching, 

and genetic modifiers of disease expression and 

progression.

• Translational and clinical research: the Institute 

reconfigured the CSCC program into a BTRP with 

dedicated training components.

• Participation in clinical research: The scope of clinical research trials will be broadened to allow a 

greater number of people with SCD to participate in 

NIH-sponsored clinical research trials. 

• Translation and dissemination to the community: In 

partnership with the Sickle Cell Disease Association 

of America and other patient advocacy groups and 

professional organizations, the NHLBI will develop 

evidence-based guidelines for the care of people 

with SCD across the life-span that can be used by 

health care practitioners throughout the world.
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Education

The NHLBI has developed a number of publications 

on SCD that target minorities:

• Datos Sobre La Anemia Falciforme (Facts About 

Sickle Cell Anemia)

• Fact Sheet: Hydroxyurea in Pediatric Patients With 

Sickle Cell Disease

• Facts About Sickle Cell Anemia

• Patient Fact Sheet: The Multicenter Study of 

Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH)

• Management and Therapy of Sickle Cell Disease.

Cooley’s Anemia

Cooley’s anemia is an inherited disorder of red blood 

cells that affects primarily people of African, Asiatic 

Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian origin. In 2000, the Institute initiated a program to establish 

a network of clinical research centers to evaluate new 

therapeutic agents. 

• Thalassemia (Cooley’s anemia) Clinical Research 

Network (see Chapter 11): To establish a group of 

clinical centers to accelerate research in the management of thalassemia, standardize existing treatments, 

and evaluate new ones.

The NHLBI supports research efforts that include 

developing oral chelators to remove iron overload caused 

by repetitive transfusion therapy, testing drugs to enhance 

fetal hemoglobin production, and examining hematopoetic transplantation and gene therapy approaches to cure 

the disease. A registry with samples has been established 

to foster genomic and proteomic studies. International 

collaborations have also been initiated.

In 2006, the Institute established the NHLBI Clinical 

Hematology Research Career Development Program to 

support career development of clinical researchers in 

nonmalignant clinical hematology including Cooley’s 

anemia.

151

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Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

13. Research Training and Career 

Development Programs

Dollars (Millions)

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Graduate Training

Program (NRSA)*

Research Career

Programs

Fellowship Programs

(NRSA)*

Number of Trainees

NHLBI Research Training and Career Development Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

* National Research Service Awards (NRSA).

NHLBI Full-Time Training Positions: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

* National Research Service Awards (NRSA).

Note: Numbers of awards and trainees may not agree with other tables due to the method of counting supplements.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Graduate Training

Program (NRSA)*

Research Career

Programs

Fellowship Programs

(NRSA)*

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Graduate Training 

Programs (NRSA)*

Research Career 

Programs

Fellowship Programs 

(NRSA)*

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

Graduate Training 

Programs (NRSA)*

Research Career 

Programs

Fellowship Programs 

(NRSA)*

2,000

1,800

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0
152

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

Training Awards, Full-Time Training Positions, and Obligations by Activity: Fiscal Year 2008

Number 

of Awards 

Obligated

Trainees 

(Full-time 

Training 

Positions) Direct Cost

Indirect 

Cost Total Cost

Percent 

of Total 

NHLBI 

Training 

Program 

Dollars

Fellowship Programs

Individual Predoctoral NRSA for 

M.D./Ph.D. (F30)

20 20 $ 641,047 $ — $ 641,047 0.7%

Predoctoral Individual NRSA (F31) 56 56 1,887,826 — 1,887,826 2.0

Postdoctoral Individual NRSA 

(F32)

125 125 6,487,299 — 6,487,299 7.0

Senior Fellowships NRSA (F33) 1 1 58,886 — 58,886 0.1

Subtotal, Fellowships 202 202 9,075,058 — 9,075,058 9.8

Graduate Training Programs

Institutional NRSA (T32) 220 1,525 74,920,084 5,453,023 80,373,107* 86.4

Minority Institutional NRSA (T32) 3 18 641,890 45,780 687,670 0.7

Off-Quarter Professional Student 

Training NRSA (T34, T35)

17 93 1,853,697 167,819 2,021,516 2.2

Short-Term Training for Minority 

Students (T35M)

13 48 706,175 97,474 803,649 0.9

Subtotal, Graduate Training Programs 253 1,684 78,121,846 5,764,096 83,885,942 90.2

Total, Training Programs 455 1,886 $87,196,904 $5,764,096 $92,961,000 100.0%

* Excludes assessment of $1,912,000.
153

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Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

History of Training Obligations by Activity: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fellowship Programs

Individual Predoctoral 

NRSA for M.D./Ph.D. 

(F30)

$ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 641

Predoctoral Individual 

NRSA (F31)

466 346 248 264 478 563 549 794 1,202 1,509 1,888

Postdoctoral Individual 

NRSA (F32)

6,969 8,807 8,517 8,515 8,887 7,868 8,128 8,813 8,790 6,684 6,487

Senior Fellowships 

NRSA (F33)

125 90 92 147 84 112 144 58 53 — 59

Subtotal, Fellowships 7,560 9,243 8,857 8,926 9,449 8,543 8,821 9,665 10,045 8,193 9,075

Graduate Training 

Programs

Institutional NRSA 

(T32)

37,904A 45,551B 50,507C 58,516D 62,999E 69,951F 71,229G 70,524H 71,831I 78,343J 80,373K

Minority Institutional 

NRSA (T32)

706 901 1,167 996 1,092 1,006 734 1,184 743 780 688

Off-Quarter 

Professional Student 

Training NRSA (T34, 

T35)

1,435 1,384 966 1,974 1,987 1,975 1,993 2,233 2,215 2,411 2,021

MARC (T36) 5 5 5 5 — — — — — — —

Short-Term Training for 

Minority Students 

(T35M)

1,964 2,494 2,570 1,877 2,057 2,594 2,671 2,976 2,527 1,673 804

Subtotal, Training 

Grants

42,014 50,335 55,215 63,368 68,135 75,526 76,627 76,917 77,316 83,207 83,886

Total, Training 

Programs 

$49,574A $59,578B $64,072C $72,294D $77,584E $84,069F $85,448G $86,582H $87,361I $91,400J $92,961K

A Excludes Assessment of $1,032,000.

B Excludes Assessment of $1,216,000.

C Excludes Assessment of $1,280,000.

D Excludes Assessment of $1,424,000.

E Excludes Assessment of $1,584,000.

F Excludes Assessment of $1,716,000.

G Excludes Assessment of $1,744,000.

H Excludes Assessment of $1,764,000.

I Excludes Assessment of $1,818,000.

J Excludes Assessment of $1,916,000.

K Excludes Assessment of $1,912,000.
154

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

Full-Time Training Positions by Activity: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Number of Positions

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fellowship Programs

Individual Predoctoral NRSA 

for M.D./Ph.D. (F30)

— — — — — — — — — — 20

Predoctoral Individual 

NRSA (F31)

19 13 11 12 18 19 18 25 32 44 56

Postdoctoral Individual 

NRSA (F32)

225 237 225 208 194 164 168 176 171 130 125

Senior Fellowships NRSA 

(F33)

4 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 — 1

Subtotal, Fellowships 248 252 238 223 214 185 189 202 205 174 202

Graduate Training Programs

Institutional NRSA (T32) 1,423 1,185 1,368 1,425 1,482 1,542 1,578 1,540 1,512 1,585 1,525

Minority Institutional 

NRSA (T32)

52 53 48 43 39 42 32 35 26 23 18

Off-Quarter Professional 

Student Training NRSA 

(T34, T35)

— — 51 109 179 93 99 95 104 105 93

Short-Term Training for 

Minority Students (T35M)

— — 136 93 30 107 119 128 99 77 48

Subtotal, Training Grants 1,475 1,238 1,603 1,670 1,730 1,784 1,828 1,798 1,741 1,790 1,684

Total, Training Positions 1,723 1,490 1,841 1,893 1,944 1,969 2,017 2,000 1,946 1,964 1,886
155

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Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

NHLBI Research Career Programs: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Number of Awards

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Mentored Research Scientist Development Award for 

Minority Faculty (K01)

19 30 29 44 54 47 46 45 40 35 35

Minority Institution Faculty Mentored Research 

Scientist Development Award (K01)

— — 11 9 2 7 6 4 4 5 7

Mentored Scientist Development Award in Research 

Ethics (K01)

— — — — — 2 2 3 3 3 1

Independent Scientist Award (K02) 14 18 27 34 33 32 31 32 24 25 22

Research Career Development Award (K04) 10 6 1 — — — — — — — —

Research Career Award (K06) 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 — —

Systemic Pulmonary and Vascular Disease Academic 

Award (K07)

3 3 1 — — — — — — — —

Asthma Academic Award (K07) 6 3 — — — — — — — — —

Tuberculosis Academic Award (K07) 20 13 9 5 — — — — — — —

Sleep Academic Award (K07) 20 20 20 12 8 — — — — — —

Nutrition Academic Award (K07) 10 10 19 19 19 9 9 — — — —

Pediatric Transfusion Medicine 

Academic Award (K07)

— — — — — — — — — 4 4

Cultural Competence and Health Disparities 

Academic Award (K07)

— — — — — — 8 14 18 18 18

Clinical Investigator Development Award (K08) 278 262 257 241 236 240 229 239 226 214 210

Physician Scientist Award (K11) — — — — — — — — — — —

Vascular Medicine Research Career 

Development Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — 2 7 7

Clinical Hematology Research Career 

Development Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — 6 6 6

Genetics and Genomics of Lung Diseases 

Career Development Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — — 8 8

Minority School Faculty Development Award 

(K14)

— — 4 1 — — — — — — —

Research Development Award for Minority 

Faculty (K14)

37 22 7 — — — — — — — —

Career Enhancement Award for Stem Cell Research 

(K18)

— — — — — 1 5 3 2 4 6

NHLBI Career Transition Award (K22) — — — — — — 1 2 1 1 1

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career 

Development Award (K23)

— 13 36 58 90 110 122 127 122 120 133

Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented 

Research (K24)

— 11 20 27 37 38 32 32 33 29 29

Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development 

Award (K25)

— — — 2 7 9 12 17 16 15 15

Clinical Research Curriculum Award (K30) — 9 16 55 55 55 55 —* 14 16 —

Career Transition Award (K99) — — — — — — — — — 24 47

Total, Research Career Programs 420 422 459 509 543 552 559 519 512 534 549

* In FY 2005, NHLBI relinquished management of the K30 program and as a result did not receive the grant count. 
156

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Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

NHLBI Research Career Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Mentored Research Scientist 

Development Award for Minority 

Faculty (K01)

$ 1,723 $ 2,738 $ 3,650 $ 5,556 $ 5,711 $ 6,156 $ 6,150 $ 6,088 $ 5,453 $ 4,718 $ 4,574

Minority Institution Faculty 

Mentored Research Scientist 

Development Award (K01)

101 905 1,300 1,143 1,703 991 867 588 567 698 949

Mentored Scientist Development 

Award in Research Ethics (K01)

— — — — — 255 253 355 358 357 102

Independent Scientist Award (K02) 933 1,548 2,350 3,202 3,130 3,099 3,079 3,218 2,421 2,511 2,184

Research Career Development 

Award (K04)

684 568 69 — — — — — — — —

Research Career Award (K06) 103 70 70 70 69 69 34 34 34 — —

Systemic Pulmonary and Vascular 

Diseases Academic Award (K07)

386 423 113 — — — — — — — —

Asthma Academic Award (K07) 509 248 — — — — — — — — —

Tuberculosis Academic Award (K07) 1,566 1,161 745 396 — — — — — — —

Sleep Academic Award (K07) 1,734 1,736 1,760 1,081 722 — — — — — —

Nutrition Academic Award (K07) 1,491 1,480 2,829 2,869 2,906 1,472 1,516 — — — —

Pediatrics Transfusion Medicine 

Academic Award (K07)

— — — — — — — — — 486 486

Cultural Competence and Health 

Disparities Academic Award (K07)

— — — — — — 925 1,620 2,109 2,232 2,197

Clinical Investigator Development 

Award (K08)

23,122 29,741 30,189 29,263 29,295 30,288 29,037 30,429 28,973 27,286 27,005

Physician Scientist Award (K11) — — — — — — — — — — —

Vascular Medicine Research Career 

Development Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — 772 3,206 5,499

Clinical Hematology Research Career 

Development Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — 2,360 2,367 2,364

Genetics and Genomics of Lung 

Diseases Career Development 

Program (K12)

— — — — — — — — — 3,154 3,190

Minority School Faculty Development 

Award (K14)

618 445 862 98 — — — — — — —

Research Development Award for 

Minority Faculty (K14)

3,099 2,093 393 — — — — — — — —

Career Enhancement Award for Stem 

Cell Research (K18)

— — — — — 243 980 512 213 652 1,014

NHLBI Career Transition Award 

(K22)

— — — — — — 185 364 178 160 162

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research 

Career Development Award (K23)

— 1,687 4,619 7,570 11,909 14,571 16,216 17,086 16,720 16,419 18,556

Midcareer Investigator Award in 

Patient-Oriented Research (K24)

— 1,054 2,072 2,877 4,058 4,368 3,815 3,929 4,315 4,037 4,161

Mentored Quantitative Research 

Career Development Award (K25)

— — — 272 921 1,195 1,622 2,206 2,184 2,077 2,082

Clinical Research Curriculum Award 

(K30)

— 1,772 3,163 3,073 3,090 3,110 3,115 4,589 3,708 2,520 —

Career Transition Award (K99) — — — — — — — — — 2,074 4,190

Total, Research Career Program 

Obligations

$36,069 $47,669 $54,184 $57,470 $63,514 $65,817 $67,794 $71,018 $70,365 $74,954 $78,715
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NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

Dollars (Millions)

NHLBI Minority Biomedical Research Training, Career Development, and Research Supplements 

Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

NHLBI Minority Biomedical Research Training, Career Development, and Research Supplements 

Program Obligations: Fiscal Years 1998–2008 

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

MARC Summer Research Training 

Program

$ — $ 10 $ 4 $ 20 $ 15 $ 4 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ —

Mentored Research Scientist 

Development Award for 

Minority Faculty

1,723 2,738 3,650 5,556 5,711 6,156 6,150 6,088 5,453 4,718 4,574

MARC 5 — 5 5 — — — — — — —

Minority Biomedical Research 

Support (MBRS)

2,978 3,423 3,873 3,165 2,793 3,600 2,806 2,846 2,403 2,475 1,527

Minority Institution Faculty 

Mentored Research Scientist 

Development Award

101 905 1,300 1,143 1,703 991 867 588 567 698 949

Minority Institution Research 

Training Program

706 901 1,167 996 1,092 1,006 734 1,184 743 780 688

Minority Predoctoral Fellowship 436 345 248 264 278 308 374 545 1,012 1,115 1,728

Minority Research Supplements 

Program

7,043 7,440 8,304 8,587 9,822 9,323 10,938 11,214 10,680 10,834 10,303

Minority School Faculty 

Development Award

618 445 862 98 — — — — — — —

Reentry Supplements 249 106 176 384 — — — 96 132 245 401

Research Development Award for 

Minority Faculty

3,099 2,093 393 — — — — — — — —

Short-Term Training for Minority 

Students

1,964 2,494 2,570 1,876 2,057 2,594 2,671 2,976 2,526 1,673 804

Total, Minority Programs $18,922 $20,900 $22,552 $22,094 $23,471 $23,982 $24,540 $25,537 $23,516 $22,538 $20,974

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fiscal Year
158

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 13. Research Training and Career Development Programs

NHLBI Research Supplements Program by Award Type: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Number of Awards

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Minority Supplements

Investigator 31 32 33 33 46 47 35 29 27 31 25

Postdoctoral 50 47 42 41 33 38 37 52 49 43 42

Graduate 48 53 47 43 45 57 61 80 74 73 69

Undergraduate 25 17 19 12 17 18 17 12 11 16 17

High School 11 6 — 3 3 4 3 7 3 3 3

Post-Master/PostBaccalaureate— — — — 2 8 17 16 11 4 9

Reentry Supplements 3 2 1 3 — — 3 2 1 1 3

Disability Supplements 2 1 5 4 5 4 3 2 2 4 1

Total, Research Supplements 

Program

170 158 147 139 151 176 176 200 178 175 169

NHLBI Research Supplements Program Obligations by Award Type: Fiscal Years 1998–2008

Dollars (Thousands)

Fiscal Year

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Minority Supplements

Investigator $2,185 $2,331 $3,262 $3,430 $ 5,046 $3,844 $ 4,256 $ 3,552 $ 3,343 $ 3,719 $ 3,285

Postdoctoral 3,032 3,110 3,053 3,086 2,554 2,655 2,713 3,432 3,542 3,284 3,074

Graduate 1,527 1,806 1,791 1,818 1,864 2,181 2,439 3,208 3,114 3,021 3,029

Undergraduate 246 166 198 235 260 301 282 179 178 350 424

High School 53 27 — 18 33 33 13 30 18 16 26

Post-Master/PostBaccalaureate— — — — 65 309 597 618 352 156 367

Reentry Supplements 249 106 176 384 — — 495 96 132 245 401

Disability Supplements 96 72 282 187 474 360 143 99 133 288 98

Total, Research Supplements 

Program

$7,388 $7,618 $8,762 $9,158 $10,296 $9,683 $10,938 $11,214 $10,812 $11,079 $10,704
159

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

14. Geographic Distribution of Awards: 

Fiscal Year 2008

Geographic Distribution of Awards by State: Fiscal Year 2008

Dollars in Millions

$100.0 to 312.8 (9)

$36.5 to 99.9 (10)

$15.0 to 36.4 (11)

$4.0 to 14.9 (9)

$0.0 to 3.9 (11)
160

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Geographic Distribution of Awards by State or Country: Fiscal Year 2008

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Alabama

Cooper Green Hospital (Birmingham) 1 $ 536,831 1 $ 536,831 — $ — — $ —

Elgavish Paramagnetics, Inc. 1 380,811 1 380,811 — — — —

University of Alabama at Birmingham 63 32,431,246 51 25,344,786 7 1,406,107 5 5,680,353

University of South Alabama 16 5,348,515 13 5,066,368 3 282,147 — —

Total Alabama 81 38,697,403 66 31,328,796 10 1,688,254 5 5,680,353

Alaska

Norton Sound Health Corporation 1 481,316 1 481,316 — — — —

University of Alaska, Anchorage 1 197,652 1 197,652 — — — —

University of Alaska, Fairbanks 1 181,987 1 181,987 — — — —

Total Alaska 3 860,955 3 860,955 — — — —

Arizona

Arizona State University-Polytechnic 

Campus

2 477,493 2 477,493 — — — —

Arizona State University-Tempe Campus 4 1,089,780 4 1,089,780 — — — —

Diné College 1 382,162 1 382,162 — — — —

Mayo Clinic, Arizona 1 58,036 — — 1 58,036 — —

Translational Genomics Research Institute 2 774,373 2 774,373 — — — —

University of Arizona 25 8,772,709 20 7,779,011 4 800,949 1 192,749

Western Research Company, Inc. 2 413,660 2 413,660 — — — —

Total Arizona 37 11,968,213 31 10,916,479 5 858,985 1 192,749

Arkansas

Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research 

Institute

3 882,232 3 882,232 — — — —

University of Arkansas 3 743,471 3 743,471 — — — —

University of Arkansas for Medical 

Sciences, Little Rock

5 1,620,721 5 1,620,721 — — — —

Total Arkansas 11 3,246,424 11 3,246,424 — — — —

California

BioTechPlex Corporation 1 489,192 1 489,192 — — — —

Blood Systems Research Institute 3 1,832,315 3 1,832,315 — — — —

Burnham Institute for Medical Research 11 7,318,563 11 7,318,563 — — — —

California Institute of Technology 4 1,146,126 3 1,101,280 1 44,846 — —

California Pacific Medical Center Research 

Institute

2 1,014,242 1 581,583 — — 1 432,659

California State University, San Bernardino — 58,855 — 58,855 — — — —

Cardiovascular Simulation, Inc. 1 99,963 — — — — 1 99,963

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 8 5,864,668 8 5,864,668 — — — —
161

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Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Children’s Hospital and Research Center at 

Oakland

15 6,354,267 13 5,887,577 1 100,488 1 366,202

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 11 5,373,219 11 5,373,219 — — — —

Children’s Hospital of Orange County 1 127,041 — — 1 127,041 — —

City of Hope/Beckman Research Institute 6 2,169,972 6 2,169,972 — — — —

Diagnostics for the Real World, Ltd. 1 1,762,981 1 1,762,981 — — — —

Encode Bio, Inc. 1 204,828 1 204,828 — — — —

HeartVista, Inc. 1 140,712 1 140,712 — — — —

Ibis Biosciences, Inc. 1 338,153 1 338,153 — — — —

Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corp 1 149,871 1 149,871 — — — —

J. David Gladstone Institutes 7 5,448,334 7 5,448,334 — — — —

Kaiser Foundation Research Institute 11 6,859,469 6 4,579,348 — — 5 2,280,121

Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life 

Sciences

1 378,750 1 378,750 — — — —

LA Biomedical Research Institute/Harbor 

UCLA Medical Center

8 2,166,859 5 1,378,913 — — 3 787,948

La Jolla Bioengineering Institute 3 1,283,722 3 1,283,722 — — — —

La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology 1 412,918 1 412,918 — — — —

Loma Linda University 5 1,424,349 4 1,365,546 1 58,803 — —

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation 1 297,982 1 297,982 — — — —

Molecular Express, Inc. 1 585,036 1 585,036 — — — —

National Childhood Cancer Foundation 1 53,378 1 53,378 — — — —

Northern California Institute Research and 

Education

10 4,426,156 10 4,426,156 — — — —

Orthopaedic Hospital 1 355,750 1 355,750 — — — —

Palo Alto Institute for Research and 

Education, Inc.

2 1,001,667 2 1,001,667 — — — —

Panorama Research Inc. 1 903,306 1 903,306 — — — —

PhiloMetron, Inc. 1 328,746 1 328,746 — — — —

Physical Optics Corporation 1 373,474 1 373,474 — — — —

Predictive Biology 1 447,153 1 447,153 — — — —

Rand Corporation 4 3,060,162 4 3,060,162 — — — —

Regents of the University of California 1 130,519 — — — — 1 130,519

Salk Institute for Biological Studies 2 2,117,099 2 2,117,099 — — — —

San Diego State University 13 7,831,990 10 5,142,032 2 58,428 1 2,631,530

Science Applications International 

Corporation

1 2,727,792 — — — — 1 2,727,792

Scripps Research Institute 25 15,019,300 24 14,579,537 1 439,763 — —

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center 2 1,132,327 2 1,132,327 — — — —

SRI International 1 262,266 1 262,266 — — — —

Stanford University 64 25,308,535 52 19,840,990 10 1,483,678 2 3,983,867

SynZyme Technologies LLC 1 100,037 — — — — 1 100,037

Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies 2 832,594 2 832,594 — — — —

Tristan Technologies, Inc. 1 465,713 1 465,713 — — — —

University of California, Berkeley 9 3,068,506 6 2,958,544 3 109,962 — —
162

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

University of California, Davis 35 12,922,354 31 11,575,243 2 516,624 2 830,487

University of California, Irvine 17 5,890,407 16 5,742,276 — — 1 148,131

University of California, Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory

2 629,691 2 629,691 — — — —

University of California, Los Angeles 75 33,269,982 62 30,821,708 11 1,671,118 2 777,156

University of California, Merced 2 420,972 1 380,000 1 40,972 — —

University of California, Riverside 2 172,827 1 143,215 1 29,612 — —

University of California, San Diego 86 43,099,907 73 38,954,529 12 3,020,378 1 1,125,000

University of California, San Francisco 101 38,882,351 91 36,580,131 9 1,899,538 — —

University of California, Santa Barbara 3 909,100 3 909,100 — — 1 402,682

University of Southern California 21 8,610,409 20 8,569,138 1 41,271 — —

Vala Sciences, Inc. 1 628,906 1 628,906 — — — —

Vascular Biosciences 1 165,745 1 165,745 — — — —

Veterans Medical Research Foundation, 

San Diego

6 3,964,540 6 3,964,540 — — — —

Total California 602 272,816,048 521 246,349,434 57 9,642,522 24 16,824,092

Colorado

Advanced MicroLabs LLC 1 368,039 1 368,039 — — — —

Aerophase, Inc. 1 762,540 1 762,540 — — — —

Colorado State University, Fort Collins 6 942,605 5 913,800 1 28,805 — —

Denver Health and Hospital Authority 2 1,015,506 1 548,686 — — 1 466,820

Kestrel Labs, Inc. 1 998,972 1 998,972 — — — —

Keystone Symposia 1 18,000 1 18,000 — — — —

Klein Buendel, Inc. 2 658,379 2 658,379 — — — —

National Jewish Medical and Research 

Center

27 21,161,322 27 21,161,322 — — — —

PHCC, LP 1 693,180 1 693,180 — — — —

Quest Product Development Corporation 1 560,127 1 560,127 — — — —

Rocky Mountain Biosystems, Inc. 1 497,310 1 497,310 — — — —

Taiga Biotechnologies, Inc. 1 161,192 1 161,192 — — — —

University of Colorado at Boulder 8 2,930,039 8 2,930,039 — — — —

University of Colorado at Denver and 

Health Science Center

51 19,178,080 41 16,450,548 7 1,848,533 3 878,999

Valvexchange, Inc. 1 1,283,334 1 1,283,334 — — — —

Total Colorado 105 51,228,625 93 48,005,468 8 1,877,338 4 1,345,819

Connecticut

Evergen Biotechnologies, Inc. 2 729,091 2 729,091 — — — —

Gaylord Hospital, Inc. 1 164,784 1 164,784 — — — —

Hartford Hospital 2 867,930 2 867,930 — — — —

John B. Pierce Laboratory, Inc. 1 604,679 1 604,679 — — — —

University of Connecticut School of 

Medicine and Dental Medicine

11 3,791,889 11 3,791,889 — — — —
163

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Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

University of Connecticut, Storrs 2 551,202 2 551,202 — — — —

Yale University 72 39,777,776 62 32,995,953 9 2,473,243 1 4,308,580

Total Connecticut 91 46,487,351 81 39,705,528 9 2,473,243 1 4,308,580

Delaware

University of Delaware 2 697,553 2 697,553 — — — —

Total Delaware 2 697,553 2 697,553 — — — —

District of Columbia

Academy for Educational Development 4 3,142,977 — — — — 4 3,142,977

American Institutes for Research 1 5,238,716 — — — — 1 5,238,716

American Society of Hematology 1 15,000 1 15,000 — — — —

Children’s Research Institute 5 1,900,057 4 1,458,096 — — 1 441,961

George Washington University 6 2,793,463 4 2,582,209 1 58,886 1 152,368

Georgetown University 11 5,290,808 10 5,232,966 1 57,842 0 0

Hager Sharp, Inc. 1 828,477 — — — — 1 828,477

Howard University 10 4,226,278 7 3,565,438 1 40,972 2 619,868

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide 1 40,375 — — — — 1 40,375

State of the Art, Inc. 1 148,933 1 148,933 — — — —

U.S. Bureau of the Census 1 474,000 — — — — 1 474,000

Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2 329,881 — — — — 2 329,881

Total District of Columbia 44 24,428,965 27 13,002,642 3 157,700 14 11,268,623

Florida

ArchieMD, Inc. 1 185,602 1 185,602 — — — —

Florida Institute of Technology 1 306,144 1 306,144 — — — —

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research 

Institute

3 954,527 3 954,527 — — — —

Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach 1 274,385 1 274,385 — — — —

Nemours Children’s Clinic 1 164,913 1 164,913 — — — —

Nova Southeastern University 1 189,905 1 189,905 — — — —

University of Central Florida 2 568,000 2 568,000 — — — —

University of Florida 41 15,262,307 35 14,464,241 5 450,750 1 347,316

University of Miami 3 3,475,487 — — — — 3 3,475,487

University of Miami, Coral Gables 3 3,086,572 2 2,946,368 1 140,204 — —

University of Miami School of Medicine 22 9,272,892 18 8,764,880 4 508,012 — —

University of South Florida 3 778,706 3 778,706 — — — —

Winprobe Corporation 2 648,623 2 648,623 — — — —

Total Florida 84 35,168,063 70 30,246,294 10 1,098,966 4 3,822,803

Georgia

Emory University 62 23,969,623 54 22,976,385 7 770,317 1 222,921

Expression Therapeutics, LLC 1 100,000 1 100,000 — — — —
164

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Georgia Institute of Technology 9 2,807,117 9 2,807,117 — — — —

Georgia State University 1 34,572 — — 1 34,572 — —

Medical College of Georgia 34 14,524,107 30 13,995,954 4 528,153 — —

Morehouse School of Medicine 11 3,394,879 10 3,066,804 1 328,075 — —

Transfusion and Transplantation 

Technologies

2 615,938 2 615,938 — — — —

University of Georgia 1 52,048 — — 1 52,048 — —

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention

1 725,000 — — — — 1 725,000

Total Georgia 122 46,223,284 106 43,562,198 14 1,713,165 2 947,921

Hawaii

Queen’s Medical Center 1 557,531 1 557,531 — — — —

University of Hawaii at Manoa 6 3,099,638 5 2,894,941 — — 1 204,697

Total Hawaii 7 3,657,169 6 3,452,472 — — 1 204,697

Illinois

AJ Medical Devices, Inc. 1 993,857 1 993,857 — — — —

Children’s Memorial Hospital (Chicago) 4 1,008,930 3 981,176 1 27,754 — —

Coramed Technologies 1 113,564 1 113,564 — — — —

Evanston Northwestern Healthcare 2 705,528 2 705,528 — — — —

Hektoen Institute for Medical Research, 

LLC

— 68,000 — 68,000 — — — —

Illinois Institute of Technology 2 736,494 2 736,494 — — — —

Loyola University Chicago 5 3,581,709 5 3,581,709 — — — —

Northwestern University 67 27,769,104 57 22,558,724 6 996,217 4 4,214,163

Rush University Medical Center 10 3,369,605 9 3,319,959 1 49,646 — —

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 1 216,750 1 216,750 — — — —

University of Chicago 59 22,385,386 53 20,486,813 6 1,898,573 — —

University of Illinois at Chicago 53 25,827,838 49 24,099,490 3 1,383,353 1 344,995

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 6 2,042,282 6 2,042,282 — — — —

Total Illinois 211 88,819,047 189 79,904,346 17 4,355,543 5 4,559,158

Indiana

Ball State University 1 216,750 1 216,750 — — — —

General Biotechnology, LLC 1 485,178 1 485,178 — — — —

Indiana University 1 795,274 — — — — 1 795,274

Indiana University, Bloomington 1 359,123 1 359,123 — — — —

Indiana University-Purdue University at 

Indianapolis

44 17,827,755 39 17,169,631 5 658,124 — —

Predictive Physiology and Medicine Inc. 1 1,475,837 1 1,475,837 — — — —

Purdue University, West Lafayette 3 527,564 2 477,918 1 49,646 — —

SonarMed, Inc. 1 1,000,000 1 1,000,000 — — — —

University of Notre Dame 3 2,497,112 3 2,497,112 — — — —

Total Indiana 56 25,184,593 49 23,681,549 6 707,770 1 795,274
165

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Iowa

Iowa State University 1 687,588 1 687,588 — — — —

Maharishi University of Management 

Research Institute

1 680,561 1 680,561 — — — —

Porcinogen, LLC 1 99,537 1 99,537 — — — —

University of Iowa 63 31,748,311 56 29,385,994 6 2,163,177 1 199,140

Total Iowa 66 33,215,997 59 30,853,680 6 2,163,177 1 199,140

Kansas

Kansas State University 1 219,000 1 219,000 — — — —

University of Kansas Medical Center 10 4,109,840 10 4,109,840 — — — —

Total Kansas 11 4,328,840 11 4,328,840 — — — —

Kentucky

Endoprotech, Inc. 1 498,890 1 498,890 — — — —

Pharmacogenetics Diagnostic Laboratories 1 807,578 1 807,578 — — — —

Regenerex LLC 1 711,438 1 711,438 — — — —

SCR, Inc. 1 708,881 1 708,881 — — — —

University of Kentucky 29 11,424,397 26 11,120,132 3 304,265 — —

University of Louisville 22 8,671,123 21 8,496,771 1 174,352 — —

Total Kentucky 55 22,822,307 51 22,343,690 4 478,617 — —

Louisiana

Life Recovery Systems HD, LLC 1 707,816 1 707,816 — — — —

Louisiana State University 1 354,532 1 354,532 — — — —

Louisiana State University and Agricultural 

& Mechanical College, Baton Rouge

1 337,965 1 337,965 — — — —

Louisiana State University Health Sciences 

Center New Orleans

5 3,024,737 4 3,000,545 — — 1 24,192

Louisiana State University Health Sciences 

Center Shreveport

7 1,645,469 6 1,598,643 1 46,826 — —

Louisiana State University Pennington 

Biomedical Research Center

2 733,818 2 733,818 — — — —

Ochsner Clinic Foundation 1 554,393 1 554,393 — — — —

Southeastern Louisiana University 1 186,895 1 186,895 — — — —

Tulane University of Louisiana 19 8,901,593 18 8,855,621 1 45,972 — —

Total Louisiana 38 16,447,218 35 16,330,228 2 92,798 1 24,192

Maine

Bates College 1 210,000 1 210,000 — — — —

Jackson Laboratory 6 2,212,387 5 2,057,772 1 154,615 — —

Maine Medical Center 4 1,089,653 3 1,040,007 1 49,646 — —

University of Maine, Orono 1 673,251 1 673,251 — — — —

Total Maine 12 4,185,291 10 3,981,030 2 204,261 — —
166

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Maryland

American Institutes for Research 2 1,385,259 — — — — 2 1,385,259

Biological Reagents, Bethesda 2 2,285,500 — — — — 2 2,285,500

Bon Secours Hospital, Baltimore 1 576,813 1 576,813 — — — —

Clinical Trials and Surveys Corporation 2 2,411,935 1 727,789 — — 1 1,684,146

Dawnbreaker, Inc. 1 34,000 — — — — 1 34,000

EMMES Corporation 2 715,011 1 696,820 — — 1 18,191

Engineering and Scientific Research 

Associates

1 431,384 1 431,384 — — — —

Federation of American Society for 

Experimental Biology

1 25,000 1 25,000 — — — —

Foresight Science and Technology, Inc. 1 34,000 — — — — 1 34,000

Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the 

Advancement of Military Medicine

2 4,299,891 1 539,628 — — 1 3,760,263

Infinite Biomedical Technologies, LLC 1 821,268 1 821,268 — — — —

Information Management Services, Inc. 1 737,491 — — — — 1 737,491

J. Craig Venter Institute, Inc. 1 399,878 — — — — 1 399,878

Johns Hopkins University 156 82,167,280 126 66,895,594 21 4,278,434 9 10,993,252

Key Technologies, Inc. 1 119,657 1 119,657 — — — —

Larta Institute 1 102,000 — — — — 1 102,000

Maryland Medical Research Institute 1 494,495 1 494,495 — — — —

MaxCyte, Inc. 1 414,658 1 414,658 — — — —

MedStar Research Institute 4 3,253,549 3 2,917,630 — — 1 335,919

National Institutes of Health 6 3,830,175 — — — — 6 3,830,175

North American Vascular Biology 

Organization

3 45,000 3 45,000 — — — —

Paragon Bioservices, Inc. 1 3,498,791 — — — — 1 3,498,791

Peace Technology, Inc. 1 1,076,545 — — — — 1 1,076,545

Perinatronics Medical Systems, Inc. 1 864,070 1 864,070 — — — —

Quality Biological, Inc. 1 402,231 1 402,231 — — — —

Seracare Bioservices 1 3,560,582 — — — — 1 3,560,582

Social and Scientific Systems, Inc. 1 2,359,380 — — — — 1 2,359,380

Suburban Hospital 1 5,296,600 — — — — — 5,296,600

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services

3 483,939 3 — — — 3 483,939

U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2 315,000 — — — — 2 315,000

U.S. PHS Indian Health Service 2 196,081 — — — — 2 196,081

University of Maryland, Baltimore 37 17,511,599 34 17,401,482 3 110,117 — —

University of Maryland, College Park 3 390,627 3 390,627 — — — —

Weinberg Medical Physics, LLC 1 690,148 1 690,148 — — — —

Westat, Inc. 1 6,388,357 — — — — 1 6,388,357

Total Maryland 247 147,618,194 185 94,454,294 24 4,388,551 41 48,775,349
167

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Massachusetts

ABIOMED, Inc. 2 864,009 2 864,009 — — — —

Aerodyne Research, Inc 1 382,539 1 382,539 — — — —

Baystate Medical Center 1 268,882 — — — — 1 268,882

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 61 26,365,246 53 24,486,492 8 1,878,754 — —

BioHelix Corporation 1 155,774 1 155,774 — — — —

BioPhysics Assay Laboratory, Inc. 

(BioPAL)

1 394,897 1 394,897 — — — —

BioSense Technologies, Inc. 1 444,710 1 444,710 — — — —

BioSurfaces 2 349,999 2 349,999 — — — —

Boston Biomedical Research Institute 3 1,966,594 3 1,966,594 — — — —

Boston Medical Center 8 3,547,065 8 3,547,065 — — — —

Boston University 10 8,628,195 9 5,308,588 — — 1 3,319,607

Boston University Medical Campus 52 28,442,957 48 26,121,015 4 2,321,942 — —

Brandeis University 2 446,191 2 446,191 — — — —

Brigham and Women’s Hospital 129 66,146,341 113 60,887,467 13 4,096,933 3 1,161,941

Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center 2 331,374 2 331,374 — — — —

Cell Imaging Systems, LLC 1 484,258 1 484,258 — — — —

Children’s Hospital Boston 50 22,254,002 44 20,378,369 6 1,875,633 — —

Clark University 1 223,500 1 223,500 — — — —

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 11 3,905,882 11 3,905,882 — — — —

E.P., Ltd 1 1,304,033 1 1,304,033 — — — —

Genetix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 1 249,705 1 249,705 — — — —

Giner, Inc. 1 149,230 1 149,230 — — — —

Gwathmey, Inc. 2 3,095,138 2 3,095,138 — — — —

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. 3 1,292,628 3 1,292,628 — — — —

Harvard University 3 947,455 2 591,950 1 355,505 — —

Harvard University Medical School 10 5,761,399 9 4,808,759 1 952,640 — —

Harvard University School of Public Health 19 6,925,173 16 6,276,776 3 648,397 — —

Immune Disease Institute, Inc. 4 7,469,062 4 7,469,062 — — — —

Immunetics, Inc. 1 756,803 1 756,803 — — — —

InfoSciTex Corporation 1 199,982 1 199,982 — — — —

IQuum, Inc. 1 991,737 1 991,737 — — — —

Joslin Diabetes Center 1 640,107 1 640,107 — — — —

Levitronix, LLC 3 2,171,112 3 2,171,112 — — — —

Massachusetts General Hospital 65 26,955,016 60 25,553,078 4 1,366,832 1 35,106

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 11 9,629,502 8 7,580,321 2 89,768 1 1,959,413

Medical Discovery Partners LLC 1 228,220 1 228,220 — — — —

New England Research Institutes, Inc. 6 31,375,817 5 23,463,403 — — 1 7,912,414

Newton Laboratories 2 451,851 2 451,851 — — — —

Northeastern University 1 260,510 1 260,510 — — — —

Phylonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 1 135,227 1 135,227 — — — —

Physical Sciences, Inc. 1 594,244 1 594,244 — — — —

Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. 2 561,211 2 561,211 — — — —
168

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital 1 369,321 1 369,321 — — — —

Stethographics, Inc. 1 150,000 1 150,000 — — — —

Trustees of Boston University 1 23,134,059 — — — — 1 23,134,059

Tufts Medical Center 25 9,248,034 22 9,075,470 1 71,006 2 101,558

Tufts University, Boston 9 2,913,140 7 2,342,804 1 219,499 1 350,837

University of Massachusetts, Amherst 1 193,146 1 193,146 — — — —

University of Massachusetts Medical 

School, Worcester

20 8,389,860 18 8,182,523 1 28,565 1 178,772

Vasotech, Inc. 1 202,313 1 202,313 — — — —

Whalen Biomedical Inc. 2 189,335 2 189,335 — — — —

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical 

Research

1 292,500 1 292,500 — — — —

Total Massachusetts 542 312,829,285 484 260,501,222 45 13,905,474 13 38,422,589

Michigan

AlphaCore Pharma LLC 1 240,129 1 240,129 — — — —

Henry Ford Health System 11 6,140,005 11 6,140,005 — — — —

MC3, Inc. 4 1,025,050 4 1,025,050 — — — —

MedArray, Inc. 2 1,325,275 2 1,325,275 — — — —

Michigan State University 6 2,973,374 6 2,973,374 — — — —

Michigan Technological University 2 445,490 2 445,490 — — — —

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Institute for 

Biomedical Research

1 420,633 1 420,633 — — — —

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland 2 724,938 2 724,938 — — — —

University of Michigan 2 910,605 — — — — 2 910,605

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 106 44,119,522 100 42,044,310 6 2,075,212 — —

Van Andel Research Institute 1 455,000 1 455,000 — — — —

Wayne State University 20 6,579,504 19 6,446,154 — — 1 133,350

Total Michigan 158 65,359,525 149 62,240,358 6 2,075,212 3 1,043,955

Minnesota

Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc. 1 1,490,894 1 1,490,894 — — — —

Discovery Genomics, Inc. 1 566,484 1 566,484 — — — —

HealthPartners Research Foundation 2 1,257,330 2 1,257,330 — — — —

Imricor Medical Systems, Inc. 1 917,899 1 917,899 — — — —

Koronis Biomedical Technologies 

Corporation

1 583,411 1 583,411 — — — —

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 

Rochester

49 20,879,054 45 20,342,420 2 417,277 2 119,357

Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, 

Inc.

2 1,298,525 1 298,525 — — 1 1,000,000

Powerscope, Inc 1 351,355 1 351,355 — — — —

University of Minnesota 1 363,767 — — — — 1 363,767

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 65 32,864,192 56 28,377,879 6 1,466,821 3 3,019,492

Total Minnesota 124 60,572,911 109 54,186,197 8 1,884,098 7 4,502,616
169

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Mississippi

Central Mississippi Civic Improvement 

Association

1 593,523 1 593,523 — — — —

Jackson State University 2 3,621,548 1 174,222 — — 1 3,447,326

Tougaloo College 1 1,030,181 — — — — 1 1,030,181

University of Mississippi Medical Center 17 7,479,127 13 5,978,070 — — 4 1,501,057

Total Mississippi 21 12,724,379 15 6,745,815 — — 6 5,978,564

Missouri

Cardiovascular Imaging Technologies 1 117,839 1 117,839 — — — —

Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City 2 387,022 2 387,022 — — — —

Mid-America Heart Institute of St. Luke’s 

Hospital

1 388,246 1 388,246 — — — —

Saint Louis University 8 2,719,552 8 2,719,552 — — — —

University of Missouri, Kansas City 1 219,090 1 219,090 — — — —

University of Missouri, Columbia 24 9,422,030 21 9,310,566 3 111,464 — —

Washington University 114 58,608,725 102 54,817,781 11 3,269,521 1 521,423

Total Missouri 151 71,862,504 136 67,960,096 14 3,380,985 1 521,423

Montana

Montana State University, Bozeman 1 406,539 1 406,539 — — — —

University of Montana 2 394,439 2 394,439 — — — —

Total Montana 3 800,978 3 800,978 — — — —

Nebraska

Creighton University 2 425,034 2 425,034 — — — —

University of Nebraska, Lincoln 2 2,136,866 2 2,136,866 — — — —

University of Nebraska Medical Center 7 3,303,318 7 3,303,318 — — — —

Total Nebraska 11 5,865,218 11 5,865,218 — — — —

Nevada

Nevada Cancer Institute 1 450,000 1 450,000 — — — —

University of Nevada, Reno 7 2,174,002 6 1,935,363 — — 1 238,639

Total Nevada 8 2,624,002 7 2,385,363 — — 1 238,639

New Hampshire

Dartmouth College 16 5,968,064 15 5,911,926 1 56,138 — —

Xemed, LLC 4 971,316 4 971,316 — — — —

Total New Hamshire 20 6,939,380 19 6,883,242 1 56,138 — —

New Jersey

Allied Innovative Systems, LLC 1 375,169 1 375,169 — — — —

DVX, LLC 1 165,044 1 165,044 — — — —
170

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

FocalCool, LLC 1 440,605 1 440,605 — — — —

Hackensack University Medical Center 1 367,420 1 367,420 — — — —

Menssana Research, Inc. 1 993,490 1 993,490 — — — —

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center 1 151,881 1 151,881 — — — —

PharmaSeq, Inc. 1 999,802 1 999,802 — — — —

Princeton Multimedia Technologies 

Corporation

1 1,010,884 1 1,010,884 — — — —

Prolong Pharmaceuticals 2 267,639 1 166,300 — — 1 101,339

Rutgers, The State University of New 

Jersey, New Brunswick

3 745,045 3 745,045 — — — —

University of Medicine & Dentistry of 

New Jersey

26 10,320,661 22 9,850,251 3 205,184 1 265,226

Vasade BioSciences, Inc. 1 382,485 1 382,485 — — — —

Total New Jersey 40 16,220,125 35 15,648,376 3 205,184 2 366,565

New Mexico

Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental 

Research

4 3,210,603 3 1,789,579 — — 1 1,421,024

Sandia National Laboratories 1 153,601 1 153,601 — — — —

Southwest Sciences, Inc. 1 112,931 1 112,931 — — — —

University of New Mexico 17 4,820,629 14 4,462,074 3 358,555 — —

Veterans Administration Center 1 5,515,644 — — — — 1 5,515,644

Total New Mexico 24 13,813,408 19 6,518,185 3 358,555 2 6,936,668

New York

Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center 1 619,952 1 619,952 — — — —

Albany College of Pharmacy 1 292,039 1 292,039 — — — —

Albany Medical College 4 905,603 3 885,328 1 20,275 — —

Albert Einstein College of Medicine 3 4,858,746 — — — — 3 4,858,746

Angion Biomedica Corp 4 1,782,765 4 1,782,765 — — — —

City College of New York 3 1,281,382 3 1,281,382 — — — —

Columbia University 88 49,512,852 78 46,259,835 8 1,757,430 2 1,495,587

Cornell University, Ithaca 6 2,467,028 6 2,467,028 — — — —

CUNY Graduate School and University 

Center

1 328,970 1 328,970 — — — —

CUNY, Herbert H. Lehman College 1 285,250 1 285,250 — — — —

Feinstein Institute for Medical Research 3 1,114,942 3 1,114,942 — — — —

Gene Network Sciences, Inc. 1 562,827 1 562,827 — — — —

Glycotek, LLC 1 149,900 1 149,900 — — — —

Hospital for Special Surgery 1 419,539 1 419,539 — — — —

Jarvik Heart, Inc. 1 997,592 — — — — 1 997,592

Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Inc 1 414,829 1 414,829 — — — —

Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx 2 644,077 2 644,077 — — — —

Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New 

York University

22 11,552,438 21 11,090,271 1 462,167 — —
171

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

New York Academy of Medicine 1 505,179 1 505,179 — — — —

New York Academy of Sciences 1 20,000 1 20,000 — — — —

New York Blood Center 3 1,022,980 3 1,022,980 — — — —

New York Medical College 15 9,134,331 15 9,134,331 — — — —

New York University School of Medicine 30 12,883,832 25 12,458,492 5 425,340 — —

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide 3 2,449,129 — — — — 3 2,449,129

Queens College 1 373,835 1 373,835 — — — —

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — 1,000,000 — 1,000,000 — — — —

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1 358,281 1 358,281 — — — —

Rockefeller University 3 1,067,658 2 1,018,012 1 49,646 — —

Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp 2 863,590 2 863,590 — — — —

Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer 

Research

6 1,577,870 6 1,577,870 — — — —

St. John’s University 1 245,250 1 245,250 — — — —

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Institute for Health 

Sciences

2 1,018,548 2 1,018,548 — — — —

State University of New York at Buffalo 19 6,538,772 18 6,149,741 — — 1 389,031

State University of New York at Stony 

Brook

7 2,136,961 6 1,961,463 — — 1 175,498

SUNY Downstate Medical Center 4 995,157 3 920,987 — — 1 74,170

Syracuse University 1 568,311 1 568,311 — — — —

Therasource, LLC 2 914,883 2 914,883 — — — —

Transonic Systems Inc. 2 1,374,821 2 1,374,821 — — — —

Trudeau Institute, Inc. 1 424,813 1 424,813 — — — —

University of Rochester 49 20,620,937 44 19,294,228 5 1,326,709 — —

Upstate Medical University 5 1,729,616 5 1,729,616 — — — —

Visiting Nurse Service of New York 1 659,819 1 659,819 — — — —

Weill Medical College of Cornell 

University

35 18,970,594 30 18,245,173 5 725,421 — —

Winifred Masterson Burke Medical 

Research Institute

1 450,844 1 450,844 — — — —

Yeshiva University 31 12,228,696 27 11,627,707 3 364,037 1 236,952

Total New York 371 178,325,438 329 162,517,708 29 5,131,025 13 10,676,705

North Carolina

Affinergy, Inc 2 547,218 2 547,218 — — — —

BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. 1 1,000,000 1 1,000,000 — — — —

Bioptigen, Inc. 1 367,072 1 367,072 — — — —

BreathQuant Medical Systems, Inc. 1 352,450 1 352,450 — — — —

Cirque Productions, LLC 1 133,130 1 133,130 — — — —

Duke University 110 60,133,901 97 57,094,338 10 1,997,519 3 1,042,044

East Carolina University 2 637,458 1 581,206 1 56,252 — —

Heart Imaging Technologies, LLC 1 578,261 1 578,261 — — — —

North Carolina Central University 3 510,174 3 510,174 — — — —

North Carolina State University 4 856,926 2 472,961 2 383,965 — —

Precision BioSciences, Inc. 1 100,000 1 100,000 — — — —
172

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Rho Federal Systems Division, Inc. 3 5,056,470 2 4,126,753 — — 1 929,717

RTI International 1 1,856,536 — — — — 1 1,856,536

The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences 1 252,000 1 252,000 — — — —

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 79 42,134,966 67 33,793,005 8 1,883,640 4 6,458,321

University of North Carolina at Charlotte 1 417,711 1 417,711 — — — —

Wake Forest University 8 12,404,401 4 1,201,649 — — 4 11,202,752

Wake Forest University Health Sciences 47 21,819,123 39 19,716,308 4 625,231 4 1,477,584

Williams LifeSkills, Inc. 1 428,641 1 428,641 — — — —

Total North Carolina 268 149,586,438 226 121,672,877 25 4,946,607 17 22,966,954

North Dakota

University of North Dakota 1 236,250 1 236,250 — — — —

Total North Dakota 1 236,250 1 236,250 — — — —

Ohio

Arteriocyte, Inc. 1 281,794 1 281,794 — — — —

Battelle Centers for Public Health Research 

& Evaluation

1 228,909 1 228,909 — — — —

Case Western Reserve University 66 23,178,798 53 17,100,924 12 2,047,869 1 4,030,005

Children's Hospital Medical Center, 

Cincinnati

52 24,396,596 49 23,971,400 3 425,196 — —

Cleveland Clinic 1 561,256 — — — — 1 561,256

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of 

Medicine of Case Western Reserve 

University

44 26,812,067 37 25,026,430 4 417,504 3 1,368,133

Cleveland Medical Devices, Inc. 1 237,546 1 237,546 — — — —

Cleveland State University 2 296,832 1 265,865 1 30,967 — —

ElectroSonics Medical Inc. 1 986,394 1 986,394 — — — —

Great Lakes Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 1 100,000 1 100,000 — — — —

Kent State University 2 919,521 2 919,521 — — — —

MetroHealth Medical Center 2 372,910 1 320,012 1 52,898 — —

Northeastern Ohio Universities College of 

Medicine

1 853,942 1 853,942 — — — —

Nova-Ther Technologies — 85,015 — 85,015 — — — —

NovelMed Therapeutics Inc. 1 963,269 1 963,269 — — — —

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide 1 561,877 — — — — 1 561,877

Ohio State University 45 13,356,268 42 12,804,591 2 307,531 1 244,146

Ohio State University Research Foundation 1 1,939,338 — — — — 1 1,939,338

Ohio University 1 353,499 1 353,499 — — — —

Peritec Biosciences, Ltd 1 253,194 1 253,194 — — — —

Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s 

Hospital

5 1,209,400 4 1,179,636 1 29,764 — —

Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism 1 10,000 1 10,000 — — — —

University of Akron 1 348,456 1 348,456 — — — —

University of Cincinnati 37 15,900,610 34 15,203,410 2 521,179 1 176,021
173

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

University of Toledo 2 432,000 2 432,000 — — — —

University of Toledo Health Science 

Campus

3 2,849,605 3 2,849,605 — — — —

Wright State University 5 1,418,514 4 1,305,976 1 112,538 — —

Total Ohio 279 118,907,610 243 106,081,388 27 3,945,446 9 8,880,776

Oklahoma

JK Autoimmunity, Inc. 1 110,001 1 110,001 — — — —

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation 3 2,316,270 3 2,316,270 — — — —

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater 1 355,386 1 355,386 — — — —

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences 

Center

12 5,890,615 11 5,828,979 1 61,636 — —

University of Oklahoma, Norman 1 352,077 1 352,077 — — — —

Total Oklahoma 18 9,024,349 17 8,962,713 1 61,636 — —

Oregon

C/J Media, Inc. 1 402,434 1 402,434 — — — —

Oregon Health and Science University 31 13,220,198 28 12,497,602 3 722,596 — —

Oregon Research Institute 2 1,204,897 2 1,204,897 — — — —

Oregon State University 2 582,335 2 582,335 — — — —

Portland State University 1 365,000 1 365,000 — — — —

University of Oregon 1 313,900 1 313,900 — — — —

Total Oregon 38 16,088,764 35 15,366,168 3 722,596 — —

Pennsylvania

Allegheny-Singer Research Institute 1 451,702 1 451,702 — — — —

Blue Belt Technologies, Inc. 1 147,279 1 147,279 — — — —

Carnegie-Mellon University 3 832,178 2 786,550 1 45,628 — —

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 35 17,613,135 32 16,503,539 2 683,304 1 426,292

Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh/UPMC 

Health System

8 4,529,859 7 4,347,770 — — 1 182,089

Drexel University 6 1,039,741 5 972,320 1 67,421 — —

Ension, Inc. 2 1,864,565 1 691,547 — — 1 1,173,018

Fox Chase Cancer Center 2 830,206 2 830,206 — — — —

Industrial Science and Technology Network 1 715,015 1 715,015 — — — —

Institute for Cancer Research 1 384,750 1 384,750 — — — —

Magee-Women’s Research Institute and 

Foundation

2 492,392 1 342,392 1 150,000 — —

Molecular Targeting Technology, Inc. 1 823,967 1 823,967 — — — —

NanoDynamics Life Sciences, Inc. 1 188,564 1 188,564 — — — —

National Disease Research Interchange — 135,000 — 135,000 — — — —

Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. 

Hershey Medical Center

17 10,944,617 16 9,183,238 — — 1 1,761,379

Pennsylvania State University-University 

Park

7 1,533,936 6 1,498,482 1 35,454 — —
174

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic 

Medicine

2 616,570 2 616,570 — — — —

PinMed, Inc. 1 166,722 1 166,722 — — — —

Salus University 1 341,645 1 341,645 — — — —

Separation Design Group, LLC 1 396,200 1 396,200 — — — —

Shifa Biomedical 2 515,311 2 515,311 — — — —

Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. 1 98,714 1 98,714 — — — —

Temple University 31 11,468,390 28 10,224,941 2 628,994 1 614,455

Thomas Jefferson University 23 10,067,786 23 10,067,786 — — — —

Trustees of University of Pennsylvania 1 898,030 — — — — 1 898,030

University of Pennsylvania 133 69,644,886 117 62,567,887 15 4,439,937 1 2,637,062

University of Pittsburgh 115 50,103,009 99 45,616,393 11 2,372,930 5 2,113,686

Wistar Institute 1 2,869,863 1 2,869,863 — — — —

Total Pennsylvania 400 189,714,032 354 171,484,353 34 8,423,668 12 9,806,011

Rhode Island

Brown University 6 2,158,845 5 2,112,019 1 46,826 — —

Butler Hospital 1 476,166 1 476,166 — — — —

EpiVax, Inc. 1 264,446 1 264,446 — — — —

Gordon Research Conferences 11 127,500 11 127,500 — — — —

Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island 1 147,252 — — — — 1 147,252

Miriam Hospital 5 2,017,733 4 1,686,430 1 331,303 — —

Myomics Inc. 1 98,136 1 98,136 — — — —

QualityMetric, Inc. 1 970,848 1 970,848 — — — —

Rhode Island Hospital 8 2,363,757 6 2,037,356 2 326,401 — —

Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode 

Island

— 3,740 — 3,740 — — — —

Total Rhode Island 35 8,628,423 30 7,776,641 4 704,530 1 147,252

South Carolina

Clemson University 6 1,410,320 6 1,410,320 — — — —

Medical University of South Carolina 35 13,086,370 29 8,672,450 4 829,041 2 3,584,879

University of South Carolina at Columbia 9 2,432,875 9 2,432,875 — — — —

Total South Carolina 50 16,929,565 44 12,515,645 4 829,041 2 3,584,879

South Dakota

Black Hills Center/American Indian Health 1 392,202 1 392,202 — — — —

Missouri Breaks Research, Inc. 1 935,139 1 935,139 — — — —

Sanford Research/University of South 

Dakota

2 253,271 1 201,993 1 51,278 — —

University of South Dakota 1 357,814 1 357,814 — — — —

Total South Dakota 5 1,938,426 4 1,887,148 1 51,278 — —
175

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Tennessee

East Tennessee State University 5 1,438,186 5 1,438,186 — — — —

Meharry Medical College 3 533,421 2 317,714 1 215,707 — —

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 9 8,474,378 8 8,017,759 — — 1 456,619

University of Memphis 2 707,747 2 707,747 — — — —

University of Tennessee Health Science 

Center

25 9,177,730 24 8,976,289 — — 1 201,441

Vanderbilt University 96 40,469,186 83 37,819,510 12 2,254,229 1 395,447

Veterans Administration Center 1 2,881,731 — — — — 1 2,881,731

Total Tennessee 141 63,682,379 124 57,277,205 13 2,469,936 4 3,935,238

Texas

Baylor College of Medicine 65 23,461,233 52 20,549,299 11 2,012,841 2 899,093

Endothelix, Inc. 1 94,375 1 94,375 — — — —

Kardia Therapeutics, Inc. 1 664,605 1 664,605 — — — —

Lynntech, Inc. 2 725,607 2 725,607 — — — —

Methodist Hospital Research Institute 3 1,320,117 3 1,320,117 — — — —

Organizational Wellness & Learning 

Systems

1 408,396 1 408,396 — — — —

Rice University 4 937,359 3 911,038 1 26,321 — —

Rush University Medical Center 1 175,421 — — — — 1 175,421

Scott and White Memorial Hospital 1 136,080 1 136,080 — — — —

Southern Methodist University 1 405,897 1 405,897 — — — —

Southwest Foundation for Biomedical 

Research

7 9,200,286 7 9,200,286 — — — —

Texas A&M University System 15 3,716,870 15 3,716,870 — — — —

Texas Engineering Experiment Station 3 966,561 3 966,561 — — — —

Texas Heart Institute 2 1,089,750 2 1,089,750 — — — —

Texas Southern University 1 381,013 1 381,013 — — — —

Texas Tech University Health Sciences 

Center

1 91,235 1 91,235 — — — —

University of Houston 3 883,082 3 883,082 — — — —

University of North Texas 1 342,530 1 342,530 — — — —

University of North Texas Health Science 

Center

1 153,101 1 153,101 — — — —

University of Texas at Arlington 1 176,200 1 176,200 — — — —

University of Texas at Austin 2 383,750 2 383,750 — — — —

University of Texas at Dallas 2 681,485 2 681,485 — — — —

University of Texas at San Antonio 1 11,327 — — 1 11,327 — —

University of Texas Health Center at Tyler 7 2,838,012 7 2,838,012 — — — —

University of Texas Health Science Center 

at Houston

26 17,565,155 26 17,565,155 — — — —

University of Texas Health Science Center 

at San Antonio

16 6,248,424 11 5,628,810 4 490,810 1 128,804
176

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer 

Center

6 1,672,903 6 1,672,903 — — — —

University of Texas Medical Branch at 

Galveston 

9 7,188,144 7 2,912,182 1 39,366 1 4,236,596

University of Texas Southwestern Medical 

Center

45 24,947,358 40 19,460,683 3 982,983 2 4,503,692

Total Texas 229 106,866,276 201 93,359,022 21 3,563,648 7 9,943,606

Utah

Applied Medical Visualizations, LLC 1 336,719 1 336,719 — — — —

Idaho Technology Inc. 1 147,105 1 147,105 — — — —

LDS Hospital 1 45,044 — — — — 1 45,044

Navigen, Inc. 1 147,660 1 147,660 — — — —

University of Utah 44 14,556,656 39 13,439,826 4 657,537 1 459,293

Utah Artificial Heart Institute 1 1,241,500 1 1,241,500 — — — —

Total Utah 49 16,474,684 43 15,312,810 4 657,537 2 504,337

Vermont

Haematologic Technologies, Inc. 1 350,951 1 350,951 — — — —

University of Vermont and State 

Agricultural College

44 18,082,884 39 16,527,909 4 1,282,018 1 272,957

Total Vermont 45 18,433,835 40 16,878,860 4 1,282,018 1 272,957

Virginia

American Psychosomatic Society 1 10,000 1 10,000 — — — —

CW Optics, Inc. 2 1,488,255 2 1,488,255 — — — —

Eastern Virginia Medical School 1 305,648 1 305,648 — — — —

ISA Associates, Inc. 1 391,703 1 391,703 — — — —

Luna Innovations, Inc. 1 199,997 1 199,997 — — — —

Mcguire Research Institute, Inc. 1 284,174 1 284,174 — — — —

Molecules for Health, Inc. 1 154,128 1 154,128 — — — —

Old Dominion University 1 377,839 1 377,839 — — — —

SonoMedica, LLC 1 351,423 1 351,423 — — — —

The Lewin Group 1 400,033 — — — — 1 400,033

University of Virginia, Charlottesville 54 25,315,972 49 23,646,909 5 1,669,063 — —

Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine 1 221,145 1 221,145 — — — —

Virginia Commonwealth University 18 5,713,666 16 5,456,460 2 257,206 — —

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State 

University

1 198,125 1 198,125 — — — —

Total Virginia 85 35,412,108 77 33,085,806 7 1,926,269 1 400,033
177

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Washington

Asthma, Inc. 1 195,242 1 195,242 — — — —

Axio Research, LLC 1 416,474 1 416,474 — — — —

Barlow Scientific, Inc. 1 100,000 1 100,000 — — — —

Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories 1 1,816,459 1 1,816,459 — — — —

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia 

Mason

1 634,375 1 634,375 — — — —

CardioMetrix, Inc. 1 99,984 1 99,984 — — — —

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical 

Center

11 4,891,537 11 4,891,537 — — — —

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 28 20,899,176 22 12,829,137 1 31,490 5 8,038,549

Institute for Systems Biology 1 5,991,332 — — — — 1 5,991,332

Northwest Research Associates, Inc. 1 164,882 1 164,882 — — — —

Puget Sound Blood Center 3 2,563,192 3 2,563,192 — — — —

Sunnybrook and Women's College Health 

Sciences Center

1 492,337 1 492,337 — — — —

University of Washington 122 64,338,113 103 56,157,117 15 3,832,121 4 4,348,875

VPDiagnostics, Inc. 1 1,028,641 1 1,028,641 — — — —

Washington State University 1 347,982 1 347,982 — — — —

Total Washington 175 103,979,726 149 81,737,359 16 3,863,611 10 18,378,756

West Virginia

Marshall University 2 506,863 2 506,863 — — — —

West Virginia University 11 3,124,036 9 2,934,070 2 189,966 — —

Total West Virginia 13 3,630,899 11 3,440,933 2 189,966 — —

Wisconsin

American Society of Gene Therapy 1 10,000 1 10,000 — — — —

BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Inc. 5 3,720,035 4 3,550,851 1 169,184 — —

Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. 1 249,898 1 249,898 — — — —

Marquette University 1 249,696 1 249,696 — — — —

Medical College of Wisconsin 57 36,895,640 51 31,529,277 4 477,809 2 4,888,554

Mirus Bio Corporation 1 155,085 1 155,085 — — — —

Quantum Tubers Corporation 1 633,112 1 633,112 — — — —

SeraCare Bioservices 1 211,095 — — — — 1 211,095

Shared Medical Technology, Inc. 1 183,491 1 183,491 — — — —

SpectroCon, LLC 1 738,446 1 738,446 — — — —

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 1 184,968 1 184,968 — — — —

University of Wisconsin-Madison 59 23,316,827 50 21,361,883 8 1,764,934 1 190,010

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1 367,864 1 367,864 — — — —

Vascular Proflix, LLC 1 99,983 1 99,983 — — — —

Total Wisconsin 132 67,016,140 115 59,314,554 13 2,411,927 4 5,289,659
178

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training

and Career

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Puerto Rico

Universidad Central del Caribe 1 102,720 1 102,720 — — — —

University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez — 133,138 — 133,138 — — — —

University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences 

Campus

1 217,500 1 217,500 — — — —

Total Puerto Rico 2 453,358 2 453,358 — — — —

Total U.S. 5,323 $2,553,041,955 4,635 $2,206,347,748 465 $94,947,275 223 $251,746,932

Australia

Baker Heart Research Institute 1 259,063 1 259,063 — — — —

James Cook University of North 

Queensland

1 256,009 1 256,009 — — — —

Walter and Elizabeth Hall Institute Medical 

Research

2 439,528 2 439,528 — — — —

 Total Australia 4 954,600 4 954,600 — — — —

Canada

Clinical Research Institute of Montreal 1 281,609 1 281,609 — — — —

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto 3 595,277 3 595,277 — — — —

McGill University 1 127,018 1 127,018 — — — —

McMaster University 1 578,610 1 578,610 — — — —

Montreal Heart Institute 2 512,170 2 512,170 — — — —

Ottawa Health Research Institute 1 140,871 1 140,871 — — — —

St. Michael’s Hospital 1 160,786 1 160,786 — — — —

University Health Network 2 476,939 2 476,979 — — — —

University of Alberta 1 131,085 1 131,085 — — — —

University of British Columbia 1 256,009 1 256,009 — — — —

University of Calgary 2 204,808 2 204,808 — — — —

University of Montreal 1 345,939 1 345,939 — — — —

University of Toronto 1 32,910 — — 1 32,910 — —

University of Western Ontario 1 206,986 1 206,986 — — — —

Total Canada 19 4,051,017 18 4,018,147 1 32,910 — —

Colombia

Malaria Vaccine and Drug Testing Center 1 370,784 1 370,784 — — — —

Total Colombia 1 370,784 1 370,784 — — — —

France

Paul Cezanne University Axi-Marseille III 1 76,680 1 76,680 — — — —

Total France 1 76,680 1 76,680 — — — —
179

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Chapter 14. Geographic Distribution of Awards

Institution Totals Grants

Research Training 

and Career 

Development Contracts

No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar No. Dollar

Hungary

Eötvös Loránd University — 37,927 — 37,927 — — — —

Institute of Enzymology, Biological 

Research Center

— 27,000 — 27,000 — — — —

Total Hungary — 64,927 — 64,927 — — — —

Iceland

deCODE Genetics, Inc. 1 614,517 1 614,517 — — — —

Total Iceland 1 614,517 1 614,517 — — — —

Netherlands

Wageningen University 1 317,170 1 317,170 — — — —

Total Netherlands 1 317,170 1 317,170 — — — —

New Zealand

Auckland Uniservices Limited 2 213,410 2 213,410 — — — —

University of Auckland 1 464,956 1 464,956 — — — —

Total New Zealand 3 678,366 3 678,366 — — — —

Switzerland

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 1 270,000 1 270,000 — — — —

Total Switzerland 1 270,000 1 270,000 — — — —

United Kingdom

Imperial College London 1 559,538 — — — — 1 559,538

St. Mary’s Hospital Newport 1 469,824 1 469,824 — — — —

University of Bristol 1 503,283 1 503,283 — — — —

University of Cambridge 1 262,170 1 262,170 — — — —

Total United Kingdom 4 1,794,815 3 1,235,277 — — 1 559,538

Total, Other 35 $ 9,192,876 33 $ 8,600,468 1 $ 32,910 1 $ 559,538

Grand Total 5,358 $2,562,234,831 4,668 $2,214,948,176 466 $94,980,185 224 $252,306,470

Appendixes

Types of Research Activity

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

Index

183

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Types of Research Activity

Types of Research Activity

Research Projects

Research Project Grants (R01): To support discrete and specific projects to be performed by one or 

several investigators in areas of the investigator’s 

particular interests and competencies.

Research Projects (Cooperative Agreements) 

(U01): To support discrete, circumscribed projects 

in areas of an investigator’s specific interest and 

competency involving substantial programmatic 

participation by the NHLBI during performance 

of the activity.

Research Program (Cooperative Agreement) 

(U10): To support a research program of multiple 

projects, requiring a broadly-based, multidisciplinary 

and often long-term approach, directed toward a specific major objective, common theme, or program 

goal relevant to the Institute’s mission. The award 

involves substantial programmatic involvement by 

NHLBI staff to assist investigators during performance of the research activities.

Research Program Projects (P01): To support 

broadly based, multidisciplinary, often long-term 

research projects that have specific major objectives 

or basic themes directed toward a well-defined 

research program goal. Usually, a relatively large, 

organized group of researchers conducts individual 

subprojects, the results of which help achieve objectives of the program project.

Small Research Grants (R03): To provide limited 

support for extended analyses of research data generated by clinical trials, population research, and demonstration and education studies.

Academic Research Enhancement Awards 

(AREA) (R15): To support small-scale research 

projects conducted by faculty in primarily baccalaureate degree-granting domestic institutions. Awards 

are for up to $75,000 for direct costs (plus applicable 

indirect costs) for periods not to exceed 36 months.

Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21): To 

encourage the development of new research activities in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders program areas.

Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R33): To provide phase II support for innovative exploratory and 

developmental research activities initiated under the 

R21 mechanism.

Method To Extend Research in Time (MERIT) 

Award (R37): To provide long-term research grant 

support to investigators whose research competency 

and productivity are distinctly superior and thus are 

likely to continue to perform in an outstanding 

manner. Investigators may not apply for a MERIT 

award; instead, they are selected by the NHLBI on 

the basis of their current grant applications and their 

present and past grant support.

NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (DP1): To support 

individual scientists of exceptional creativity who 

propose pioneering approaches to major contemporary challenges in biomedical research. 

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2): To 

support exceptionally creative new investigators who 

propose highly innovative approaches that have the 

potential to produce an unusually high impact. The 

New Innovator Award will emphasize the importance 

and potential impact of the scientific problem, the 

novelty and innovativeness of the approach, and the 

applicant’s potential for creative and innovative 

research.

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) 

Grants—Phase I (R41): To support cooperative 

R&D projects between small business concerns and 

research institutions, limited in time and amount, to 

establish the technical merit and feasibility of ideas 

that have potential for commercialization. Awards 

are made to small business concerns only.

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) 

Grants—Phase II (R42): To support in-depth 

development of cooperative R&D projects between 
184

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Types of Research Activity

small business concerns and research institutions, limited 

in time and amount, whose feasibility has been established in phase I and that have potential for commercialization. Awards are made to small business concerns 

only.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants, 

Phase I (R43): To support projects, limited in time and 

amount, to establish the technical merit and feasibility of 

research and development ideas that may ultimately lead 

to commercial products or services.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants, 

Phase II (R44): To support research project ideas that 

have been shown to be feasible in phase I and that are 

likely to result in commercially marketable products or 

services.

Research Centers

Exploratory Grants (P20): To support planning for 

new programs, expansion or modification of existing 

resources, and feasibility studies to explore various 

approaches to the development of interdisciplinary 

programs that offer potential solutions to problems of 

special significance to the mission of the NHLBI.

Center Core Grants (P30): To support shared 

resources and facilities for basic, clinical, behavioral, 

and translational research in the prevention, detection, 

and treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. 

Animal (Mammalian and Nonmammalian) Model 

and Animal and Material Resource Grant (P40): To 

develop and support animal models, or animal or biological materials resources. Nonmammalian resources 

include nonmammalian vertebrates, invertebrates, cell 

systems, and nonbiological systems.

Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research 

(SCCOR) Grants (P50): To foster multidisciplinary 

research on clinically relevant questions enabling basic 

science findings to be applied more rapidly to clinical 

problems. Research focuses on clinical and basic scientific issues related to diseases and disorders that are relevant to the mission of the NHLBI. The SCCOR program 

places more emphasis on clinical research than the 

SCOR program and requires at least 50 percent of the 

funded projects to be clinical.

Comprehensive Specialized Research Center Grants 

(U54): To support a large, interrelated biomedical 

research program focused on a disorder within the 

Institute’s mandate; to initiate and expand community 

education, screening, and counseling programs; and to 

educate medical and allied health professionals concerning problems of diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases such as sickle cell anemia.

Research Career Programs

Mentored Research Scientist Development Award for 

Minority Faculty (K01): To support underrepresented 

minority faculty members with varying levels of research 

experience to prepare them for research careers as independent investigators.

Mentored Scientist Development Award in Research 

Ethics (K01): To provide support for training in 

research ethics for health professionals working at academic and other health-related institutions in biomedical, 

behavioral, or public health research, particularly 

research involving human participants.

Minority Institution Faculty Mentored Research 

Scientist Development Award (K01): To support faculty members at minority institutions who have the interest and potential to conduct state-of-the-art research in 

cardiovascular, pulmonary, or hematologic disease or in 

sleep disorders.

Independent Scientist Award (K02): To enhance the 

research capability of promising individuals in the formative stages of their careers of independent research in the 

sciences related to heart, lung, and blood diseases; blood 

resources; and sleep disorders.

Research Career Development Award (K04): To foster the development of young scientists with outstanding 

research potential for careers of independent research in 

the sciences related to heart, lung, and blood diseases and 

blood resources. New grants are no longer awarded.

Research Career Award (K06): To assist institutions in 

supporting established investigators of high competency 

for the duration of their careers. New grants are no 

longer awarded.

Academic Award (K07): To support an individual with 

an academic appointment to introduce or improve a 
185

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Types of Research Activity

disease curriculum that will enhance the academic or 

research environment of the applicant institution as well 

as further the individual’s own career. This award series 

included the Systemic Pulmonary and Vascular Diseases 

Academic Awards, the Asthma Academic Award, the 

Tuberculosis Academic Award, the Sleep Academic 

Award, and the Nutrition Academic Award. Currently, 

the Cultural Competence and Health Disparities Academic Award and the Pediatric Transfusion Medicine 

Academic Award programs are being supported.

Clinical Investigator Development Award (K08): To 

provide an opportunity for clinically trained physicians 

to develop research skills and gain experience in advanced research methods and experimental approaches 

in basic and applied sciences relevant to cardiovascular, 

pulmonary, and hematological diseases.

Research Career Development Program in Vascular 

Medicine (K12): To promote comprehensive clinical 

research training for physicians wanting to specialize in 

vascular medicine. The goal is to prepare clinicians for 

academic roles in mentoring and leadership in clinical 

research in vascular medicine.

Research Career Development Program in Clinical 

Hematology (K12): To develop and evaluate multidisciplinary career development programs in clinical 

hematology research that will equip new academic 

researchers with the knowledge and skills to address 

complex problems in blood diseases, transfusion medicine, and cellular therapies.

Research Career Development Program in the 

Genetics and Genomics of Lung Diseases (K12): To 

develop multidisciplinary career development programs 

in genetics and genomics of lung diseases that will equip 

new investigators with the knowledge and skills to elucidate the etiology and pathogenesis of such diseases.

Minority School Faculty Development Award (K14): 

To develop faculty investigators at minority schools and 

enhance their research capabilities in areas related to 

heart, lung, and blood diseases; blood resources; and 

sleep disorders. New grants are no longer awarded.

Research Development Award for Minority Faculty 

(K14): To encourage the development of minority 

faculty investigators and enhance their research capabilities in areas related to cardiovascular, lung, and blood 

health and disease; transfusion medicine; and sleep 

disorders. New grants are no longer awarded.

Career Enhancement Award for Stem Cell Research 

(K18): To enable established investigators to acquire 

new research capabilities in the use of human or animal 

embryonic, adult, or cord blood stem cells. All candidates must have a sponsor, either within their own or at 

another institution, who is a well-qualified stem cell 

expert to serve as a mentor.

NHLBI Career Transition Award (K22): To support 

the postdoctoral research training of an outstanding 

individual in an NHLBI intramural laboratory for up to 

3 years and subsequently, to support the individual’s 

successful transition from postdoctoral research to an 

extramural environment as an independent researcher.

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career 

Development Award (K23): To provide support for 

career development to investigators who have made a 

commitment to focus their research endeavors on patientoriented research. 

Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented 

Research (K24): To provide support for clinicians to 

allow them “protected time” to devote to patient-oriented 

research and to act as mentors for beginning clinical 

investigators. 

Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development 

Award (K25): To provide support to investigators with 

quantitative science or engineering backgrounds who 

have made a commitment to focus their research on basic 

or clinical biomedicine, bioengineering, bioimaging, or 

behavioral sciences.

Clinical Research Curriculum Award (CRCA) (K30): 

To stimulate inclusion of high-quality, multidisciplinary 

didactic training in fundamental skills, methodology, 

theories, and conceptualization as part of the career 

development of clinical investigators.

Career Transition Award (K99/R00): To provide up to 

5 years support in two phases to highly promising postdoctoral scientists to pursue research relevant to the 

Institute. The K99 phase consists of 1 to 2 years mentored support followed by up to 3 years of independent 

support (R00) contingent on securing an independent 

research position. Award recipients will be expected to 
186

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Types of Research Activity

compete successfully for independent research grant support from the NIH or other Institutions during the independence phase to ensure continued support and a 

smooth transition to independence.

Other Research Grants

Scientific Evaluation (R09): To provide funds to the 

chairman of an initial review group for operation of the 

review group.

Cooperative Clinical Research (R10) (U10): To support studies and evaluations of relevant clinical problems. These grants usually involve collaborative efforts 

among several institutions and principal investigators 

and are conducted under a formal protocol.

Conference Grants (R13): To support national and 

international scientific meetings, conferences, or workshops at which research is discussed.

Research Demonstration and Education Projects 

(R18): To provide support designed to develop, test, and 

evaluate health-related activities and to foster application 

of existing knowledge to the control of heart, lung, and 

blood diseases and sleep disorders.

Resource-Related Research Projects (R24): To support research projects that will enhance the capability of 

resources to serve biomedical research in areas related to 

cardiovascular, lung, and blood health and diseases; 

blood resources; and sleep disorders. 

Education Projects (R25): To provide support for the 

development and implementation of a program as it 

relates to a category in one or more of the areas of education, information, training, technical assistance, coordination, or evaluation.

Minority Biomedical Research Support Grants 

(S06):To strengthen the biomedical research and 

research training capability of minority institutions and 

to assist in increasing the involvement of minority faculty and students in biomedical research.

Pilot Project Award (SC2): To support underrepresentative minorities who are at the beginning stages of a 

research career and interested in testing a new idea or 

generating preliminary data, or who are more experienced investigators and interested in switching to a different field of research.

Continuing Education Training Grant (T15): To 

assist professional schools and other public and nonprofit 

institutions to establish, expand, or improve programs of 

continuing professional education, especially for programs dealing with new scientific developments.

Scientific Review and Evaluation (U09): To support an 

initial Scientific Review Group responsible for the 

assessment of scientific and technical merit of grant 

applications.

Resource-Related Research Projects (U24): To support research projects contributing to improvement of the 

capability of resources to serve biomedical research.

National Swine Research and Resource Center (U42): 

To support a National Swine Research and Resource 

Center that will serve as a resource for depositing, maintaining, preserving, and distributing swine models for 

studies of human diseases, as well as cryopreservation, 

storage, and reconstitution of embryos and germplasm.

Historical Black College and University Scientist 

Award (UH1): To strengthen and augment the human 

resources at historically black colleges and universities 

(HBCU) by recruiting an established research scientist 

into their biomedical or behavioral sciences department; 

to enhance the career of the recruited research scientist; 

and to strengthen other HBCU resources for the conduct 

of biomedical or behavioral research in areas related to 

cardiovascular, lung, and blood health and disease; transfusion medicine; and sleep disorders.

Individual National Research Service 

Awards (NRSA) 

Individual Predoctoral M.D./Ph.D. NRSA (F30): To 

provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research 

training in areas related to heart, lung, and blood diseases; blood resources; sleep disorders leading toward a 

combined M.D./Ph.D. degree. Training under this award 

is designed to provide a foundation for a career as a physician-scientist in the areas of interest to the NHLBI.

Predoctoral Individual NRSA (F31): To provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in 

areas related to heart, lung, and blood diseases; blood 

resources; and sleep disorders leading toward the 

research degree (e.g., Ph.D.).
187

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Types of Research Activity

Postdoctoral Individual NRSA (F32): To provide postdoctoral research training to individuals to broaden their 

scientific background and extend their potential for 

research in areas related to heart, lung, and blood diseases and blood resources.

NRSA for Senior Fellows (F33): To provide experienced scientists with an opportunity to make major 

changes in the direction of their research careers, to 

broaden their scientific background, to acquire new 

research capabilities, to enlarge their command of an 

allied research field, or to take time from regular professional responsibilities for the purpose of broadening their 

research capabilities.

Institutional National Research Service 

Awards (NRSA)

Institutional NRSA (T32): To enable institutions to 

make awards to individuals selected by them for predoctoral and postdoctoral research training in areas related 

to heart, lung, and blood diseases; blood resources; and 

sleep disorders.

Minority Institutional Research Training Program 

(T32M): To support full-time research training for 

investigative careers at minority schools in areas of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases and 

sleep disorders. Graduate students, postdoctoral students, or health professions students may be supported 

under this program.

MARC Undergraduate NRSA Institutional Grants 

(T34): To support institutional training grants for underrepresented minority undergraduates to obtain research 

training and improve their preparation for graduate training in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.

NRSA Short-Term Research Training (T35 and 

T35M): To provide individuals with research training 

during off-quarters or summer periods to encourage 

research careers or to encourage research in areas of 

national need. This program includes the Short-Term 

Training for Minority Students Program and short-term 

training for students in health professional schools.

MARC Visiting Professors for Minority Institutions 

(T36): To increase the number of well-trained minority 

scientists in biomedical disciplines and to strengthen 

the research and teaching capabilities of minority 

institutions.

Other Support

Research and Development Contracts (N01): To 

develop or apply new knowledge or test, screen, or 

evaluate a product, material, device, or component for 

use by the scientific community.

Small Business Innovation Research (N43): To support projects, limited in time and amount, to establish the 

technical merit and feasibility of R&D ideas that may 

ultimately lead to a commercial product(s) or service(s).

NIH Inter-Agency Agreements (Y01): To provide a 

source of funds to another Federal Agency to acquire 

specific products, services, or studies.

NIH Intra-Agency Agreements (Y02): To provide a 

source of funds to another NIH component to acquire 

specific products, services, or studies.

Minority Research Supplements Programs: To provide supplemental funds to active NHLBI grants to support the research of minority high school, undergraduate, 

and graduate students; postdoctoral trainees; and 

investigators.

189

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

ACCORD Action To Control Cardiovascular Risk 

in Diabetes

ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme

ACRN Asthma Clinical Research Network

AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

AMI acute myocardial infarction

ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome

ARDSNet Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome 

Clinical Network

ARIC Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities

ATP III Adult Treatment Panel III

ATTRACT Acute Venous Thrombosis: Thrombus 

Removal With Adjunct CatheterDirected Thrombolysis

BABY HUG Pediatric Hydroxyurea Phase III Clinical 

Trial

BARI 2D Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization 

Investigation in Type 2 Diabetics

BEE Board of Extramural Experts

BRIDGE Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients 

Requiring Temporary Interruption of 

Warfarin Therapy for an Effective 

Invasive Procedure or Surgery

CABG coronary artery bypass graft

CAMP–CS/ Childhood Asthma Management

Phase II Program–Continuation Study/Phase II

CARDIA Coronary Artery Risk Development in 

Young Adults

CARE Childhood Asthma Research and 

Education Network

CDC Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention

CF cystic fibrosis

CHD coronary heart disease

CHS Cardiovascular Health Study

COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

CORAL Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal 

Atherosclerotic Lesions

CSCC Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers

CTOT Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation

CVD cardiovascular diseases

DARD Division for the Application of Research 

Discoveries

DASH Dietary Approaches To Stop 

Hypertension

DBDR Division of Blood Diseases and 

Resources

DCVD Division of Cardiovascular Diseases

DERA Division of Extramural Research Affairs

DIR Division of Intramural Research

DLD Division of Lung Diseases

DPPS Division of Prevention and Population 

Sciences

FY fiscal year

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
190

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

GENTAC Genetically Triggered Thoracic Aortic 

Aneurysms and Other Cardiovascular 

Conditions

GOCADAN Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in 

Alaska Natives

GTRP Gene Therapy Resource Program

HBCU historically black college and university

HCHS Hispanic Community Health Study

HEW Department of Health, Education, and 

Welfare (now HHS)

HF-ACTION Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial 

Investigation Outcomes of Exercise 

Training

HHS Health and Human Services (formerly 

HEW)

HIV human immunodeficiency virus

HTLV human T-lymphotropic virus

ICD International Classification of Diseases

IMMEDIATE Immediate Myocardial Metabolic 

Enhancement During Initial Assessment 

and Treatment in Emergency Care

ISIS Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in Cystic 

Fibrosis

JHS Jackson Heart Study

JNC V Fifth Report of the Joint National 

Committee on the Detection, Evaluation, 

and Treatment of High Blood Pressure

LOTT Long-Term Oxygen Treatment Trial

MARC Minority Access to Research Careers

MESA Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

NAEPP National Asthma Education and 

Prevention Program

NCEP National Cholesterol Education Program

NCHS National Center for Health Statistics

NCI National Cancer Institute

NCSDR National Center on Sleep Disorders 

Research

NHAAP National Heart Attack Alert Program

NHANES National Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey

NHBPEP National High Blood Pressure Education 

Program

NHI National Heart Institute

NHLBAC National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Advisory Council

NHLBI National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute (formerly NHI and NHLI)

NHLI National Heart and Lung Institute

NIA National Institute on Aging

NIAMS National Institute of Arthritis and 

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 

NICHD National Institute of Child Health and 

Human Development

NIDDK National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIH National Institutes of Health

NINDS National Institute of Neurological 

Disorders and Stroke

NRSA National Research Service Award

OAT Occluded Artery Trial

ORTMH Office of Research Training and 

Minority Health

OSA obstructive sleep apnea

NHLBI FY 2007 Fact Book

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
191

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

PA Program Announcement

PAD peripheral artery disease

PHS Public Health Service

PIOPED Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary 

Embolism Diagnosis

POUNDS Preventing Overweight Using Novel

LOST Dietary Strategies

POWER Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight 

Reduction

PROGENI Programs in Gene Environmental 

Interactions

REDS Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

RFA Request for Applications

RFP Request for Proposals

RPG research project grant

SANDS Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics 

Study

SBIR Small Business Innovation Research

SCD sickle cell disease

SCCOR Specialized Center of Clinically 

Oriented Research

SCOR Specialized Center of Research

SDB sleep disordered breathing

SEP Special Emphasis Panel

SES socioeconomic status

SHARe SNP Health Association Resource

STICH Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart 

Failure

STTR Small Business Technology Transfer

SWITCH Stroke With Transfusions Changing to 

Hydroxyurea

TB tuberculosis

TOPCAT Trial of Aldosterone Antagonists 

Therapy in Adults With Preserved 

Ejection Fraction Congestive Heart 

Failure

WHI Women’s Health Initiative

WHIMS Women’s Health Initiative Memory 

Study

WLM Weight Loss Maintenance

NHLBI FY 2007 Fact Book

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

193

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Index

Index

A

Abbreviated Staff Directory, 1–7

Abbreviations, 189–191

Action To Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes 

(ACCORD), 29, 112, 116, 117, 141

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Clinical Network 

(ARDSNet), 112, 116, 122

Advancing Novel Science in Women’s Health Research, 54

AIM HIGH: Niacin Plus Statin To Prevent Vascular Events, 

81, 83, 109, 111

Ancillary Studies in Clinical Trials, 147

Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN), Phase II, 81, 90, 

115, 116, 122, 143

Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), 100–101, 130, 

131

B

Basic and Translational Research Program (See also 

Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers Program), 52, 97, 129, 

147, 148

Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative, 53

Biorepository and Limited Access Data Set Information 

Coordinating Center, 52

Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Research Network, 82, 

92, 115, 116, 125, 148

Bridging Anticoagulation on Patients Requiring Temporary 

Interruption of Warfarin Therapy for an Elective Invasive 

Procedure or Surgery (BRIDGE) Trial, 82, 93, 110, 111

Budget History, FY 1950–2008, 67

Budget Overview, Obligations by Funding Mechanism, 

FY 2008, 63–65

Blood Diseases and Resources Program, 65

Cardiovascular Diseases Program, 64

Extramural Program, 64

Lung Diseases Program, 65

Prevention and Population Sciences Program, 64

Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 

Diabetics (BARI 2D), 81, 83, 108, 111, 141

C

Candidate Gene Association Resources, 100, 101

Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, 81, 83, 115, 

116, 117

Cardiovascular Diseases Program, obligations by funding 

mechanism, 64

Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), 51, 100, 101, 130

Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) Events Follow-Up Study, 

81, 83

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions 

(CORAL), 81, 83–84, 108, 111

Centers for AIDS Research Program, 63, 65, 75, 98

Centers for Reducing Asthma Disparities, 81, 90, 143

Centers of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell 

Research, 94, 98

Childhood Asthma Management Program–Continuation Study 

(CAMP–CS)/Phase III, 81, 90, 110, 111

Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) Network, 

81, 90, 115, 116, 122–123, 143

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Treatment, 53

Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and Adolescents, 

53

Claudication Exercise vs. Edoluminal Revascularization, 81, 

84, 109

Clinical Research Consortium To Improve Resuscitation 

Outcomes, 81, 84, 114, 116, 117–118

Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation in Children, 54

Clinical Trials (See also individual trials), 107–127

Institute-initiated: contracts, FY 1998–2008, 112–113

cooperative agreements, FY 1998–2008, 114–115

summary by program, FY 2008, 116

Investigator-initiated, FY 1998–2008, 107–110

summary by program, FY 2008, 111

Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation (CTOT), 114, 116, 118

Collaborations With National Centers for Biomedical 

Computing, 54

Community-Responsive Intervention To Reduce 

Cardiovascular Risk in American Indians and Alaska 

Natives, 81, 84, 114, 116, 118, 132
194

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Index

Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers Program, 52, 63, 65, 75, 

97, 147

Contract obligations (See Research and development contracts)

Cooperative Agreements, 75, 81–82, 83–93, 107–110, 111, 

114–115, 116, 183

COPD Clinical Research Network, 81, 90, 115, 116, 123, 144

Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults 

(CARDIA), 100, 101, 130, 138

Cultural Competence and Health Disparities Academic Award, 

75, 132, 155, 156

D

Data Resource for Analyzing Blood and Marrow Transplants, 

53

Deep Vein Thrombosis and Venous Disease, 53

Design and Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies, 81, 

84

Development and Application of New Technologies to Targeted 

Genome-Wide Resequencing in Well-Phenotyped 

Populations, 54

Disease statistics 

adult population with hypertension, 47

death rates for cardiovascular diseases, 31, 35, 37

death rates for heart diseases, 31, 35, 37, 38, 39

death rates for lung diseases, 32, 41, 43, 44

death rates for stroke, 38

deaths attributed to heart failure, 37

deaths by major causes, 33

deaths from blood diseases, 32, 33, 34

deaths from cardiovascular diseases, 31, 33, 34, 35

deaths from lung diseases, 32, 33, 34, 42

discharged dead from hospital with cardiovascular and lung 

diseases, 39

economic costs of illness, 31, 32, 49

hospitalization rates for heart failure, 32, 48

percent change in age-adjusted death rates for selected 

causes, 41

persons experiencing asthma episodes in previous 12 

months, 48

physician office visits for sleep disorders, 44

prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, 46

prevalence of common cardiovascular and lung diseases, 45, 

46

ten leading causes of death, 36

ten leading causes of death among minority groups, 36

Division for the Application of Research Discoveries, 11, 

16–17, 132

Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, 9, 14, 21

Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, 9, 11–12

Division of Intramural Research, 11, 15–16

Division of Lung Diseases, 9, 12–13

Division of Prevention and Population Sciences, 11, 14–15

DNA Resequencing and Genotyping, 100, 102

Dynamic Evaluation of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, 

81, 84–85

E

Early Antipseudomonal Therapy in Cystic Fibrosis, 81, 90–91

Elucidating Nature’s Solutions to Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Diseases and Sleep Disorder Processes, 53 

Employment, FY 1998–2008, 70

Enabling Technologies for Tissue Engineering and 

Regenerative Medicine, 55

Exploratory/Developmental Investigations on Primary 

Immunodeficiency Diseases, 54

Extramural research funding

dollars funded by funding mechanism, FY 1998–2008, 70, 

72, 73, 75

percentage trends by funding mechanism, FY 1998–2008, 72, 

74

F

Family Blood Pressure Program, 81, 85, 134

Framingham Heart Study, 22, 24, 29, 51, 100, 102

Funding of grants, contracts, and training by:

foreign country and institution, FY 2008:

Australia, 178; Canada, 178; Columbia, 178; France, 178; 

Hungary, 179; Iceland, 179; Netherlands, 179; New 

Zealand, 179; Switzerland, 179; United Kingdom, 179

state or territory and institution, FY 2008:

Alabama, 160; Arizona, 160; Arkansas, 160; California, 

160–162; Colorado, 162; Connecticut, 162–163; Delaware, 

163; District of Columbia, 163; Florida, 163; Georgia, 

163–164; Hawaii, 164; Illinois, 164; Indiana, 164; Iowa, 

165; Kansas, 165; Kentucky, 165; Louisiana, 165; Maine, 

165; Maryland, 166; Massachusetts, 167–168; Michigan, 

168; Minnesota, 168; Mississippi, 169; Missouri, 169; 

Montana, 169; Nebraska, 169; Nevada, 169; New 

Hampshire, 169; New Jersey, 169–170; New Mexico, 

170; New York, 170–171; North Carolina, 171–172; Ohio, 

172–173; Oklahoma, 173; Oregon, 173; Pennsylvania, 

173–174; Rhode Island, 174; South Carolina, 174; South 

Dakota, 174; Tennessee, 175; Texas, 175–176; Utah, 176; 
195

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Index

Vermont, 176; Virginia, 176; Washington, 177; West 

Virginia, 177; Wisconsin, 177; Puerto Rico, 178

G

Genetic Epidemiology of COPD, 81, 91

Genetically Triggered Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Other 

Cardiovascular Conditions (GENTAC): National Registry, 

100, 102

Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease in Alaska Natives 

(GOCADAN), 81, 85, 131

Genome-Wide Association Studies To Identify Genetic 

Components That Relate to Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Disorders, 142, 147

H

Heart Failure: A Control Trial Investigating Outcomes of 

Exercise Training (HF-ACTION), 81, 85, 108, 111

Heart Failure Clinical Research Network, 81, 85, 114, 116, 

118–119, 134

Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS), 100, 102–103, 

131

I

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network, 81, 

91, 115, 116, 123

IMMEDIATE Trial: Immediate Myocardial Metabolic 

Enhancement During Initial Assessment and Treatment in 

Emergency Care, 81, 85–86, 109

Important events in NHLBI history, 19–30

Improved Measures of Diet and Physical Activity for the Genes 

and Environment Initiative, 81, 86

Improving Diet and Physical Activity Assessment, 54

Individual National Research Service Awards (NRSA), 151, 

152, 153, 154, 186–187

Individual Predoctoral M.D./Ph.D. Fellowships, 53

Investigator-Initiated Multi-Site Clinical Trials, 53

Infant Study of Inhaled Saline in Cystic Fibrosis (ISIS), 82, 91, 

110, 111

Innovations in Biomedical Computational Science and 

Technology, 54

J

Jackson Heart Study (JHS), 100, 103, 131

L

Longitudinal Studies of HIV-Associated Lung Infections and 

Complications, 146

Long-Term Oxygen Treatment Trial (LOTT), 113, 116, 

123–124

Lung Diseases Program, obligations by funding mechanism, 65

Lung Tissue Research Consortium, 100, 105

Lymphatic Biology in Health and Disease, 54

M

Maintenance of NHLBI Biological Specimen Repository, 100, 

105

Mechanisms and Management of Cardiovascular and 

Metabolic Complications of HIV/AIDS, 52

Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social 

Sciences, 55

Mind-Body Interactions and Health, 54

Minority Activities, 129–149

Molecular Phenotypes for Lung Diseases, 52

Multidisciplinary Translational Research in Critical Care, 55

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), 51, 100, 103, 

131

N

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council, 57; 

membership, 58

Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigations in 

Cardiovascular Medicine, 81, 86, 115, 116, 119

New Approaches in Arrhythmia Detection and Treatment, 52

New Approaches to Non-Viral Systems for Gene Transfer 

Applications for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases. 53 

NHLBI Career Transition Award, 52

NHLBI Clinical Proteomics Programs, 81, 86

NHLBI Gene Therapy Resource Program (GTRP), 100, 

103–104

NHLBI Programs, 9–10

NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal Research Network, 

115, 116, 124

Novel Approaches to Enhance Animal Stem Cell Research, 54
196

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Index

O

Obligations by funding mechanism, FY 2008, 63–65

Obligations trends, FY 1998–2008,

budget category:

constant dollars, 68–69

current dollars, 68–69

budget history, 67

funding mechanism, 70, 72, 73, 74

Institute-initiated awards and investigator-initiated awards, 

71, 72

Occluded Artery Trial, 81, 86, 108, 111

Obligations, extramural, by state and institution, FY 2008 (See 

Funding of grants, contracts, and training)

Office of Research Training and Minority Health, 2, 129–130

P

Partnership Programs To Reduce Cardiovascular Disparities, 

81, 87, 132, 134

Pathogenesis and Treatment of Lymphedema and Lymphatic 

Diseases, 54

Pediatric Circulatory Support, 100, 104

Pediatric Heart Network, 81, 87, 114, 116, 119

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS)—Data and 

Operations Center, 114, 116, 119

Pediatric Hydroxyurea Phase III Clinical Trial (BABY HUG), 

52, 113, 116, 125, 147

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma Treatment, 82, 91

Pharmacogenetics Research Network, 81, 87

Pharmacomechanical Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for 

Acute DVT–ATTRACT Trial, 82, 93, 110, 111

Practice-Based Opportunity for Weight Reduction (POWER) 

Trials, 81, 87, 114, 116, 120, 137

Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies 

(POUNDS LOST), 81, 87–88, 137

Prevention and Populations Sciences Program, obligations by 

funding mechanism, 64

Program Advisory and Review Communities, 57–62

Program Overview, 9–17

Programs in Gene Environmental Interactions (PROGENI), 81, 

88

Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology, 81, 88

Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism 

Diagnosis-III (PIOPED III), 82, 91–92

Protein Interactions Governing Transport in Pulmonary Health 

and Disease, 52

Proteomics Initiative, 100, 104

R

Randomized Controlled Study of Adenotonsillectomy for 

Childhood Sleep Apnea, 82, 92, 110, 111, 145

Randomized Trial of Genotype-Guided Dosing of Warfarin 

Therapy, 53, 100, 104–105

Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support, 100, 105

Research Activity, types of, 183–187

Research and development contracts (See also individual 

programs and studies), 63, 99–106

by program, FY 2008, 64–65

Research Career Programs, 63, 64, 65, 75, 184–186

awards, FY 1998–2008, 155

minority biomedical research, FY 1998–2008, 157

obligation trends, FY 1998–2008, 156

Research Demonstration and Dissemination Grants, 53

Research grants,

by category, FY 2008, 76

by funding mechanism, 73, 74, 75

clinical trials, 107–110, 111

investigator-initiated and Institute-initiated, FY 1998–2008, 

71–72, 78

obligation trends, FY 1998–2008, 76

Research project grants

amount funded, FY 1998–2008, 75, 76, 79

applications reviewed and awarded, FY 1998–2008, 77

average costs, FY 1998–2008, 80

by funding mechanism, 75

by program, 64–65

facility and administrative costs, 79

Research Training and Career Development (See also Research 

Career Programs),

full-time training positions, FY 1998–2008, 151, 154

history of training obligations, FY 1998–2008, 153

minority biomedical obligations, 157

research career programs: awards and obligations, 

FY 1998–2008, 155–156

supplements program: awards and obligations, 

FY 1998–2008, 157–158

Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II (REDS-II), 100, 106

Right Heart Function in Health and Chronic Lung Diseases. 53
197

NHLBI FY 2008 Fact Book

Index

S

Sarcoidosis: Research Into the Cause of Multi-Organ Disease 

and Clinical Strategies for Therapy, 55

Sedation Management in Pediatric Patients With Acute 

Respiratory Failure, 82, 92

Severe Asthma Research Program, 142

Short-Term Research Education Program To Increase Diversity 

in Health-Related Research, 52

Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Research Network, 82, 93, 115, 

116, 125–126, 147

Sickle Cell Disease Health-Related Quality of Life 

Questionnaire, 100, 106, 148

Sidenafil for Sickle Cell Disease-Associated Pulmonary 

Hypertension, 113, 116, 126, 147

Small Business Innovation Research Contract Solicitation, 55

Small Grants for Lung Tissue Research, 52

Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health, 54 

Somatic Cell Therapy Processing Facilities, 100, 106

Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapy (SCCT) for Heart, 

Lung, and Blood Diseases, 98 

Specialized Centers of Clinical Research (SCCOR) in 

Cardiac Dysfunction and Disease, 94, 95

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 94, 95–96

Hemostatic and Thrombotic Diseases, 94, 96

Host Factors in Chronic Lung Diseases, 94, 96

Pediatric Heart Development and Disease, 94, 95

Pulmonary Vascular Disease, 94, 96

Transfusion Biology and Medicine, 94, 96

Vascular Injury, Repair, and Remodeling, 94, 95

Stroke With Transfusions Changing to Hydroxyurea 

(SWITCH), 82, 93, 110, 111, 147

Stop Atherosclerosis in Native Diabetics Study (SANDS), 81, 

88, 108, 111, 141

Strong Heart Study, 23, 81, 89, 130

Study of Acid Reflux Therapy for Children With Asthma, 82, 

92

Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD 

Study, 55

Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH), 81, 89, 

108, 111

T

Thalassemia (Cooley’s Anemia) Clinical Research Network, 82, 

93, 115, 116, 126, 149

Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical Research Network, 

93, 115, 116, 127

Trial of Aldosterone Antagonists Therapy in Adults With 

Preserved Ejection Fraction Congestive Heart Failure 

(TOPCAT), 112, 116, 120

Tuberculosis Curriculum Coordination Center, 100, 105, 146

U

Understanding and Treating Ataxia-Telangiectasia, 55

W

Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM), 81, 89, 108, 111, 137

Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), 9, 15, 25, 27, 28, 112, 116, 

120–121, 141–142

Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, 52