Attachment 18 - NIH Communications Toolkit.pdf

Communicating about NIH itkloot

February 2013

Attachment 18

NIH COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT 1

Table of Contents

Introduction

Talking About NIH

Key Messages

Conversation Points

Key Facts About NIH

Longer, Healthier Lives

Role in Sustaining the Economy

Key NIH Resources

Using the Graphic Identity

Policies Focused on Communications

NIH Communications Policies and Resources

Clearance Policies

Locating Key Contacts at NIH

Selecting a Model for Collaboration

Examples of Successful NIH Grantee Engagement Strategies

Examples of Successful Stakeholder Engagement Strategies

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The NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) has developed this toolkit for use by a broad spectrum of employees and contractors, ranging from new employees to communications office staff members who routinely work to convey messages about the benefits of publicly funded research.

Introduction

Now, more than ever, it is time for NIH to make the strongest case possible for the value of biomedical research. As an agency funded by tax dollars, it is imperative that NIH communicate clearly to the public about how NIH research has a profound, positive influence on their health every day.

NIH is composed of 27 Institutes and Centers, plus a number of offices within the Office of the Director. Historically, communications have been largely localized—at the Institute and Center (IC) level or below. Consequently, we have made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the public to grasp the full scope of NIH’s impact on health and medicine. In addition, more than 80% of NIH’s funding goes to grantee institutions around the country;

however, that is a little known fact. Not surprisingly, outside surveys showed that less than 10% of the public recognized NIH.

It is important that the public understand that NIH is not just a place in Bethesda, Maryland— it has a national and global presence and impact. Over the past year, a trans-NIH communications planning group worked to devise and implement strategies to:

» Make NIH more focused and consistent, and less fragmented;

» Collaborate effectively with grantees to make clear that their work was made possible through NIH support;

» Work with outside organizations on consistent messages about the value of biomedical research; and

» Maximize fully opportunities in traditional and new media.

The expected outcome of these efforts will be a better understanding among the public of the breadth, depth, and impact of NIH research on people’s lives.

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Talking About NIH

Key Messages

» NIH is the largest source of public funding for medical research in the world and is the driving force behind so many of the health advances we benefit from every day.

» NIH represents the American public’s investment in medical research.

» NIH funds and conducts scientific studies and supports research training in all 50 states and internationally.

» The NIH mission is to apply public resources entrusted to the agency to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat diseases and disabling conditions.

» We live in an age of unprecedented scientific opportunities to advance people’s health and help patients and their families. NIH-supported research is at the forefront of those discoveries.

» NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

» NIH devotes about half of its budget to basic research: the pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems. Without NIH support, much of this fundamental research—an essential source for new understanding and eventually new therapies—would not be conducted. Basic research not only adds to our understanding of the world—and the inner world of our bodies—it provides the backbone of knowledge needed to develop interventions to improve human health.

» NIH plays a key leadership role in encouraging more young people to pursue careers in science and medicine, providing them training at all levels of their careers, both at universities and research institutions across the country and at NIH itself. This sustained commitment to training the next generation of researchers—and maintaining a diverse and inclusive pool of scientific talent—will help maintain the U.S. position as the world’s leader in biomedical research.

» NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Conversation Points

» “I work at the NIH—the National Institutes of Health. It is the main engine for medical discoveries in this country.”

» “NIH is a part of the federal government. We represent the public’s investment in medical research.”

» “Many of today’s health advances are rooted in the basic research that NIH has funded for decades.”

» “NIH funds all kinds of medical research, like studies on infectious diseases, addiction, the basic workings of cells, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and arthritis.” [highlight your IC’s portfolio]

» “You can visit the NIH website to find a trial either in Bethesda or at a teaching hospital near you. Even if you don’t have the disease, there may be a prevention or family history study. There may be a lot you can do to lower your risk.”

» “We think we’ll come to fully understand what really contributes to disease—even serious chronic diseases—and find ways to prevent and treat them. There’s a good chance, for example, that we’ll be able to see a generation born without knowing HIV. Or to develop a single vaccine that will prevent flu for a lifetime. We want to improve people’s health as much as possible, and as quickly as possible.”

» “Health is global now. Some of our newest and biggest health threats are global problems.

NIH isn’t just in individual communities in the U.S., we’re also overseas. More and more we’re collaborating internationally to address emerging health threats, like new strains of flu.”

» “It can take decades to move a laboratory discovery to a new treatment. We have a new Center at NIH, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, called NCATS.

NCATS was created to speed up the pace of discovery, testing, and use of new treatments.”

» “NIH supports public sector jobs and institutions. That means maybe 60, 70 billion dollars in the economy every year. Plus NIH doesn’t compete with the private sector; that’s not the mission of NIH. We work to complement private-sector efforts.”

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*Sources: National Institutes of Health. Impact of NIH Research. www.nih.gov/about/impact.

National Institutes of Health. NIH Data Book. http://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook.

National Institutes of Health. NIH Budget. www.nih.gov/about/budget.htm.

Key Facts About NIH

NIH is the world’s largest engine for biomedical research. NIH supports thousands of scientific studies that have contributed to major advances in people’s health.

Longer, Healthier Lives

Americans are not just living longer; they are staying healthy and active longer. Findings from NIH-funded research have provided the knowledge driving many major successes of modern medicine, such as a 60 percent reduction in deaths from heart attack, a 40 percent reduction in infant mortality, and the conversion of HIV infection from a rapid death sentence to a manageable chronic condition.

» Thanks in large part to NIH-funded research, a baby born in the United States today can expect to live to nearly age 79—three decades longer than in 1900.

» At age 65, Americans today can expect to live 19.2 more years, which is 5 years longer than people who were 65 in 1960. The majority of today’s older adults can expect to live without any activity limitations, a major improvement in just the past 30 years.*

» In the last 25 years, the percentage of older Americans with chronic disabilities—physical conditions that prevent them from being able to perform tasks vital for daily living such as cooking, bathing, or dressing—dropped by nearly one-third.

Other examples of the significant progress NIH has made against diseases and conditions that affect millions include:

» A 60% reduction in deaths from heart disease and a 70% reduction in deaths from stroke in the last 50 years;

» An ongoing fall in cancer death rates of about 1% every year;

» A nearly 90% survival rate today from the most common form of childhood leukemia;

» Vaccines that protect millions from flu, cervical cancer, shingles, and meningitis; and

» A dramatic increase in survival for people infected with HIV. HIV-infected people in their 20s today can expect to live to age 70 and beyond.

http://www.nih.gov/about/impact http://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook http://www.nih.gov/about/budget.htm

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*Sources: National Institutes of Health. Impact of NIH Research. www.nih.gov/about/impact.

National Institutes of Health. NIH Data Book. http://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook.

National Institutes of Health. NIH Budget. www.nih.gov/about/budget.htm.

Role in Sustaining the Economy

NIH invests $30.9 billion* annually in medical research. Most of the NIH budget (more than 80%*) is awarded as competitive grants. These grants fund about 50,000 research projects* and research training awards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

» Most of the NIH budget—more than 80% of $30.9 billion*—goes to grantees at universities and other scientific institutions that compete against one another to ensure that NIH funds the most promising science.

» Each year, NIH grants support some 400,000* of the best scientists at more than 2,500 institutions in all U.S. states and territories and in more than 90 other countries. Another 6,000 NIH staff scientists also work to solve complex medical and scientific problems.

» NIH research builds a scientific foundation for private-sector organizations focused on medical innovation—such as new medicines, equipment, and tests—whose employees earn an estimated $84 billion in wages and salaries annually. These organizations also export an estimated $90 billion in goods and services annually and employ 1 million Americans.

» Every dollar of NIH funding spurs spin-off economic growth in our communities; every $1 million that NIH invests in a state generates $2 million in new business activity, doubling the taxpayers’ investment.

» These and other major advances in health have been reached for a cost of just $96 per American per year—a fraction of the cost of treating disease and disability.

» Each dollar of NIH funding generates an estimated $2.21 in local economic growth—the so-called “multiplier effect”—through scientific equipment suppliers, biotech startups, local retailers, and other businesses.

http://www.nih.gov/about/impact http://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook http://www.nih.gov/about/budget.htm

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Key NIH Resources

Find NIH-supported research in your community with the NIH RePORT Database » http://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm

Learn how vital NIH-supported biomedical research is to our nation’s economy, health, communities, and knowledge with the NIH Impact website » www.nih.gov/about/impact/index.htm

Locate information about NIH’s budget, leadership, legislative chronology, and much more with the NIH Almanac » www.nih.gov/about/almanac

Find out how to locate information about clinical trials, health conditions, grants, and other NIH programs with the agency’s frequently asked questions » www.nih.gov/about/FAQ.htm

Read about the gains in human health and the promise of continued improvements—all thanks to NIH research—in NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health® (HTML and PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/discovery/index.htm

Discover how NIH research drives job creation and economic growth with:

NIH Research’s Impact on Health (PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_health.pdf

NIH Research’s Impact on Scientific Knowledge (PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_knowledge.pdf

NIH Research’s Impact on U.S. Global Competitiveness (PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_global.pdf

A Review of NIH Reforms, Priorities, and Progress (PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/impact/testimony-6-21-2012.pdf

Read or subscribe to weekly research highlights from “NIH Research Matters” » www.nih.gov/researchmatters/index.htm

Keep up-to-date on the NIH budget with the NIH Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request (PDF) » www.nih.gov/about/director/budgetrequest/fy2013_collins_senate.pdf

Obtain photos of NIH scientists, science, staff, and facilities » https://imagebank.nih.gov http://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm http://www.nih.gov/about/impact/index.htm http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac http://www.nih.gov/about/FAQ.htm http://www.nih.gov/about/discovery/index.htm http://www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_health.pdf http://www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_knowledge.pdf http://www.nih.gov/about/impact/impact_global.pdf http://www.nih.gov/about/impact/testimony-6-21-2012.pdf http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/index.htm http://www.nih.gov/about/director/budgetrequest/fy2013_collins_senate.pdf https://imagebank.nih.gov/

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Using the Graphic Identity

A set of Identity Guidelines is available from designated NIH communications offices and the NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison through a dedicated SharePoint® site. If you would like an electronic copy of the NIH logo for use in materials, websites, presentations, and other information outlets, or if you are seeking guidance concerning logo usage, please contact the communications officer at your sponsoring Institute, Center, or Office or OCPL.

NIH OCPL

» www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/contact-us.htm

NIH Communications Offices » www.nih.gov/news/media_contacts.htm

General Logo Inquiries » logo@nih.gov http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/contact-us.htm http://www.nih.gov/news/media_contacts.htm mailto:logo@nih.gov

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Policies Focused on Communications

NIH Communications Policies and Resources

NIH Social and New Media Policy » http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/management/2809

Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites (PDF) » www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-04.pdf

Developing Web Sites at NIH » www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wag/documents/Developing_Issues.htm

Social Media at HowTo.gov » www.howto.gov/social-media

Guidelines for Participating in Wikipedia from NIH » www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wikipedia/index.htm

HHS Blog Guidance » www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/blog_guidance.html

HHS Twitter Guidance » www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/twitter_guidance.html

HHS Center for New Media—Standards and Policies » www.newmedia.hhs.gov/standards

HHS YouTube Guidance » www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/youtube_guidance.html

HHS-OCIO Policy for Social Media Technologies » www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/policy_2010-0003_-_ocio.html

HHS Podcast Guidance » www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/podcast_guidance.html http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/management/2809 http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-04.pdf http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wag/documents/Developing_Issues.htm http://www.howto.gov/social-media http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wikipedia/index.htm http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/blog_guidance.html http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/twitter_guidance.html http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/standards http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/youtube_guidance.html http://www.hhs.gov/ocio/policy/policy_2010-0003_-_ocio.html http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/resources/podcast_guidance.html

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Clearance Policies

Publications Clearance » www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/pubclear.htm

Audio/Visual Clearance » www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/audiovisual.htm

Social and New Media Clearance » http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/management/2809

Requests for Information from the News Media » www.hhs.gov/news/media_policy.html

HHS-Level Clearance » www.hhs.gov/aspa http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/pubclear.htm http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/audiovisual.htm http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/management/2809 http://www.hhs.gov/news/media_policy.html http://www.hhs.gov/aspa

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Locating Key Contacts at NIH

Who do I contact for advice on press release, publication, and audio/visual clearance?

» www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/index.html#clearances

Who do I contact for advice on HHS-level clearance?

» NIH OCPL: www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/index.html » HHS: www.hhs.gov/aspa

Who do I contact for guidance, standards, and policies on new media use at NIH?

» NIH OCPL: www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/index.html » HHS Center for New Media: www.newmedia.hhs.gov/about/index.html

Who do I contact before setting up a website at NIH?

» www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wag/weblist.htm

Is there a list of press contacts at NIH for outside media inquiries?

» www.nih.gov/news/media_contacts.htm

How do I locate a clinical trial in my area or participate in an NIH research study?

» www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/index.htm

Where do I refer members of the public who have NIH-related questions?

» www.nih.gov/about/contact.htm » www.nih.gov/icd/instituteaddresses.htm http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/index.html#clearances http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/aspa/ http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/index.html http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/about/index.html http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/resources/wag/weblist.htm http://www.nih.gov/news/media_contacts.htm http://www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/index.htm http://www.nih.gov/about/contact.htm http://www.nih.gov/icd/instituteaddresses.htm

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Selecting a Model for Collaboration

To encourage the use of successful communication practices and approaches, this section is intended to be populated by the NIH communications community. Below are a few examples of the beginning of the NIH communications community contributions to the Toolkit.

Examples of Successful NIH Grantee Engagement Strategies

Engagement in Action: Expanding a Speaking Engagement into Multiple Events NIH Director Francis Collins visited San Diego for a speaking engagement at a grantee institution. NIH staff worked with then-Congressman Brian Bilbray’s staff to arrange an additional talk by Bilbray and Collins to an audience of nearly 100 area CEOs, during which Collins cited data specific to that congressional district that was drawn from the NIH RePORTER database. Talking points provided by NIH helped the host institution pitch area media, and the resulting media coverage included points about NIH-supported research to advance health and about NIH funding as a local economic engine. Before your director or other senior leader travels for a speaking engagement, use RePORTER to identify how much NIH funding goes to the state, city, region, or district and how many grants are supported in that region.

Engagement in Action: Sharing Relevant Grantee News Through Social Media Keeping social media in mind can help with writing and packaging information for grantee institutions, providing appropriate lengths and formats that they can share readily through those channels and remembering to include the suggestion that they do so. One of our Institutes shares significant grantee announcements on a dedicated webpage, News from our Grantees, which links to news releases shared by grantees with the Institute or discovered by Institute communications staff as they monitor the science news service EurekAlert. A weekly roundup is sent to a list of approximately 3,000 subscribers, and some selected news releases from this group are also shared via the Institute’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Engagement in Action: Coordinated Announcements with Multiple Institutions To prepare for the simultaneous publication of multiple papers (e.g., the ENCODE Project and the Human Microbiome Consortium), NHGRI asks all Principal Investigators for an introduction to their public information officers. NHGRI holds a pre-announcement call with the PIOs, posts all papers on a shared site, and provides an early draft of the NIH news release for the institutions to adapt or to use for messages. The Institute then holds a telebriefing for reporters, works closely with key reporters to provide sources and background, and actively shares the findings through social media. Usually, multiple grantee institutions also issue their own releases. The results have included extensive media coverage describing the efforts accurately as collaborations supported by NIH.

Engagement in Action: Consistent and Frequent Email Communication NHLBI uses a template email to thank grantee institutions’ public information officers (PIOs) for alerting the Institute to upcoming news announcements or journal publications of

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Institute-supported research. The email template is also used to tell PIOs when NHLBI learns their institution’s news and would like to help highlight it. In addition, NHLBI communicates to PIOs how their announcement has been promoted on NHLBI’s Web and social media channels, so that grantee institutions can link back or share on their own social media channels. This communication encourages PIOs to notify (or to continue to notify) NHLBI of relevant news and reminds them about funding acknowledgment policies. Results have included positive reaction from PIOs to funding acknowledgment policy information, sharing of the Institute’s social media posts, and increased collaboration overall.

Engagement in Action: Quarterly Email to Grantee Institution PIOs NIDA has begun quarterly outreach to PIOs at its grantee institutions. The communication, which is modified and posted on the NIDA website, lets recipients know about NIDA initiatives and reminds them to let NIDA staff know about their pending publications of NIDA-supported research. It also suggests that they let NIDA know about their institution’s activities in an effort to help promote them through both traditional and new media outlets.

Engagement in Action: Templates for Tailored Messages In response to discussions with grantee institutions, NCI developed a state-level template for economic messages. The template can be shared with grantee institutions to help them summarize the economic impact of NIH grants, for their own outreach and for sharing their messages and data points with NIH. NCI shared the template with OER for use as needed across NIH.

Engagement in Action: Template Email Reminder NINDS has developed a template email for its director, encouraging grantees to alert NINDS in advance about plans to announce findings from NIH-supported research so that the Institute can collaborate on or help share the announcement through its own channels.

Engagement in Action: Sharing and Planning Ahead When an NIH leader or senior scientist plans to visit a grantee institution or area—particularly if the visit involves or would allow for a public event—grantee institutions appreciate advance notice, so they have the opportunity to plan outreach activities. Depending on the nature and length of the visit, NIH communications staff members have found it useful to talk with their counterparts about promoting the event to institution faculty, staff, students, local media, and the local community. Some institutions may be interested in producing an article, podcast, or online video from the event for their website; NIH could then link to the piece from the NIH or IC’s site. NIH legislative staff might explore with their institution counterparts the idea of inviting district congressional staff to the event or requesting a meeting with district congressional staff, a representative of their institution, and the visiting NIH leader. Providing the visiting NIH representative with the NIH funding data for that state or congressional district will ensure that he/she has a strong local angle as a talking point.

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Engagement in Action: Identification of High-Touch Media Opportunities NCI also reviews upcoming opportunities each week for media outreach with grantee institutions and determines whether any of them warrant a high-touch approach, such as announcing the publication of a major study involving multiple institutions (see following example). In those instances, NCI staff schedule a call the day before the announcement to share messages and plans with the institutions’ public information officers. If institutions issue their own releases, NCI posts those on its website.

Engagement in Action: Role of IC Directors in Funding Acknowledgment Reminders To ensure that grantees were aware of current NIH policies for funding acknowledgment, NIAMS Director Stephen Katz, M.D., Ph.D., sent a letter reminding them of the policies regarding scientific publications and presentations, press releases, and public access. The letter included brief but specific language they could use and is available online for further reference. NIAMS also sent a tailored version of the letter to key stakeholder organizations to increase awareness of the policies, particularly among professional societies representing large numbers of grantees. The letter served as a call to action for these organizations to acknowledge federal funding in stories about NIH-supported research in their magazines, newsletters, and other communications.

Examples of Successful Stakeholder Engagement Strategies

Engagement in Action: Stakeholder Briefings NIDCR held a small meeting of stakeholder organizations, led by the Institute’s director, to provide an overview of the breadth of research that the Institute supports. One of the stakeholders who attended subsequently drafted an article on NIDCR’s bone-related research for publication, bringing visibility to an aspect of the Institute’s work with which the stakeholder was previously unfamiliar.

Engagement in Action: Press Conference with Stakeholder-Partners As NIH’s newest Center, NCATS held a press conference to announce its first pilot program, Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules. Anticipating many questions from media, NCATS determined that a live event, rather than a telebriefing, offered the best way to put a face on the public- and private-sector partners behind this groundbreaking initiative and to showcase the perspective of a patient who had benefited from a similar approach. The National Press Club helped draw strong media attendance and garnered numerous interview requests.

Resulting coverage presented a balanced description of the program’s goals and promise.

Engagement in Action: Forming a Stakeholder Coalition NIAMS has created a coalition of approximately 75 professional and voluntary organizations concerned with the Institute’s mission, work, and programs. NIAMS hosts interactive, productive meetings of its coalition members and leads two to three coalition teleconferences annually to share news about NIH and NIAMS programs and resources. A 12-member steering committee within the coalition plays a leadership role in liaison with NIAMS communications and legislative http://www.niams.nih.gov/Funding/Policies_and_Guidelines/acknowledge_funding.asp

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staff. Coalition members are important partners, for instance, in reaching out to invite congressional staff to educational tours or briefings at NIAMS.

Engagement in Action: Twitter Chat with Stakeholders and Partners For World Heart Day 2012, NHLBI’s The Heart Truth® campaign partnered with HHS’ Million Hearts™ initiative, the American College of Cardiology, and Healthfinder.gov to conduct a one-hour Twitter chat that featured live experts answering questions about women’s heart health. NHLBI hosts multiple Twitter chats with partner organizations throughout the year.

Each chat has garnered impressions around the 10 million mark and has rapidly increased the number of people and organizations following The Heart Truth and the Institute on Twitter.

Additionally, planning chats with both old and new partners has strengthened the campaign’s relationships with its stakeholders by providing novel, shared opportunities at a low cost.

Engagement in Action: Collaboration with Stakeholders on Messages NCI has worked with stakeholder organizations focused on many different cancers to encourage a greater emphasis in messages about the mechanisms behind cancer, as opposed to focusing on the affected organs. Strategies have included NCI staff presentations on alignment of strategic messages at cancer centers around the country. Results have included a shift in message emphasis toward cancer mechanisms across the cancer stakeholder community.

Engagement in Action: Symposia and Conference Tracks at Stakeholder Meetings NIDA works with scientific societies and other stakeholders to arrange speakers and plan sessions and conference tracks at stakeholder meetings and scientific sessions. These collaborations have grown over time and now offer consistent opportunities for the Institute to share research news with stakeholders and to hear their interests and needs—fostering strong, ongoing relationships.

Engagement in Action: Building a Stakeholder Database NIDA has also developed a database of stakeholder organizations that it regularly updates with organizations’ missions, conference and leadership election dates, contact information, and other relevant data. Contacts may include an organization’s senior leadership, scientific leadership, and policy and communications directors. The database allows searching and segmenting by types of organizations or specific groups or individuals. NIDA uses the database to send targeted email communications—to the full list or certain segments—about Institute news, events, and initiatives.

Engagement in Action: Public Engagement NHGRI’s annual National DNA Day, held in the spring, is part of a unique nationwide partnership of experts, educators, and health professionals aimed at challenging students and building awareness of genetics and genomics. The day also commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of DNA’s double helix. As part of the program, NHGRI supports an online chat room, an essay contest, educational outreach efforts, and information about career and training opportunities. National DNA Day activities are designed to challenge students to examine, question, and reflect on key aspects of genetics, including the ethical, legal, and social implications of research.

Administrative Use—2013