twitter Tweet

Dr. Thornburg to chair NICHD committee, develop institute’s scientific vision

Dr. ThornburgKent Thornburg, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine and Director of the Heart Research Center was appointed co-chair of the Vision Committee for Developmental Origins of Adult Health and Disease by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Throughout the coming year, the NICHD will collaborate with its many stakeholders to identify the most promising scientific opportunities of the next decade across the breadth of the Institute’s mission.

According to the NICHD website, “the aim of this process is to develop a scientific Vision that sets an ambitious agenda and inspires the NICHD, its many partners, and the research community to achieve critical scientific goals and meet pressing public health needs.”

“The Developmental Origins of Adult Health and Disease is a new field of medicine that holds promise to explain a number of chronic diseases that we face as we age,” said Dr. Thornburg. “The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will play a key role in understanding how the first 1000 days following conception can set a person on a trajectory for a long and healthy life or a life beset by diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”

The NICHD was established by Congress in 1962. It conducts and supports research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations. Learn more

Previous Story Dr. Barker awarded the 2011 Richard Doll Prize Next Story A bold new vision of global health