The National Institutes of Health, or the NIH, is one of eleven agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, or the HHS, a federal executive department responsible for disease prevention and wellness, social services, and biodefense. Within the HHS, the primary operating division is the United States Public Health Service, which contains eight of the HHS’s eleven operating divisions, including the NIH. Founded in 1887, the NIH is the main U.S. agency in charge of biomedical and public health research. It is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.

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