[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR 
                 BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 10-year 
anniversary for one of the newest Institutes at the National Institutes 
of Health. The Congress authorized the creation of the National 
Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering over a decade ago, 
and I am proud to say I was a cosponsor of the enacting legislation. 
Since 2002, the NIBIB has worked diligently towards its mission to 
develop new technologies that are combating a myriad of diseases and 
conditions. NIBIB is unique in the sense that unlike most Institutes at 
NIH, NIBIB doesn't focus on a particular body area. Its mission is not 
bound to a particular disease either. Instead, it fills a vital need: 
it creates the tools and technologies for clinicians and researchers to 
fight all diseases. In a way, we are all patient advocates for NIBIB.
  Some of the technological advances include innovations like advanced 
imaging tools, such as functional MRI and PET/CT. These not only save 
lives by diagnosing disease noninvasively and earlier than ever before, 
but they have provided researchers in other areas of medicine new tools 
to study and combat their particular disease of focus. In its unique 
role at NIH, NIBIB is not only providing new bench-to-bedside 
diagnostics and therapies for patients, but also delivering novel 
bench-to-bench tools and technologies that are revolutionizing the way 
other researchers fight diseases in the laboratory.
  In this vein, NIBIB is providing an enormously positive return on the 
taxpayers' investment. The therapies, diagnostics and treatments 
created by NIBIB research have forever changed patient care and the way 
we conduct research. But perhaps equally as important, these 
technologies are being commercialized and manufactured by the private 
sector here in the U.S. We are an exporter of these incredible 
technologies, created and manufactured by highly-skilled workers. And 
when the NIBIB delivers on the next game-changing technology, the U.S. 
will again be the home to those job-supporting companies.
  With that, I would like to congratulate NIBIB, its Director, Dr. Rod 
Pettigrew, Deputy Director Dr. Belinda Seto and all of the dedicated 
staff that have made NIBIB a model of success. I hope my fellow 
colleagues can agree that these are important federal programs 
deserving of our sustained support.

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