    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [June 24, 1991]
    [Pages 713-715]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 713]]

    Remarks at the Swearing-in Ceremony for Bernadine Healy as Director of
    the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland
    June 24, 1991

        It is nice to be back here at NIH on this beautiful day. And may I
    salute Dr. Sullivan, a former researcher and NIH grant recipient. And
    let me salute, Lou, what a magnificent job you're doing as Secretary of
    HHS. It isn't easy, and he's doing a first-class job.
        And over my right shoulder, Connie Horner, the Deputy Secretary of
    HHS. And Dr. Mason, Assistant Secretary of HHS for Health, a great
    member of this team. Dr. Healy, who we're out here to honor and salute,
    whose career shows what scientist Lewis Thomas meant when he talked of
    the capacity to do something unique, imaginative, useful, and altogether
    right. I also would like to single out Dr. Broder, the head of the
    Cancer Institute; my friend Dr. Tony Fauci, the Director of the National
    Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. I think Congressman Early
    is with us. Congresswoman Morella was to be. I haven't spotted her out
    there--there she is, right here in the front row. [Laughter] Art Modell
    and so many others. Ladies and gentlemen.
        Before we get into what I assure you will be mercifully brief
    remarks, I do want to single out two people that came out here with me
    from the White House--one, my own doctor, Burt Lee, who came to me and
    us from Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York and who is doing a superb
    job. And he keeps telling me and reminding me of the fantastic asset
    that this country has in NIH. Burt Lee over here--Burt, stand up so they
    can see you. And with him Dr. Allan Bromley, who is the head of our
    scientists. He's the top scientist at the White House. Doesn't have much
    challenge for that job, I might add--[laughter]--but nevertheless, it's
    through him that I first saw Bernadine Healy in action. And he's doing a
    superb job in many aspects of science. Allan, would you please stand up.
        And let me just say that I'm delighted to be with members of the
    National Institutes of Health family on this very special day.
        In becoming Director of NIH, Dr. Healy not only joins a long and
    noble tradition, she assumes a post from which she can help us build a
    better, healthier, more prosperous America.
        Let's consider results that the NIH has already achieved: growing in
    104 years from a one-room laboratory on Staten Island to an organization
    with 13 institutes, 4 centers, and the National Library of Medicine.
        Before the turn of the century, the ``microbe hunters'' who founded
    the NIH risked their lives to fight cholera and yellow fever. And then
    in the fifties, Director James Shannon urged the Nation to spend money
    on research as well as on iron lungs to defeat the scourge of polio.
        NIH-supported research has led to some of the most important
    biomedical advances of the past century in heart disease, cancer, and
    other disorders. And now we must build on these beginnings. And that's
    why we have requested that the NIH's funding for fiscal '92 be increased
    to almost $9 billion, the largest increase ever requested by any
    President. And we want to help you lead us toward a new age of
    biotechnology.
        Already, NIH-supported researchers have developed many of the tools
    used in biotechnology. They've created training and education programs
    to enlarge the pool of talented researchers. And here at NIH you know
    that education makes great futures possible. Inspired scholarship has
    produced procedures and products that enable us to live longer, more
    creative lives. And your labors will enrich the next American century.
        We know that biomedical research is a key to transforming the
    practice of medicine. Today, for example, NIH supports work on new drugs
    that can limit the damage from heart attacks, on techniques for
    identifying hidden injuries by means of painless computerized images of
    the body, on medicines to save victims of accidents from permanent
    spinal cord injury.

    [[Page 714]]

        These NIH initiatives reflect our commitment to biomedical
    innovation. Our Council on Competitiveness is developing recommendations
    for streamlining the drug approval process, cutting regulations redtape
    so that healing drugs get to those who need them. We're working to
    ensure that government-sponsored research and private research will move
    more quickly into the marketplace.
        I am proud of our commitment to cures that not even Ripley would
    believe. Scientists have begun learning how to read the human genome,
    building a body of knowledge that will be forever useful. Researchers
    throughout our country work day and night to create vaccines and other
    measures that prevent disease before it strikes. These advances show, as
    Emerson said, how ``in the hands of the discoverer, medicine becomes a
    heroic art.''
        Still, heroism starts in the human heart. Each American bears
    responsibility for doing whatever he or she can do to live a long and
    healthy life. We know that we can keep people healthier by preventing
    disease rather than by waiting to deal with disease or illness after it
    sets in.
        Americans need to drink less, smoke less, and exercise more. And
    they need to take preventive measures, such as getting immunized early
    and regularly, to ensure future health. Unwise decisions by the
    individual can undo the wisest government policy. And, yes, we should
    and will commit government to further scientific and biomedical
    advancement. But remember, without the individual our nation cannot
    accomplish its goals. With the individual bent on reducing risk factors,
    we can make America not only the world's wealthiest nation but its
    healthiest nation, too.
        And in that spirit, I want to take this chance to praise a national
    campaign that our administration has begun against infant mortality. We
    know that good health requires the best possible start in life, and so
    we've launched the Healthy Start program, a pilot project that will
    bring early prenatal care to thousands of low-income mothers while
    helping to identify which government programs work best. We're also
    improving the health system of all women by focusing on cancer, heart
    disease, osteoporosis, and other problems.
        I know this is a very special interest of Dr. Healy's. And let me
    also say how pleased I am that Dr. Healy has also begun a major
    initiative for health by developing a strategic plan for NIH.
        And last week, Secretary Sullivan announced a reorganization plan
    that would bring three more institutes to the NIH: The National
    Institutes for Mental Health, Drug Abuse, and Alcohol Abuse and
    Alcoholism. This plan will make it easier to find ways to treat drug and
    alcohol abuse and to cure mental illness.
        We want to expand drug and alcohol treatment research, allowing the
    NIH to help eliminate the tragic health consequences of unwise personal
    behavior. We've proposed an aggressive program of prevention initiatives
    for infants, for children, for adults, and for the elderly. Such
    initiatives will promote a healthier America and may help keep costs
    from spiraling further.
        I challenge the biomedical and behavioral research community to join
    this crusade. After all, we're talking, literally, about the life of a
    nation. We're talking about our future and our children's future.
        Let me close with a story that typifies the dedication of NIH
    researchers and staff, whom I salute today. It concerns a woman who came
    up to the world-famous violinist Fritz Kreisler after he just finished a
    concert. She said, ``I'd give my life to play as beautifully as you
    did.'' And Kreisler replied, ``My dear madam, I did.''
        Lives of dedication are exemplified here at NIH. Buildings full of
    unsung heroes. Health care workers, grants administrators, animal
    caretakers, laboratory technicians, support staff, and the new
    Director--all of you commit your professional lives to the public and to
    the future.
        The 12th century physician-philosopher Maimonides spoke of medical
    practice inspired with soul and filled with understanding. Dr. Healy,
    you bring to this office the inspiration, the soul, and the
    understanding necessary for building upon NIH's already sterling legacy.
    May God bless you and our wonderful country, the United States of
    America.
        And now, it is my honor to witness the

    [[Page 715]]

    formal swearing-in of Dr. Bernadine Healy as the Director of the
    National Institutes of Health. Thank you all very, very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 9:46 a.m. in the Jack
                            Masur Auditorium in the Clinical Center on the
                            campus of the National Institutes of Health. In
                            his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Health
                            and Human Services Louis W. Sullivan; Constance
                            Horner and James O. Mason, HHS Deputy Secretary
                            and Assistant Secretary for Health; Samuel
                            Broder, Director of the National Cancer
                            Institute; Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the
                            National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
                            Diseases; Representatives Joseph D. Early and
                            Constance A. Morella; Art Modell, owner of the
                            Cleveland Browns football team; Burton J. Lee
                            III, Physician to the President; and D. Allan
                            Bromley, Assistant to the President for Science
                            and Technology.