[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.

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    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

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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.