National Advisory Heart Council
The National Advisory Heart Council (NAHC) was originally established alongside the National Heart Institute through the National Heart Act of 1948. Its role was to provide expert advice on heart disease research and policy. Over time, its functions have been integrated into the broader National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council (NHLBAC) as part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Mission
The mission of the NAHC was to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the NIH Director, and the Director of the National Heart Institute on matters related to heart disease, including research direction, policy, and funding decisions for heart-related studies.[1]
Parent organization
The NAHC was part of the National Heart Institute, which later became the NHLBI under the NIH.[2]
Legislation
The NAHC was authorized by the same legislation that created the National Heart Institute, the National Heart Act of 1948.[3]
Number of employees
The NAHC did not have employees per se; it was composed of appointed members who served in an advisory capacity.
Organization structure
The Council included:
- Appointed members from the medical and scientific community focused on heart disease.
- Ex officio members from relevant government agencies.
- Public members to represent broader societal interests.
List of programs
- Advising on research grants related to heart disease
- Reviewing research proposals for funding
- Providing strategic advice on heart health policy and research priorities
Last total enacted budget
The NAHC did not have its own budget but operated within the allocated funds for the National Heart Institute, which in its early years would have been part of a broader NIH budget.
Leader
The NAHC was typically chaired by the Director of the National Heart Institute.
Services provided
The Council provided advisory services, including:
- Making recommendations on research grant applications.
- Advising on the direction of heart disease research.
- Reviewing and providing guidance on policies related to heart health.
Regulations overseen
The NAHC did not oversee regulations but influenced policy through its advisory role, particularly in how research was prioritized and funded.
Headquarters address
Meetings would have occurred at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, with the current address for NHLBI being 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Website
The direct website for the NAHC no longer exists, but its functions are now part of the NHLBI's advisory activities: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/advisory-and-peer-review-committees/advisory-council
Wikipedia article
There isn't a specific Wikipedia article for the National Advisory Heart Council, but it's mentioned within the context of the history of NHLBI: wikipedia:National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute