Enhancing the Vitality of the National Institutes of Health Organizational Change to Meet New Challenges (2003) / Chapter Skim
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6. Accountability, Administration, and Leadership
6. Accountability, Administration, and Leadership
Pages 103-120
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From page 103... ...
This chapter focuses on means by which NIH can enhance its public accountability and ensure the continuing vitality of its leadership, both of which are influenced by and have a capacity to alter the agency's organizational effectiveness. Specifically, the Committee focused on the need for improved NIH-wide data gathering and coordination, increased attentiveness to hiring and review of senior leaders, and better use of the advisory committee system.
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From page 104... ...
, which under the National Cancer Act of 1971 develops a "bypass budget" that goes directly to the President and OMB. The budget process is, perhaps, the most powerful accountability mechanism used by NIH, forcing the agency and its various units to justify their places in the programs of the President.
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From page 105... ...
Its role is to advise the NIH director on public input and participation in NIH's activities, research priority setting, and outreach programs and efforts. Thus, COPR provides a formal mechanism for public input at the level of the NIH director, but there are multiple additional opportunities for public input across NIH.
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From page 106... ...
efficacy of two novel approaches to prevent 3c Determine the efficacy of lb By 2006, develop one weight gain and/or treat using salivary diagnostics to or more prototypes for a obesity in clinical trials monitor health and diagnose low-power, highly in humans. at least one systemic disease directional hearing aid by 2013.
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From page 107... ...
5a By 2007, evaluate the efficacy of three new treatments for HIV infection in phase II/III human clinical trials in an effort to identify drugs that are more effective, less toxic, and/or simpler to use than the current based on emerging scientific recommended HIV findings of genetic or treatment regimen. environmental influences, or interactions of genes and the environment on the development of PD.
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From page 108... ...
9c By FY 2010, identify culturally appropriate, effective stroke prevention programs for nationwide .
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From page 109... ...
CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY The committee heard anecdotal evidence that priority setting-criteria often are not transparent to the interested public (for example, voluntary health organizations) and that efforts to follow indicators of success have been limited by lack of well-developed data systems suitable for tracking expenditures and research, training, and other NIH-sponsored activities in relation to institutional goals or priorities.
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From page 110... ...
Despite those challenges, the Committee concludes that the current lack of an information management method and infrastructure to collect, analyze, and report investment data in a timely fashion must be addressed. It is particularly important for NIH leadership to improve the quality and analysis of its data on the allocation of NIH funds by disease for planning and priority-setting purposes.
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From page 111... ...
Although there have been performance plans for IC directors and senior scientists since Director Harold Varmus established them in the 1990s, the current administration has required a formal performance assessment for all supervisory personnel throughout the government. All supervisory personnel at NIH therefore are required to develop a "performance contract" listing the items each person is accountable for, which is the basis of an annual assessment.
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From page 112... ...
Thus, the NIH director can only recommend, but not appoint, senior leadership in the agency. The committee concludes that this lack of authority hinders the ability of the NIH director to form a cohesive senior leadership team to achieve NIH goals.
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From page 113... ...
The committee also believes that a healthy degree of turnover in leadership is critical for sustaining the vitality of a research organization. It also provides the opportunity for leading scientists across the nation to leave their positions for a set period and to come to NIH as a form of public service and, in part, to provide effective scientific leadership to critical elements of the nation's biomedical enterprise.
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From page 114... ...
Recommendation 12: Reconsider the Status of the National Cancer Institute Congress should reassess the provisions of the National Cancer Act of 1971, particularly as they affect the authority of the NIH director to hire senior management and plan and coordinate the NIH budget and its programs in their entirety. It should be noted that the requirement that NCI prepare a bypass budget every year has some positive aspects in that the institute must undertake an annual strategic planning process.
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From page 115... ...
National Advisory Councils and Boards perform the second level of peer review for research grant applications and offer advice and recommendations on policy and program development, program implementation, evaluation, and other matters of importance for the mission and goals of the IC; and they provide oversight of research conducted by IC intramural programs. The dual review system, which separates the scientific assessment of proposed projects from policy decisions about scientific areas to be supported and the resources to be allocated, permits a more objective evaluation than would result from a single level of review.
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From page 116... ...
serve on the council of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Recommendation 13: Retain Integrity in Appointments to Advisory Councils undo Refrain Advisory Council Activity undo Membership Criteria a.
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From page 117... ...
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT Although administrative or overhead costs are often suspect in the eyes of those who would like to see more money going directly to research or training, at appropriate levels they are essential to the effectiveness of any organization, including those that sponsor research and training programs. Similarly, the effectiveness of those responsible for the wide array of necessary administrative services depends on their leadership and management capabilities and their ability to keep administrative and overhead costs deployed in a manner that best supports the primary missions of the organization.
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From page 118... ...
NIH's own assessment of the negative impact of the restricted RMS budget found seven areas being adversely affected: stewardship of public funds; scientific advice and program development; public health education and community outreach; information technology acquisition, maintenance, and training; staffing issues; professional development; and facilities management (NIH, unpublished draft)
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From page 119... ...
Moreover, when additional congressional mandates are imposed on NIH through the appropriations process, they should include funds to cover necessary administrative costs. SUMMARY NIH uses resources in various ways to enhance public accountability, leadership, and management efficiencies.
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From page 120... ...
He has been a National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Awardee, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and founding director of the University of Washington Robert Wool! Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.
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