For 75 years, research programs funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have made important discoveries, developed cures, created new treatments, and improved the lives of people around the world.
Patients have always been at the center of this work. Working together, scientists, doctors, nurses, patients, and many others interested are advancing science and health.
Today, our challenge is to preempt heart, lung, and blood conditions before they start. In this vision, each person gets the right treatment as soon as they need it.
Join us in celebrating the incredible progress that has been made thus far and exploring how we can build on the NHLBI Strategic Vision for the next five years.
Making a Difference
Learn more about how the NHLBI has leveraged the public’s investments and trust to save and improve lives, build a stronger workforce, and turn scientific discovery into better health.
Dr. Claude Lenfant (1928-2023)
The longest-serving Director of NHLBI passed away on June 26, 2023. Dr. Claude Lenfant led NHLBI for 21 years until he retired in 2003.
Dr. Lenfant is known for guiding NHLBI into the modern era of science. He began landmark initiatives like the Programs of Excellence in Molecular Biology and NIH's first gene therapy protocol. He also widened NHLBI's focus by forming the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research and began oversight of the Women's Health Initiative.
Read his obituary in the NIH record.
Read several of his oral histories: