Message from the Director
Beginning in 1998 and continuing every 5 years since, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) has created and implemented a strategic plan based on its mandates and mission as provided by Congress and in tandem with the overarching mission of NIH to “seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.” In furtherance of the ODS and NIH missions, ODS produces an annual strategic plan report to track accomplishments and responsiveness to current and longstanding needs. The annual report also provides transparency to the ODS stakeholder community. This report highlights program accomplishments from 2021 and illustrates how ODS staff work together across their programs to meet ODS’s mission and goals. As was the case last year, the accomplishments described in this report were achieved while all staff were teleworking due to the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
This year’s annual report marks the final update on accomplishments achieved in the last year of the 2017–2021 strategic plan. Next year’s report will reflect the accomplishments of the first year of the new 2022–2026 plan. As with previous iterations, the strategic planning process is well underway and as with previous iterations began with a review and assessment of ODS program objectives and accomplishments in the context of the Office’s charge from Congress, stated mission, goals, and key emerging public health issues.
This year was a landmark year for ODS. In addition to being the final year in the fourth ODS Strategic Plan, ODS marked the 25th Anniversary of its existence with a series of events culminating in a 25th Anniversary Scientific Symposium. The ODS looks forward to its future role in fulfilling our mission “to support, conduct, and coordinate scientific research and provide intellectual leadership for the purpose of strengthening the knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements to foster an enhanced quality of life and health for the U.S. population.”
Joseph Betz, Ph.D.,
Acting Director, Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/strategicplan/ODSStrategicPlan2017-2021.pdf
