Message from the Secretary of Health and Human Services
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Advances in scientific knowledge have provided the foundation for improvements
in public health and have led to enhanced health and quality of life for
all Americans. Many of these advances can be traced to the work of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which supports the
world’s largest medicalresearch effort.
Research conducted with support from HHS
also helps to assure the safety of foods and health care products, is
vital in the fight against drug and alcohol abuse, and in many other waysfosters
the Department’s mission to improve health and to help those in
need of assistance.
As the custodian of the largest share of
our Nation’s resources devoted to biomedical and behavioral research,
HHS takes seriously the challenge of ensuring these resources are used
responsibly. Special programs already exist to oversee the protection
of human and animal subjects in research, to review conflicts of interest,
and to assure laboratory safety and responsible grants management.
With this publication, we hope to encourage
researchers and research institutions to make a special effort to understand,
discuss, and teach others about the responsible conduct of research.
Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
