NIH Dedicates Lowell P. Weicker Building

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What

The National Institutes of Health will dedicate Building 4 in honor of Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., the former U.S. Senator and former Governor of Connecticut. In 1970, Weicker was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served for three terms, from 1971 to 1989. Weicker served as chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee from 1983 to 1986. During his tenure, he successfully protected and defended the NIH budget and increased the appropriation for the NIH. Weicker was instrumental in helping to increase awareness and funding for NIH research to combat HIV/AIDS in the early days of the epidemic in the 1980s. He saw the importance of government involvement in research, prevention, education, and treatment and was deeply concerned about the impact this disease was having on our most vulnerable populations. During his tenure as chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee AIDS funding grew from $61 million in 1984 to $925 million in 1988. Senator Weicker played a notable role in obtaining funding for NIH to conduct clinical trials on HIV/AIDS treatments including AZT, which was the first effective drug used in the treatment of HIV infection. He also sponsored the Protection and Advocacy for the Mentally Ill Act in 1985 and in 1988 introduced legislation that would become the Americans with Disabilities Act.

When

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

Who

Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.; Former Senator (R-Connecticut) and Former Governor (I-Connecticut)

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.; Director, National Institutes of Health

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.; Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Tom Harkin; Former Senator (D-Iowa)

Media interested in attending the dedication should contact the NIH Office of Communications (email: nmb@od.nih.gov; phone: 301-496-5787).

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at: http://www.nih.gov/icd/od.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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