PEDIATRICS Vol. 122 No. 4 October 2008, pp. e948-e949 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-1678)
HISTORICAL ARTICLE |
Renaming of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Honor of Mrs Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
Abbreviations: NICHD, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development • NIH, National Institutes of Health
"I am delighted to approve the legislation authorizing the creation of a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development... . The future health of our Nation rests on the care of our children and the development of our knowledge of the medical and biological sciences... . Research in recent years has established beyond question that adult behavior, intelligence, and motivation are established by the experience and patterns of response developed in the formative years of life..."President John F. Kennedy, signing HR 11099, Public Law 87-838 (76 Stat. 1072), on October 17, 1962
With those prophetic words, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the creation of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dedicated to conducting and supporting research on the health, development and well-being of women, infants, and children.1 Forty-five years later, in December 2007, the US Congress enacted legislation renaming the NICHD as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.2 On March 3, 2008, the NIH honored Mrs Shriver, 86, in a ceremony, formally changing the name of the institute and inducting her into the NICHD Hall of Honor (Fig 1). In the same ceremony the NICHD released its new logo, prominently featuring her name (Fig 2).
|
|
It is not widely known that without the relentless, behind-the-scenes pursuits and public advocacy by Mrs Shriver, the NICHD would not have materialized. It is remarkable that the institute was founded less than 2 years after her brother, John F. Kennedy, took office as the President of the United States. Improving the lives of those with intellectual and physical disabilities had been Mrs Shriver's lifelong passion. It was she who had convinced her family to reveal publicly that Rosemary, one of her sisters, had an intellectual disability. This single act dramatically increased public awareness of the unsolved problems of children and adults with disabilities.
Soon after the November 1960 general elections, Mrs Shriver's efforts led to the appointment of her friend and advisor Dr Robert E. Cooke, Chair of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, to the president-elect's transition team of experts that advised him on the new initiatives in health and education. Cooke proposed establishing a new NIH institute that would support research on maternal and child health, and the entire spectrum of developmental life processes and its disorders. The concept was novel for the time, as existing NIH institutes focused on a single disease or organ system. The transition team adopted Cooke's proposal and Mrs Shriver persuaded her brother to recommend it to Congress. She testified in Congress in support of the legislation establishing the new institute.
After overcoming practical hurdles and political obstacles, she saw HR 11099 passed in 1962, establishing a new NICHD to "encourage imaginative research into the complex processes of human development, from conception to old age."3,4 Mrs Shriver was present at the signing of the bill by her brother, as he gave her the ceremonial pen. She served with Cooke on the NICHD's first National Advisory Council, charged with the responsibility of advising, consulting with, and making recommendations to the director of the NICHD, on matters relating to the research, and research support activities and functions of the institute.
Besides helping to found NICHD, Mrs Shriver established the Special Olympics, which has grown into an international movement with over 150 member countries, in which thousands of persons with physical and intellectual disabilities compete in athletic events celebrating the spirit of the Olympic Games. Mrs Shriver's advocacy led to the creation of centers for the study of medical ethics in major universities. Many societies and organizations she helped to bring about benefited the lives of, and secured respect for, those with physical and intellectual disabilities. For these and other achievements, Mrs Shriver received numerous honors and humanitarian awards in the United States and abroad, including the Mary Lasker Award (1966), Presidential Medal of Freedom (1984), and The Legion of Honor, the Priz de la Couronne Francaise.
At the 2008 ceremony noted above, the NICHD also renamed its flagship Mental Retardation Research Centers Program as the "Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers." Like the NICHD, these centers were originally proposed by Dr Cooke, and established by legislation initiated by President Kennedy at his sister Eunice's urging, and passed by Congress in 1963 with her advocacy. In her acceptance speech, Mrs Shriver paid tribute to her sister Rosemary, who had been the motivating force behind her family's efforts to work on behalf of those with intellectual disabilities. In a spirited speech, she asked that each of us dedicate ourselves and "stand for persons with such disabilities."5
This fascinating story includes an interesting anecdote about how President Kennedy secured the services of Dr Robert Aldrich as the first Director of the NICHD.5 Dr Aldrich had been the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. The NIH Director, Dr James Shannon, offered him the position of Director of NICHD, which Dr Aldrich politely declined, stating his reluctance to leave his current position.
A few days later Dr Aldrich's telephone rang; it was the President of the United States, who himself offered the NICHD directorship position to Dr Aldrich. Once again, ever so politely, Dr Aldrich declined the offer for the same reason.
A few minutes later, the President of the University called Dr Aldrich, expressing displeasure that by refusing an invitation by the President of the United States, Dr Aldrich had harmed the University. "You are fired," the University President declared.
As Dr Aldrich was recovering from the rapid succession of events, the telephone rang again. "This is President Kennedy calling again," said the voice at the other end. "I understand you are out of a job. I know an opening that you might be interested in."5
Dr Aldrich moved to Bethesda and served as the first director of the new institute from March 1963 through October 1964, before returning to the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle.
Now this institute, born 45 years ago in large part because of her efforts, proudly bears the name of one of its earliest advocates, Mrs Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
FOOTNOTES
Accepted Jun 9, 2008.
Address correspondence to Tonse N. K. Raju, MD, 6100 Executive Blvd, Room 4B03, Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail: rajut{at}mail.nih.gov
The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
REFERENCES
- Kennedy, John F. Statement by the President upon signing bill authorizing a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. October 17, 1962. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. The American Presidency Project. Available at: www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=8970&st=&st. Accessed June 6, 2008
- The 110th Congress of the United States of America. Pub L. 110–154. Available at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ154.110. Accessed June 6, 2008
- Cooke, RE. The origin of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Pediatrics. 1993;92
(6):868
–871
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Cooke, RE. Two years, ten months, and two days of accomplishment on behalf of the handicapped.
Pediatrics. 1964;33
:479
–486
[Abstract/Free Full Text] - Bock, R. NICHD Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Advocate for Institute's founding. NIH Record. 2008;LX :1 –5
PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Facebook 
Reddit 
Technorati 
Twitter What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
