Now celebrating its 61st anniversary, the 2006 Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards were announced today. This year’s awardees include five NIH grantees, Joseph G. Gall, Ph.D.; Carol W. Greider, Ph.D.; Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Ph.D.; Jack W. Szostak, Ph.D., and Aaron Beck, M.D. The Lasker Awards have come to be known as “Americas Nobels” and is the most coveted award in medical science.

“The Lasker Awards are the nation’s most distinguished honor for outstanding contributions to basic and clinical research, as well as public service on behalf of research,” said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. “NIH is proud to have supported the work of these five outstanding researchers who are being honored for their contributions to our understanding of cell biology, cognitive therapy, and telomere and telomerase research.”

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/.

The National Institutes of Health (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. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.