Sherman J F
N Engl J Med. 1977 Jul 7;297(1):18-26. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197707072970104.
In the assessment of domestic federal programs and the agencies responsible for them, few have been as frequently and highly praised as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Contributing to that success in part is an unusual organization and structure. Based on a series of semiautonomous, disease-oriented program divisions supplemented by several support units with a co-ordinative function performed by the Director, NIH, a remarkable and essential combination of administrative stability and flexibility, as well as scientific and political acceptability, has emerged. The changing environment in which NIH now functions, however, suggests the need for a greater degree of intra-NIH and extra-NIH program integration and co-ordination. Concomitantly, there must be more consistent federal policies, a clearer definition and understanding of "technology transfer" and additional resources for the directors of NIH and the individual Institutes.
在评估国内联邦项目及其负责机构时，很少有像美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）这样经常受到高度赞扬的。其成功部分得益于一种不同寻常的组织架构。NIH基于一系列半自主的、以疾病为导向的项目部门，辅之以几个支持单位，由NIH主任履行协调职能，形成了行政稳定性与灵活性、科学及政治可接受性的非凡且必要的结合。然而，NIH目前所处的不断变化的环境表明，需要在NIH内部以及NIH与外部项目之间进行更大程度的整合与协调。与此同时，必须有更一致的联邦政策，对“技术转让”有更清晰的定义和理解，并为NIH主任及各研究所提供更多资源。
