THE DEATH OF DR. LEE JONG-WOOK, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News NIH Office of the Director (OD)http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/Office of Communications & Public Liaison (OCPL)http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/ocpl/index.html FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 22, 2006CONTACT: Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL),301-496-5787 STATEMENT FROM DR. ELIAS A. ZERHOUNI, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONALINSTITUTES OF HEALTH, ON THE DEATH OF DR. LEE JONG-WOOK, WHODIRECTOR-GENERALToday we have lost a leader in the fight against global diseases. Dr.Lee has been the positive force needed to draw the attention of theworld and its leaders to emerging threats such as pandemic flu, as wellas to the global public health challenges of our times, such asHIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.I have known him as a friend and colleague with a genuine passion forhis work and compassion for all humanity. This is a tragic loss for allof us. On behalf of all the staff at the U.S. National Institutes ofHealth, I express my deepest sympathy to Dr. Lee's family and the staffof WHO.Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.National Institutes of HealthThe Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsiblefor setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers.This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs andactivities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director alsoincludes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specificareas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available athttp://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical ResearchAgency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federalagency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translationalmedical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and curesfor both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH andits programs, visit www.nih.gov. ## This NIH News Release is available online at:http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2006/od-22.htm.