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The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health was renamed in honor of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Shriver also was inducted into the NICHD Hall of Honor. Housed in the institute's headquarters, the Hall of Honor features commemorative plaques which recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge of human development and improving maternal and child health. |
The U.S. Congress has renamed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health in honor of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. On 3 March 2008, Shriver’s family, friends and fellow advocates gathered at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, for a 45th anniversary celebration to commemorate her role in the founding of the Institute as it was officially renamed the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
“It is an honor for our founder to be recognized by the United States Congress for her tremendous humanitarian work which has impacted millions around the world,” said Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics. “The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has been doing tremendous work for more than 45 years to ensure the children of our society receive the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives.”
At the event, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was inducted into the NICHD Hall of Honor. Housed in the institute's headquarters, the Hall of Honor features commemorative plaques which recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge of human development and improving maternal and child health. In the early 1960s, Shriver urged her brother, President John F. Kennedy, to establish an institute that would conduct research on children's health and human development. She later worked with House and Senate leaders to help ensure passage of the legislation that would make the institute a reality.
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Eunice Kennedy Shriver accepts the honor of having the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development named after her. For more than 45 years, she has been working to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives. (All photos by NIH Staff Photographer) |
In her remarks at the event, Shriver issued a challenge to those in attendance: "For our part, let us make our stand on human dignity. Let us make our stand on justice. I ask you: Stand up for people with intellectual disabilities for the rest of your lives!" She added, "Thank you for this great honor. And thank you for reinforcing for me the power of faith, hope, and love. I have always believed these to be the most important gifts of all." (Read the full version of Shriver's remarks.)
The act authorizing the renaming of the Institute noted that “the vision, drive, and tenacity of one woman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, was instrumental in proposing, passing, and enacting legislation to establish the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on October 17, 1962. It is befitting and appropriate to recognize the substantial achievements of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a tireless advocate for children with special needs, whose foresight in creating the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development gave life to the words of President Kennedy, who wished to ‘encourage imaginative research into the complex processes of human development from conception to old age.’”
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Right-left: Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver talks to Dr. Elias Zerhouni, M.D., Director of NIH, and Senator Edward Kennedy at an event commemorating the 45th anniversary of the NIH Institute renamed in her honor, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. |
"The centers have yielded numerous advances that have improved the lives and health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities," said NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D. "It is only fitting that the program she brought about should honor her dedication to improving the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."
The NICHD also renamed its Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers Program in honor of Shriver. The 14 university-based facilities in the program seek to advance the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and amelioration of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Shriver was a member of the Institute's first advisory council, and it was under her guidance that the centers were established. The program is now known as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers Program.
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Left-right: Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver at the ceremony marking the official renaming of the NICHD in Mrs. Shriver's honor. |
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Left-right: Representative Steny Hoyer congratulates Eunice Kennedy Shriver as Senator Edward Kennedy looks on. |
Read "The Bronzing of a True Champion", by Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., Former U.S. Surgeon General, Former Deputy Director, NICHD, and Board Member, Special Olympics International.
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