New Virtual Tour Launches

Go inside the Clinical Center and other campus buildings, visit labs, learn about ongoing research and meet NIH staff and scientists on NIH’s new virtual tour.

Photo:  Campus Tours

Now anyone can visit NIH anytime, from anywhere, through a Virtual Tour newly launched by NIH’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL). The idea came about during the pandemic, when NIH suspended in-person campus tours to protect the safety of staff and patients. 

While in-person visits and tours have resumed, the mobile-friendly tour opens NIH to people from around the world—to patients who want to participate in clinical trials; investigators, trainees and other staff; educators and students; policymakers and anyone else interested in NIH’s work and mission.

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NIH houses the largest zebrafish facility in the world, with more than a half-million fish. On the virtual tour, go inside the zebrafish lab and learn why studying these little guys are ideal for basic research and provide insight into human health.

Virtual visitors can explore an interactive, aerial map of 32 buildings on the Bethesda campus by clicking on a highlighted building to see photos, video clips and other resources. The tour offers a glimpse and a more extensive look at the Clinical Center and across NIH, featuring 20 in-depth tour stops—including research labs, a patient room and the Children’s Inn—and 21 interviews with NIH researchers, senior leaders, administrators and a patient.

Bldg. 66, the Gateway Visitor Center

Photo:  Campus Tours

“The reason I love working at NIH is I was a patient before I was an employee,” said Julie Berko, director, Office of Human Resources, one of the administrators featured among the video clips. “I got to experience this place firsthand as a patient…and I’m really happy to be back here contributing in a different way.”

The tour is customizable. It can be tailored to the online visitor’s specific journey and interests, offering resources geared specifically to patients and families, the scientific community as well as the general public. 

A snapshot of the NIH Virtual Tour homepage shows the easy navigation buttons and tabs.

Photo:  Campus Tours

“What I like most about the NIH Virtual Tour is that it captures what makes NIH so special, which is the many amazing people who contribute to our mission to improve the health of our nation,” said Acting NIH Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak, in a note announcing the tour’s release.

All aspects of the tour are 508 compliant, ensuring full accessibility for all visitors. NIH plans to add more interviews and expand other content over time. 

Explore the NIH Virtual Tour at https://www.nih.gov/virtual-tour/.

NIH’ers can visit the employee intranet (https://go.nih.gov/UFQYjQI) for more resources and ideas for sharing the tour. In addition, OCPL will host a webinar on Wednesday, July 19 at 11 a.m. ET to provide an overview on how to navigate the tour, explore the interactive map features and take questions from staff. Register for the webinar at: https://tinyurl.com/2dzyfksd.