ADM Brian Christine, assistant secretary for health at HHS and head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps., visited the Clinical Center in December to talk with NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) leaders, researchers and patients. 

Christine met with NCI Director Dr. Anthony Letai and was briefed by researchers from NCI’s Pediatric Oncology Branch, a discussion that included the impact of the President’s new executive order that encourages artificial intelligence and other tools to accelerate pediatric cancer research.

Santa Claus and his motor officer “elves” returned to the Children’s Inn at NIH on Dec. 10.

The visit was part of the annual Santa Ride conducted by the Montgomery County Police Department. Santa and his elves first stopped by the 5th District Police Station in Germantown to trade their sleigh and reindeer for motorcycles. 

Open Enrollment for the NIH Leave Bank has started and runs until Dec. 23. The membership period will begin on Jan. 11, 2026.

The Leave Bank is a pooled bank of donated annual and restored annual leave available to eligible members. It acts like a safeguard for your paycheck and amounts to paid leave for members who have exhausted all of their own sick and annual leave and are affected by a personal or family medical emergency.