September 8, 2017

Henrietta Lacks is survived not only by descendants, but also by another legacy: millions of lives saved by research using cancer cells taken from her body without her knowledge. Hers were the first human cells to live and grow outside the body in culture. That cell line was denoted “HeLa”—“He” for Henrietta and “La” for Lacks. Her cells have contributed to some of the most important medical advances of the past half-century.

The 10th annual NIH Graduate and Professional School Fair, hosted by the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) at Natcher Conference Center, provided a full day of speakers offering career planning advice as well as information sessions and exhibits on Ph.D. and M.D. programs.

For more than 60 years, the Clinical Center has been a world leader in clinical research. This status comes with a great responsibility for patient safety and clinical quality. Over the past year and a half, the CC has bolstered its efforts to achieve the highest standards.