Center for Information Technology

The Center for Information Technology (CIT) is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a cabinet-level department of the Executive Branch of the United States Federal Government. Originating in 1954 as a central processing facility in the NIH Office of the Director, the Division of Computer Research and Technology was established in 1964, merging in 1998 with the NIH Office of the CIO and the NIH Office of Research Services Telecommunications Branch to form a new organization, the CIT.

Mission

CIT's mission is to provide, coordinate, and manage information technology and to advance computational scientific development. CIT supports NIH and other Federal research and management programs with efficient, cost-effective administrative and high-powered scientific computing. In addition to providing bioinformatics support and scientific tools and resources, CIT provides enterprise technological and computational support for the NIH community; services include networking, telecommunications, application development and hosting services, technical support, computer training, IT acquisition, and IT security.

CIT’s activities include the following:

History and Organization

Key highlights of CIT’s organization, accomplishments, and history are listed at the following link: http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac/organization/CIT.htm#events

Past Directors

Name In Office From To
James King (Acting) N/A N/A
Dr. Eugene Harris (Acting) N/A August 1966
Dr. Arnold W. Pratt August 1966 May 1990
Dr. David Rodbard November 1990 April 1996
William L. Risso (Acting) April 1996 March 1998
Alan S. Graeff March 1998 November 2005
Dr. John F. Jones, Jr. (Acting) November 2005 February 2011
Thomas G. Murphy (Acting) February 2011 October 2011
Andrea T. Norris October 2011 Present

Past NIH CIOs

Name In Office From To
Alan S. Graeff March 1998 November 2005
Dr. John F. Jones, Jr. (Acting) November 2005 June 2008
Dr. John F. Jones, Jr. (Permanent) June 2008 February 2011
Thomas G. Murphy (Acting) February 2011 October 2011
Andrea T. Norris (Acting) October 2011 August 2012
Andrea T. Norris (Permanent) August 2012 Present

In January 2008, in an effort to foster improved information and IT efficiencies, integration, and oversight, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) was established in the NIH Office of the Director. The functions of the CIO, formerly part of NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT), were transferred from CIT to the new OCIO. OCIO develops IT-related strategy, services, and policy to ensure that all NIH IT infrastructure is secure, cost-effective, responsive, and benchmarked against industry standards. CIT functions as the operating arm of the CIO, providing IT expertise for OCIO program activities and providing enterprise IT services and research and administrative support to all of NIH.

CIT consists of an Office of the Director and five major programs: Division of Computational Bioscience (DCB), Division of Customer Support (DCS), Division of Computer System Services (DCSS), Division of Enterprise and Custom Applications (DECA), and Division of Network Systems and Telecommunications (DNST).

The CIT Office of the Director (OD) plans, directs, coordinates, and evaluates the Center's programs, policies, and procedures and provides analysis and guidance in the development of systems for the effective use of IT techniques and equipment in support of NIH programs. The OD includes the Executive Office (EO), which provides CIT administrative and business management services in support of CIT programs. The EO provides oversight of CIT’s administrative policies and procedures; provides financial management, including development and oversight of the CIT budget; advises on human resources planning and management; and performs strategic planning, operational planning, and performance measurement.

Office of the Director (OD)

Division of Computational Bioscience (DCB)

DCB is a research and development organization that provides scientific and technical expertise in computational science and engineering to support biomedical research activities at the NIH, including the following:

Division of Computer System Services (DCSS)

DCSS plans, implements, operates, and supports centrally owned or administered computing resources for NIH enterprises use, ensuring interoperability among those resources and between them and other computing facilities owned by customer organizations. Activities include the following:

Division of Customer Support (DCS)

DCS provides centralized, integrated computer support services to the NIH computing community, including the following:

Division of Enterprise and Custom Applications (DECA)

DECA supports the NIH enterprise business process through the development and management of transaction and decision-support environments for administrative and business applications of NIH, such as procurement, budget, accounting, and human resource activities, as well as systems that support extramural and intramural business processes. Activities include the following:

Division of Network Systems and Telecommunications (DNST)

DNST directs the engineering, design, implementation, and support of network infrastructure and services for the NIH-wide area network (NIHnet) to facilitate the use of scientific, administrative, and other business applications. Activities include the following:

Notes and references

    See also

    External links