National Institute of Health Bethesda Campus, Maryland

This is the primary location of NIH, the federal government’s medical research agency,  said to be the largest biomedical research agency in the world. It is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. NIH had its origins as the Marine Hospital Service in 1798, to provide care to merchant seaman, and by the 1880s, was primarily concerned with screening passengers on arriving ships for infectious diseases. Today NIH is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with its own research agenda, usually focusing on a particular disease or body function, many of which have a presence here at the Bethesda campus. The site covers 300 acres with more than 75 buildings. 80% of the institutes work is conducted by scientists working around the country and around the world. Across the highway to the east is the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the USA.