Foreword and A Message from the Director

Foreword

Dietary supplements are widely available and used by more than one-half of adults and one-third of children in the United States to fill nutrient gaps and optimize health. Despite this common use, there is much to understand about the health impacts of dietary supplements. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), located within the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is charged with ensuring that the public has confidence in the science that informs their decisions to use dietary supplements. ODS fulfills its mission through funding, promoting, and coordinating scientific studies of dietary supplements to understand their impact on the health of Americans. For 30 years ODS has been a trusted primary source of scientific information, tools, resources, and support for consumers, health care professionals, practitioners, researchers, and industry partners.

Last year, Dr. Stefan M. Pasiakos began his tenure as the new director of ODS. In this strategic plan, he and the team at ODS have outlined a visionary framework for creating an expansive dietary supplement research agenda. NIH enthusiastically welcomes this new strategic plan that will promote greater collaboration and coordination of innovative dietary supplement research with the Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) across NIH. The strategic plan clearly articulates ODS’ scientific priorities of Healthy Americans, Healthy Lifespan, and Resilience, along with goals and objectives that establish a blueprint for new, collaborative dietary supplement research across NIH and the federal government. Plans to develop and communicate enhanced research methodology guidelines will help advance and harmonize the field of dietary supplement research.

I am confident that, with a talented staff and plans for strengthening and developing close partnerships with the ICOs, ODS will contribute greatly to the scientific understanding of dietary supplements and how they impact the health of our nation.

Tara A. Schwetz, Ph.D.
Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
National Institutes of Health

A Message from the Director

Since I joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) as its new director in July 2023, my primary focus has been to establish a strategic vision that positions ODS as the premier organization, authority, and convening body for advancing the study of dietary supplements. My vision for ODS emphasizes objectivity and relevance. It prioritizes collaboration and coordination across NIH while maintaining our long-standing partnerships with federal agencies and others with an interest in dietary supplements. ODS remains committed to the American public as the honest broker for advancing dietary supplement science.

I am pleased to introduce the ODS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2025–2029, “A Blueprint for a Coordinated Dietary Supplement Research Agenda at NIH.” The plan reimagines ODS with new goals, objectives, and strategic priorities. These build upon our competencies and ongoing activities to address our mission to coordinate collaborative, innovative, and cutting-edge dietary supplement research across NIH and other federal agencies to foster knowledge and optimize health across the lifespan.

ODS will focus on three primary goals that emphasize research, research capacity, and stewardship. Specifically, ODS will advance dietary supplement science and catalyze innovative, collaborative research; expand the capacity to strengthen the field of dietary supplement science and address emerging public health concerns; and foster stewardship, collaboration, and accountability. These goals and their interconnected objectives will enable ODS to develop new research opportunities and promote resources that build our understanding of how dietary supplements modulate resilience and health across the lifespan forin all Americans.

This strategic plan reflects the collaborative work of the dedicated and passionate staff that comprise the ODS, with input and expertise provided by our colleagues and partners across NIH, other federal agencies, leading dietary supplement trade organizations, the broader scientific field of dietary supplements and nutrition, and the public. It is a blueprint for new opportunities to forge successful collaborations and advance the field with our many partners. ODS embraces the foundation this new strategic plan provides for the coordination of dietary supplement science and the translation of findings that will inform the public’s choices for the safe and effective use of dietary supplements.

Stefan M. Pasiakos, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health