Statement on the death of Senator Mark O. Hatfield
The world has lost a remarkable champion for clinical research with the death of Senator Mark O. Hatfield. Congress named the National Institutes of Health’s new Clinical Center for Senator Hatfield. During the dedication ceremony on Sept. 22, 2004, the Senator described the hospital as “much more than bricks and mortar.” His unwavering vision was for this hospital to be ground central for creating and providing the next generations of medical treatment and cures. He considered the hospital named in his honor to be a new community of hope and once said that it represents the new frontier in medical science. Our continuing challenge and privilege will be to sustain the progress and hope that Senator Hatfield inspired. Our thoughts are with the Senator’s wife Antoinette and his family.
Dr. John I. Gallin,
Director, NIH Clinical Center