“I have the luxury of being here at this moment only on the fifth day of our administration – closing the circle because, you see, NIH was such an important part of my youth as this place that my mom went all the time and was very excited to to work, “Harris recalled moments after receiving his photo.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a breast cancer researcher who had “two goals in her life,” said the vice president: “Raising your two daughters and ending breast cancer. In fact, a little-known fact , my first job was cleaning pipettes in my mom’s lab. “
Addressing NIH officials on Tuesday, while reflecting on his mother’s passion for science, Harris added: “The importance of NIH is that it is an essential government function, which is to provide public health.”
“The work that happens here has one objective: to improve public health. And the importance of the job search that happens at NIH is not about profit. It’s about people. And so I want to say to everyone who works here, I know who you are. I know what you do, “she continued.
“I know you work around the clock with those experiments that need to be checked every few hours, and they don’t care about the time. I know the work you do and the collaboration you need.”
“It will save your life. So thank you to everyone who is doing this excellent and important job. We will ensure that everyone gets the vaccine. On behalf of President Biden and me, I thank you for everything you do every day.”