ODS Publishes 2025–2029 Strategic Plan

Stefan M. Pasiakos, Ph.D.

November 2024

When I joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) as its Director in July 2023, I told my new colleagues that I have centered my entire career around one goal—to make a difference in the health and lives of Americans through science. Those who know me best understand that this goal comes with an intense focus on progress and accountability and a deep belief that meaningful scientific advances are best achieved through shared principles and collaboration. That mindset has predominated my considerations about what the next five years will hold for ODS, and it is through that lens that I challenged my ODS colleagues to think beyond the status quo as we planned together. I asked them not to be limited by ODS’ past but to consider what ODS can become if we leverage our shared expertise, experiences, and the vast partnerships cultivated over three decades to drive innovation and advance the science of dietary supplements. Over the past 12 months, ODS came together to reimagine who we are as a scientific organization, refine our vision and mission, and adopt a value set that grounds the office in respect and accountability while embracing scientific curiosity and forward thinking. With that, I am proud to announce that we have published the NIH ODS Strategic Plan for 2025–2029, A Blueprint for a Coordinated Dietary Supplement Research Agenda at NIH.

The Strategic Plan for 2025–2029 outlines our focus on three primary goals: advance research, expand capacity, and foster stewardship. Specifically, we aim to 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 and promote collaboration and accountability across all ODS activities. 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 in diverse populations. This new strategic plan provides the foundation for the coordination of dietary supplement science and its translation to inform the public’s choices for the safe and effective use of dietary supplements

I am sincerely grateful for my team’s patience and willingness to challenge their conceptions of what we can achieve as a coordinating office in the NIH Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives. I also thank all those who made time to contribute valuable and constructive feedback, all of which was taken to heart and used to finalize the plan. With everyone’s input and expertise, we are confident that our approach will chart the way forward and provide new opportunities for ODS to expand its sphere of influence and advance the science of dietary supplements.