To begin the process of creating the key components of this project, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded the National Health Museum a $400,000 grant in 1999 to begin development of the Museum’s "intellectual core. "

In approaching this task, the Museum divided the project into four parts:

• Development of a set of premises upon which the Museum will rely when determining the appropriateness and relevance of proposed exhibits and then in developing the selected exhibits and their related information and education programs.
   
• Determination of the need, if any, for advisory groups and expert reviewers to assist in the development of Museum exhibits and programs.
   
• Development of an overall exhibit content plan for the Museum, and then a test of the exhibit development process using two of those thematic areas.
   
• Assessment of the need and relevant requirements for the Museum to collect (accession), maintain, and display artifacts, as well as de-accession them when appropriate.

The activities undertaken to date as part of the intellectual core initiative are detailed in the report to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that was filed upon the grant’s completion (click here). The research undertaken and understandings reached as part of the grant have provided a solid foundation upon which the Museum’s physical and virtual identity are being constructed. Work on the intellectual core initiative continues, as the Museum’s leadership pursues the next steps detailed in the final grant report.