English: As director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) from 1974 to 1993, Ruth Kirschstein was the first woman institute director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After serving as director of NIGMS, she became acting associate director of the newly established Office of Research on Women's Health. Kirschstein was also acting director of NIH twice: in 1993 and from 2000-2002.