Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as ACCME® thereafter.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as ACPE thereafter.

ACPE is the national agency for accreditation in pharmacy education in the United States and U.S. territories. The autonomous and independent agency’s Board of Directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the American Council on Education (ACE).

(formerly Agency for Health Care Policy and Research)

A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is the lead federal agency on health care quality research.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as AACP thereafter.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as AAMC thereafter.

AMA is acceptable on second reference. Also: the medical association, the association.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as APhA thereafter.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as ASHP thereafter.

Spell out at first mention. Precede with national, federal or U.S. if needed for clarity. Abbreviate as CDC thereafter.

A collective noun, it is singular in construction:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces new guidelines.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as CEPH thereafter.

An independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health, and public health programs outside schools of public health.

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as HLC thereafter.

HLC is an independent corporation that serves as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes 19 states.

Part of the National Academies. The other three organizations in the academies are the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council.

Formerly the Goldman Institute on Aging, it includes the Institute on Aging Research Center.

Formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Spell out on first mention; abbreviate as LCME thereafter.

LCME is the U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting body for programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States. The LCME is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Spell out at first mention; abbreviate as NIH thereafter. A collective noun, it is singular in construction:

The National Institutes of Health announces new guidelines today regarding stem cell research.

This agency within the Department of Health and Human Services is the principal biomedical research arm of the federal government. Its institutes are:

National Cancer Institute; National Eye Institute; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Human Genome Research Institute; National Institute on Aging; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Institute of General Medical Sciences; National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Institute of Nursing Research; and National Library of Medicine.

NIH centers are: Center for Information Technology; Center for Scientific Review; John E. Fogarty International Center; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities; National Center for Research Resources; and NIH Clinical Center.

The agencies are in Bethesda, Maryland., except for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Spell out on first mention; abbreviate as R!A thereafter.