On Jul. 1, 1947, U.S. Surgeon General Thomas Parran, Jr. awarded first grants-in-aid on the recommendation of the National Advisory Cancer Council.

Surgeon General from 1936 to 1948, Parran was involved in critical health policy debates and oversaw the development of key features of the modern American health system, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health (NIH).