Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is one of three Academies that make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) in the United States. Operating under the 1863 Congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that work outside of government to provide objective advice on matters of science, technology, and health. Studies from the National Academies are often congressionally mandated or commissioned by government agencies, and their recommendations can have lasting impact on domestic and global policy.