Clinical Center successes include pioneering the cure of cancerous solid tumors with chemotherapy; the use of nitroglycerin to treat heart attacks; identifying a genetic component in schizophrenia; conducting the first successful replacement of a mitral valve to treat heart disease; and the creation of blood tests to identify both Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis.

[3] In October 2014, Clinical Center staff successfully treated one of the first few Ebola virus cases in the United States.

Its specialized hospital design places patient care units in close proximity to research laboratories.

[1][10] Patients at the Clinical Center consent to participate in research studies, also called protocols, and are treated without charge.

In January 2017, as part of an update to the hospital's leadership structure, NIH director Francis S. Collins named James K. Gilman to the newly created position of chief executive officer Clinical Center.

[14] The Discovery Channel documentary First In Human: The Trials of Building 10, hosted by Jim Parsons, aired in August 2017.