ðə pɹˈɛdᵻsˌɛsɚ tə tədˈeɪz ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt, stˈeɪʔn̩z ˈɪnstɪtˌʌt fɔːɹ fˈoʊkɪhˌɛls sˈɪf, wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti nˈaɪn fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ɐ doʊnˈeɪʃən ʌv wˈʌn mˈɪliən noːɹwˈiːdʒən kɹˈoʊnɚ fɹʌmðə ɹˈɑːkɪfəlɚ faʊndˈeɪʃən.
The predecessor to today's institute, Statens institutt for folkehelse (SIFF), was founded in 1929 following a donation of 1 million Norwegian kroner from the Rockefeller Foundation.