Press Releases & Announcements
Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., Takes the Helm at NIH
November 9, 2023: Physician-scientist Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli began as the 17th director of the National Institutes of Health on November 9, 2023. She is the first surgeon and the second woman to hold the position. President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Bertagnolli in May 2023 and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 7. She transitioned from her role as the 16th director of the National Cancer Institute, a position she has held since October 2022.
Dr. Bertagnolli has noted that her experience growing up in rural Wyoming has shaped her desire to make NIH research equitable and accessible to all people from all walks of life regardless of income or zip code. Among her key priorities as she takes office are ensuring clinical trials reflect the diversity of Americans to yield the best results; embracing the rapid expansion of new learning based analytical tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning and ensuring their use serves to advance our understanding of and improving care for people; and restoring trust in science by making it accessible to all communities and inspiring the next generation of doctors and scientists. She also plans to leverage commonalities across all diseases to strengthen collaboration across the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers. Read more in this NIH news release.
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Awards to Community Organizations Will Enable Examination of Structural Drivers of Health
September 27, 2023: NIH is funding a first-of-its-kind community-led research program to study ways to address the underlying structural factors within communities that affect health, such as access to safe spaces, healthy food, employment opportunities, transportation, and quality health care.
Through the NIH Common Fund Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) program, NIH made 26 awards to community organizations and a coordinating center. Through these awards, ComPASS will enable research into sustainable solutions that promote health equity to create lasting change in communities across the nation.
The ComPASS program is funded by the NIH Common Fund and managed collaboratively by NIH staff from the Common Fund; National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; National Institute of Nursing Research; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. Read more.
NIH Designates People with Disabilities as a Population with Health Disparities
September 26, 2023: Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), announced the designation of people with disabilities as a population with health disparities.
The decision was made in consultation with Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, after careful consideration of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities final report, input from the disability community, and a review of the science and evidence. This designation is one of several steps the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is taking to address health disparities faced by people with disabilities and ensure their representation in NIH research.
As part of the effort to support research in this area, NIMHD also released a notice of funding opportunity to advance the science of disabilities research. Read more.
NIH Awards $5.8M to Create Genomic Data Science Educational Hub for Early Career Researchers
September 7, 2023: NIH will provide approximately $5.8M over 5 years to create an educational hub for computational genomics and data science. The hub will provide new educational and research opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups historically underrepresented in the biomedical sciences.
The hub will be based at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the largest historically Black college and university in the United States.
The program will support educational activity at two different early career stages—undergraduate and master's degree level—to help students build a solid foundation in the field.
In addition to funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute, this educational award is supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy, and the NIH All of Us Research Program. Read more.
New NIMHD Funding to Help Institutions Build Research Capacity Through Endowments
August 1, 2023: NIMHD recently awarded grants to six institutions through the John Lewis NIMHD Research Endowment Program.
The grants will increase institutional endowments that propel the development and expansion of research capacity and infrastructure within the recipient institutions.
The institutional endowments will also support research education for students from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented groups. They will also encourage faculty members to pursue minority health and health disparities research in basic biomedical, behavioral, population, and clinical/health services fields. Read more.
NIH Launches RADx Tribal Data Repository
NIH established Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tribal Data Repository (TDR): Data for Indigenous Implementations, Interventions, and Innovations (D4I). This initiative will establish a data repository consistent with Tribal sovereignty for researchers and their collaborators interested in working with RADx data provided by American Indian and Alaska Native research participants to better understand and address the impact of COVID-19 and other health disparities.
RADx TDR is a novel initiative that has strong potential to advance Tribal research engagement, data harmonization and sharing, and the generation of new knowledge. Read more:
Congratulations to the 2024 Coleman Research Innovation Awardees
NIMHD announced the recipients of the seventh annual William G. Coleman Jr., Ph.D., Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Innovation Award. This competitive award supports 1-year innovative research projects by postdoctoral fellows, staff scientists, and staff clinicians within the NIH Intramural Research Program who have a high potential to positively impact minority health and health disparities research. Congratulations to:
- Maryam Hashemian, M.D., Ph.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Kristen Hamilton-Moseley, Ph.D., National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
- Jamie Murkey, Ph.D., M.P.H., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- Abhinav Saurabh, Ph.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Jessica T. Smith, Ph.D., National Institute on Aging
- Oliver Wilson, Ph.D., National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
- Rachel Zajdel, Ph.D., National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The award honors Dr. Coleman, a distinguished member of the scientific community and the first scientific director of NIMHD’s Intramural Research Program, who dedicated himself to mentoring and training future scientists in health disparities research. Learn more about Dr. Coleman and read about the 2024 awardees’ proposed research.
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NIH Mental Health Essay Contest for Teens
The National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development announced this year’s Speaking Up About Mental Health national essay challenge. The contest aims to start conversations about mental health and encourage young people to seek help for mental health issues. U.S. high school students ages 16 years to 18 years were invited to submit a short essay about mental health and topics such as stigma and barriers, resilience and coping strategies, school policies or practices, the impact of social media and technology, and more. Submissions were accepted through mid-January 2024 and winners will be announced on May 31, 2024.
Read the winning essays from 2022.
Running the Marathon, from the UNITE Co-Chairs’ Corner
In a recent Co-Chairs’ Corner blog, the NIH UNITE N Committee discussed the importance of maintaining the momentum of their work. The N Committee strives to provide transparency, accountability, and equitable conduct of NIH-supported research. Its work extends to the broader extramural research community.
The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research: Running the Marathon, Maintaining the Momentum blog article was co-authored by NIMHD’s Deputy Director, Dr. Monica Webb Hooper; Kathy Etz, National Institute on Drug Abuse; and Xinzhi Zhang, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
In addition to focusing on health disparities and minority health research, UNITE promotes health equity. The N Committee shared the key reason that underscores its critical endeavor. Learn more.
How Language Barriers Contribute to Health Care Disparities
How is your health impacted if you don’t speak the same language as your physician? How do you know if you have the right treatment plans and medications when language barriers exist? A September 2023 NIMHD Director’s Seminar Series, titled How Language Barriers Contribute to Health Care Disparities, which featured Alicia Fernandez, M.D., explored these questions and more and celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Alicia Fernandez, M.D., has spent her career researching how language and cultural differences impact patient care. She is a professor of clinical medicine and associate dean for population health and health equity at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine where she works to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic disease among populations at risk. Learn more about Dr. Fernandez and watch the video cast.
NIH Awards Additional Research and Training Grants to Support Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Science
Firearms deaths constitute an urgent and significant public health crisis with significant disparities by race, ethnicity, and poverty. NIH supports scientific research to develop, evaluate, and implement effective public health interventions to better understand and prevent violence, including firearm violence, and the resulting trauma, injuries, and mortality. With $12.5M in funding provided to NIH in the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617) to conduct research on firearm injury and mortality prevention, NIH awarded three additional research sites to support the existing Community Firearm Violence Prevention network, as well as two additional community-based intervention awards. The network is evaluating interventions to modify characteristics of environments and target structural causes of firearm and related violence through community partnerships. In addition, NIH awarded three career development awards for established investigators to obtain the skills and expertise needed to integrate firearm injury prevention work into their research. Together, these awards push the field of firearm injury prevention research into more effective and sustainable community-engaged solutions and include efforts to engage different geographic areas (rural and urban), demographic populations (Black American, Asian American, youth), and intervention locations (hospital, community).
Four of the awards are funded by NIMHD: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Utah. The other grant recipients that will benefit from NIH’s support include Eastern Michigan University, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Read more.
NIH Science Collaborative for Health Disparities and Artificial Intelligence Bias Reduction (ScHARe)
The NIH Science Collaborative for Health disparities and Artificial intelligence bias REduction (ScHARe) project team continued its efforts to increase the participation of people from underrepresented populations in data science and cloud computing through monthly Think-a-Thons, including an August 2023 Think-a-Thon webinar that introduced the ScHARe platform and its uses for researchers, educators, and students who live in and serve American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Sponsored by NIMHD and the National Institute on Nursing Research, ScHARe is an innovative cloud-based platform for population science, including social determinants of health data sets designed to accelerate research in health disparities, health care delivery outcomes, and artificial intelligence (AI) bias mitigation strategies. The platform aims to fill three critical gaps:
- Foster research collaborations and increase participation of women and underrepresented populations experiencing health disparities in data science.
- Leverage research opportunities afforded by Big Data and cloud computing.
- Advance AI bias mitigation and ethical inquiry by developing innovative strategies and securing diverse perspectives.
ScHARe Think-a-Thons are interactive webinars for educators, researchers, data scientists, students, and anyone interested in health disparities and health care delivery research or for data scientists who want to engage in practical applications of AI and AI bias mitigation—all disciplines, levels of background knowledge, and career levels are welcome to participate. They aim to help everyone—including people from populations underrepresented in science—advance their use of the ScHARe platform and provide training in the use of cloud resources. Think-a-Thons also foster research collaborations and advanced AI bias mitigation.
Learn more about ScHARe or view recordings of past Think-a-Thons.
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2023 Health Disparities Research Institute
NIMHD held the Health Disparities Research Institute (HDRI) from August 7–11 on the NIH campus, after announcing the 2023 class of scholars. The selected scholars are early-career investigators who participated in a weeklong intensive program aimed at supporting their research career development and stimulating research in disciplines supported by health disparities science.
NIMHD also announced Dr. Dana Mowls Carroll as the recipient of the Early Career Investigator Award. This award, established in 2021, recognizes an early-stage investigator who is making significant impact with their research on minority health and health disparities.
The 2023 cohort of scholars had the opportunity to hear about Dr. Carroll’s important research and meet NIMHD leadership.
Learn more about the HDRI program, the 2023 HDRI scholars, and the NIMHD Early Career Investigator Award.
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Unequal Treatment Revisited: Part 3
NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable provided insight and answered questions at a September 6, 2023, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine ad hoc Committee on Unequal Treatment Revisited workshop panel discussion. The workshop examined federal efforts and initiatives aimed at reducing racial and ethnic group inequities in health care access, utilization, and quality. Leaders from several government agencies, including Office of Minority Health Director RDML Felicia Collins, M.D., were a part of the panel of speakers.
This was the last in a series of workshops that are part of a consensus study that will examine the current state of racial and ethnic group health care disparities in the United States, building on the 2003 Institute of Medicine consensus report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Learn more.
Healthy Moments Radio Episode Featuring Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable
NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable talked about the efforts of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities initiative to improve health outcomes for communities of color on Healthy Moments.
Healthy Moments is a weekly radio broadcast sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and hosted by Griffin Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P., NIDDK Director. Read the transcript or listen to the audio.
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HDPulse Recognized as an Important Resource for Improving Minority Health and Reducing Health Disparities
NIMHD’s HDPulse—an online resource that provides data and interventions to enhance minority heath and reduce health disparities—was selected by AcademyHealth as one of two honorees in the 2023 Health Equity DataJam competition. The winning NIMHD submission, titled Using HDPulse to Identify, Understand, and Reduce Disparities in Kidney Disease Mortality, provided a use case tutorial for:
- Leveraging HDPulse’s unique features to identify national-, state-, and county-level disparities between racial and ethnic groups.
- Exploring multi-level risk factors.
- Locating relevant interventions.
The Health Equity DataJam recognizes entries that harness the power of data and publicly available datasets to answer pressing questions related to health care and health disparities. Explore HDPulse or watch the video submission.
Who We Are: The Many Dimensions of Race and Ethnicity
The NIH Health Disparities Interest Group held a workshop on race and ethnicity during the NIH Research Festival. The interest group and a panel of experts discussed race and ethnicity. The Who We Are: The Many Dimensions of Race and Ethnicity workshop also explored how the many dimensions of these complex concepts fit together and are measured.
Race and ethnicity are social constructs that emerged from social and political circumstances. They do not accurately reflect differences in human biology, but they have a long history of impacting the way people are treated in society. Watch the videocast.
NIMHD Loan Repayment Program Open Application Period
NIH opened the application period for its 2024 extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) application cycle to all qualified health professionals with doctoral degrees. Online applications are being accepted until November 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
The LRP offers loan repayment awards of up to $50,000 per year for up to 2 years. Awardees commit to engage in NIMHD and NIH mission-relevant minority health and health disparities research in non-federal settings for at least 2 years.
Since its inception, the NIMHD LRP has repaid the student loans of over 2,200 doctorate-level health professionals. Awardees have worked in a variety of disciplines, including medicine, epidemiology, psychology, social science, medicine, and health policy. LRP recipients have conducted research on areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, asthma, obesity, and kidney disease. Their investigations have examined biological, lifestyle, environmental, social, economic, institutional, cultural, and family influences on health disparities.
Learn more about the LRP and its application process.
Literature Review Uses RADx-UP Data to Promote Community Health Worker Care Models in Health Care Transformation
Community health workers (CHWs) are an essential link between providers and patients in health care delivery. A new literature review uses RADx-UP data from the COVID-19 pandemic to highlight barriers (and recommendations) to increasing involvement in health care transformation by CHWs.
The suggestions include:
- Expanding billing codes
- Developing equitable compensation
- Incorporating CHW contributions in quality metrics
- Utilizing existing competency models for training
Read more.
NIH-Rwandan Fellow Develops Cost-Effective Diabetes Test
Twenty-four million adults aged 20 years to 79 years were living with diabetes in Africa in 2021. This number is projected to increase to 55 million by 2045. With early screening and diagnosis, diabetes can be treated. Additionally, a healthy lifestyle, medication, and regular screening and treatment can help delay complications. However, the lack of reliable diagnostic testing has resulted in most people living with diabetes in Africa being unaware that they have this condition.
To address this problem, Dr. Jean de Dieu Gatete, 7th NIH-Rwandan Health Program Fellow, developed a cost-effective diagnostic test for diabetes. To learn more about this research and its potential impact in his native Rwanda and in Africa in general, read his story. Read more.
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NIH Medical Research Scholar Receives Emerging Leader in Medicine Award
In June, AL DÍA News Media honored recent Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) participant Jordan Juarez with the 2023 AL DÍA News Emerging Leader Award. This annual AL DÍA Top Doctors Award recognizes outstanding Latino doctors.
The NIH MRSP is a yearlong program for research-oriented medical, dental, and veterinary students to contribute to intramural research at NIH. As an MRSP scholar, Jordan completed his research fellowship in NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable’s Minority Health and Health Disparities Population Laboratory. Dr. Erik J. Rodriquez, epidemiologist and staff scientist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, served as his mentor.
In this recently released feature story, learn more about Jordan’s work and why he has devoted his career to helping communities and populations experiencing health disparities. Read more.
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Conversations With Principal Investigators
In celebration of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Heritage Month, NIMHD celebrated the enduring influence of people who represent AIAN communities and their significant contributions to the United States. We recognized researchers who are promoting health equity through their work funded by NIH’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program by showcasing the SBIR/STTR-funded project of biomedical engineer Rachel Dreilinger.
Rachel Dreilinger (Diné [Navajo] Nation)
Principal Investigator
Co-Founder & CEO of NeuraMedica Inc.
Oregon City, OR
Rachel Dreilinger discussed her work developing a novel medical device to improve spine surgery outcomes and her efforts to encourage more Native scholars to join the scientific workforce. Read the conversation.
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During National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15), NIMHD celebrated the significant contributions and enduring influence of people who represent Latino/Hispanic communities to the United States. We recognized researchers who are promoting health equity through work funded by NIMHD’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
Katherine Sanchez, Ph.D., LCSW
Research Investigator
Director of Diversity & Inclusiveness Research
Baylor Scott & White Research Institute
Dallas, TX
Dr. Sanchez discussed her background as the daughter of an immigrant, her work in improving inclusivity in behavioral health research, and her efforts in preparing clinicians to be linguistically and culturally responsive. Read the conversation.
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Luis Fernández-Luque Ph.D., M.Sc.
Principal Investigator
Adhera Health, Inc.
Santa Cruz, CA
Dr. Luis Fernández-Luque talked about his work to connect digital tools and health equity considerations to improve support for Latino and Hispanic individuals living with chronic condition-related fatigue and their caregivers. Read the conversation.
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NIMHD grantees and staff advance the science of minority health and health disparities through collaborative, integrative, and multidisciplinary research. Our investigators seek to understand the complex mechanisms that contribute to health disparities, develop multi-level interventions, support efforts to train and develop a diverse research workforce, and work toward improving minority health and reducing health disparities.
Visit this page for a full list of recent research publications.
 NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL): Leveraging the Power of Communities During Public Health Emergencies
The American Journal of Public Health published an exclusive supplemental issue showcasing 25 NIH CEAL editorials and papers focused on community-engaged research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraging the Power of Communities During Public Health Emergencies highlights:
- The power of community in addressing public health issues
- Meaningful community engagement that advances research
- CEAL partnerships fostering trust in science
Read about the lessons learned and pivotal role community-engagement can play in future public health emergencies. Access the full supplement.
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Lived Experiences of Medical Racism Among Black Adults With Serious Illnesses
Racial inequities in high-intensity care negatively affect the quality of care received by Black patients with chronic and complex medical conditions, several studies have shown.
A new NIMHD study of Black patients hospitalized with serious illnesses at the end of life revealed experiences of perceived racial discrimination and microagressions from health care workers that negatively affected patient-clinician communication and increased patients’ mistrust of the care provided to them. Learn more.
Guiding Principles Help Health Care Community Address Potential Bias Resulting From Algorithms
A recently published article in JAMA Network Open addressed the use of algorithms in health care, their impact on racial and ethnic disparities in care, and approaches to identify and mitigate bias. This work was conducted by a technical expert panel that included researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It supports the Biden Administration's Executive Order 14091, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, issued on February 16, 2023.
President Biden calls for federal agencies to consider opportunities to prevent and remedy discrimination, including protecting the public from algorithmic discrimination. Read the full article and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release on the publication.
Alzheimer’s Disease Mortality Among American Indian and Alaska Native People
Researchers estimate a fivefold increase in Alzheimer’s disease among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people by 2060. A recent NIMHD study looked at if social determinants of health account for these disparities.
The researchers conducted a longitudinal analysis of Alzheimer’s diseases mortality rates for AI/AN people from 2011 to 2019. Their analysis contained some interesting and surprising findings, including differences in Alzheimer’s disease mortality based on:
- Whether a given AI/AN population is located in a rural or urban settings.
- The number of AI/AN people living in a county.
- The availability of PCPs and neurologists.
Read more.
Learn About This First-of-its-Kind National Study
New NIMHD research examined whether receipt of commercial tobacco discount coupons increased among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether financial hardship played a role.
The study found that over 1 in 5 U.S. adults who use commercial tobacco received more commercial tobacco discount coupons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recipients were those who reported financial hardships due to the pandemic. This finding suggests that the tobacco industry potentially targeted its marketing toward individuals with lower socioeconomic status. Read more.
Global Effect of Modifiable Risk Factors on Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
Five well-known risk factors—overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes—contribute to more than half of all cardiovascular diseases worldwide. This is according to a study published by scientists of the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium.
Dr. Larissa Avilés-Santa, Director, Division of Clinical and Health Services Research at NIMHD and the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos representative of the consortium, co-authored the paper.
The study showed differences in the frequency of risk factors across the eight global regions. Scientists saw the highest rates for overweight in Latin America, and the highest values for high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Europe. High blood pressure is the most significant factor for the occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. However, the five risk factors merely accounted for about 20% overall mortality risk.
The study’s results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and are based on the data of 1.5 million people from 34 countries. Read more.
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Firearm-Related Deaths Increased Among Youth in 2020, Greatest Toll on Black Youth
An analysis of mortality data led by NIMHD researchers assessed the differences in the overall burden of firearm-related deaths amongst youth in the United States. The data shows that rates increased across all youth racial and ethnic groups from 2019 to 2020. Black youth accounted for 47% of the more than 4,000 deaths in 2020. For the first time, firearm-related deaths exceeded motor vehicle collisions as the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States.
According to the researchers, the increase in firearm-related mortality between 2019 and 2020 may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest. They also noted the need for effective public health firearm reduction interventions like the Cure Violence Model.
NIMHD’s Division of Intramural Research and NIH’s Distinguished Scholars Program supported the study. Read more.
How Racial and Ethnic Disparities Vary by Location and Cause of Death Has Not Been Well Understood
The Global Burden of Disease U.S. Health Disparities Collaborators, in collaboration with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, recently published the most comprehensive peer-reviewed research to date on cause-specific mortality by county, race, and ethnicity in the United States.
The study analyzed 19 causes of death in the United States from 2000–2009 in 3,110 counties. It revealed persistent disparities and a similar pattern of mortality across five racial and ethnic groups.
These include:
- Mortality is substantially higher in the American Indian and Alaska Native population and Black population than in the White population for most causes of death.
- Substantial geographical variation in mortality within and across racial and ethnic groups exist for all causes of death.
- Cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms were the first and second leading cause of death, respectively, within and across all racial and ethnic groups.
- Diabetes and kidney diseases caused substantial mortality, landing in fifth position for leading cause of death across all racial and ethnic groups and ranking among the top five in every racial and ethnic group.
Read more.
Culturally Specific Interventions Can Increase Tobacco Cessation Among Black/African American Quitline Enrollees
Tobacco quitlines are effective in helping individuals quit tobacco use. Previous studies show that Black/African American adults who smoke show interest in quitline services and report high motivation to quit. However, they experience less success with these services compared to other groups. Culturally specific tobacco interventions that combine theory, evidence, and cultural assets to promote behavior change have the potential to improve outcomes in this population.
A newly published randomized controlled trial found that a culturally specific intervention increased smoking cessation among Black/African American quitline enrollees. This intervention is currently being disseminated through 47 (of 50) state tobacco quitlines. Read more.
County-Level Sociodemographic Characteristics and Availability of COVID-19 Therapeutic Drugs
An NIMHD-funded study investigating the availability of COVID-19 therapeutics across the United States found that there were disparities in access to these drugs. Counties with high rates of people living below the federal poverty line, individuals without health insurance, and populations with a high social vulnerability index had lower access to treatment. This was also the case for counties with high numbers of Black individuals. The findings were published in JAMA on Wednesday, September 20.
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The study was co-authored by NIH’s Stadtman Investigator, Dr. Kosuke Tamura, who heads the Socio-Spatial Determinants of Health Laboratory in the Division of Intramural Research at NIMHD. Read the article in JAMA.
New Study Reveals Language Acculturation Impact on Cigarette Consumption in Latino and Hispanic Populations
NIMHD-supported research, published in the Annals of Epidemiology, sheds light on the influence of language acculturation on cigarette consumption. The study found that as Latino and Hispanic individuals become more acculturated to the English language and U.S. culture, their cigarette use tends to rise. This trend occurs particularly among men. The study also showed that cigarette consumption varied based on educational attainment.
The study highlights the importance of tailoring smoking prevention and cessation strategies for the Latino and Hispanic community with language and culture in mind.
The study utilized data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos project, which is directed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and supported by NIMHD. Read more.
Focus on Medicaid Eligibility Renewals
Access to healthcare services is critical for maintaining overall health. Many people from historically underserved communities often face challenges finding healthcare resources.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to change this. CMS shares tips on the multiple-step process of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program renewals. Read the blog to learn more about the process, options, and more.
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Accelerating a Paradigm Shift in Health Disparities and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bias Research
Since their launch in February 2023, ScHARe Think-a-Thons have engaged thousands of researchers, educators, and students—and have become an integral component of NIMHD’s effort to accelerate a Big Data-driven paradigm shift in health disparities and health outcomes research.
In NIMHD Insights, Dr. Deborah Duran and Dr. Luca Calzoni reflect on what the ScHARe community has achieved so far and preview its exciting next chapters. See how diverse participants have gained access to a large and growing data repository, introductions to Python, and resources for data science instruction, and get a preview of the next series of Think-a-Thons focusing on fundamentals of AI-driven research and research collaborations! Read the blog.
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Voices From the Pacific: Advancing Maternal Health Equity Together
Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States is a public health challenge. These disparities are of particular concern for women from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities, who are often underrepresented in research.
Dr. Rebecca Delafield works to address the needs of women in NHPI communities with funding through her NIMHD diversity supplement award. An assistant professor at the University of Hawai‘i, she seeks to better understand the concerns related to pregnancy and childbirth for women in Honolulu. Read the blog.
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From Undocumented Immigrant to Surgeon: Coming Full Circle to Help My Community
How do you combine a lifelong curiosity for science and research with a passion for helping your community and nation? For Carolina Solis Sanabria, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, she uses her work as a surgeon and as an NIMHD program official to drive each other.
In an October issue of the NIMHD Insights Blog, she shared about her path from an undocumented immigrant to an accomplished and dedicated surgeon and medical researcher. Read the blog.
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It’s All in the Name…Why NIH is Changing to Notices of Funding Opportunities
To standardize language across government, NIMHD and NIH has adopted the use of the federal standard term, notices of funding opportunities. In a recent Insights Blog, NIMHD Office of Extramural Research Activities Director, explained why the replacement of the familiar funding opportunity announcement is important and how it impacts researchers and grant applications. Read the blog.
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Advancing Social Determinants of Health Research at NIH Through Cross-Cutting Collaboration
An Insights blog co-authored by NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable and National Institute of Nursing Research Director Dr. Shannon N. Zenk sheds light on how social determinants of health (SDOH) have emerged as an increasingly high-priority research area for NIH and other federal agencies, and how organizations across a variety of sectors and NIH is at the forefront of building this evidence base to improve health and advance health equity.
The authors discussed how the NIH-wide Social Determinants of Health Research Coordinating Committee (SDOH RCC) works to accelerate research to better understand the multiple and interacting social, psychological, and behavioral factors, as well as biologic mechanisms, through which SDOH affect outcomes, and other ways that NIH continues to expand and innovate in accelerating SDOH research. Read the blog.
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NIMHD supports a variety of research, training, infrastructure development, and outreach and information dissemination projects related to its mission using grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts. NIMHD funding opportunities include Requests for Applications (RFAs), Program Announcements (PAs/PARs), and Notices of Changes and Guidelines (NOTs).
Visit this page to view all active NIMHD funding opportunities and their application details. We encourage you to discuss your proposed research with an NIMHD scientific program officer before applying.
You can subscribe to NIMHD’s Weekly Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) Digest to receive recent NOFOs weekly in your email inbox.
Advance Data Science Approaches Through Secondary Data Analysis to Reveal Scientific Insights of COVID-19 Testing Technologies
Notice number: NOT-OD-24-026 | First Available Due Date: February 16, 2024
In conjunction with other institutes and offices at the NIH, NIMHD issued the following notice of special interest (NOSI): Advance Data Science Approaches Through Secondary Data Analysis to Reveal Scientific Insights of COVID-19 Testing Technologies (R21).
The purpose of this NOSI is to support secondary data analysis to address questions and advance scientific inquiry related to SARS-CoV-2 through existing data resources in the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Data Hub, including and in conjunction with other data resources.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
ADVANCE Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions Research Network to Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations That Experience Health Disparities
NOFO number: PAR-24-053 | Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): November 11, 2023
NOFO number: RFA-OD-24-006 | Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): July 5, 2024
The NIH Office of Disease Prevention and participating institutes, centers, and offices are seeking applications for a new collaborative research network to test multi-sectoral preventive interventions for health conditions in populations that experience health disparities. The research network funding opportunity—PAR-24-053: Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions That Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations That Experience Health Disparities (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Required)—encourages UG3/UH3 research project applications that intervene beyond the individual level and collaborate with two or more service sectors (e.g., health, housing, transportation, education).
The research network will also include a coordinating center that will provide technical assistance related to intervention methodology and facilitate collaboration across projects. The coordinating center funding opportunity—RFA-OD-24-006: Coordinating Center to Support Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions That Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations That Experience Health Disparities (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)—encourages U24 applications that propose activities in administration, methodology, and community engagement.
Applications for both funding opportunities are due August 5, 2024.
Interventions to Address HIV-Related Comorbidities Among Highly Affected Populations Experiencing Health Disparities
NOFO number: RFA-MD-24-003 | Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): November 11, 2023
NIMHD recently released a new notice of funding opportunity (NOFO): Interventions to Address HIV-Related Comorbidities Among Highly Affected Populations Experiencing Health Disparities.
This initiative will support multilevel and multidisciplinary intervention research to improve quality of life and promote successful aging among people with HIV and HIV associated non-AIDS comorbidities across the life course from racial and ethnic minority populations and from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
Health and Health Care Disparities Among Persons Living With Disabilities
NOFO number: PAR-23-309 | Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): January 5, 2024
As part of its efforts to advance the science of disability research, NIMHD recently released the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO): Health and Health Care Disparities Among Persons Living With Disabilities.
The purpose of this NOFO is to support innovative research that examines and/or intervenes on the underlying and multilevel causes, pathways, and factors adversely impacting the health and well-being of persons with disabilities at the intersections of race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Visit this page for all active NIMHD NOFOs and their application details. The NIMHD RFAs and PAs/PARs tables on the NIMHD website funding opportunities page are sortable.
- Click on the “Expires” header to easily view funding opportunities with upcoming expiration dates.
- Click on the “Released” header to easily view newly released RFAs and PAs/PARs.
February, 2 2024 | National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities Virtual Meeting – Join NIMHD for the 65th meeting of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This virtual meeting will include a presentation from the NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D. View the agenda and watch the NIH Videocast on February 2.
February 13, 2024 Workshop on Research on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health – Join NIMHD for a workshop about research on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) health. Researchers, subject matter experts, and advocates for NHPI health will gather to identify:
- Critical health outcomes, topics, and needs affecting NHPI communities.
- Current gaps in knowledge and research efforts on NHPI health outcomes.
- Future opportunities for research on promoting NHPI health to reduce health disparities.
Register to attend the workshop.
April 17, 2024 | Cardiovascular Disease Disparities in Rural America: Can This House of Cards be Saved? – Join the NIH Office of Intramural Research for this lecture on cardiovascular disease disparities in rural United States. This lecture will feature Debra Moser, Ph.D., RN, FAHA, FAAN, Assistant Dean of Ph.D. Program & Scholarly Affairs & Linda C. Gill Professor in Nursing at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing. Watch the NIH Videocast on April 17.
Congratulations to 17 NIMHD staff members on receiving a 2023 NIH Director’s Award for exceptional performance and special efforts in fulfilling the institute’s mission of improving minority health and reducing health disparities and in supporting NIH initiatives. Awarded on an annual basis, this is the highest honor for NIH staff. In this heartfelt video message, NIMHD Director Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, M.D., recognized the honorees for their outstanding service. Watch the video.
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Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Castille, Training Coordinator and Senior Program Official in NIMHD’s Office of the Director, on being recognized for outstanding service during the COVID-19 emergency phase. She was awarded a Secretary’s Commendation that was presented by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, along with several HHS employees.
Dr. Castille was integral in supporting Deputy Director Dr. Monica Webb Hooper as the co-lead for the RADx® Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) working group. She assisted with the notice of funding opportunities development for all phases of the RADx-UP initiative, including the development of the terms and conditions of awards and alignment of NIH program officers with the RADx-UP Governance and Executive Committees’ guidance and requirements for the initiative.
Dr. Castille was also involved in the alignment of the RADx-UP Coordination and Data Collection Center, as well as projects funded within the initiative, with NIH leadership guidance. She coordinated and supervised the integration of the data collection effort with the development of the RADx Data Hub.
Congratulations to Dr. Nathaniel Stinson, Director of the Division of Community Health and Population Science at NIMHD, on receiving a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Award.
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