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NICHD Announces High Priority Research Areas on the Impact of Policy Changes and Emerging Public Health Crises on NICHD Populations of Interest

Posted: 9/17/2022 ()

Research on the effects of policy changes and emerging public health crises are now high priority research areas at NICHD.  In a recently published NOSI (Note of Special Interest) (NOT-HD-22-038: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research on the Impact of Policy Changes and Emerging and Evolving Public Health Crises on NICHD Populations of Interest (nih.gov) [grants.nih.gov]).  The NICHD has a long-term interest in research on the effects of emerging and evolving public health crises and policy changes on its populations of interest. This Notice is meant to formally establish that research on these topics is of high programmatic interest to the NICHD, and to obviate the need for individual NOSIs on public health crises and policy changes as they emerge. Emerging and evolving public health crises (hereafter, public health crises) include, in addition to emerging epidemics and pandemics, the sequalae of both natural and man-made disasters. Past and current examples are the Zika Virus (ZIKV) and the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Katrina, and the events of September 11, 2001.  Policy changes include changes achieved through legislation, legal decisions, or executive actions. Recent examples include the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the pandemic-related eviction moratorium.

This Notice applies to health, development, and well-being outcomes that are within the scientific scope of the NICHD. This Notice does not apply to research on outcomes that are the focus of other NIH Institutes and Centers. Also, because the focus of this Notice is on emerging or evolving public health crises, this Notices does not apply to research on long-term public health issues. Examples of areas not within this scope of this Notice are smoking, cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, and overweight and obesity. While this Notice is primarily focused on policy change and public health crises that are national in scope or, at a minimum, affect a large share of the U.S. population, there is no requirement that research submitted in response to this Notice be national or regional in scope. Research focused on outcomes in specific locations are also permitted if the results can be generalized to the United States overall, a large segment of the U.S. population, a major U.S. subpopulation, or a health disparities population.

High priority areas

  • Public health crises and policy changes that have limited windows of opportunity for planning and conducting rigorous research and data collection.
  • Expansion of existing research programs that will allow comparisons of pre- and post-event outcomes.
  • Outcomes that are national in scope and are focused on the United States.
  • Outcomes that are associated with high mortality or morbidity of NICHD populations of interest or that primarily or particularly affect the NICHD populations of interest.
  • Research involving underserved and health disparities populations and that addresses the causes, consequences, and reduction of health disparities.

Secondary priority

  • Outcomes related to policy change or public health crises that are regional in scope (such as a group of several adjoining or associated U.S. states)

Low priority

  • Outcomes that are limited to a geographic or governmental region below the state level.
  • Outcomes that primarily affect the elderly or other populations that are not NICHD populations of interest.
  • Outcomes that are the focus of other NIH Institutes or Centers.
  • Long-term public health issues not related to infectious disease such as obesity and overweight and the opioid epidemic.