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National Institute of Nursing Research

Mission | Important Events | Legislative Chronology | Director | Programs | Photo Gallery

Mission

The mission of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. NINR supports and conducts clinical and basic research and research training on health and illness across the lifespan to build the scientific foundation for clinical practice, prevent disease and disability, manage and eliminate symptoms caused by illness, and improve palliative and end-of-life care.

NINR's research programs, both extramural and intramural, incorporate a broad range of interdisciplinary approaches designed to promote scientific exploration that will lead to better health outcomes and health services. Such approaches include: clinical intervention studies; translational and implementation research; comparative effectiveness research; and analyses of cost, outcomes, and quality of care. As part of its commitment to advancing the health of all populations, NINR funds research that promotes health equity and eliminates health disparities by investigating the interplay of behavioral, biological, and environmental determinants of health and wellness, with a special emphasis on underserved and resource-limited communities. NINR also maintains a focus on basic research, seeking to improve knowledge of underlying biological systems, including the genetic and genomic contributions to symptoms and health conditions.

NINR also places great emphasis on research training to cultivate the next generation of nurse scientists, as well as other biobehavioral researchers whose work advances nursing science. NINR-supported opportunities for research training are available for students beginning their research careers, as well as for scientists seeking to expand their research expertise. Among these opportunities, NINR provides support for trainees from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.

NINR fosters collaborations with many other disciplines in areas of mutual interest such as long-term care for older adults, the special needs of women across the lifespan, genetic testing and counseling, biobehavioral aspects of the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and the impact of environmental influences on risk factors for chronic illnesses, among many others.

The NINR Strategic Plan: An Overview

Released in October 2011, Bringing Science to Life: NINR Strategic Plan, describes NINR’s approach for advancing the "science of health" over the next five years. It seeks to leverage 25 years of nursing science accomplishments to pave the way for future discoveries in scientific areas that have the greatest potential to impact the health of the Nation. Developed with the input of scientists, clinicians, experts in health care and public policy, other stakeholders, and members of the public, the Plan also provides a vision for the next quarter century of nursing science achievements. NINR’s focus on research that supports the science of health, which encompasses the investigation of multiple health determinants—including psychological, physiological, genomic, environmental, familiar, societal, and cultural factors—is based on the premise that individuals would benefit from being actively involved in maintaining their own health through the prevention of disease and direct participation in the management of illness.

To advance the science of health, NINR invests in research to:

  • Enhance health promotion and disease prevention
  • Improve quality of life by managing symptoms of acute and chronic illness
  • Improve palliative and end-of-life care
  • Enhance innovation in science and practice
  • Develop the next generation of nurse scientists

Important Events in NINR History

November 10, 1985—Public Law 99-158, the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, became law, overriding a presidential veto. Among other provisions, the law authorized the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) at NIH.

April 18, 1986—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary announced the establishment of NCNR at NIH.

April 1986–June 1987—Dr. Dorris Merritt, Special Assistant to the NIH Director, was appointed the Acting Director of NCNR. NCNR’s initial budget was $16 million.

December 3, 1986—The HHS Secretary appointed the first members of the NCNR Advisory Council.

February 17, 1987—The NCNR Advisory Council held its inaugural meeting.

June 1987–June 1994—Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw was appointed the first Director of NCNR.

May 30, 1988—The NCNR Advisory Council was renamed the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research.

1992—NINR-funded researcher Dr. David Olds established that visits by home nurses significantly lower mothers' high blood pressure during pregnancy and result in better timing of subsequent pregnancies. Abuse and neglect of children were also reduced.

June 10, 1993—P.L. 103-43, the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, became law. Among other provisions, it elevated NCNR to full status as an NIH Institute.

June 14, 1993—The HHS Secretary signed the Federal Register notice establishing the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).

July 1994–April 1995—Dr. Suzanne Hurd served as Acting Director of NINR.

1994—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott tested several gender-appropriate, culturally sensitive interventions on hard-to-reach vulnerable populations and significantly reduced sexual risk behaviors for HIV. Her "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" intervention became the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's model curricula

April 3, 1995—Dr. Patricia A. Grady was appointed Director of NINR.

1997—The NIH Director designated NINR as the lead NIH institute to coordinate collaborative research on end-of-life care.

1998—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Joanne Harrell, building on research that showed risk for cardiovascular disease can begin at an early age, demonstrated that a specially designed classroom educational program for elementary school children could significantly lower their cholesterol levels in just eight weeks. NINR-funded researcher Dr. Nancy Bergstrom, in a multi-site study, tested the Braden scale for risk of pressure sores and found its predictive capability accurate. The scale is now widely used in nursing homes and hospitals.

1999—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Mary Naylor demonstrated that transitional care from hospital to home could significantly improve the health of older adult patients and substantially reduce per patient days in hospital, hospital readmissions, and costs to the health care system. NINR-funded researcher Dr. Jon Levine established that gender plays a key role in pain relief, with women obtaining satisfactory relief from kappa-opioids while men receive little benefit.

Summer 2000—NINR held its first Summer Genetics Institute.

2002—NINR funded researcher Dr. Linda Aiken demonstrated that hospital working conditions and adequacy of nurse staffing per patient can affect patients' recovery and that in hospitals where nurses have lower patient workloads, patients have substantially lower mortality rates.

2003—NINR Director Dr. Patricia A. Grady named co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Research component of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and co-chair of the NIH Pain Consortium.

2003—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Martha Hill found that interventions conducted at the community level by a multidisciplinary health care team reduced high blood pressure in young inner city African-American males, who are typically underserved by the health care system, illustrating that culturally sensitive, successful interventions can be conducted for vulnerable populations and can help reduce health care disparities.

2004—NINR Director Dr. Grady named co-chair of NIH Public Trust Initiative.

2004—NINR launched a new pilot training project, the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) in Biobehavioral Research.

December 2004—NINR co-sponsored the NIH State of the Science conference, Improving End-of-Life Care, bringing together almost 1,000 health care practitioners from around the world.

2005–6—NINR celebrated its 20th anniversary at NIH.

2006—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Bernadette Melnyk demonstrated that her Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment (COPE) program, which aims to support the parents of premature infants, resulted in improved knowledge and parenting behaviors, decreased parental stress, and shortened length of NICU stays by about four days, reducing health care costs associated with premature births by about $4,800 per infant. COPE has been adopted by hospitals and insurers throughout the U.S.

2007—NINR-funded researcher Dr. J. Randall Curtis and collaborators reported that an intervention to improve communication between ICU clinicians and family members of dying patients significantly reduced feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the family members for up to three months after the loss of their loved one.

2008—NINR Director Dr. Grady named co-chair, Science of Behavior Change Roadmap Initiative.

2009—NINR published an award-winning patient information brochure, “Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You’re Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness.”

2009—NINR-funded researcher Dr. Pamela Mitchell reported that a behavioral intervention called Living Well with Stroke reduced the incidence of depression in stroke survivors, both immediately after treatment for stroke and at a one-year follow up.

2009—Using the unprecedented additional funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, NINR supported an additional $36 million in research in fiscal year 2009-2010. Projects supported under ARRA included a new research cooperative for palliative care science and multiple training opportunities to build the scientific workforce. Approximately 73 additional research grants were supported, along with multiple research and training supplements.

2010—NINR intramural researcher Dr. Taura Barr identified a gene panel useful for stroke diagnostics and outcome prediction as well as other neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury. Her work may lead to the development of bedside tests for assessment of the extent of brain injury and to guide individualized therapeutics. NINR intramural researcher Dr. Wendy Henderson developed a devise for collecting patient-reported outcomes related to pain called the "Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer" (GIPP), enabling a patient to describe the location, intensity, and subjective components of their pain on a graphic interface. These data are then captured electronically for quantification and comparison to later reports of pain.

2010—NINR held the first Methodologies Boot Camp, focusing on pain research.

2010—First NINR history book released: NINR: Bringing Science to Life.

2010-11—NINR celebrated its 25th anniversary at NIH with a series of scientific events.

2011—NINR launched a new annual NINR Director's Lecture series, designed to bring the nation’s top nurse scientists to the NIH campus to share their work and interests with a transdisciplinary audience.

August 11–12, 2011—NINR convened a national summit on "The Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care," attended by nearly 1,000 scientists, health care professionals, and public advocates.

October 13, 2011Bringing Science to Life: NINR Strategic Plan released at NINR’s 25th Anniversary Concluding Symposium.

November 2011—NINR published Spanish-language public education brochure: Cuidados Paliativos: El alivio que necesita cuando tiene síntomas de una enfermedad grave (Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You're Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness).

NINR Legislative Chronology

November 10, 1985—P.L. 99-158, the Health and Research Extension Act of 1985, became law. Its provisions included the establishment of NCNR to support research and research training related to patient care.

1986—A series of continuing resolutions (P.L. 99-500, P.L. 99-599) established NCNR as a separate NIH appropriation.

June 10, 1993—NCNR was redesignated as an NIH institute under a provision in P.L. 103-43, the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993.

2010—U.S. Senate resolution, S. Res. 642, congratulated NINR on a quarter century of achievement in science and public service. The resolution was introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and cosponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Biographical Sketch of NINR Director Patricia A. Grady, Ph.D., R.N.

Dr. Patricia A. Grady was appointed Director, NINR, on April 3, 1995. She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She pursued her graduate education at the University of Maryland, receiving a master's degree from the School of Nursing and a doctorate in physiology from the School of Medicine.

An internationally recognized researcher, Dr. Grady's scientific focus has primarily been in stroke, with emphasis on arterial stenosis and cerebral ischemia. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1999 and is a member of several scientific organizations, including the Society for Neuroscience, the American Academy of Nursing, and the American Neurological Association. She is also a fellow of the American Heart Association Stroke Council.

In 1988, Dr. Grady joined NIH as an extramural research program administrator in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in the areas of stroke and brain imaging. Two years later, she served on the NIH Task Force for Medical Rehabilitation Research, which established the first long-range research agenda for the field of medical rehabilitation research. In 1992, she assumed the responsibilities of NINDS Assistant Director. From 1993 to 1995, she was Deputy Director and Acting Director of NINDS. Dr. Grady served as a charter member of the NIH Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center Board of Governors.

Before coming to NIH, Dr. Grady held several academic positions and served concurrently on the faculties of the University of Maryland School of Nursing and School of Medicine.

Dr. Grady has authored or co-authored numerous articles and papers on hypertension, cerebrovascular permeability, vascular stress, and cerebral edema. She is an editorial board member of the major stroke journals. Dr. Grady lectures and speaks on a wide range of topics, including future directions in nursing research, developments in the neurological sciences, and Federal research opportunities.

Dr. Grady has been recognized with several prestigious honors and awards for her leadership and scientific accomplishments, including the first award of the Centennial Achievement Medal from Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Sciences, being named the inaugural Rozella M. Schlotfeld distinguished lecturer at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, and receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service from the University of Maryland. Dr. Grady was named the Excellence in Nursing Lecturer by the Council on Cardiovascular Nurses of the American Heart Association. In 2005, Dr. Grady received Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa degrees from the Medical University of South Carolina and Thomas Jefferson University, and Columbia University School of Nursing honored her with its prestigious Second Century Award for Excellence in Health Care. In 2008, Dr. Grady received a Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. View Image. In 2011, Dr. Grady was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine and received Arizona State University’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s Discover Award, which honors those who are dedicated to improving the health of the American public and who “pursue big dreams, lead innovative changes, and achieve their goals.”

Dr. Grady is a past recipient of the NIH Merit Award and received the Public Health Service Superior Service Award for her exceptional leadership.

NINR Directors

Name In Office from To
Doris H. Merritt (Acting) April 18, 1986 June 1987
Ada Sue Hinshaw June 6, 1987 June 30, 1994
Suzanne S. Hurd (Acting) July 1, 1994 April 2, 1995
Patricia A. Grady April 3, 1995 Present

Major Programs

Division of Extramural Activities

The Division of Extramural Activities consists of the Office of Extramural Programs, the Office of Grants Management, and the Office of Review.

The Office of Extramural Programs (OEP) manages the funding activities of NINR that occur outside of NIH, in research institutions across the country and around the world. A major program priority is the integration of biological and behavioral research. The NINR OEP is organized into four sections:

  • Neuroscience, Genetics, & Symptom Management
  • Child & Family Health, & Health Disparities
  • Immunology, Infectious Disease, & Chronic Disorders
  • Acute & Long-Term Care, End-of-Life, & Training.

The Office of Grants Management (OGM) is the central point of contact for all business-related activities associated with the negotiation, award, and administration of grants and cooperative agreements within NINR.

The Office of Review (OR) provides policy direction and coordination for the planning and execution of initial scientific and technical reviews conducted within NINR. The reviews conducted by the office are considered to be first level reviews, and involve panels of experts established according to scientific disciplines or current research areas for the purpose of evaluating the scientific and technical merit of grant applications.

Research Centers Program

The OEP oversees a nationwide Research Centers program. These Centers bring together scientists, students, and other colleagues with similar interests to focus on a common area of investigation, such as symptom management in chronic diseases, nursing outcomes, or end-of-life care. They also serve to advance the NINR goals of building research infrastructure, expanding research capacity, and increasing training opportunities.

The Research Centers represent a continuum of institutional research programs at different stages of development, each with unique needs and potential. They are funded through three grant mechanisms:

  • Exploratory Center (P20) grants target schools of nursing with emerging research programs, helping them to expand their early research efforts, centralize resources, strengthen research capabilities, and increase productivity to generate new research.
  • Core or Center of Excellence (P30) grants, designed for institutions with several years of demonstrated research success, support interdisciplinary collaborative research programs among established investigators in specific areas of basic and/or clinical research of strategic interest to NINR.
  • Although technically distinct from Centers, Research Program Project (P01) grants are available to a group of investigators at institutions with proven and long-established records of research. These investigators generally have differing areas of expertise and wish to collaborate in research by pooling their talents and resources. Program project grants are organized around a set of closely related projects related to a well-defined scientific problem, and are designed to achieve results not attainable by a single investigator working independently.

Extramural Research Training and Career Development

Through its OEP, NINR offers a range of extramural training awards and opportunities.

NINR supports National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) for pre- and postdoctoral training through individual awards (F31, F32 respectively) and institutional grants (T32), as well as senior fellowships for experienced investigators (F33). This support ensures that there will be an adequate pool of well-trained nurse scientists to meet future research needs.

For postdoctoral and established investigators, the K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award provides for a period of additional mentored research experience with an expert investigator for career enhancement or to gain expertise in a new area.

NINR participates in the NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award, which offers another excellent opportunity for highly promising, postdoctoral research scientists. This award uses the combination K99/R00 funding mechanism, and is designed to facilitate receipt of an R01 award earlier in an investigator's research career. The PI Award provides up to 5 years of support consisting of 2 phases: 1-2 years of mentored support, followed by up to 3 years of independent support for career transition, contingent on securing an independent research position. Award recipients will be expected to compete successfully for independent R01 support from NIH during the career transition period.

NINR also supports research career awards that offer mentored research experiences for trainees from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. Funded by the K01 training mechanism, investigators have addressed such issues as serious developmental problems in Mexican migrant infants; culturally appropriate community-level suicide prevention programs for American Indian rural youth; improvement of awareness of prostate cancer screening among African American men; and ways to identify triggers or markers for increased risk for sudden death in Asian heart failure patients.

Other career development awards offered by NINR’s OEP include the NINR Career Transition Award (K22); the Mentored Patient-oriented Research Career Development Award (K23); the Translational Scholar Career Award in Pharmaco-genomics and Personalized Medicine (K23); and the Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24).

In addition, NINR has developed a CD-ROM program titled "Discover Nursing Research." This program presents interviews with nurse scientists and their doctoral students as a way to improve understanding of the scope of nursing science and recruit nurses into research careers. Copies are available upon request.

Division of Intramural Research

NINR continues to build its campus-based Division of Intramural Research (DIR) to help the nursing science community take full advantage of the resources, infrastructure, and mentoring opportunities available at NIH. NINR’s laboratories leverage the benefits of the highly collaborative research environment of the NIH intramural research community, wherein fruitful scientific partnerships can be readily established. The DIR, which seeks to understand the underlying biological mechanisms of a range of symptoms, their effect on patients, and how patients respond to interventions, consists of the Office of the Scientific Director and three branches: Tissue Injury, Symptoms Management, and Biobehavioral. The DIR also offers several research training opportunities.

Tissue Injury Branch

The Tissue Injury Branch currently consists of one unit: Brain Injury. The Brain Injury Unit is exploring the feasibility of using gene expression profiling in traumatic brain injuries to predict outcomes and identify targets for novel therapeutics.

Symptoms Management Branch

The Symptoms Management Branch consists of two units: Pain Research and Symptoms Biology. The Pain Research Unit is currently focused on:

  • identifying molecular-genetic mechanisms that contribute to individual variation in pain and analgesia,
  • evaluating the reciprocal interplay between inflammation, gene expression and inhibitory drugs as mechanisms of individual variability in therapeutic response and adverse events,
  • understanding the etiology of fibromyalgia, and
  • identifying cytokine and chemokine biomarkers and associated signaling pathways in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)

To better understand the role of genetics and epigenetics among the multitude of factors that influence pain perception and other symptoms and to develop better ways to manage them, NINR’s translational genomics research team is currently conducting genome-wide association studies of NSAID toxicity, phantom limb pain, and ischemic stroke. It has also initiated studies of epigenetic changes associated with cancer-related fatigue, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The current focus of the Symptoms Biology Unit is on the nature and causes of fatigue, first in relation to sarcoidosis and, more recently, in association with cancer treatments. Using multiple clinical and self-reporting measures of fatigue to chart changes that occur during and after localized radiation therapy in previously active men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, the unit has identified 83 genes whose expression over time is significantly correlated with changes in fatigue scores. An initial analysis of the pathways implicated by these genes — and subsequent validation studies — has generated several hypotheses about the molecular basis of fatigue development.

Biobehavioral Branch

The Biobehavioral Branch consists of two units: Biobehavioral and Clinical Neuroscience.

The focus of research in the Biobehavioral Unit is to more fully understand the mechanisms involved in symptom distress related to digestive disorders, specifically the biobehavioral relationships between inflammation and patient symptoms. It seeks to identify genetic or other biologic/physiologic factors that predict patient-related clinical outcomes. The Clinical Neuroscience Unit seeks to better understand the influence of circadian rhythms on symptoms such as pain and sleep.

Intramural Research Training and Career Development

NINR’s DIR provides research training through several mechanisms. Post-baccalaureate training positions are available that allow BSN-prepared nurses interested in exploring a career in research to spend a year engaged in biomedical investigation in the DIR laboratories. Pre- and postdoctoral fellowship positions, as well as summer internships, are also available.

Another training opportunity, the NINR Career Transition Award (K22), provides up to 3 years of support for research training in an NINR or NIH intramural laboratory, followed by 2 years of support for an independent program of research in an extramural institution. It is anticipated that awardees will subsequently obtain a research project grant to support the continuation of their work.

The DIR also supports the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP). The NINR GPP is a doctoral fellowship training program that combines the academic environment of a university with the breadth and depth of research resources available at NIH. The NINR GPP is open to students currently enrolled in a school of nursing doctoral program. NINR celebrated its first 2 graduates from the GPP in 2008. The GPP has been a very successful program, and those who have completed it exemplify how NINR is working to prepare the nurse scientists of the future. View Image.

Through the DIR, NINR sponsors the Summer Genetics Institute (SGI), an intensive research training program held at NIH. The SGI provides a foundation in molecular genetics for use in research and clinical practice and features both lecture and hands-on laboratory training. The purpose of the SGI is to increase the research capability among graduate students and faculty, and develop and expand the basis for clinical practice in genetics among clinicians. The program awards eight hours of graduate-level college credit. SGI graduates are making a difference in their communities in many ways. They are successfully building programs of research in genetics related to nursing; disseminating findings through publications and scientific conference presentations; and integrating genetics content into nursing school curricula across the country.

The NINR DIR also participates in the NIH Lasker Clinical Research Scholar (Lasker Scholar) program. The Lasker Scholar program supports a small number of exceptional clinical researchers in the early stages of their careers to promote their development to fully independent scientists. It combines a period of research experience as a tenure-track Principal Investigator in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) with an opportunity for additional years of independent financial support, either within the IRP or at an extramural (outside of NIH) research institution. NINR’s DIR preferred areas of research include molecular-genetic mechanisms that contribute to symptoms biology; discovery of novel mechanisms and development of investigational strategies for fatigue, chemotherapy-induced and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, chronic abdominal pain, fibromyalgia, traumatic brain injury, and sickle cell disease pain; and integrative medicine.

NINR’s DIR also offers, a free research training workshop, "Developing Nurse Scientists, " which provides participants with the knowledge and skill development needed to submit competitive grant applications to NIH for research funding. Available online at NINR’s website, the workshop is targeted to doctoral nursing students and nurses of any level who are interested in returning to school to pursue a career in research.

The NINR brochure “Research Training Grants and Opportunities” provides an overview of both the extramural and intramural training programs offered by NINR.

Leadership in End-of-Life Research

In recent years, many factors have converged to increase public and professional interest in issues surrounding the end of life.

The 1997 report from the Institute of Medicine, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life, found widespread dissatisfaction with end-of-life care and many gaps in our scientific knowledge of this phase of life. In response, NINR sponsored a workshop on the symptoms of terminal illness. Later that year, the NIH Director designated NINR as the lead Institute within NIH for end-of-life research. NINR studies on the management of pain and other symptoms, family decision-making, caregiving, advance planning, and the maintenance of the health and function of the elderly and the critically ill provided an important base of knowledge on which to build. NINR has sponsored several community events to gather input on concerns related to end-of-life issues.

In December 2004, NINR co-sponsored the NIH State of the Science conference, Improving End-of-Life Care, bringing together almost 1,000 health care practitioners from around the world. This conference served to evaluate the current state of the science in end-of-life care and to determine future directions for research. It also highlighted the interactions among patients, caregivers, and the health system, and their effects on outcomes. The consensus statement from this conference is available here.

In 2009, NINR released a patient information brochure entitled: "Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You're Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness." In 2011, it released the Spanish version: Cuidados Paliativos: El alivio que necesita cuando tiene síntomas de una enfermedad grave. Both brochures are copyright free and may be downloaded and reproduced without charge from NINR’s Publications webpage. To order print copies or printer files to produce larger quantities, please email info@ninr.nih.gov or call 301-496-0207.

In 2011, NINR convened a three-day, trans-NIH national summit on "The Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care. " This summit was intended to examine the state of research and clinical practice in end-of-life and palliative care (EOL PC). With speakers from multiple disciplines and almost 1,000 registrants, it also provided an opportunity for scientists, health care professionals, and public advocates to gather together, talk, and network. The summit commenced with "The Ethics of Science at the End of Life: A Town Hall Discussion." The Town Hall was the first NIH Institute-led public forum on ethics and research in EOL PC. A videocast of summit highlights is available on NINR's website at http://www.ninr.nih.gov/ResearchAndFunding/scienceofcompassion.

NINR participates as a member of the NIH End of Life and Palliative Care Special Interest Group (EOL PC SIG). Membership is open to anyone with a shared interest in EOL PC science, including researchers across NIH ICs, academia, fellows/trainees, clinicians, students, and interested professionals and non-scientists. The NIH EOL PC SIG serves as an important source for ideas and inter-institute discussions of ongoing activities in end-of-life and palliative care research, and provides a forum to foster career development, investigator training, and opportunities to collaborate in new initiatives. In 2010, NINR hosted a kick-off lecture for the new NIH EOL PC SIG, "Learning from elders about meeting the challenges of the last phase of life, " given by Dr. Eva Kahana of Case Western Reserve University.

Supported by a trans-NIH organizing committee from NCI, NINR, NHLBI, NCCAM, NIA, and the NIH Clinical Center, the NIH EOL PC SIG meets four times a year on the NIH campus. Lectures and discussions reflect emerging scientific issues such as challenging research methodologies, new technologies, interventions, treatments, resources, and training. The group also has an active listserv that exchanges EOL PC research information, grant opportunities, news items, and educational events.

For more information or to subscribe to the listserv, please visit the NIH EOL PC SIG website at: http://sigs.nih.gov/eolpc.

NINR and Trans-NIH Initiatives

NINR plays an active role in several trans-NIH initiatives, including:

  • The NIH Public Trust Initiative
  • The NIH Pain Consortium
  • The NIH Neuroscience Blueprint
  • The NIH Science of Behavior Change Roadmap initiative
  • The NIH OppNet
  • The NIH Common Fund's Health Economics Working Group
  • The NIH Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Coordinating Committee

Dr. Grady serves as the co-chair of the NIH Public Trust Initiative (PTI). The goal of the PTI is to improve the public's health by promoting trust in biomedical and behavioral research. In 2007, the PTI launched the Partners in Research (PIR) program to develop partnerships between scientific or research institutions and community organizations, which were intended to:

  • facilitate discussion of the health care needs and interests of the community,
  • develop and implement research programs that address these needs,
  • study methods to engage and inform the public regarding health science,
  • improve public understanding of the benefits of publicly funded research, and
  • communicate the results of this research.

The PIR grant program was administered by NINR and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on behalf of the NIH.

NINR is a key member of the NIH Pain Consortium, which Dr. Grady co-chairs. The consortium promotes collaboration among the many NIH Institutes and Centers that conduct or fund pain research. NINR is also a member of the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint, which is designed to develop resources (i.e., people, tools, methods, knowledge bases) for the advancement of research in neuroscience. NINR involvement in these areas opens further avenues of research to NINR-supported investigators.

NINR is a co-sponsor of the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Roadmap initiative, and Dr. Grady serves as an SOBC Roadmap Development co-chair. Advancing the science of behavior change has been identified as a top priority for NIH-wide research efforts, and this initiative is focused on developing new and innovative approaches to enhance health-related behavior change.

In 2009, NIH launched the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet), a trans-NIH initiative to expand the agency’s funding of basic behavioral and social sciences research (b-BSSR). Basic-BSSR studies mechanisms and processes that influence behavior at the individual, group, community and population level. Research results lead to new approaches for reducing risky behaviors and improving the adoption of healthy practices. All NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) share the mission of supporting b-BSSR. Representatives for NINR are involved in the OppNet Steering Committee and other working groups and initiatives. OppNet will also develop a plan for focused multi-year programs across ICs to advance priority topics within b-BSSR.

NINR is also a member of the NIH Common Fund's Health Economics Working Group, which was established in the wake of health care reform to support research on specific features of the structure or organization of health care delivery organizations and reimbursement systems to better understand how health care technologies are adopted and combined by health care providers, how they are applied or used for specific patients, and how those features could be modified to enhance efficiency.

The NIH actively participates in federal CER efforts. To enhance those efforts, it established the CER Coordinating Committee, which also helps ensure the optimal use of CER stimulus funds, develops funding recommendations for the NIH Director, and defines NIH’s role in future CER efforts. Dr. Grady is NINR's primary representative on the NIH CER Coordinating Committee.

For more information about NINR, nursing science, and research training opportunities, please visit the NINR website at: www.ninr.nih.gov.

This page last reviewed on April 5, 2012

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