Welcome to NINR

Welcome to the National Institute of Nursing Research. We are dedicated to improving the health and health care of Americans through the funding of nursing research and research training. Our mission is to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. This mission is accomplished through support of research in a number of science areas.  Among those areas of research are chronic and acute diseases, health promotion and maintenance, symptom management, health disparities, caregiving, self-management, and the end of life. NINR also supports the training of new investigators who bring new ideas and help to further expand research programs. The ultimate goal of our research is its dissemination into clinical practice and into the daily lives of individuals and families.

Dr. Patricia A. Grady

About the Director

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 Medicine and School of Nursing.

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.

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

Selected Interviews and Articles

UCSF “Science of Caring” online magazine – Dr. Grady was interviewed by the University of California, San Francisco on the state of the palliative care field.             

UCSF "Science of Caring" online magazine -- Dr. Grady and NINR-supported researchers were quoted in a feature story on the growing national interest in palliative care.

Healthcallings.com – Dr. Grady was interviewed on career trends for nursing researchers. 

Applied Nursing Research - Dr. Grady authored an editorial titled "The National Institute of Nursing Research: Delivering on the Promise."

NIH Radio Interview - Dr. Grady discusses palliative care awareness as part of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

ONS Connect - Dr. Grady Explains How Nursing Research Improves Patient Care

Heart & Lung - An editorial by Dr. Grady on the National Nursing Research Roundtable.

AACN "Syllabus" - 10 Questions with Dr. Grady (interview begins on page 4)

Nature Medicine - Dr. Grady is quoted on the increasing numbers of nurse scientists working as principal investigators in clinical trials.

The Lancet Neurology - Dr. Grady is interviewed on the importance of neurological nurse specialists in the United Kingdom.

Nursing Spectrum - Dr. Grady is quoted as part of coverage of NINR's 25th Anniversary Concluding Scientific Symposium.

Washingtonian Magazine - Dr. Grady was named one of "Washington's 100 Most Powerful Women" for 2011 for her leadership of NINR and increasing the recognition of the importance of nurses and nursing science in the delivery of heath care.

Nursing Spectrum - Dr. Grady is interviewed on NINR's recent Summit on End-of-Life and Palliative Care.

Oncology Times - Dr. Grady is quoted along with several scientific speakers from NINR's August 10-12, 2011 "Science of Compassion" Summit event on end-of-life and palliative care research.

Nursing Outlook - Dr. Grady's July 2011 article "Advancing the health of our aging population: A lead role for nursing science."

Nursing Spectrum - Dr. Grady and NINR Deputy Director Dr. Mary Kerr were interviewed on the occasion of NINR's 25th Anniversary year. The article, "Mission Possible," details NINR's past, present and future research and training priorities.

Nurse.com - Dr. Grady's recent visit to Georgetown University's School of Nursing & Health Studies is recapped.

University of Maryland Nursing - Dr. Grady was profiled by the University of Maryland's School of Nursing alumni magazine for its Fall/Winter 2010 issue.

MedHunters.com/HealtheCareers.com - Dr. Grady discusses the shortage of nurse scientists and faculty, and gives advice on getting started in a research career

Nursing Outlook - An article by Dr. Grady, "Creating a healthier tomorrow through research, practice, and policy," commemorating NINR's 25th anniversary.

Georgetown University News - Dr. Grady, a Georgetown alumna, presented an October 20, 2010 lecture to the University's School of Nursing & Health Studies.

American Journal of Nursing - The October 2010 issues of the AJN features an article marking NINR's 25th anniversary. The story examines what nursing science has achieved to date and how new approaches must continue to evolve.

American Journal of Nursing Podcast - A conversation with Dr. Grady as NINR commemorates 25 years of nursing science at the NIH.

Nursing Outlook - An article by Dr. Grady on translational research and nursing science from the May/June 2010 issue of Nursing Outlook.

NurseConnect.com - Dr. Grady was one of "Four RNs Who Have Made a Difference" profiled by the site for National Nurses Week.

Health Care Horizons Magazine - Dr. Grady was profiled by Georgetown University's School of Nursing & Health Studies' alumni magazine.

Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine - Dr. Grady discusses the unique role of nursing research and how to encourage the next generation of scientists. Spring 2010.

NIH Radio Interview - Dr. Grady discusses how a nurse-led behavioral intervention can lessen depression in stroke survivors. August 2009.

Nursing Outlook - Dr. Grady authored an article on the NINR Research Centers Program in Vol. 57, Number 2, issue of Nursing Outlook

MedlinePlus Magazine - Dr. Grady and NINR were featured in the Spring 2008 edition of MedlinePlus magazine. The article discussed NINR's role at NIH and in the health care landscape, while highlighting key research the Institute has funded.

Nursing Notes Newsletter  - Dr. Grady was interviewed for the April 2008 edition of "Nursing Notes," a newsletter distributed by Johnson & Johnson, as part of the company's "Discover Nursing" campaign.

Q&A with Dr. Grady - Dr. Grady was interviewed by Nursing Spectrum on how to get started in nursing research.

Nursing Research Sets Patient Care Standards - Dr. Grady was interviewed by Nursing Spectrum as part of an article highlighting the importance of nursing research.

NIH Radio Interview - Dr. Grady talks about an NINR-funded study showing that a child’s weight may be influenced by the mother even before the child is actually born. December 2005.

Improving End of Life Care - J Palliat Med. 2005;8 Suppl 1:s1-3. Introduction: Papers from the National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference on Improving End-of-Life Care. NINR and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research, along with many co-sponsors, held an interdisciplinary State-of-the-Science Conference on Improving End-of-Life Care in October 2005.

A Successful Kickoff - Nursing Outlook, February 2006. A description of the conference that began the year-long celebration of NINR’s 20th anniversary.

NINR Working Group on Optimizing pregnancy outcomes in minority populations - Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;192(5 Suppl):S1-2.

Biological researchers: building nursing science - Nursing Outlook, March-April 2005. A survey of nurse investigators funded by the NIH who carry out biological research.

NINR Director & others review nursing and the genomic revolution - Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 37(2):98-101, 2005.

Guest Commentary in the NCI Cancer Bulletin - May 25, 2004