Strategic Vision | NHLBI

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) presents the updated Strategic Vision — a dynamic document that guides the Institute in its mission to advance scientific discovery, improve health, and save lives.

Overview

Four goals broadly define the NHLBI's vision.
Eight objectives provide a framework that help address one or more of those goals.
Five crosscutting themes run throughout the objectives and address complex areas of critical need.
More than 130 compelling questions and critical challenges reflect research priorities that support the goals, objectives, and crosscutting themes.

There is an increased focus on ensuring that our science meets the needs of all, with deeper attention to eliminating health disparities among various populations and communities across the country that experience a more significant burden from chronic diseases and conditions.

Download the full Strategic Vision

Strategic Goals

To understand human biology in order to promote health and resilience;
To reduce human disease by stimulating discovery about the causes of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders;
To advance translational research by swiftly moving basic research findings to further discoveries, and into clinical practice; and
To develop a strong workforce and resources by fostering the training and mentoring of emerging scientists and physicians.

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Strategic Objectives

Eight objectives propel heart, lung, blood, and sleep sciences forward by identifying the research opportunities and strategic investments needed in areas ripe for discovery.

1

Understand normal biological function and resilience

2

Investigate newly discovered pathobiological mechanisms important to the onset and progression of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders

3

Investigate factors that account for differences in health status among populations

4

Identify factors that account for individual differences in pathobiology and in response to treatments

5

Develop and optimize novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategics to prevent, treat, and cure heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders

6

Optimize clinical and implementation research to improve health and to reduce disease

7

Leverage emerging opportunities in data science to open new frontiers in research on heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders

8

Further develop and sustain a scientific workforce capable of accomplishing the NHLBI's mission

Crosscutting Themes

Five crosscutting themes span all eight objectives and represent complex scientific challenges that require strategic support to create significant biomedical advances.

Harnessing data science and new technologies

Harnessing data science and new technologies to drive scientific discovery and precision health.

Addressing Health Disparities

Using novel approaches for addressing health disparities and tackling their biological underpinnings for heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

Importance of Lifestyle

Furthering the science on the importance of lifestyle behaviors.

Community and Patient Engagement

Leveraging the power of community and patient engagement.

Women's Health

Supporting women's health through the lifespan

Compelling Questions and Critical Challenges

Compelling questions (CQ) and critical challenges (CC) are conceptual tools that help more fully explore challenges and opportunities related to the goals, objectives, and crosscutting themes.

CQs are unanswered questions or poorly understood areas of research that require broad NHLBI support because their complexity exceeds the capacity of any one investigator-initiated program.
CCs are barriers or impediments to scientific progress that, if overcome, will result in significant advances in biomedical knowledge.

View the CQs and CCs in the downloadable NHLBI Strategic Vision