Organization | NICHD

Learn about NICHD's organizational structure and the focus and functions of its components.

Office of the Director (OD)

NICHD Director: John Gaitanis, M.D. 

NICHD Deputy Director: Dorothy Fink, M.D. 

NICHD OD provides overall leadership, planning, direction, coordination, and evaluation of the institute's research programs and activities. OD also develops internal policies and procedures and monitors their implementation and maintenance.

In addition, NICHD OD leads the institute's efforts in the assessment and dissemination of information to the scientific community, clinical practitioners, and the public. It contains several divisions and offices:

DMO advises the NICHD director on administrative matters and advises the director and senior staff on implications and impact of plans and programs from other departmental levels and federal agencies that affect budget, personnel, equal employment, grant, contract, information technology, or administrative services.

In addition, DMO plans and directs financial, personnel, equal employment, grant, contract, information technology, and administrative management functions of the institute. The office also develops and implements institute-wide policies and procedures on administrative matters.

OC serves as NICHD's liaison with several different audiences, including other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, professional societies, news media, and the public.

OC staff functions include developing content for websites and social media, working with the press to disseminate news and coordinate interviews with NICHD experts, generating publications/materials for the public, and responding to Freedom of Information Act requests, among other activities.

ODSS was established in 2021 to lead and coordinate NICHD’s activities within data science, bioinformatics, data sharing policy and compliance, and emerging technologies.

ODSS's vision is to enable a culture of responsible and innovative use of data and biospecimens that accelerates research and improves health for NICHD populations. The office's mission is to:

  • Develop a diverse, secure, and interoperable research data ecosystem
  • Advise on best practices and standards for data collection, management, sharing, and use across the research and funding lifecycles
  • Advance scientific discovery in support of NICHD's mission to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all

ODSS is a trusted informational resource for NICHD staff and researchers on all NIH data and specimen sharing policies.

ODSS serves as NICHD's primary liaison with the NIH Office of the Director's Office of Data Science and Strategy, to ensure engagement in large NIH data-science and emerging technology programs and ensure alignment with NIH, HHS, and federal programs and policies.

OGH seeks to improve health worldwide by providing leadership, coordination, and support for NICHD's global health mission and activities.

OLPPE was originally established in 1999 as the Office of Legislative and Public Liaison. The office was renamed in 2003 to the Office of Legislation and Public Policy and revised to its current name in 2021.

The office supports a variety of institute functions related to legislation and federal advisory committees, public liaison, partnerships, controlled correspondence, and other special projects, including ethical conduct of employees.

OLPPE includes the following branches:

  • Ethics Branch, Theodore Dougenik, Chief
     

Descriptions of OLPPE activities within these areas appear within the following sections:

Legislation, Federal Advisory Committees, and Public Policy

  • Advises the NICHD director and staff on matters relating to public policy that come from Congress, the Executive Branch, and advocacy groups.
  • Monitors, analyzes, and reports on public policy activities relevant to NICHD and NIH.
    Acts as a resource for the NICHD Office of the Director and staff in providing information and describing research activities to Congress.
  • Develops and issues reports and briefing materials on the institute's research activities, programs, and policies for use in hearings, briefings, and meetings.
    Serves as the point of contact for the Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis within the NIH Office of the Director.
  • For more information:
    • NICHD Budget and Appropriations includes Congressional justifications, significant item responses, testimony presented before Congress, and a link to the NICHD grants map.
    • NICHD Legislative History outlines relevant laws that authorized or affected NICHD programs or research activities.

Public Liaison

  • Coordinates responses to inquiries and requests from outside organizations and constituency groups.
  • Communicates with outside research advocacy groups on a wide variety of research-related issues, including the impact of legislative language on the institute's activities.
  • Conveys to outside organizations opportunities for public input and identifies new avenues for public involvement with the institute.
  • Serves as the institute's point of contact for the Friends of NICHD coalition.

For more information: NIH Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis

Public-Private Partnerships

  • Serves as the point of contact for inquiries and initial discussions on possible partnerships.
  • Provides assistance and input on the institute's public-private partnerships.
  • Develops partnership agreements for the institute.

For more information: Partnering with the NICHD

Controlled Correspondence and Other Special Projects

  • Works with the NICHD director, deputy director, and program staff to manages and responds to the Institute's official correspondence assigned by the Executive Secretariat of the NIH.
  • Implements special projects on an as-needed basis, as directed by the director or deputy director, such as representing NICHD on the trans-NIH Clinical Trials Awareness Working Group.
  • Houses the NICHD Ethics Branch, which advises NICHD staff and manages requirements for employee ethical conduct within the context of outside activities, financial disclosures, conflicts of interest, political activity, and other areas. For more information, visit the NIH Ethics Program website.

For more information: NIH Executive Secretariat

OSPRA provides data analysis, science policy, and planning across NICHD. Working with the other components of the Office of the Director and with extramural and intramural scientists, OSPRA prepares a large number of reports on NICHD's activities and their impact on science and public health, and provides information to requesters within the NIH, DHHS, Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies. The Office develops, maintains, and rigorously analyzes detailed data on NICHD's programs and their impact.

OSPRA has developed an extensive database describing the scientific foci of NICHD research grants and projects—past and present—to support reporting and data analysis. In addition, OSPRA develops and analyzes data on NICHD-supported research literature, program funding and activities, and scientific and policy outcomes to assess the operations and outcomes of NICHD programs. OSPRA also coordinates science planning and policy activities across NICHD, including operational and strategic planning, at the institute level and for interdisciplinary scientific topics that cut across organizational boundaries.

OSPRA includes two branches:

  • Referral and Program Analysis Branch (RPAB) supports and advances the institute's scientific mission by providing accurate referral, program analysis, and interpretation and classification of the scientific interest of all projects submitted to NICHD.
  • Science Policy, Planning, and Evaluation Branch (SPPEB) supports and advances the institute's scientific mission by providing scientific policy support, program planning processes, and program evaluation.

Division of Extramural Research

Director: Rohan Hazra, M.D.

DER develops, implements, and coordinates cross-cutting, multidisciplinary research activities within NICHD's mission. The research portfolio is quite broad, including biological, behavioral, and clinical research related to conception and pregnancy, normal and abnormal development in childhood, reproductive health, and population dynamics across the lifespan. While NICHD's Division of Intramural Research conducts laboratory and clinical research programs at NIH, DER coordinates and funds research and training programs across the United States and many other countries through grants and contracts.

DER advises the NICHD Director on extramural research and training policies and activities. It also provides scientific peer review, grants management, and program management and oversight for roughly 3,500 competing grant applications and over 450 new and competing awards each year. With a focus on scientific priorities and research integrity, DER leads implementation of extramural policies and procedures for NICHD.

CDBB supports basic and translational research and training that addresses the typical neurocognitive, psychological, behavioral, physical, and social-emotional development and health of infants, children, and adolescents. The branch explores how individual differences in development, as well as family and other social relationships, are affected by genetic and environmental influences including emerging societal trends (e.g., increased reliance on technology and digital media), as well as public health emergencies. The branch also supports basic research to identify the mechanisms by which atypical development and related health outcomes in children and adolescents, including those with learning disabilities, arise from or are differentially affected by genetic and environmental risk/protective factors. The branch uses these findings to inform translational prevention, intervention, and health promotion studies designed to enhance their lives.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Pediatric Primary Care: Supports research on how primary care providers and primary care systems can promote children's health, development, and well-being, with a focus on research to bolster the evidence base for pediatric clinical preventive services.
    Neurodevelopment, Cognition, and Behavior: Supports basic research on the developmental pathways leading to typical and atypical cognitive and brain development and developmental mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior at the molecular, genetic, cellular, and brain structural and functional levels
  • Early Learning and School Readiness: Supports basic and translational developmental research to specify the experiences that prepare children for a successful transition to school entry and later achievement and long-term follow-up to quantify the long-term effect of early intervention programs
    • NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (Historical/For Reference Only): Completed study that analyzed how different non-maternal child care arrangements related to measurements of the children's health, behavior, school performance, and other health indicators
  • Language Development and Multilingualism: Includes research in language development and psycholinguistics throughout the lifespan, including bilingualism/multilingualism and/or second-language acquisition
    • Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) Initiative: An NIH-wide initiative that supports activities to better understand early language development and the learning trajectories and needs of late-talking children. TALK will expand the study of language development to a broader range of populations and identify potential risk factors for late talking.
  • Mathematics and Science Cognition, Reasoning, and Learning: Development and Disorders: Supports projects in basic and intervention research on mathematical thinking and problem solving, as well as on scientific reasoning, learning, and discovery, across all ages from infancy into early adulthood
  • Literacy and Related Learning Disabilities: Focuses on research and training initiatives to increase understanding of both normal and atypical development of reading and writing. This includes development of prevention, remediation, and instructional approaches to enhance these abilities
    • Learning Disabilities Innovation Hubs: Research network that addresses the causes, symptoms, and treatments of learning disabilities that affect reading, writing, and mathematics
    • Learning Disabilities Research Centers Consortium: Research consortium that aims to develop knowledge on the causes, origins, and developmental courses of learning disabilities
    • National Reading Panel (Historical/For Reference Only): Branch-led panel from 2000 that evaluated existing research and evidence to identify the best ways of teaching children to read; includes National Reading Panel Publications
  • Social and Emotional Development/Child and Family Processes: Supports research and research training relevant to normative social, emotional, and personality development in children, from the newborn period through adolescence. This includes studies of family processes, child maltreatment, exposure to violence, and human-animal interaction
  • Technology and Digital Media: This program supports basic and translational research as well as training initiatives on exposure to and use of technology and digital media (TDM) across development, from infancy through adolescence

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Brett Miller, Acting Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Learning Sciences: reading, writing, and related learning disabilities; dyslexia/reading disability; mathematics and science learning and related learning disabilities
  • Layla Esposito, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Social and emotional development and child and family processes, human-animal interaction
  • Julia Garside, Program Analyst
  • Lauren Jones, Extramural Staff Assistant
  • Tracy King, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: General pediatrics/pediatric primary care; pediatric clinical prevention services; developmental and behavioral pediatrics; transition from pediatric to adult health care
  • Laureen Lee, Staff Assistant
  • Parisa Parsafar, Ph.D., Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Development of social and affective processes, risk and resilience, early learning and school readiness. small business programs
  • Virginia C. Salo, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Language development throughout the lifespan; preverbal communication; multilingualism and/or second-language acquisition; technology and digital media; neurodevelopment

CRB supports research and research training concerning:

  • Effects of contraception on human health
  • New and improved methods of human contraception

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Contraception Research and Development: Promotes contraceptive research and development and training opportunities for preventing or reducing unintended pregnancies
  • Contraceptive Development Research Center Program (CDRCP): Focuses the efforts of individual research centers on developing new contraceptive products for men and women
  • Preclinical Contraceptive Development Program (PCDP): Aims to expand research leading to the development of new male and female contraceptive approaches
  • Chemical Screening and Optimization Facility (CSOF): Supports discovery, development, and optimization of identified male and female contraceptive agents, lead compounds, and potential drug products
  • Biological Testing Facility (BTF): Supports biologic studies for preclinical compound and device development and advancement of identified male and female contraceptive agents

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Daniel S. Johnston, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Contraceptive development and evaluation; investigator-initiated research grants; Biological Testing Facility
  • Leigh Allen, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Contraceptive development; structural biology; investigator-initiated research grants; Preclinical Contraceptive Development Program; Biological Testing Facility; phased innovation awards; contraceptive behavioral research; multipurpose prevention technologies
  • Maria Hill, Extramural Staff Assistant
  • Christopher C. Lindsey, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Contraception product development; medicinal chemistry; Chemical Screening and Optimization Facility; Preclinical Contraceptive Development Program; Contraceptive Development Research Centers Program
  • Ying Liu, Program Analyst

DBCAB, formerly known as the Developmental Biology and Structural Variation Branch, focuses on deciphering the biological causes of structural congenital anomalies. Understanding the etiology of these errors in embryonic development provides the most promising route for improving prevention, diagnosis, and implementation of evidence-based treatments for patients and families affected by these rare diseases and conditions.

In addition to studies focused on identifying and elucidating the roles of gene variants, environmental perturbations, and other factors causing structural congenital anomalies, DBCAB supports studies to advance our understanding of the fundamental processes underlying formation and differentiation of the embryo. This basic knowledge is crucial for understanding how the process of embryogenesis can go awry.

Major program areas for the branch include early embryonic development and differentiation, biophysics/biomechanics of development, developmental neurobiology, organogenesis, regeneration, regenerative medicine, systems developmental biology, and developmental genetics, including genomic analysis of human structural congenital anomalies. The branch also administers the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, led by the NIH Common Fund, as well as NIH-wide coordination of research on congenital anomalies.

Branch research programs:

  • Biophysics/Biomechanics of Development: Examines how biophysical forces and mechano-transduction contribute to morphogenetic events regulating embryonic development and patterning
  • Developmental Genetics and Genomics: Identifies and characterizes the genes, genetic networks, and epigenetic factors that control developmental processes to understand how alterations in them lead to structural congenital anomalies
  • Developmental Neurobiology: Examines mechanisms that control the early pattern of the developing nervous system, neurogenesis, differentiation, axonal guidance, neural crest differentiation and migration, and neural tube formation and defects
  • Early Embryonic Development: Seeks to explain the cellular and molecular mechanisms directing the zygote to establish the embryonic plan for developing a complex, multicellular organism
  • Organogenesis: Studies mechanisms underlying typical development of organ primordia against which aberrations can be better understood
  • Regenerative Biology: Examines key biological events underlying tissue regeneration by supporting research in model organisms
  • Stem Cell Biology: Promotes research on basic stem cell biology essential for creating therapeutic opportunities to maximize functional integration and clinical recovery
  • Systems Developmental Biology: Links isolated molecular and mechanistic descriptions of developmental processes into a foundational framework
  • Congenital Anomalies Initiative: Aims to capitalize on genomic and other biomedical discoveries to further understand the mechanisms responsible for structural congenital anomalies and increase collaborations between basic, translational, and clinical researchers
  • Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First): NIH-wide program supported through the NIH Common Fund and administered by DBCAB that fosters collaborative research to uncover the causes of childhood cancers and congenital anomalies and support data sharing with the pediatric research community
    • Kids First Data Resource Portal: An interoperable data resource that enables cloud-based access, discovery, and analysis of whole genome sequences to accelerate collaborative pediatric research leading to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatments for patients and their families with congenital anomalies or childhood cancers; the branch also funds community resources, animal model systems, research tool development, and training to facilitate the efforts of developmental biology researchers

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Maranke I. Koster, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Congenital anomalies; stem cell biology; lineage differentiation; developmental biology
  • Joy Elimimian, Program Analyst
  • Marcia Fournier, Program Official, Program Manager
    Main Research Areas: Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program
  • Mahua Mukhopadhyay, Program Official
    Main Research Areas: Early embryonic development, including energy metabolism/metabolomics during development and the biophysics and biomechanics of development; stem cell biology; differentiation and integration mechanisms; regeneration biology
  • Katie Stein, Program Official
    Main Research Areas: Developmental genetics and genomics; systems development biology
  • Reiko Toyama, Program Official
    Main Research Areas: Organogenesis; structural congenital anomalies, excluding neural tube defects
  • Marjorie Vandy, Extramural Staff Assistant

FIB's mission is to encourage, enable, and support research aimed at alleviating human infertility, uncovering new possible pathways to control fertility, and expanding fundamental knowledge of processes that underlie human reproduction. To this end, FIB funds basic, clinical, and translational studies to enhance our understanding of typical reproduction and reproductive pathophysiology, as well as to enable the development of more effective strategies for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of conditions that compromise male and female fertility.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Fertility Preservation: Supports basic, clinical, and translational research to preserve and protect reproductive capacity in individuals who are likely to become infertile
  • Male Reproductive Health: Supports research on the physiology and pathophysiology of male reproduction
  • Ovarian Function and Dysfunction: Supports research on the function of the ovary
  • Preimplantation Genetics and Development: Studies the genetic and epigenetic control mechanisms that affect the quality of oocytes and preimplantation embryos
  • Embryonic Gonad and Germ Cell Development: Examines embryonic development of the gonads and germ cells
  • Reproductive Medicine Infertility: Studies etiology and pathophysiology of diseases and disorders that cause human infertility and impaired fecundity
  • Reproductive Neuroendocrinology: Addresses the central neurobiological mechanisms governing gametogenesis and ovulation
  • Uterine Function and Implantation Biology: Supports basic research studies on uterine function involving molecular-, cellular-, tissue-, and organ-level approaches
  • National Centers for Translational Research in Reproduction and Infertility (NCTRI): Promotes multidisciplinary interactions between basic and clinical scientists interested in establishing high-quality translational research programs in the reproductive sciences
  • Consortia For Infertility and Reproductive Medicine (ConFIRM) Clinical Trial Program: Collaborative consortia consisting of two or more linked clinical sites that address important questions in male and female infertility and translate new discoveries into clinical practice; replaces the Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN)
    • Data and Specimen Repository: Stores data and specimens of completed RMN trials, including Assessment of Multiple Intrauterine Gestations from Ovarian Stimulation, Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PPCOS) I, PPCOS II, and Efficiency of the Superovulation and Intrauterine Insemination in the treatment of fertility, for use in other research
  • Clinical Reproductive Scientist Training (CREST) Program: Supports, in partnership with American Society for Reproductive Medicine, training of reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists to conduct clinical research
  • Reproductive Scientist Development Program (RSDP): Develops a cadre of reproductive physician-scientists based in academic departments to address important problems in the field of obstetrics and gynecology

Researcher tools and resources:

  • Researchers: RMN data is now available in NICHD's Data and Specimen Hub (DASH)
  • University of Virginia Ligand Assay and Analysis Core: Provides high-quality and cost-effective assay services
  • Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women's Health Research: This 5-year plan highlights a multipronged pathway to advance a vision in which sex influences are integrated into the biomedical research enterprise; every woman receives evidence-based disease prevention and treatment tailored to her own needs, circumstances, and goals; and women in science careers reach their full potential
  • Human Infertility Allele Database: This NICHD-funded resource lists experimentally validated benign and deleterious single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with human infertility
  • Interlome Gene List: This gene variant database presents NICHD-funded research on pathogenic variants of human genes that are associated with fetal lethality, spontaneous pregnancy loss, recurrent pregnancy loss, intrauterine fetal demise, stillbirth, and neonatal mortality.
  • Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Data Sets: This -omics data repository presents NICHD-funded research on recurrent pregnancy loss. It integrates genetic, clinical, and molecular phenotypic data to discover novel genes and genetic variants that contribute to pregnancy loss and to improve prediction of the loss.
    Teede, H. J., Misso, M. L., Costello, M. F., Dokras, A., Laven, J., Piltonen, T., Normal, R. J., and the International PCOS Network. (2018). Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical Endocrinology, 89, 3 251-268. PMID: 30024653.

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Daniel Johnston, Acting Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Epididymis; sperm; testis; contraception
  • Susan Taymans, Deputy Branch Chief and Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Genetic and epigenetic control of early germ cell development and meiosis; fertility preservation; ovarian function and dysfunction; primary ovarian insufficiency; fertility status and overall health; sex determination and differentiation (in the context of fertility and infertility); training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in reproductive health
  • Clara Cheng, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Trophoblast development and differentiation; early placental formation; female reproductive tract (oviduct, uterus, vagina); uterine function and implantation biology; implantation-based early pregnancy loss; interplay of immune and endocrine systems in blastocyst-uterine interaction
  • Emily Jay, Staff Assistant
  • Travis Kent, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Spermatogenesis; testis biology; sperm function; male reproductive tract (including epididymis and seminal vesicles); semen content; fertilization; sperm/semen contribution to offspring fitness; NCTRI
  • Ying Liu, Program Analyst
  • Ravi Ravindranath, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Totipotent and pluripotent stem cells; embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells; reprogramming; oocyte quality and developmental competence; genetics and epigenetics of preimplantation embryo; reproductive neuroendocrinology; gonadotropins; metabolic signals and reproduction; reproductive behavior
  • Aritro Sen, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Reproductive medicine and infertility; infertility and disease disorders; assisted reproductive technology; strategies for diagnosis and management of infertility; polycystic ovary syndrome; training of clinical scientists in reproductive health; Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer

GHDB aims to improve women's reproductive health by guiding and supporting gynecologic research and career development programs in pursuit of a future in which women lead lives free of the effects of gynecologic disorders.

The branch portfolio includes studies of healthy functioning endometrium and typical menstruation, as well as menstrual problems and pain, especially related to gynecologic disorders such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, and polycystic ovary syndrome. In addition to their association with other overall health problems, these disorders may affect fertility potential, delay pregnancy, and contribute to maternal morbidity and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The branch also has an interest in pelvic organ prolapse as well as urinary and fecal incontinence related to pelvic floor dysfunction. Obstetric fistula and female genital cutting, which affect international and U.S. immigrant communities, are also areas of interest.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Menstruation and Menstrual Disorders: Supports basic, translational, and clinical studies into healthy menstruation and endometrium, as well as the epidemiology, natural history, etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of menstrual disorders
    Uterine Fibroids: Investigates the pathogenesis of fibroid development and growth to develop effective and safe treatments, including those that preserve the uterus
  • Endometriosis and Adenomyosis: Focuses on investigating key factors that contribute to the initiation, establishment, and progression of these disorders as well as development of sensitive, less invasive diagnostics to advance development of improved therapeutic options, with a focus on non-hormonal alternatives
  • Pelvic Floor Disorders (PFDs): Examines the accumulation and analysis of high quality evidence to inform directed methods for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of PFDs
  • Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN): Encourages collaborative research to inform health care providers about diagnosis, care, and treatment of women with PFDs
  • Gynecologic Pain Syndromes: Supports clinical, translational, and basic research on gynecologic pain conditions including chronic pelvic pain, painful menses (dysmenorrhea), dyspareunia, vulvodynia, and vestibulodynia
  • Advancing Cures and Therapies and ending ENDOmetriosis diagnostic delays (ACT ENDO): Seeks to reduce delays in endometriosis diagnosis, improve treatments, and ultimately develop prevention and cure strategies.
  • Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH): Connects junior faculty to senior faculty with shared research interests
  • Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Career Development Program: Provides the opportunity for obstetrician/gynecologists who recently completed postgraduate clinical training to further their education and gain experience in basic, translational, and clinical research

Researcher tools and resources:

  • Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative®): This agency-wide effort, launched in April 2018, focuses on scientific solutions to stem the national opioid crisis, building on established NIH research and networks and including plans to integrate behavioral interventions with medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder
  • NIH Pain Consortium: NIH established this consortium, of which NICHD is a member, to enhance pain research and promote collaboration among researchers across the many NIH institutes and centers that have programs and activities addressing pain
  • Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for Women's Health Research: This 5-year plan highlights a multipronged pathway to advance a vision in which sex influences are integrated into the biomedical research enterprise; every woman receives evidence-based disease prevention and treatment tailored to her own needs, circumstances, and goals; and women in science careers reach their full potential

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Candace Tingen, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Uterine fibroids/leiomyoma; menstrual health and disorders; endometriosis; adenomyosis
  • Helena Ahn, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Gynecologic pain syndromes, including chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia
  • Doris Chen, Scientific Program Analyst
  • Emily Jay, Staff Assistant
  • Donna Mazloomdoost, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: PFDs, including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence; obstetric fistula/female genital mutilation
  • Ebony Parham, Extramural Staff Assistant

IDDB sponsors research and research training aimed at preventing and ameliorating intellectual and related developmental disabilities. When the institute was created in 1962, one of its primary charges was to encourage investigations of human development throughout the lifespan, with an emphasis on understanding intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).

The mission of IDDB is to support a program of research in IDDs, including common and rare neuromuscular and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Down, Fragile X, and Rett syndromes; inborn errors of metabolism; autism spectrum disorders; and conditions currently and soon-to-be detectable through newborn screening. IDDB has a long and recognized history of providing support for a diverse portfolio of research projects, contracts, training programs, and research centers dedicated to promoting the well-being of individuals with IDDs at all stages of development.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Chromosome Abnormalities, Genetic/Genomic Syndromes, and Epigenetic Disorders: Addresses cytogenetic abnormalities, including chromosomal monosomy or trisomy, such as Down syndrome, mosaicism, deletions, and duplications that cause cognitive impairment and morbidity and mortality
  • Genetic, Cellular, and Systems Neuroscience of IDD: Examines these factors as they relate to the development of cognitive, social, and affective brain processes and their long-term implications
  • Biochemical and Metabolic Disorders Associated with IDD: Examines biochemical processes and metabolism as they relate to brain functioning, brain injury, and long-term consequences to the brain
  • Newborn and Population Screening and Diagnosis: Investigates novel screening tools and testing platforms to identify infants at risk for congenital disorders (often biochemical, hematologic, endocrinologic, and/or genetic), as well as the early interventions and therapies that have the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality; includes the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): Examines intellectual problems, language problems, and other medical or genetic conditions related or contribute to ASD
    • Autism Centers of Excellence Program: NICHD-led multidisciplinary research networks and centers that focus on better understanding the causes and mechanisms underlying ASD, improving the efficiency of methods of early identification and diagnosis, and examining innovative and cost-effective services for individuals with ASD across their lifespan
  • Down Syndrome Activities: Describes branch activities related to Down syndrome, including basic science, clinical research, leading the Trans-NIH Down Syndrome Working Group and the public-private Down Syndrome Consortium, and activities related to NIH's INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project
    • DS-Connect®: The Down Syndrome Registry: Outlines this branch-led online health registry for people with Down syndrome, their families, and healthcare providers and researchers who care for and study people with Down syndrome
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver IDD Research Centers (EKS IDDRCs): Aims to advance understanding of the biological and neurological basis of IDDs, as well as development of treatments for a variety of conditions related to IDDs
  • Centers for Collaborative Research in Fragile X and FMR1-Associated Conditions: Multidisciplinary centers supported by multiple NIH institutes to conduct research on improving the diagnosis and treatment of FMR1-associated conditions by facilitating translation of basic research findings from bench to bedside to community
  • Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences-led initiative to advance medical research on rare diseases by providing support for clinical studies and facilitating collaboration, study enrollment, and data sharing
  • Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Centers: Multi-institute initiative to promote collaborative basic, translational, and clinical research on various forms of muscular dystrophy, and to provide research resources that can be used by the broader muscular dystrophy research community

Researcher tools and resources:

  • INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project: NICHD, through its IDDB, leads activities for this trans-NIH project, which seeks to better understand critical health and quality-of-life issues for people with Down syndrome.
  • Jackson Laboratories Cytogenetic Models Resource: The Jackson Lab maintains and distributes chromosome aberration stocks that provide primarily mouse models for Down syndrome.
  • National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA): This NIH-supported informatics platform for data repositories includes relevant data at all levels of biological and behavioral organization (i.e., molecules, genes, neural systems, social and environmental interactions, etc.) and for all data types (e.g., text, numeric, image, time series). NDA was developed to share data across multiple research domains and to facilitate collaboration across laboratories and interconnectivity with other platforms. The National Database for Autism Research constitutes a subset of NDA and houses all NIH-funded ASD-related data.
  • NIH NeuroBioBank: This repository, funded by NICHD, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Aging, is a centralized resource for collecting and distributing brain tissue for research. The bank serves as the single point of access for six biorepositories, including brain and tissue banks at the University of Maryland and the University of Miami established and previously funded by NICHD. Biospecimens in the NeuroBioBank span neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental diseases, disabilities, and disorders.

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Melissa Parisi, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Down syndrome: basic biology and animal models; activities of the INCLUDE Project; genetic syndromes (ciliopathies); IDD genetics; EKS IDDRCs; gastrointestinal disorders and neurodevelopment; rare diseases
  • Sujata Bardhan, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Down syndrome, including basic mechanisms involved in phenotype and clinical studies; DS-Connect®: The Down Syndrome Registry and activities of the INCLUDE Project; mHealth topics related to Down syndrome and IDDs such as technology and assistive devices, telemedicine, and other digital health technologies; small business awards; international programs focused on neurodevelopmental disorders; urea cycle disorders;
  • Bernadette Carter, Staff Assistant
  • Mollie Minear, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Newborn screening (including the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program); ELSI of human genomics research, including genomic data sharing and the return of genomic results to research participants; clinical and human studies of genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, and mitochondrial disorders; Clinical Genome Resource gene/variant curation expert panels; -omics studies of the human transcriptome, metabolome, proteome, and microbiome; cytogenetic abnormalities and chromosomal aneusomy disorders (except Down syndrome)
  • Meghan O'Neill, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Down syndrome and associated medical, neurologic, developmental, and behavioral co-occurring conditions; developmental delay and intellectual disability; autism spectrum disorder; ADHD; learning disabilities; cerebral palsy; other neurobehavioral and neurogenetic disorders
  • Maripierre Surpris, Ph.D., Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Muscular dystrophies; rare genetic syndromes; brain development and brain disorders

MPIDB supports domestic and international research, as well as research training and career development programs related to the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of HIV and its complications in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women. As the HIV epidemic has evolved and other infectious diseases have emerged in the United States and globally, the branch has ensured that its funded research reflects these changes and addresses important opportunities and gaps as they arise, including HIV-associated co-infections such as tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and malaria.

To meet the needs and ongoing challenges of other significant infectious diseases, MPIDB coordinates research on the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of congenital infections, such as Zika virus and cytomegalovirus (CMV); emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19; and vaccine-preventable disease in infants, children, adolescents, and women.

Congruent with the branch's mission, MPIDB supports a number of research programs and networks to improve health outcomes among populations of interest. Two major priorities for branch-funded clinical research networks are: HIV (and TB) therapeutics in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women; and epidemiologic research in individuals living with HIV or at risk for HIV, including infants, children, adolescents, and young adults who were exposed to HIV in utero.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Adolescent HIV Acquisition and Disease: Focuses on understanding HIV transmission dynamics, the course of disease, and its management in youth, including those who acquire HIV perinatally
  • Youth with Perinatally Acquired HIV: Examines the long-term effects of HIV and its treatment on the growth and development, sexual maturation, organ function, and socialization of adolescents and young adults with perinatally acquired HIV, both domestically and internationally  
  • Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Investigates optimizing linkage to care, monitoring of therapy, adherence and durability of therapy, development of drug resistance, short- and long-term outcomes, epidemiology, treatment, and
  • prevention of important co-infections, and other issues
  • Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Women: Focuses on gender-specific manifestations of HIV, including natural history, impact of therapy, transmission, and interactions with hormones
  • HIV and Other Infections in Pregnancy and the Prevention of Perinatal Transmission: Aims to prevent and eliminate perinatal transmission and includes studies during pregnancy, effects of in utero drug exposures on the fetus, long-term follow-up, and evaluation of long-term adverse consequences of expsure
  • Non-HIV Infectious Disease Research: Addresses research gaps in children and pregnant women related to many HIV-associated co-infections
  • Therapeutic Research in HIV and Related Comorbidities: Evaluates new and improved therapies for treatment of HIV and its associated complications in pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents
  • Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings (PATC3H): Works on an international scale to prevent and treat HIV among adolescents and young adults in seven African countries and Brazil
  • Centers for AIDS Research: Provides administrative and shared support to synergistically enhance and coordinate high-quality AIDS research projects
  • International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA): Collects and analyzes maternal and pediatric HIV/AIDS data from seven international regional data centers: four in Africa and one each in the Asia-Pacific region, the Central/South America/Caribbean region, and North America
  • International Maternal, Pediatric, Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network: Evaluates potential therapies for HIV and its related co-infections (e.g., TB) in infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy, including clinical trials of HIV/AIDS interventions for prevention of perinatal transmission
  • NICHD Domestic & International Pediatric & Maternal HIV & other High-Priority Infectious Diseases Clinical Studies Network: Conducts trials related to preventing and treating HIV and its complications in newborns, infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy
  • Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study: Examines long-term safety of fetal and infant exposure to antiretroviral therapy and effects of perinatally acquired HIV in adolescents and young adults
  • Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women's Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study: Investigates ways to understand and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions that affect people with HIV in the United States

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Sonia Lee, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV; neurodevelopment and assessment; behavioral science, including HIV acquisition and HIV exposure in infants, children, and adolescents; programs and networks
  • Denise Russo, Deputy Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: HIV in women; infant immunity
  • Ayanna Brummell, Extramural Scientific Assistant
  • Samantha Calabrese, Public Health Analyst
    Main Research Areas: Portfolio analysis methodology; epidemiology; Zika
  • Allahna Esber, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: HIV in women and adolescents; epidemiology; cohort studies; vaccines; HIV coinfections
  • Maria Hill, Extramural Staff Assistant
  • Eric Lorenzo, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: HIV cure; HIV persistence/latency and reservoirs
  • Sai Majji, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Immune development in early life; effects of chronic and acute maternal infections (e.g., HIV, TB, malaria, CMV); immune-prophylactics and therapeutics in pregnant and non-pregnant women and pediatrics; regulatory affairs; clinical trial monitoring and data sharing and management
  • Jack Moye, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Laboratory quality assurance; biospecimen repository management; virology and immunology research; epidemiologic cohort studies and clinical trials
  • Tracy Hepburn, Program Analyst
  • Franklin Yates, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV prevention and treatment; adult and pediatric infectious diseases; emerging infectious diseases; viral hepatitis prevention and treatment in children and pregnant women

OPPTB supports research and research training on the development and use of safe and effective therapeutics for children and pregnant and lactating women.

The branch promotes basic, translational, and clinical research to evaluate and improve the safety and efficacy of multiple types of therapeutics, such as (but not limited to) pharmaceutical drugs, biologics, medical devices, and regenerative tissue constructs. The branch develops and supports comprehensive national efforts to increase the knowledge base for understanding appropriate therapeutic treatment of diseases and conditions during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and lactation, and for children during infancy, childhood, and the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Branch-supported research includes expanding the genomic understanding and phenotypic characterization of drug responses and leveraging advanced multi-omics technologies; novel clinical trial approaches, data science, and artificial intelligence methods; and pharmacometric modeling tools to inform prevention and treatment strategies. The goal of these efforts is to ensure that therapeutics are appropriately tested for dosing, safety, and effectiveness for individuals within the populations of interest. Individualized and precision-medicine approaches are an important component to treating diseases of these populations.

Multiple knowledge gaps regarding the use of therapeutics in children and pregnant and lactating women have led to inadequate labeling and frequent off-label use of prescription drugs and devices. One of the branch's major activities is implementation of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) legislation, which promotes the prioritization of off-patent drugs and therapeutic areas that need further study in pediatrics. The BPCA allows NICHD to sponsor clinical research of the prioritized therapeutics and to disseminate results to improve pediatric drug labeling. The branch is also active in implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women (PRGLAC).

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Branch Research Focus and Mission: Addresses gaps in knowledge about pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, outcome measures, and biomarkers of disease prevention and treatment for the safe and effective use of therapeutics for children and pregnant and lactating women
    Advancing Knowledge in Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Pediatric, Obstetric, and Lactating Populations: Expands research to help ensure safety and effectiveness of medications and therapeutics for children and pregnant and lactating women in the prevention, treatment, and management of diseases and disorders
  • Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics: Supports translational and clinical research to advance precision medicine through the development of novel tools, models, and other technologies
    Enhancing Medical Devices for Children and Pregnant and Lactating Women: Encourages research that will lead to development of medical devices that will adapt to the needs of growing children as well as for obstetric and gynecologic applications
  • Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) : Seeks to improve pediatric therapeutics through non clinical and clinical research that improves knowledge of pediatric medications; examples of activities under this program includes the following:
    • Pediatric Trials Network : Conducts clinical research to improve the knowledge of dosing, safety, and effectiveness of therapeutics used in neonates and older children and inform drug labeling for these populations
    • T32 Principles of Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Lecture Series: Trains a diverse and highly skilled workforce in new technologies and their application to pediatric therapeutics, integration, and synergistic interaction; includes a weekly webinar (from October to June) on topics in pediatric clinical pharmacology
  • Maternal and Pediatric Precision in Therapeutics (MPRINT) Hub: Aggregates, presents, and expands available knowledge, tools, and expertise in maternal and pediatric therapeutics to the broader research, regulatory science, and drug development communities; this national resource comprises a
  • Knowledge and Research Coordination Center and Centers of Excellence in Therapeutics

Researcher tools and resources:

  • Access data from OPPTB-supported networks and initiatives, such as BPCA and the historic Pediatric Pharmacology Research Units Network in NICHD's Data and Specimen Hub (DASH)
  • PRGLAC Reports and Recommendations: Includes the PRGLAC Report to the HHS Secretary and Congress, the list of recommendations from the report, and the PRGLAC Report Implementation Plan
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Program scientists, staff, and research area:

  • Aaron Pawlyk, Branch Chief 
    Main Research Areas: Assay development and high throughput screening; novel drug and therapeutic discovery; biomarker discovery, validation, and qualification
  • Katie Vance, Associate Branch Chief 
    Main Research Areas: Clinical trial design and implementation; drug discovery and translational research; pharmacology; data science; toxicology; innovative drug development models; electronic health records
  • Camille Fabiyi, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Medications and therapeutics for obstetric conditions and their role in lactation and breastfeeding; the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical research; dissemination and implementation research to support perinatal health outcomes
  • Gabriela Piatkowski, Program Analyst
  • Antonello Pileggi, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric and obstetric devices; diagnostic devices; drug delivery systems; eHealth applications; novel biomaterials; neonatal pharmacology
  • Lesly Samedy Bates, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Developmental pharmacology and therapeutics in pediatrics; translational and clinical research; pharmacogenomics and pharmacoepidemiology; health disparities research
  • Perdita Taylor-Zapata, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric medicine; pharmacology: pediatric clinical trials design and implementation, including BPCA

PGNB serves as the focal point for NICHD extramural research in pediatric endocrinology and nutrition and their impact on health promotion and disease prevention throughout the life course. PGNB also serves as the focal point for NICHD training in child health research.

The branch supports research to understand the relevant biological systems and factors that influence mechanisms of physical and neurological development, beginning in utero and extending through the lifespan, as well as the role and impact of nutritional status in these systems. PGNB also encourages research to explore the external contextual (social, behavioral, and environmental) factors that influence these processes.

Furthermore, PGNB supports translational and systems-based research in the application of behavioral science, medical science, and nutrition science to develop interventions for promoting health and mitigating disease during critical periods in human development.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Developmental Endocrinology: Studies the underlying molecular physiology of congenital and acquired pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and gonadal disorders, as well as diabetes and metabolic syndrome in children, in addition to the development of therapies for these disorder
  • Bone Health in Childhood and Young Adulthood: Examines the regulation of bone accrual in adolescence, the interaction of muscle and bone, and the determinants of peak bone mass
  • Childhood Obesity: Focuses on identifying developmental origins and pathogenesis of childhood obesity, early risk factors and sensitive time periods of exposure to risks for childhood obesity, and the impact of macrosocial policies on the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity
  • Nutrition Science: Supports research leading to the development and implementation of dietary recommendations to promote health and prevent disease; includes studies of nutrient requirements of preterm and growth-restricted infants and the contributions of breastfeeding and human milk and its components to optimal infant nutrition
  • Agriculture and Diet: Value Added for Nutrition, Translation, and Adaptation in a Global Ecology (ADVANTAGE) Project: Explores the intersections that comprise the global nutritional ecology and supports stakeholders as they address ecology-related knowledge and evidence gaps
  • Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development-Knowledge Indicating Dietary Sufficiency (BOND-KIDS): Examines the nutritional needs and assessment issues for school-age children (5 through 19 years)
  • Breastmilk Ecology: Genesis of Infant Nutrition (BEGIN) Project: Examines the ecology of human milk and its functional implications for both the lactating parent and infant
  • Human Milk Composition Initiative (HMCI): Supports development of human milk composition data in the United States and Canada for use by policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders
  • Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) Program: Supports pediatrician-scientists during their junior faculty years, with a focus on training clinicians in basic science to stimulate innovative research in pediatrics and provide a foundation for pursuit of an academic career (visit Institutional Training Grants [T32/K12] for more information)
  • Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP): Supports pediatricians during their fellowship years, providing 2 or 3 years of 100%-protected laboratory time without clinical responsibilities for trainees to explore basic science (visit Institutional Training Grants [T32/K12] for more information)
  • Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH) Program: PGNB leads NICHD's activities on this NIH-wide program, which is supported through the NIH Common Fund. The program seeks to develop algorithms that predict individual responses to food and dietary patterns by applying artificial intelligence, microbiome research, and other advances to the large, diverse participant group of the All of Us research program

Researcher tools and resources:

  • Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS) (Historical/For Reference Only): This multicenter study, supported by NICHD from 2001 to 2011, identified predictors of the timing and magnitude of peak bone mass, a major determinant of osteoporosis in later adulthood. Comparable to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth curves for children and adolescents, the BMDCS developed reference curves for bone mineral density, bone accrual, and linear growth velocities to serve as a valuable tool for both clinicians and investigators worldwide. Data are available in NICHD's Data and Specimen Hub (DASH).
  • Child Health and Development Study (CHDS): The CHDS began in 1959 as a companion to the Collaborative Perinatal Study and includes data on more than 20,000 pregnancies. CHDS data are particularly relevant for investigators studying maternal and placental origins of disease, especially the long-term effects of in utero exposure to organochlorines, such as DDT. Data are available in NICHD's DASH.
  • Fels Longitudinal Study: This large study began in 1929 to evaluate human growth and body composition changes over the lifespan. NICHD funded data collection on more than 1,400 individuals enrolled at birth. The North American Standard Tables of Height and Weight and other standards of bone age and skeletal development used Fels data and are in widespread use in the United States and abroad.
  • Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (HAPO) Study PubMed Articles: These scientific articles resulted from the HAPO study, partially funded by PGNB.
  • National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR): This collaborative effort focuses on accelerating progress to reduce childhood obesity in America, especially among high-risk populations and communities. NCCOR provides a library of internal resources as well as online tools such as the Measures Registry, the Catalogue of Surveillance Systems, and the Youth Compendium of Physical Activities, which may be useful for investigators studying childhood obesity. NICHD is an NCCOR member and has contributed to the development of these materials.

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Lindy Thaker, Branch Chief 
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric nutrition including wasting, stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies; nutrition in the setting of infection disease; nutrition across the pediatric life stages; nutrition curriculum development; capacity strengthening for health providers
  • Heather Brockway, Program Official
    Main Research Areas: Developmental origins of human disease, specifically metabolic disorders and obesity; impact of adverse perinatal events on long-term infant and maternal health; evolution of human disease; disparities in health outcomes
  • Laura Dekle, Program Analyst
  • Layla Esposito, Program Official
    Main Research Areas: Behavioral and environmental interventions for childhood obesity prevention and treatment; behavioral and psychosocial determinants of childhood obesity
  • Porschae Fon, Extramural Support Assistant
  • Sharon Ross, Program Official 
    Main Research Areas: Role of human milk components, including oligosaccharides and extracellular vesicle cargo, in infant growth and development; mechanisms linking diet and microbiome/microbial metabolites to maternal and infant health and disease; influence of nutrition on gene regulation/epigenetics in early life outcomes and chronic disease; relationships between diet and adiposity in child health and disease
  • Dorothy Tucker, Staff Assistant
  • Karen Winer, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric endocrinology including disorders of linear growth, pubertal timing, and tempo; disorders of the gonads and adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands; bone health and osteoporosis prevention including determinants of peak bone mass, genetic disorders of skeletal growth, and bone accrual; metabolic programming and metabolic syndrome leading to type 2 diabetes in children

PTCIB supports research and training focused on preventing, treating, and reducing all forms of childhood traumatic injury and critical illness across the continuum of care.

These activities include research to understand the biobehavioral, psychosocial, and pathophysiologic aspects of trauma; to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of trauma and critical illness in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults; and to reduce secondary injury and comorbidities.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Research: Informs the practice of healthcare providers who stabilize, diagnose, and manage the care of critically ill and severely injured children of all ages
  • Pediatric Trauma Research: Advances the science of trauma and injury prevention, treatment, and short-term recovery for pediatric populations, with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality in children
  • Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network: Supports efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality in pediatric critical illness and injury, and to provide a framework for the development of the scientific basis of pediatric critical care practice
  • CAPSTONE Centers for Multidisciplinary Research in Child Abuse and Neglect: Specialized research centers that serve as a national resource for research on child abuse and neglectCommunity Level Interventions for Firearm and Related Violence, Injury, and Mortality Prevention Network: Supports research projects to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative interventions that modify characteristics of organizations, environments, and/or settings to address higher order, “root” causes of firearm mortality and injury 
  • Pediatric Critical Care and Trauma Scientist Development Program: Trains scholars and junior-level faculty candidates to be pediatric critical care and pediatric trauma physician-scientists

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Valerie Maholmes, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Childhood adversity, child traumatic stress, violence and violence-related injury, abuse, neglect, and maltreatment; training (child maltreatment, violence); psychological response/services to children experiencing/affected by trauma; trauma-informed care and systems; child protection; child welfare
  • Leah Gilbert, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric trauma (diagnosis, treatment, prevention); childhood adversity, child traumatic stress, violence and violence-related injury, abuse, neglect, and maltreatment; training (child maltreatment, violence); emergency medical and psychological response/services to children
  • Cinnamon Dixon, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Emergency medical services for children (EMSC) (prevention, diagnostics, interventions, treatment, utilization, quality); pediatric disaster science  (preparedness, mitigation, response, acute recovery); pediatric unintentional injury prevention and trauma care; global health advancements in EMSC and pediatric disasters; education and training (unintentional injury prevention, EMSC and trauma care, disaster science)
  • Tammara Jenkins, Program Official/Nurse Consultant
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric critical care and injury (general, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, ethics, end-of-life issues, environment of care, and psychosocial aspects of critical care); palliative care in the hospitalized child; acute care in the hospitalized child; training and career development (pediatric critical care, and acute care)
  • Lauren Jones, Extramural Support Assistant
  • Zsuzsanna Kocsis, Program Analyst
  • Laureen Lee, Staff Assistant
  • Tessie October, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: Pediatric critical care and injury (general, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, health care communication, decision-making, small business innovation); training (pediatric critical care, trauma, palliative care)

PDB supports research, data collection, and research training in demography, reproductive health, and population health.

In demography, the branch supports research on the scientific study of human populations, including fertility, pregnancy outcomes, mortality and morbidity (especially maternal, infant, child, adolescent, and young adult mortality and morbidity), migration, population distribution, population stratification (including disparities), nuptiality, family demography, population growth and decline, and the causes and consequences of demographic change.

In reproductive health, the branch supports behavioral and social science research on family planning, infertility, and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

In population health, the branch supports research on how demographic, social, economic, institutional, geographic, and other factors influence human health, productivity, behavior, and development, with an emphasis on research using population-representative data and natural experiments. Research at multiple levels of analysis, involving interdisciplinary perspectives, incorporating social determinants of health, and elucidating mechanisms leading to health disparities are encouraged.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Biopsychosocial Program: Examines integration of social science, behavioral, and biomedical approaches to understanding health
  • Data Sharing Program: Includes documenting, archiving, and disseminating data within the scope of branch-supported projects
  • Demography of Health Program: Includes population-representative studies of the interrelations between demographic processes and health and the health of populations
  • Family Demography and Intergenerational Research Program: Studies relations between family processes and structure and the health, development, and productivity of the family
  • Fertility and Infertility Program: Examines social, institutional, economic, and cultural contexts and processes that influence the quantity, timing, and circumstances of childbearing
  • Life Course Health Program: Examines trajectories of health and mortality from pre-pregnancy through the reproductive years and transgenerational influences on health
  • Population Composition Program: Studies economic, social, and demographic factors affecting the racial and ethnic composition of the United States and effects of racial and ethnic diversity on population health and health disparities
  • Population Economics Program: Encourages research in population, behavioral, and health economics
  • Population Mobility and Spatial Demography Program: Investigates population mobility and its consequences, and spatial dimensions of health and population change
  • Social and Behavioral Research on Reproductive Health Program: Encompasses social and behavioral research on all aspects of reproductive health, including interventions designed to improve reproductive health
  • Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR): Offers infrastructure to facilitate data sharing while maintaining respondent confidentiality
  • Global Partnerships for Social Science and Behavioral Research on HIV/AIDS: Aims to strengthen social and behavioral sciences research on HIV/AIDS in developing countries
  • Population Dynamics Research Infrastructure Program: Aims to increase research impact, innovation, and productivity; develop junior scientists; and maximize the efficiency of research support
  • Population Dynamics Scientist Development Award Program: Funds career development for junior-level researchers in population dynamics
  • Population Research Programs for New Investigators: Includes training and career development programs for new investigators and scientists
  • Work, Family, Health, and Well-Being Initiative: Examines the effects of workplace policies and practices related to work-family conflict on the health and well-being of workers, their families, and the organization/workplace

Researcher tools and resources:

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Rebecca Clark, Branch Chief
    Main Research Areas: Data (data sharing and big data); gene x environment, epigenetics, biomarkers (behavioral); life course health (developmental origins and early predictors of health); migration and immigration, spatial demography, and GIS; training in population dynamics/demography (institutional); centers (research infrastructure for population dynamics/demography); reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS (behavioral)
  • Randy Capps, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Migration and immigration; spatial demography; health and housing; health disparities; research infrastructure (centers) for and institutional training in demographics and population dynamics
  • Juanita Chinn, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Demography of health and health disparities; mortality, including maternal and infant mortality; causes and consequences of changes in population composition
  • Susan M. Jekielek, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Data science; large data collection efforts for demographic research, and data sharing and dissemination; family demography; work and family; population research on child development; health economics, population economics, and economic demography
  • Ronna Popkin, Program Director
    Main Research Areas: Sexual and reproductive health (contraception, STIs including HIV/AIDS [behavioral], and public health interventions and programs); fertility (trends and statistical analyses of pregnancies and births); qualitative research methods

PPB’s goals are to improve the health of women before, during, and after pregnancy; increase infant survival; and ensure the long-term health of mothers and children. Specifically, the branch supports research to understand fetal development and improve ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases during pregnancy and in newborns.

As the focal point for NICHD extramural research and training in maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, and related fields, branch staff also engage with and support investigators to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for scientific advancement.

Branch research programs and networks:

  • Improving Health Before, During, and After Pregnancy: Includes research on maternal health from pre-pregnancy, through pregnancy, and postpartum, including maternal morbidity and mortality
  • Reducing Preterm Labor and Birth and Other Birth Complications: Studies factors affecting the initiation and completion of labor, including the physiology, endocrinology, and medical management of birth
  • Increasing Infant Survival, Free from Disease and Disability: Addresses causes, prevention, treatment, and medical management of conditions associated with or resulting from birth and the newborn period
  • Ensuring the Long-Term Health of Mothers and Children: Seeks to understand aspects of birth, newborn, and infant care that may influence long-term health
  • Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research: Supports and conducts clinical trials on cost-effective and sustainable interventions to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and build health research capacity in resource-limited countries
  • Human Placenta Project: Supports improvement to existing and development of new technologies for real-time assessment of placental development across pregnancy
  • Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative: Supports activities to reduce preventable causes of maternal death and improve maternal health; PPB leads and coordinates this NIH-wide effort
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network: Supports clinical research to reduce maternal, fetal, and infant morbidity related to preterm birth, fetal growth anomalies, and pregnancy complications, and to provide the rationale for evidence-based, cost-effective obstetric practice  
  • Neonatal Research Network (NRN): Generates rigorous evidence on the health of infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units to improve the treatment and health outcomes of critically ill newborn babies
  • Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b): Evaluated the underlying, interrelated mechanisms of several common adverse pregnancy outcomes in first-time moms
  • PregSource®: Crowdsourcing to Understand Pregnancy: Used online surveys to gather information about the pregnancy experience directly from pregnant women
  • Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT NOW): Informs the clinical care of infants exposed to opioids in the womb; part of the NIH-wide Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative

Researcher tools and resources:

  • Research Challenges and Competitions: These mechanisms encourage research, development, and innovation among communities that do not traditionally apply for funding support. PPB leads and has led several challenges related to improving maternal health.
  • PPB-funded studies available in NICHD’s Data and Specimen Hub (DASH). Researchers, check out data from Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation, Community Child Health Research Network, Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research, MFMU Network, National Infant Sleep Position Study, and Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network, to name a few.
  • Cochrane Neonatal Review Group: NICHD supported the group from 1998 through 2017 to provide systematic reviews on neonatology topics.  
  • Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II): This longitudinal study focused on infant feeding practices throughout the first year after birth and the diets of pregnant women in their third trimesters and at 4 months postpartum. The branch worked closely with the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct the study from 2005 to 2007. De-identified data from this study are available at the CDC website.

Program scientists, staff, and research areas:

  • Nahida Chakhtoura, Chief
    Main Research Areas: Epidemiology and natural history of HIV in pregnant and non-pregnant women; Zika; women's health; cohort studies and clinical trials; NIH-wide IMPROVE initiative
  • Stephanie Archer, Clinical Trials Specialist
    Main Research Areas: Coordinator for NRN and MFMU Network
  • Guillermina Girardi, Health Scientist Administrator
    Main Research Areas: Reproductive immunology; autoimmunity; recurrent miscarriages; preeclampsia; gestational diabetes; in utero/developmental origins of disease; imaging (MRI and 1HMRS [spectroscopy]) in placental insufficiency and atypical neurodevelopment; translational studies (particularly therapeutic strategies to prevent placental insufficiency)\
  • Diane Gumina, Program Officer
    Main Research Areas: Cellular mechanisms of placental insufficiency; development of treatment modalities and improved diagnostic technologies for pregnancy-associated complications; women’s health; translational research and clinical trials
  • John Ilekis, Program Director/Health Sciences Administrator
    Main Research Areas: Cell-, molecular-, and genetic-based studies in pregnancy and perinatology; placental development and function; trophoblast differentiation; basic mechanisms underlying maternal and fetal disorders, such as spontaneous preterm birth, preeclampsia, and fetal growth restriction; parturition; fetal pathophysiology/programming and developmental origins of disease; perinatal microbiome and metagenomics; epigenetics, molecular biomarker discovery
  • Monica Longo, Medical Officer
    Main Research Areas: High-risk pregnancy; hypertensive disorder of pregnancy; diabetes (type 1, type 2, and gestational); fetal developmental origins of health and disease; metabolic and cardiovascular programming; pregnancy as a window of future maternal health; cardiovascular risk after pregnancy
  • Megan Mitchell, Program Analyst
    Main Research Areas: Funding opportunity and announcement development; human subjects research; clinical trials; program analysis/program management
  • Dorothy Tucker, Staff Assistant
  • David Weinberg, Project Lead
    Main Research Areas: Human Placenta Project
     

Division of Extramural Activities (DEA)

Director: Rebekah Rasooley, Ph.D.

DEA advises NICHD leadership on policies and procedures for the implementation of the institute’s research grant and training programs. In pursuit of this goal, the division handles the following administrative activities:

  • Represents NICHD on NIH-wide extramural and collaborative program policy committees and coordinates implementation of such policies within the institute
  • Manages and coordinates the institute's research grant and training programs and cooperative agreement activities
  • Conducts initial scientific merit review of research grant applications and contract proposals
    Assists with advisory council activities and meetings
  • Develops and leads extramural staff training and enhances NICHD-wide understanding of standardized approaches, policies, methods, and procedures

Through its branches and activities, DEA provides a centralized point of coordination, guidance, and implementation for extramural research and training.

GMB performs management, internal control, and acquisition functions for all NICHD grant programs, negotiating and issuing more than $1 billion in grants and other funding mechanisms annually.

Staff in GMB work closely with scientific program staff to ensure that NICHD and its grantees meet all legal, regulatory, and policy requirements. They also direct all business-related activities associated with NICHD awards, from leading proposal review and approval, to obligating and tracking NICHD funds.

Administration of traditional funding mechanisms, such as grants and cooperative agreements, helps provide funding stability for the institute’s research portfolio. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) and other mechanisms, also managed through GMB, allow flexibility so NICHD can easily pivot, expand, and modify efforts to meet programmatic needs and attract applicants with nontraditional expertise.

The branch also contributes to the development of policies and procedures and helps interpret NIH and HHS policies related to funding programs and management.

Staff and Program Areas:

  • Lauren Ruane, Acting Chief Grants Management Officer and Deputy Branch Chief
  • Olamide Adeniyi, Grant Team Leader
  • Melissa Copeland, Financial Management Analyst
  • Melani Ledu, Lead Grants Management Analyst
  • Teri Pailen, Grant Team Leader
  • Fran Petti, Grant Team Leader
  • Artisha Wright, OTA Team Leader

OEP provides leadership in all aspects of extramural research and serves as an authoritative source of policy guidance, interpretation, and dissemination for NICHD and the scientific community.

The office coordinates and shares information on grant-related issues, conducts application referral activities, evaluates special and other actions, and coordinates advisory council review of applications and research concepts. Because OEP coordinates development of funding opportunities, it also consults with the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) and the NIH Guide to Grants and Funding.

The office also coordinates training, fellowship, and career development award programs for NICHD, including collaborating with OER in the development of NIH-wide training policies, and managing administrative review of requests. OEP also develops, implements, and manages the extramural staff training program for NICHD.

Staff and Program Areas:

  • Joseph Gindhart, OEP Director and DEA Deputy Director, 
    Program areas: Division of Extramural Research (DER) liaison, grants policy, clinical trials
  • Erika Barr
    Program Area: Division of Intramural Research Liaison
  • Kristin Newton, Program Analyst
    Program Areas: Program analysis; operational planning
  • Keith Rivers, Clinical Trials Policy Officer
    Program Areas: DER liaison; clinical trials; grants policy
  • Guanghu (Jeff) Wang, Policy Officer
    Program Areas: Application assignment, referral guidelines; grant application process; emerging topics and initiatives

Division of Intramural Research (DIR)

Scientific Director: Christopher McBain, Ph.D.

Our mission is to plan and conduct the institute’s laboratory and clinical research programs to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research and determine how to apply such knowledge to illuminate developmental origins of health and disease and help ensure that women and men have good reproductive health, that children are born healthy, and that people develop to live healthy and productive lives.

Twelve affinity groups comprised of roughly 61 units and sections constitute the DIR.

DIR conducts laboratory, clinical, epidemiological, and statistical research programs to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research. We use this knowledge to illuminate developmental origins of health and disease and to help ensure that women and men have good reproductive health, that children are born healthy, and that people develop to live productive lives. Research efforts are focused on the acquisition of information that will enhance our understanding of the biology of development and reproduction. Our research program emphasizes the importance of fundamental investigations into the physics, chemistry, and biology of cells, their component parts, and the processes that govern and regulate their function. As part of their investigative focus, the scientific researchers of DIR accord primary importance to the transmission of new information to future generations of scientists. 

OSD oversees more than 60 research programs of more than 60 scientific investigators and more than 250 trainees in the Division of Intramural Research (DIR).

DIR's objective is to conduct research that helps ensure the birth of healthy infants, improves the health of infants and children as they develop into adulthood, and optimizes the health of women. DIR research focuses on acquiring knowledge, using a wide range of technologies and model systems, to enhance the understanding of the full range of human development and reproduction. DIR is credited with scientific advances in many areas, from vaccines to molecular imaging.

Christopher McBain, Ph.D., is the scientific director of DIR. Dr. McBain assumed this role in January 2023 after serving as the acting director since June 2021. He also leads his own lab on cellular and synaptic physiology.

In August 2024, Henry Levin, Ph.D., was appointed the deputy scientific director. He also leads his own lab on eukaryotic transposable elements.

Core Facilities

The DIR Office of the Scientific Director offers the following Core Facilities as resources to its investigators:

  • Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core
  • Computer Support Services Core
  • Microscopy and Imaging Core
  • Molecular Genomics Core

Management

Management of the DIR is supported by the following offices:

  • Office of the Clinical Director
  • Office of Education
  • Research Animal Management Branch

Training Programs

The following graduate medical education programs are offered through the DIR Office of the Scientific Director:

  • NIH Inter-Institute Endocrinology Training Program
  • Pediatric Endocrinology Training Program
  • Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Training Program

AGs within DIR serve as intellectual hubs for groups of investigators. They provide a forum to share ideas and collaborate around common themes in support of the DIR mission.

The AGs serve as catalysts for new initiatives. Each investigator has a primary affiliation with an AG most closely aligned with his or her scientific interests. Secondary affiliations allow for communication across specialties in support of translational research and new collaborations.

Each AG has its own mission statement, shared research goals and objectives, and resources. Collectively, the AGs contribute to recruitment, mentoring, and the annual DIR scientific retreat.

Affinity Groups:

  • Aquatic Models of Human Development
  • Bone & Matrix Biology in Development & Disease
  • Cell & Structural Biology
  • Cell Regulation & Development
  • Developmental Endocrinology Metabolism, & Genetics
  • Developmental Translational Imaging
  • Genetics & Epigenetics of Development
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Neurosciences
  • Physical Biology & Medicine
  • Population Health Research
  • Women’s Reproductive Health

NICHD’s Division of Intramural Research includes labs and clinical research programs led by Principal Investigators, as well as trans-disciplinary branches and offices that study population health throughout the life course. Select the name of an investigator to learn more. 

 

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)

Director: Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D.

Through basic, translational, and clinical research, NCMRR fosters development of scientific knowledge needed to enhance the health, productivity, independence, and quality of life of people with physical disabilities.

NCMRR supports research on the following topics: pathophysiology and management of chronically injured nervous and musculoskeletal systems, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and orthopedic conditions; repair and recovery of motor and cognitive function; functional plasticity, adaptation, and windows of opportunity for rehabilitative interventions; rehabilitative strategies involving pharmaceutical, stimulation, neuroengineering approaches, exercise, motor training, and behavioral modifications; pediatric rehabilitation; secondary conditions associated with chronic disabilities; improved diagnosis, assessment, and outcome measures; and development of orthotics, prosthetics, and other assistive technologies and devices.

NCMRR Research

Adaptation and Plasticity: This research area focuses on projects that enhance understanding of the basic processes of repair and plasticity, and the basic mechanisms involved in adaptation and rehabilitation of impairments. Examples include prognostic and surrogate markers of plasticity, adaptation, and recovery; precision medicine to optimize rehabilitative treatment strategies and outcomes; role of -omics factors; new strategies to promote plasticity and adaptation; activity-mediated therapies, neuromodulation, pharmacological factors, and other combinatorial approaches. 

Devices and Technology Development: This research area focuses on devices and technologies to improve function and prevent secondary complications for individuals with physical disabilities. Examples include orthotics, prosthetics, and robotic devices and interfaces; assistive technologies; invasive and non-invasive biological sensors, prosthetic systems, or implants to improve function; new control methods and improved sensory feedback; strategies for controlling and adapting to the environment; advanced wheelchair designs and enhancements and other mobility devices; and biomaterials and tissue interfaces. 

Rehabilitation interventions and assessments: This research area focuses development and validation of rehabilitation interventions and assessments. Examples include innovations in imaging, biomarkers, or -omic profiling to assess intervention appropriateness and response to rehabilitation, or markers of potential deterioration or improvement; examination of the timing, frequency, duration, and intensity of specific rehabilitation interventions; interventions to improve functional capacity in individuals with paralysis, spasticity, or contractures; interventions to improve balance, gait, and/or mobility; interventions to promote motor learning, adaptation, and recovery; enhanced tools and modeling strategies for studying biomechanics in populations with physical impairments and disabilities; and development and validation of improved health outcome measures for rehabilitation research. 

Chronic symptom management in rehabilitation: This research area focuses on mitigating symptom burden from secondary conditions connected to physical disability.  Examples include methods to increase screening for chronic conditions or preventable conditions in individuals with physical disability; prevention and treatment strategies for mitigating symptoms associated with multiple chronic conditions in individuals with physical impairments, including chronic pain, fatigue, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbance, depressed mood. dysphagia, shortness of breath, symptoms of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular deconditioning, overuse injuries, pressure ulcers;  improving muscle capacity in chronic physical disability to include therapeutic or adaptive exercise and muscle stimulation; muscle-disuse syndromes and contractures; rehabilitation interventions for improvement of physical disability and comorbid cognitive, sensory, or somatic consequences of impairment, disease, or injury; and autonomic function in the context of injury or specific conditions.

Rehabilitation Health Services Research: This research area focuses on development, assessment, and impact of rehabilitation services, with an emphasis on home and community-based interventions. Examples include development of large data analytic infrastructure and techniques to drive discovery and potential targets for rehabilitation; use of existing electronic health data to determine real-world applications of treatments, outcomes, and barriers to access services; reliable measures of impairment, disability, activity, and participation in home and community settings; interventions implemented in home and community-based settings; implementation of community wellness programs and alternate delivery systems; assessment of long-term health consequences and health care costs of rehabilitation interventions and health supports; and comparative effectiveness research on rehabilitation therapies, clinical supports, or implementation methods.

Environmental Factors: This research area focuses on the role of environmental factors and external supports in a wide range of treatment settings and conditions. Examples include understanding the role of environmental factors as barriers or supports; non-medical factors that relate to the diagnosis, treatment, and support of people with chronic physical disabilities; telemedicine or mHealth approaches to treatment delivery or to enhance adherence to treatment; caregiver-assisted therapies, supports, and interventions; family supports and interventions; psychosocial supports and community strategies to promote healthy behaviors; and the role of diet and exercise.

edical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network (MR3 Network): With the support of NCMRR and several NIH institutes, this network builds research infrastructure in medical rehabilitation by providing investigators with access to expertise, courses and workshops, technologies, and other collaborative opportunities from allied disciplines such as neuroscience, engineering, applied behavior, and the social sciences.

  • Toyin Ajisafe, Ph.D., Program Officer 
    Main research areas: Rehabilitation devices and technology development; Rehabilitation interventions and assessments; Small Business 

  • Joe Bonner, Ph.D., Program Officer 
    Main research areas: Adaptation and plasticity; Rehabilitation interventions and assessments 

  • Sue Marden, R.N., Ph.D., Program Officer 
    Main research areas: Rehabilitation interventions and assessments; chronic symptom management in rehabilitation; rehabilitation health services research; environmental factors 

  • Maria Nurminskaya, Ph.D., Program Officer 
    Main research areas: Rehabilitation devices and technology development; rehabilitation interventions and assessments; Small Business