Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity in Maternal and Child Health

by: Michael Saunders

The National Institutes of Health, otherwise known as the NIH, is an agency operating within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that's essentially responsible for looking after the nation's biomedical and health-related research studies.

The grants and initiatives of the NIH are all specifically tailored to help achieve its general agency mission which is to "seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability."

In keeping with this mission, the National Institutes of Health has recently partnered with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to establish the Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity (BRITE) in Maternal and Child Health Grant Program.

The program initially seeks to increase the diversity of the research who are involved in health equity research studies associated with infant mortality; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; child, adolescent, and/or adult obesity; uterine fibroids; pediatric and maternal HIV/AIDS prevention; violence prevention; health literacy; and outreach and information dissemination.

In addition, the BRITE program also intends to kickstart maternal and child health equity research studies from institutions which are eligible for the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) R15 program.

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Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity in Maternal and Child Health
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About The Author Michael Saunders is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com one the the most comprehensive Websites offering information on government grants and federal government programs. He also maintains Websites providing resources on environmental grants and grants for youth programs.

Additional Resources

category - Health Grants

Clinical Trials for Organ Transplantation in Children Program
The National Insitutes of Health has formed a partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to establish the Clinical Trials for Organ Transplantation in Children Program wherein both agencies intend to support a group of investigators in their quest of conducting clinical trials regarding pediatric solid organ transplant recipients.

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Building a Medical Home for Multiply Diagnosed HIV positive Homeless Populations - Demonstration Sites Project
The HRSA has recently constituted the establishment of a new initiative entitled the Building a Medical Home for Multiply Diagnosed HIV positive Homeless Populations – Demonstration Sites Project.

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Basic Cancer Research in Cancer Health Disparities Grant Program
The National Institutes of Health has partnered with the National Cancer Institute(NCI) in an effort to establish the Basic Cancer Research in Cancer Health Disparities Grant Program wherein both agencies seek to solicit applications from eligible investigators and researchers who are interested in conducting basic, mechanistic research concentrating on the biologic/genetic causes of cancer health disparities.

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Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Program wherein it intends to provide financial and programmatic assistance to State Health Departments in the process of maintaining and expanding ways of collecting pertinent health data.

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