# 2021 Autumn Inside NIMH

## Welcome

Welcome to the latest edition of *Inside NIMH*! We publish *Inside NIMH* in conjunction with each meeting of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), which advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Director of NIMH on all policies and activities relating to the conduct and support of mental health research, research training, and other programs of the Institute. I invite you to check out the NIMH website for regular updates on timely topics, and to follow me on Twitter (@NIMH Director **).Sincerely,Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.Director, National Institute of Mental Health

Please let us know if you have questions or comments on this edition. If you wish to unsubscribe, subscribe, or change your email address, please contact the NIMH Webmaster or visit the *Inside NIMH* subscription page **.

## Director’s Updates

NIMH staff have been very productive this summer, churning out many exciting products and organizing numerous webinars and meetings. In this edition of *Inside NIMH*, we celebrate the accomplishments of NIMH staff and grantees, share updates to our Strategic Plan for Research, highlight progress in youth suicide prevention and HIV/AIDS research, and much more.

### News to Know from NIMH

- NIMH’s Response to COVID-19:  Since the global COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, NIMH has joined several NIH-wide initiatives to accelerate research-based solutions to mental health challenges, including  Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) ** ,  Pregnant and Lactating Women and Children ** , and most recently,  Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER ** ). The RECOVER initiative aims to understand, prevent, and treat  potential long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection   ** . NIMH is also supporting research through the  Social, Behavioral, and Economic Health Impacts (SBE) of COVID-19 **  initiative. For example, NIMH-funded researchers are conducting a  culturally-tailored, randomized controlled trial **  of a mobile-based mindfulness intervention, which aims to improve postpartum depression symptoms in Black and Latina women, populations that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. More information about the NIH-wide response to COVID-19 can be found on the  NIH COVID-19 website ** .
- NIMH Releases Annual Update to the NIMH Strategic Plan for Research and New Annual Progress Report:  To keep pace with ever-evolving scientific approaches and research priorities, the Institute released its annual update to the  NIMH Strategic Plan for Research . NIMH uses the Strategic Plan to communicate priorities and help guide mental health research efforts funded by the Institute. The updated Strategic Plan continues to emphasize investments in the research workforce and research on mental health disparities, while also highlighting new efforts, such as  Accelerating Medicines Partnership® - Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ)  . In addition, it includes an updated Message from the Director and a new section on COVID-19. NIMH is also developing a companion  Progress Report , which highlights significant accomplishments made during fiscal year 2020 toward achieving the goals described in the Strategic Plan.
- Addressing Suicide Among Children and Preteens:  NIMH is working with researchers, mental health practitioners, and members of the public to advance understanding of suicide risk and risk trajectories in children and preteens, particularly among health disparity populations. During the spring and summer, NIMH hosted a series of research roundtables to review the state of the science, identify research priorities, and discuss challenges and opportunities in identifying children and preteens at risk for suicide. On June 15, 2021, NIMH concluded this series with a public discussion between NIMH Director Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, M.D. Drs. Gordon and Levine discussed the importance of research on preteen suicide risk and risk trajectories and how this research could complement ongoing efforts by NIMH and HHS to promote and protect mental health throughout the life course. Drs. Gordon and Levine also took questions from the webinar audience. In a separate but related effort, NIMH recently solicited research to address systems-level risk detection and interventions to reduce suicidality in  Black youth **  and  other underserved populations ** .
- 40 Years of Research on HIV/AIDS:  On June 5, 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first cases of what would later be known as AIDS, a disease caused by HIV. Over the past 40 years, interagency collaboration and groundbreaking scientific advances in the understanding of basic virology, human immunology, and HIV pathogenesis have led to the development of safe and effective antiretroviral medications and interventions to prevent HIV acquisition and transmission. Nevertheless, HIV remains a serious public health issue and research priority for NIH. On June 7, 2021, Dr. Gordon partnered with Maureen Goodenow, Ph.D., Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director of the Office of AIDS Research at NIH, to  describe NIH’s contributions to HIV/AIDS research over the past four decades and highlight opportunities for the future .
- Outreach Spotlight:   NIMH created and shared many tools and resources over the summer to support community mental health education. Notably, the Institute launched a new  webpage  to highlight all NIMH Spanish-language resources in one place. In addition, NIMH collaborated with the National Library of Medicine to promote its  Mental Health Matters campaign  in the  COVID-19 issue **  of  MedlinePlus Magazine ** . NIMH also created several new resources to support health observance educational activities. In recognition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month in June, NIMH expanded its  Education and Awareness portal  to offer  shareable resources about PTSD . NIMH also promoted the new  Stand Up to Stress! Coloring and Activity Book  and  Teen Depression infographic  for its  back-to-school promotional campaign . In addition, NIMH revised its  Frequently Asked Questions about Suicide brochure  to support September’s  Suicide Prevention Awareness Month  activities.
- **Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)** **  Updates:  On July 1, 2021,  **Susan Daniels, Ph.D.** , Director of the NIMH Office of Autism Research Coordination and Executive Secretary of the IACC, was named Acting National Autism Coordinator. On July 7, 2021, the Secretary of Health and Human Services  announced **  the new and returning members of the IACC. Two weeks later, the new IACC held its first  Full Committee Meeting ** . Committee members discussed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for the autism community and racial equity and health disparities in autism. The next Full Committee Meeting will take place virtually on October 13-14, 2021.

### Updates and Announcements from NIH

- NIH-Wide Initiatives    - Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN)  Initiative:  On June 15-17, 2021, NIH held the  7th Annual BRAIN Investigators Meeting **  virtually. BRAIN Initiative awardees, staff from the contributing federal agencies, researchers, and members of the media, public, and non-government organizations gathered to discuss exciting scientific developments and potential new directions. Presenters covered a  broad range of topics ** , including neural dynamics of brain stimulation; molecular engineering of neural networks;  diversity and equity in underserved research settings   ** ; the social brain; and integrative approaches to a functional cell census.
- NIH Leadership News    - On May 26, 2021, NIH announced that  **Marie A. Bernard, M.D.** **  will serve as the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD), and will lead NIH’s efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in biomedical research. Dr. Bernard has been the Acting COSWD since October 2020. She previously served as the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Aging (NIA), where she oversaw the development of NIA’s Health Disparities Research Framework and managed the Office of Special Populations, which leads health disparities research and training for scientists from diverse backgrounds within NIA.
  - On July 15, 2021, NIH announced that  **Michael Gottesman, M.D.** ** , NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research, plans to step down after 28 years of service in this role. During his tenure as Deputy Director for Intramural Research, Dr. Gottesman established intramural training programs; created the NIH Intramural Database, providing online information about all researchers and research at NIH; and spearheaded multiple diversity, equity, research integrity, and leadership initiatives. Dr. Gottesman will remain in this role while NIH conducts a national search and will then shift focus toward his research on mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in cancer at the Center for Cancer Research in the National Cancer Institute, where he is Chief of the Laboratory of Cell Biology. Budget Overview    - Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget :  The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Public Law No. 116-260) **  provides funds through September 30, 2021. The law includes $2.103 billion to NIMH (amount includes 21st Century Cures funding), representing a 3.2 percent increase over the FY 2020 appropriation. NIMH anticipates awarding more than 600 new and competing research project grants (RPGs) in FY 2021, with an estimated success rate of 21.5 percent, as shown in the figure below. In accordance with NIH’s  Next Generation Research Initiative **  (NGRI) efforts, NIMH anticipates awarding grants to 83 unique early-stage investigators (ESIs) and 190 unique at-risk investigators.		 NIMH Applications, Awards, and Success Rates for Research Project GrantsFiscal YearApplicationsDirect AwardsCures AwardsSuccess Rate201524805070202016256858702320172735571021201827015892323201926326381525202026945901722.52021 (estimate)27955901121.5