NIMH-1

 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

FY 2019 Budget Page No.

Organization Chart...........................................................................................................................2

Appropriation Language ..................................................................................................................3

Amounts Available for Obligation...................................................................................................4

Budget Graphs .................................................................................................................................5

Authorizing Legislation ...................................................................................................................6

Appropriations History ....................................................................................................................7

Justification of Budget Request .......................................................................................................8

Detail of Full-Time Equivalent Employment (FTE) .....................................................................15

Detail of Positions..........................................................................................................................16
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Institute of Mental Health

Division of Services and

Intervention Research

Director

Robert Heinssen, Jr., Ph.D.

Division of Neuroscience 

and Basic Behavioral 

Science

Director

Linda S. Brady, Ph.D.

Division of AIDS

Research 

Director

Dianne M. Rausch, Ph.D.

Division of 

Translational

Research

Director

Sarah H. Lisanby, M.D.

Office of the Director

Director

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.

National Advisory

Mental Health

Council

Division of Extramural 

Activities

Director

Jean Noronha, Ph.D.

Division of Intramural

Research Programs

Director

Susan G. Amara, Ph.D. 
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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

For carrying out section 301 and title IV of the PHS Act with respect to mental health, 

$1,554,692,000.
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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

Amounts Available for Obligation1

(Dollars in Thousands)

Source of Funding FY 2017 

Final

FY 2018 

Annualized 

CR

FY 2019 

President's 

Budget*

Appropriation $1,601,931 $1,601,931 $1,612,192

Mandatory Appropriation: (non-add)

Type 1 Diabetes (0) (0) (0)

Other Mandatory financing (0) (0) (0)

Rescission 0 -10,879 0

Sequestration 0 0 0

Secretary's Transfer -3,554

Subtotal, adjusted appropriation $1,598,377 $1,591,052 $1,612,192

OAR HIV/AIDS Transfers 6,281 0 0

Subtotal, adjusted budget authority $1,604,658 $1,591,052 $1,612,192

Unobligated balance, start of year 0 0 0

Unobligated balance, end of year 0 0 0

Subtotal, adjusted budget authority $1,604,658 $1,591,052 $1,612,192

Unobligated balance lapsing -34 0 0

Total obligations $1,604,624 $1,591,052 $1,612,192

1 Excludes the following amounts for reimbursable activities carried out by this account:

 FY 2017 - $4,851 FY 2018 - $10,000 FY 2019 - $10,000 

*Includes $57.500 million derived by transfer from the NIH Innovation Account
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Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Graphs

History of Budget Authority and FTEs:
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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

Authorizing Legislation

PHS Act/

Other Citation

U.S. Code

Citation

2018 

Amount

Authorized

FY 2018 

Annualized CR

2019 Amount

Authorized

FY 2019 President's 

Budget

Research and Investigation Section 301 42§241 Indefinite Indefinite

National Institute of Mental 

Health

$1,591,052,287

$1,612,192,000

Section 401(a) 42§281 Indefinite Indefinite

Total, Budget Authority $1,591,052,287 $1,612,192,000
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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

Appropriations History

Fiscal Year Budget Estimate to 

Congress House Allowance Senate Allowance Appropriation

2009 $1,406,841,000 $1,455,145,000 $1,445,987,000 $1,450,491,000

Rescission $0

2010 $1,474,676,000 $1,502,266,000 $1,475,190,000 $1,489,372,000

Rescission $0

2011 $1,540,345,000 $1,537,942,000 $1,489,372,000

Rescission $13,078,800

2012 $1,517,006,000 $1,517,006,000 $1,460,671,000 $1,483,068,000

Rescission $2,802,999

2013 $1,479,204,000 $1,483,687,000 $1,480,265,001

Rescission $2,960,530

Sequestration ($74,299,124)

2014 $1,465,782,000 $1,456,041,000 $1,446,172,000

Rescission $0

2015 $1,440,076,000 $1,463,036,000

Rescission $0

2016 $1,489,417,000 $1,512,401,000 $1,520,260,000 $1,548,390,000

Rescission $0

20171 $1,518,673,000 $1,599,747,000 $1,619,537,000 $1,601,931,000

Rescission $0

2018 $1,244,901,000 $1,668,461,000 $1,724,568,000 $1,601,931,000

Rescission $10,878,713

2019 $1,612,192,000

1 Budget Estimate to Congress includes mandatory financing.
NIMH-8

Justification of Budget Request

National Institute of Mental Health

Authorizing Legislation: Section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

Budget Authority (BA):

FY 2017

Actual

FY 2018

Annualized CR

FY 2019

President’s

Budget

FY 2019 +/-

FY 2018

BA $1,604,658,000 $1,591,052,287 $1,612,192,000 $21,139,713

FTE 560 563 563 0

Program funds are allocated as follows: Competitive Grants/Cooperative Agreements; 

Contracts; Direct Federal/Intramural and Other.

Director’s Overview

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on 

mental illnesses, with a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses 

through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. To 

optimize its scientific investments in the most rigorous research, NIMH follows its Strategic Plan 

for Research.1 The Institute supports basic, translational, clinical, and services research, 

including research with potential to improve clinical care over the short, medium, and long-term.

In the United States, an estimated 44.7 million adults suffer from a mental illness, which are 

significantly impairing and can be life-threatening.2 Mental and substance abuse disorders are the 

third leading cause of disability in the United States, accounting for 12.7 percent of all years 

lived with disability.3 One of the most tragic outcomes of untreated mental illness is suicide. 

Suicide accounts for the loss of more than 44,000 American lives each year; it is the second 

leading cause of death in youth and young adults aged 15-34, and the tenth leading cause of 

death overall.4

Tackling Complex Challenges by Leveraging Partnerships: Suicide prevention research is a 

top NIMH priority, and translating research findings into evidence-based practice requires strong 

collaborations. A member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, NIMH 

supports the Alliance’s goal to reduce the U.S. suicide rate by 20 percent in 10 years.5 NIMH 

also works with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to 

implement two "practice ready" sets of tools: risk detection algorithms and risk reduction 

 

1 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/strategic-planning-reports/index.shtml 

2 SAMHSA. (2017). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5044, NSDUH Series H-52). Retrieved 

from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/

3

Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool accessed July 2017.

4 CDC, NCIPC. WISQARS: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html accessed October 2017. 

5 http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/sites/actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/files/Agenda.pdf
NIMH-9

treatments. Past NIMH collaborations with the Army and the Department of Defense (DoD) 

produced screening tools and risk prediction algorithms. Current NIMH collaborations with the 

DoD, the Veterans Health Administration, and other agencies focus on suicide prevention in the 

military as one of many objectives. Additionally, NIMH intramural and extramural researchers 

developed suicide screening and intervention tools for use in multiple health care settings, such 

as emergency departments. With potential for near term impact, NIMH is also focused on the 

time course of suicide risk: in individuals identified as being at high risk, how long does this risk 

last? To answer this question, and to test and target interventions, NIMH and collaborators will 

facilitate data sharing as well as construction and use of registries and centralized data

repositories (e.g., the NIMH Data Archive and the NIMH-funded Mental Health Research 

Network).6,7 These collaborative efforts aim to reverse the trend in rising suicide rates.

Supporting Basic Research: NIMH supports basic research through several mechanisms, 

including the NIH Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) 

Initiative.8 NIMH and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke co-lead the 

BRAIN Initiative, which supports the development of new tools and technologies to 

revolutionize our understanding of the brain. NIMH led pilot projects aimed at classification 

strategies and data analyses for a comprehensive brain cell census.9 Based on this initial work, 

NIMH leads a coordinated set of awards under the auspices of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census 

Network (BICCN).10 The BICCN aims to generate knowledge prerequisite to understanding 

brain disorders because relatively little is known about the different cell types and what they 

do—much less about how they change in illness. Evidence from a pilot phase points to 

potentially important roles in often overlooked cell types, such as support cells.11 Advances in 

neurotechnology aim to enhance knowledge about normal brain function and to improve 

methods for treating dysfunction. Because such advances carry potentially profound ethical 

implications, the NIH BRAIN Initiative Multi-Council Working Group created a Neuroethics 

Division of multidisciplinary experts to navigate unique ethical considerations associated with 

cutting-edge science the BRAIN Initiative supports.12

Investing in Translational and Clinical Research: NIMH leads the NIH Autism Coordinating 

Committee which supports research leading to identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 

at the earliest age possible. Research demonstrates that ASD symptoms can begin to emerge as 

early as six months of age.

13 NIMH supports research on early screening tools to identify

children at risk for ASD before the emergence of full symptoms. NIMH funded the ASD 

Prevention, Early Detection, Engagement, and Services Research (PEDS) Network, which 

comprises five separate but coordinated studies to test a range of strategies for universal 

screening and early treatment.14 NIMH also aims to address research gaps on the risks and 

 

6 https://data-archive.nimh.nih.gov/

7 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-14-110.html

8 https://braininitiative.nih.gov/

9 https://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/pdf/BRAIN2025_508C.pdf

10 https://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/funding/initiatives.htm

11 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28736215

12 https://www.braininitiative.nih.gov/about/neuroethics.htm

13 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28592562

14 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-14-100.html
NIMH-10

benefits of screening for ASD in young children.15 Screening children in primary care settings 

could help identify those at high risk for ASD, enabling early intervention and better long-term 

outcomes. Additional NIMH-funded efforts focus on improving accuracy of commonly used 

autism screening tools,16 developing and identifying early screening tools for vulnerable 

populations,17 and translating screening tools into clinical practice.18 

Fostering a Diverse and Talented Workforce: NIMH supports highly talented students, 

postdoctoral fellows, and investigators from diverse backgrounds across a range of scientific 

opportunities. The NIMH Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists 

(BRAINS) help exceptional early-career scientists launch innovative research programs that have

potential to transform mental health research. NIMH administrative supplements support earlycareer individuals holding an M.D./Ph.D. degree to transition from clinical training to the next 

stage of their research careers.19 The NIMH Division of Intramural Research Programs provides

diversity training opportunities for post-baccalaureate and postdoctoral fellows.20 As well, 

NIMH established the Collaborative Hubs for International Research on Mental Health program 

to support the mental health research workforce in low- and middle-income countries. 21,22

NIMH also supports NIH initiatives to foster a diverse and talented workforce. To address 

longstanding challenges faced by researchers trying to embark upon and sustain independent 

research careers, NIMH participates in the NIH Next Generation Researchers Initiative.

23 and 

supports the development of Mentoring Networks for Health Research Education,

24 and 

Research Education Mentoring for HIV AIDS Researchers,

25 Additionally, NIMH participates 

in the NIH Blueprint Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research 

Education Experiences (ENDURE) program which offers opportunities in neuroscience research

for individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and 

those at economic disadvantage.

26

 

Budget Policy: The FY 2019 President’s Budget estimate is $1,612.192 million, an increase of 

$21.140 million or 1.33 percent compared to the FY 2018 Annualized CR level.

Program Descriptions

Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science

The Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science (DNBBS) provides support for 

research in the areas of basic neuroscience, genetics, basic behavioral science, research training, 

resource development, and drug discovery. In cooperation with other NIMH programs and the 

 

15 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MH-18-001.html

16 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9070770&icde=36362819

17 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9055759&icde=36362862

18 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9514336&icde=36362862

19 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-17-328.html

20 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/labs-at-nimh/scientific-director/office-of-fellowship-and-training/index.shtml

21 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/organization/gmh/globalhubs/index.shtml

22 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-17-350.html

23 https://grants.nih.gov/ngri.htm

24 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-17-080.html

25 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-17-485.html

26 https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/bp_nih-supported_training/endure_programs.htm
NIMH-11

wider research community, this program ensures that relevant basic scientific knowledge is 

generated and used in pursuit of improved methods that, in the long term, could be used to 

diagnose, treat, and prevent mental illnesses.

DNBBS funds grants across a range of research topics to enhance understanding of the basic 

neurobiology underlying mental illnesses. In FY 2019, DNBBS plans to support research to 

determine if cognitive, affective, or social processing can be improved by modifying brain 

electrophysiological patterns. Cognitive, affective, and social processing can be disrupted in a 

variety of mental illnesses, and these efforts illustrate how basic research can provide a 

foundation for future treatment development.

Translational Research

The Division of Translational Research (DTR) supports integrative, multidisciplinary research 

and training programs that translate findings from basic science to discover the causes, 

mechanisms, and trajectories of mental illnesses, and develop effective interventions for 

individuals across the lifespan. DTR supports research on the characteristics of, and risk factors 

for, mental illnesses; the neurobehavioral mechanisms of psychopathology; the trajectories of 

risk and resilience based on the interactive influences of genetics, brain development, 

environment, and experience; and the design and testing of innovative treatments and 

interventions. As such, DTR-supported research efforts are designed to have intermediate-term 

impact.

One of DTR’s areas of high priority is to identify biological markers of risk/resilience and targets 

for intervention. To address this priority, NIMH recently funded a $20.6 million, five-year study 

to identify key factors in the development of mental illnesses that occur in the wake of trauma, 

how to better predict those outcomes, and to develop new targets for intervention.27 This 

landmark study, which will follow 5,000 participants over time, has the potential to define 

subtypes of post-traumatic stress based on objective neurobiological changes and other measures. 

In addition, through a collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, projects funded under 

the Adult Maturational Changes and Dysfunctions in Emotion Regulation initiative aims to 

advance the understanding of emotion processing in elderly individuals, and inform strategies 

that could prevent or ameliorate emotional dysfunction in later life.28 Ultimately, these 

initiatives could identify biological markers of risk/resilience and uncover new targets for 

interventions that could minimize potential adverse outcomes. 

Services and Intervention Research

The Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) supports research that evaluates the 

effectiveness of psychosocial, pharmacological, somatic, rehabilitative, and combined 

interventions to prevent or treat mental illnesses. DSIR refines and evaluates treatment and 

preventive interventions for children, adolescents, and adults, focusing on acute and long-term 

symptom reduction, remission, and improved community functioning. DSIR also supports 

mental health services research, including interventions to improve the quality and outcomes of 

care; organization- and system-level interventions to enhance service delivery; and strategies for 

widespread dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments into routine care 

 

27https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9174752&icde=31277368

28 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-17-405.html
NIMH-12

settings. DSIR funds studies that are designed to have short-term impact, targeted at improving 

care for patients currently suffering from debilitating psychiatric disorders.

In FY 2017, DSIR supported large-scale initiatives to improve the effectiveness of mental health 

services delivered at critical periods of illness and across developmental life stages. Five grants 

examine suicide prevention practices in healthcare systems and juvenile justice settings, and test 

a range of interventions including: enhancing the identification of suicide risk factors and 

prevention using advanced information and communication technologies; linking suicide 

prevention practices across health care settings; and introducing decision aids into emergency 

departments to facilitate counseling. Another initiative focused on strategies for optimizing the 

independence and functioning of transition age youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder 

(ASD). Five grants test strategies for improving social, vocational, and physical health outcomes 

for persons with ASD across the lifespan. 

Program Portrait: Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth 

and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY) Research Centers

In the United States, an estimated 44.7 million adults suffer from a mental illness.29 Mental illnesses often result in 

serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. To 

address this public health burden, NIMH issued a funding opportunity announcement in July, 2016 for Advanced 

Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness 

(ALACRITY) Research Centers.30 The goal of this effort is to improve the effectiveness, delivery, and quality of 

evidence-based services in diverse settings. ALACRITY Research Centers support transdisciplinary projects that 

could not be achieved using standard research project grant mechanisms. Projects may incorporate new discoveries 

in basic and clinical research, transformative health care technologies, advances in information science, behavioral 

economic strategies for influencing health behaviors, and new federal and state mechanisms for organizing and 

financing mental health care. 

NIMH currently supports two ALACRITY Research Centers. The first Center is developing streamlined behavioral 

interventions based on input from consumers and community clinicians, guided by neurobiological models and bigdata analytics, and supported by mobile technologies to improve the care of older and middle-aged adults with mood 

disorders.31 These novel interventions may be sustainably implemented in a variety of community settings and may 

reach populations for whom existing interventions or services do not adequately address urgent, unmet mental health 

needs. The second Center proposes a novel interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of behavioral economics 

and implementation science to drive improvements in the quality of evidence-based care and outcomes for persons 

with major depression, autism, or serious mental illness.32 The proposed projects capitalize on the multi-level nature 

of the treatment implementation process (e.g., patient, practitioner, and organization) and thus aim to develop and 

test strategies to improve treatment adherence among patients, treatment fidelity among providers, and practices 

among healthcare leaders to incentivize the delivery of evidence-based care within their systems. 

 

29 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key substance use and mental health 

indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication 

No. SMA 17-5044, NSDUH Series H-52). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/

30 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-16-354.html

31 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9374695&icde=36436720

32 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9376070&icde=36436720
NIMH-13

Program Portrait: Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention research is a top priority for NIMH. In 2015, suicide was the second leading cause of death in 

youth and young adults aged 15-34, and claimed the lives of more than 44,000 Americans across all ages.

33

 NIMH 

partners with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, supporting the “Zero Suicide” comprehensive 

research agenda aimed at reducing the U.S. suicide rate by 20 percent in 10 years.34 NIMH funds several Zero 

Suicide grants to create a stronger basis for dissemination and large-scale implementation of effective risk detection, 

intervention, and service delivery strategies for suicide prevention.35 Additional Zero Suicide efforts are underway 

to identify the most effective health care practice for reducing suicide risk in actual practice settings.36

Hospital emergency departments (EDs) can play a vital role in identifying suicide risk and decreasing suicide 

attempts among individuals, regardless of why they present in the ED. The Emergency Department Safety 

Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE) project demonstrated that ED-initiated interventions could 

reduce subsequent suicidal behavior among a sample of high-risk adult ED patients, with a decrease in suicide 

attempts by as much as 30 percent. A follow-on study, ED-SAFE-2, aims to examine both the sustainability of 

successfully implemented universal suicide risk screening and implementation of a brief suicide intervention.37 

Additionally, the Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) study generated a two 

minute, personally tailored, computerized screening tool for EDs to assess youth suicide risk.38 Researchers are 

examining adolescents from the ED-STARS cohort who are at immediate elevated risk for suicide to identify 

warning signs for suicide attempts.39

NIMH also supports suicide prevention research among vulnerable populations within specific communities. For 

example, collaborative research hubs aim to reduce the burden of suicide among urban American Indian and Alaska 

Native youth in both urban and rural settings.40 In addition, NIMH partners with the NIH Office of Behavioral 

Social Sciences Research and the National Institute of Justice to support a study to evaluate the effectiveness of an 

evidence-based safety planning intervention to reduce suicide events among persons recently released from 

incarceration.41 

AIDS Research 

The Division of AIDS Research (DAR) supports research and research training that addresses 

the priority areas outlined in the NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for 

Determining AIDS Funding.42 DAR-supported research includes behavioral and social science 

studies aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS incidence through the development, testing, and 

implementation of new and improved prevention strategies, including expanded testing and 

linkage to care, vaccines, microbicides, and pre-exposure prophylaxis approaches. Behavioral 

and social science research is critical to understanding individual and community acceptance and 

uptake of prevention strategies, such that the delivery of these strategies is fully optimized, 

widely disseminated, and successfully implemented. Moreover, DAR research places special 

emphasis on World Health Organization-defined key populations, health disparities, and the 

impact of mental illnesses that may increase the risk for contracting HIV or negatively impact 

the health outcomes of those living with HIV.

 

33 CDC, NCIPC. WISQARS: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html accessed October 2017. 

34 http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/sites/actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/files/Agenda.pdf

35 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/rfa-mh-16-800.html

36 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9380087&icde=36457694

37 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9234594&icde=36446027

38 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9142376&icde=36446098

39 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9363522&icde=36446154

40 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-17-350.html

41 https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9312313&icde=36447632

42 https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-137.html
NIMH-14

DAR also supports research to understand, prevent, or treat the neurological dysfunction 

associated with HIV infection. DAR is participating in cure research by supporting studies to 

eradicate or silence the HIV virus from biological reservoirs in the central nervous system 

(CNS). HIV latency within the CNS is critically important to consider in studies of eradication 

and reactivation. Many drugs designed to eradicate the virus are unable to penetrate the CNS 

because it is a protected reservoir for HIV. This work may also inform methods to prevent or 

treat the neurological comorbidities of HIV, with targeted research to understand HIV-induced 

neurological pathology, with emphases on long-term antiretroviral therapy. Additionally, DAR 

ensures effective integration of biomedical approaches and multidisciplinary expertise are 

considered at agency-wide planning efforts, bringing us ever closer to an AIDS-free generation.

Intramural Research Programs 

The Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP) is the internal research component of 

NIMH, complementing the Institute’s extramural grant funding program. IRP scientists 

investigate basic, translational, and clinical aspects of brain function and behavior, conducting 

state-of-the-art research using unique NIH resources. In addition, the IRP provides an excellent 

environment for training the next generation of clinical and basic scientists.

IRP researchers continue to examine the relationship between genes, the brain, and behavior in 

healthy development and in adult- and childhood-onset mental illnesses. In FY 2017, many 

important scientific advances came out of the IRP, including: uncovering the molecular basis of 

premenstrual dysphoric disorder; leveraging a rare neuroimaging dataset to find effects of sex 

and sex chromosome complement on the structure of the cerebellum; and developing and sharing 

new research tools for controlling gene expression or analyzing brain images in animal models. 

IRP scientists investigate innovative behavioral treatments and medications for children with 

severe mood dysregulation or anxiety. They combine functional magnetic resonance imaging 

(fMRI) with transcranial magnetic stimulation to study brain connections involved in cognition. 

IRP researchers also explore novel medications for treatment-resistant depression in adults, 

including ketamine and other experimental fast-acting antidepressant medications, and work to 

understand the neurobiological underpinnings of suicide. In FY 2017, two new principal 

investigators joined the IRP whose research areas include combining technologies such as 

optogenetics – a method that uses light to manipulate living cells -- with neural recordings to 

study the brain circuits involved in making choices, and defining neural pathways involved in

sleep, mood, and changes in circadian rhythms in response to environmental light/dark cycles.

Research Management and Support (RMS)

Research Management and Support (RMS) activities provide administrative, budgetary, 

logistical, and scientific support in the review, award, and monitoring of research and training 

grants, and research and development contracts. RMS functions include strategic planning, 

coordination, and evaluation of NIMH programs, regulatory compliance, coordination of global 

mental health efforts, and liaising with other Federal agencies, Congress, and the public. 

Through RMS activities, NIMH continues to provide administrative support for meritorious 

basic, clinical, and translational research and continues to promote health information 

dissemination and education/outreach activities.
NIMH-15

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

Detail of Full-Time Equivalent Employment (FTE)

OFFICE/DIVISION

FY 2017 Final FY 2018 Annualized CR FY 2019 President's Budget

Civilian Military Total Civilian Military Total Civilian Military Total

Division of AIDS Research

Direct: 12 - 12 12 - 12 12 - 12

Reimbursable: - - - - - - - - -

Total: 12 - 12 12 - 12 12 - 12

Division of Extramural Activities

Direct: 43 - 43 43 - 43 43 - 43

Reimbursable: - - - - - - - - -

Total: 43 - 43 43 - 43 43 - 43

Division of Intramural Research Programs

Direct: 291 - 291 291 - 291 291 - 291

Reimbursable: 5 - 5 5 - 5 5 - 5

Total: 296 - 296 296 - 296 296 - 296

Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science

Direct: 22 - 22 22 - 22 22 - 22

Reimbursable: - - - - - - - - -

Total: 22 - 22 22 - 22 22 - 22

Division of Services and Intervention Research

Direct: 12 1 13 13 - 13 13 - 13

Reimbursable: - - - - - - - - -

Total: 12 1 13 13 - 13 13 - 13

Division of Translational Research

Direct: 24 - 24 24 - 24 24 - 24

Reimbursable: - - - - - - - - -

Total: 24 - 24 24 - 24 24 - 24

Office of the Director

Direct: 141 - 141 144 - 144 144 - 144

Reimbursable: 9 - 9 9 - 9 9 - 9

Total: 150 - 150 153 - 153 153 - 153

Total 559 1 560 563 - 563 563 - 563

Includes FTEs whose payroll obligations are supported by the NIH Common Fund.

FTEs supported by funds from Cooperative Research and 

Development Agreements. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

FISCAL YEAR Average GS Grade

2015 12.7

2016 12.4

2017 12.6

2018 12.6

2019 12.6
NIMH-16

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institute of Mental Health

Detail of Positions1

GRADE FY 2017 Final FY 2018 

Annualized CR

FY 2019 

President's 

Budget

Total, ES Positions 1 1 1

Total, ES Salary 168,400 168,400 168,400

GM/GS-15 61 61 61

GM/GS-14 70 70 70

GM/GS-13 110 113 113

GS-12 70 70 70

GS-11 53 53 53

GS-10 0 0 0

GS-9 19 19 19

GS-8 9 9 9

GS-7 7 7 7

GS-6 1 1 1

GS-5 0 0 0

GS-4 2 2 2

GS-3 1 1 1

GS-2 0 0 0

GS-1 0 0 0

Subtotal 403 406 406

Grades established by Act of July 1, 1944 (42 U.S.C. 207) 0 0 0

Assistant Surgeon General 0 0 0

Director Grade 1 0 0

Senior Grade 0 0 0

Full Grade 0 0 0

Senior Assistant Grade 0 0 0

Assistant Grade 0 0 0

Subtotal 1 0 0

Ungraded 179 179 179

Total permanent positions 406 406 406

Total positions, end of year 584 584 584

Total full-time equivalent (FTE) employment, end of year 560 563 563

Average ES salary 168,400 168,400 168,400

Average GM/GS grade 12.6 12.6 12.6

Average GM/GS salary 110,319 112,470 113,004

1 Includes FTEs whose payroll obligations are supported by the NIH Common Fund.