# 2023 Winter 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 (@NIMHDirector **).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 subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your e-mail address, contact the NIMH Webmaster or visit the *Inside NIMH* subscription page **.

## Director’s Updates

This winter, NIMH staff have been actively engaged in facilitating scientific meetings and developing numerous research funding opportunities. As we venture into 2023, we focus this edition of *Inside NIMH* on recent developments to advance research priorities in youth mental health and precision medicine, as well as highlight health equity efforts and key leadership positions filled across NIH.

### News to Know

- NIMH Releases a Strategic Framework for Addressing Youth Mental Health Disparities for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022–2031 : On February 1, 2023, NIMH released its  Strategic Framework for Addressing Youth Mental Health Disparities  to help guide NIMH activities, including research funding, stakeholder engagement, and workforce development related to research on the mental health needs of youth impacted by racial and ethnic health disparities. Informed by researchers and care providers across the country, this Strategic Framework is a living document that summarizes NIMH’s plans and priorities for guiding research to address and reduce mental health disparities among underserved and underrepresented youth by 2031. To develop the Framework, NIMH partnered with the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the  Eunice Kennedy Shriver  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and engaged with multiple other entities across NIH, HHS, and the federal government. This Strategic Framework is structured to align with and supplement the  NIMH Strategic Plan for Research  and the  NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan ** , and may be periodically updated based on stakeholder feedback, emerging challenges and opportunities, and research advances.
- NIH Recognizes Winners of National Youth Essay Contest on Mental Health : In an effort to promote awareness of and spark conversations about mental health among high schoolers, NIMH, along with NIMHD and NICHD, sponsored the “ 2022 Speaking Up About Mental Health! ** ” essay contest. Contest participants explored ways that individuals or society can address or eliminate stigma that young people may face when seeking mental health treatment. Of the 200 submissions from high schoolers across 33 states, NIH named  nine winning essays **  and six honorable mentions. These essays addressed topics such as suicide, anxiety, the challenges of stigma, and improving access to mental health education and treatment, particularly in underserved populations, including individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.
- Advancing Precision Medicine Research : NIMH aims to support research that will develop and test tools for use by clinicians in tailoring treatment recommendations to individual patients. To address this pressing challenge, NIMH plans to launch an ambitious research program that will focus on two parallel areas of need:  precision diagnostics  and  biomarker development . The goal of the precision diagnostics effort is to support studies that follow large, diverse cohorts of individuals over time using novel behavioral and physiological methods to better predict patient prognosis and optimize treatment. These studies will combine innovative methods for assessing behavior (such as mobile device-based measurement of cognition and activity) with detailed clinical information from electronic health records to identify longitudinal relationships among symptoms of mental illnesses, biological systems, behavior, and day-to-day functioning. Meanwhile, the biomarker development effort seeks to deliver highly sensitive and specific biomarkers to guide treatment decisions for major depression.
- Outreach Spotlight : Over the last several months, NIMH  shared resources  across its digital platforms, which include  social media  and NIMH’s  Discover NIMH  e-newsletter, to support community mental health education for multiple observances, including Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 2–8) and World Mental Health Day (October 10). In recognition of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month in October, NIMH shared several  messages and resources about ADHD . NIMH also featured its  Spanish-language materials  during National Hispanic Heritage Month. As daylight hours decreased in the fall, NIMH promoted its fact sheet and infographic on  seasonal affective disorder . NIMH highlighted  resources about HIV and mental health   **  for World AIDS Day in December. Starting in the fall, NIMH returned to exhibiting resources at in-person meetings to share mental health  brochures and fact sheets  with providers, educators, and other stakeholders.
- Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Updates : On October 26, 2022, the IACC held a virtual  Full Committee Meeting ** . The Committee discussed  National Disability Employment Awareness Month ** , including research on employment of young adults on the autism spectrum, and autism in older adulthood. On January 18, 2023, the IACC held another  Full Committee Meeting ** , which included presentations about autism services and stakeholder-engaged disability research funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The Committee also voted on and approved the  2021–2022 IACC Strategic Plan , which is expected to be released in Spring 2023.

### Updates and Announcements from HHS and NIH

- HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration    - On September 16, 2022, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation released a  Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration ** , which advances the President’s  Strategy to Address the National Mental Health Crisis ** . The Roadmap summarizes the most significant barriers to achieving fully integrated behavioral health care, and highlights HHS-supported high-impact policies and programs that can help achieve the administration’s goals. Among the efforts described in the Roadmap, there are two NIMH funding opportunities aimed at implementing sustainable, evidence-based mental health practices in low-resource settings ( PAR-21-283 ** ,  PAR-21-284 ** ).

- U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being     - On October 20, 2022, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., released a new  Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being ** . This Framework outlines the foundational role that workplaces should play in promoting employee health and well-being and offers evidence-informed practices that leadership across workplaces of varied sizes and industries can apply to reimagine and reinvigorate their organizations.

- NIH-wide Initiatives    - Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® : NIMH is a partner of the  ABCD Study®   ** , the largest longitudinal study of brain development and child health in the United States. Using data from ABCD participants aged 9 to 10 years old, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School assessed whether genetic risk factors known to be associated with suicide attempts in adults are also  associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children   ** . Results indicate that there may be genetic factors associated with suicide attempt risk across the life span. Further research is needed to assess the complex interplay of genetic and environmental risk factors in order to improve the identification of children at risk for suicide and mediate this risk.
  - *All of Us* Research Program:       - The  *All of Us*Research Program **  seeks to collect health data from one million or more individuals in the United States to accelerate research to improve health. On December 3, 2022,  All of Us  announced **  that it has begun returning personalized genetic results to participants, delivering on its promise to share research findings and return information of value to participants. Participants can choose which health-related results they want, if any. Additionally, genetic counselors are available to meet with participants and their family members or health care provider to discuss and interpret their results.
    - On October 3, 2022,  All of Us  hosted a  virtual institutional onramp event **  to educate researchers and administrators on how to access the program’s data and tools to power research. More than 240 attendees from a variety of research institutions learned about available data and tools and discussed future research opportunities.
  - Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative : The next phase of the BRAIN Initiative includes funding for three transformative projects aimed at enhancing the understanding of brain cell types and the precise tools needed to access them. On September 22, 2022, the BRAIN Initiative  announced **  awards for two-large scale projects. The  BRAIN Initiative® Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) **  and the  Armamentarium for Precision Brain Cell Access **  seek to transform neuroscience research by illuminating foundational principles governing the circuit basis of behavior and informing new approaches to the treatment of human brain disorders. The forthcoming  BRAIN Initiative Connectivity Across Scales (BRAIN CONNECTS) Network ** , the third project, will create funding opportunities to target connectivity mapping at multiple scales.
  - NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research : The  NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research ** , known as "Blueprint," is a collaborative framework that includes the NIH Office of the Director and 15 NIH Institutes and Centers that support research on the nervous system. By pooling resources and expertise, the Blueprint framework identifies cross-cutting areas of research and confronts challenges too large for any single Institute or Center. On September 29, 2022, Blueprint hosted its first  NIH Investigator Meeting on Functional Neurocircuits of Interoception ** . The virtual meeting focused on pre-clinical functional neural circuit analysis of interoception, or the ways in which organisms sense and regulate signals within their bodies. The event featured presentations from NIH-funded researchers and covered topics including digestive system-brain connections; pulmonary-cardiovascular systems-brain connections; and metabolic, immune, muscular, and multiple systems-brain connections.
  - NIH Common Fund : The  NIH Common Fund's **  High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program **  supports exceptionally creative scientists pursuing highly innovative research with the potential for broad impact in biomedical, behavioral, or social sciences within the NIH mission. On October 4, 2022, the program  announced **  its intention to award over $200 million to support potentially transformative biomedical research projects. Numerous NIMH grantees were recipients of the awards.
  - UNITE Initiative : The NIH-wide  UNITE initiative **  strives to reduce barriers and provide solutions to creating racial equity in the biomedical research workforce. On October 20, 2022, UNITE published its inaugural  progress report ** . This report, covering fiscal years 2021–2022, describes NIH’s actions to identify and address structural racism that may exist within the NIH and in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise. It discusses UNITE’s initial efforts across four focus areas: 1) elevate health disparities and minority health research across NIH; 2) promote equity in the NIH-supported biomedical and behavioral research ecosystem; 3) promote equity in the internal NIH workforce; and, 4) improve accuracy and transparency of racial and ethnic equity data.

- NIH Leadership News    - On January 14, 2023,  Roger I. Glass, M.D., Ph.D. ** , stepped down as the Director of the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and as NIH Associate Director for International Research, positions he held since March 2006. As the longest-serving director of FIC, Dr. Glass broadened NIH’s global health footprint by partnering with all NIH Institutes and Centers to advance global health research in support of the NIH mission. Dr. Glass will serve as Senior Scientist Emeritus at FIC, focusing on bolstering diversity and equity in Fogarty programs, working with NIH leadership to expand engagement in global health, and reinforcing existing partnerships abroad.  Peter H. Kilmarx, M.D. ** , former FIC Deputy Director, will serve as Acting Director of FIC while NIH conducts a search for a permanent Director.
  - On December 31, 2022,  Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. ** , stepped down as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, and Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden after 54 years of federal service. Dr. Fauci had been the Director of NIAID for 38 years, overseeing an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat established and emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Fauci had advised seven Presidents of the United States on domestic and global health issues, including HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, various bird influenza threats, Ebola, and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 1, 2023,  Hugh Auchincloss, M.D. ** , former NIAID Principal Deputy Director, has begun serving as Acting Director of NIAID while NIH searches for a permanent Director.
  - On December 31, 2022,  Andrea Norris **  retired from her positions as NIH’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director for the Center of Information Technology (CIT). For over a decade, she led the $1.6 billion technology portfolio that supports the research of NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers, as well as researchers at more than 2,500 universities and medical centers across the country that receive NIH funding support. NIH will launch national searches for a new CIO and a CIT Director.
  - On November 8, 2022, NIH announced the appointment of  Joni L. Rutter, Ph.D. ** , as Director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Dr. Rutter had been serving as the NCATS Acting Director since April 2021. Dr. Rutter will direct innovative research programs to advance diagnoses and treatments, including gene therapies, for some of the more than 10,000 known rare diseases. She also will guide research efforts that drive team science to create and test innovative methods for improving the drug development process.
  - On November 3, 2022,  Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D. ** , was named the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research (DDIR) in the NIH Office of the Director. Dr. Schor had been serving in this role in an acting capacity since August 1, 2022. As DDIR, Dr. Schor will be responsible for the selection and approval of new NIH principal investigators, human subjects research protection, research integrity, technology transfer, and animal care and use for the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP). She will also oversee efforts to train the next generation of biomedical and behavioral researchers at NIH, as well as efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive culture across the NIH IRP. Dr. Schor replaces  Michael M. Gottesman, M.D. ** , who served as NIH DDIR for 29 years.
  - On October 11, 2022,  Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D. ** , began her role as inaugural Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an independent entity within the NIH. Dr. Wegrzyn will be responsible for driving the agency’s research portfolio and associated budget. The budget is expected to support a broad range of programs in order to develop capabilities to prevent, detect, and treat some of the most intractable diseases, including cancer.
  - On October 3, 2022,  Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D. ** , began her role as the 16th Director—and first female Director— of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Throughout her career, Dr. Bertagnolli has been at the forefront of the field of clinical oncology, advancing current understanding of the gene that promotes gastrointestinal cancer development, in particular. Her decades of clinical and leadership experience will be applied to advancing NCI initiatives, including spearheading the President’s Cancer MoonshotSM initiative.  **Doug Lowy, M.D.** ** , had served as the Acting Director of NCI while the President searched for a permanent Director, and has resumed his position as NCI’s Principal Deputy Director.

### Budget Overview

- Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Budget : NIMH awarded an estimated 673 new and competing research project grants (RPGs) in FY 2022 and achieved an overall success rate of approximately 24 percent (defined as number of RPG applications funded divided by the number of applications received; see below). Cures Awards are funded by appropriations made available through the  21st Century Cures Act ** . In accordance with  Next Generation Researchers Initiative **  efforts, NIMH awarded grants to 98 unique early stage investigators and 209 unique  at-risk investigators ** .