Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Data Informed, Place-Based Community-Engaged Research to Advance Health Equity
Notice Number:
NOT-HL-23-110

Key Dates

Release Date:

November 28, 2023

First Available Due Date:
February 05, 2024
Expiration Date:
January 08, 2027

Related Announcements

  • March 27, 2024 - Notice of NICHD Participation in NOT-HL-23-110 "Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Data Informed, Place-Based Community-Engaged Research to Advance Health Equity". See Notice NOT-HD-24-014
  • July 20, 2023 - Social Disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-238.
  • July 20, 2023 - Social disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-239.
  • June 29, 2023 - Schizophrenia and related disorders during mid- to late-life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-24-023.
  • June 29, 2023 - Schizophrenia and related disorders during mid- to late-life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-24-026.
  • March 30, 2023 - Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-153.
  • March 17, 2023 - Research With Activities Related to Diversity (ReWARD) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-122.
  • March 02, 2023 - Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-130.
  • February 02, 2023 - NIMHD Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-111.
  • January 31, 2023 - Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-112.
  • January 13, 2023 - Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R21 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-102.
  • January 13, 2023 - Innovative Pilot Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-23-105.
  • January 12, 2023 - Novel Assays to Address Translational Gaps in Treatment Development (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-087.
  • January 06, 2023 - Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PAR-23-096.
  • January 06, 2023 - Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-097.
  • January 06, 2023 - Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-23-095.
  • December 14, 2022 - National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications for the Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (P01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-059.
  • December 13, 2022 - Clinical Studies of Mental Illness (Collaborative R01) (Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-050.
  • December 05, 2022 - NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-058.
  • September 09, 2022 - NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-22-231.
  • September 06, 2022 - NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R21 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-22-230.
  • May 26, 2022 - Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-22-155.
  • March 15, 2022 - Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R01-Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-22-137.
  • March 15, 2022 - Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R21-Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-22-138.
  • November 22, 2021 - Measures and Methods to Advance Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities-Related Constructs (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-22-072.
  • October 12, 2021 - Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-21-341.
  • October 05, 2021 - Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). See NOFO PAR-21-349.
  • October 05, 2021 - Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-21-350.
  • June 25, 2021 - The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional). See NOFO PAR-21-275.
  • May 10, 2021 - NIMH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-21-235.
  • November 25, 2020 - NIDCR Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PAR-21-084.
  • November 12, 2020 - Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PAR-21-035.
  • May 12, 2020 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-205.
  • May 12, 2020 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-203.
  • May 07, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-195.
  • May 07, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). See NOFO PA-20-196.
  • May 07, 2020 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PA-20-194.
  • May 6, 2020 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PA-20-176.
  • May 06, 2020 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-190.
  • May 05, 2020 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). See NOFO PA-20-185.
  • May 05, 2020 - Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required). See NOFO PA-20-184.
  • May 05, 2020 - Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PA-20-183.

Issued by

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

All applications to this funding opportunity announcement should fall within the mission of the Institutes/Centers. The following NIH Offices may co-fund applications assigned to those Institutes/Centers.

Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)

Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)

Purpose

The purpose of this NOSI is to stimulate community-engaged research that leverages geospatial data to probe the influence of geographic factors on disease development and health outcomes. Our goal is to use place-based research to help advance health equity in different communities. Applicants must select the IC and associated NOFO to use for submission of an application in response to the NOSI. The selection must align with the IC requirements listed in order to be considered responsive to that NOFO. Non-responsive applications will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative. In addition, applicants using NIH Parent announcements (listed below) will be assigned to those ICs on this NOSI that have indicated those NOFOs are acceptable and based on usual application-IC assignment practices.

Background

A compelling body of evidence shows a link between geography and variations in health outcomes relevant to the mission of several NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs). Popularized by the RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America campaign beginning in 2014, city maps were developed to show life expectancy alongside common geographic landmarks (e.g., subway stops, and highway exits) to show how health-promoting opportunities can vary dramatically by neighborhood, in communities across the United States. Research has shown that ZIP code may be more important to health than one’s genetic code, given its key role in shaping critical social determinants of health (e.g., educational access and quality, health care access and quality, economic stability). As defined by the NIH, social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, learn, work, play, live, and age, and the wider set of structural factors shaping the conditions of daily life (NIH SDOH RCC, 2023). These structural factors include social, economic, and legal forces, systems, and policies that determine opportunities and access to high quality jobs, education, housing, transportation, built environment, information and communication infrastructure, food, and healthcare; the social environment; and other conditions of daily life. For example, where one lives influences access to essential community resources that promote or impede health behaviors and lay the foundation for educational access, social mobility, and economic advancement and opportunity. Studies have noted the role of place in influencing 1) health risks, such as food insecurity, access to healthcare and preventative care, environmental conditions and public safety; and 2) health outcomes, such as maternal health, physical inactivity, obesity, adverse health behaviors, sleep deficiency, lead poisoning, hypertension, cancer and asthma. In the U.S., racial/ethnic residential segregation by ZIP code is, in part, due to the historical practice of redlining and has also been shown to be a fundamental cause of racial and ethnic disparities in a variety of health outcomes.

Place-based research initiatives that leverage geography-based data offer the opportunity to further enhance our understanding of social, environmental, geographic mechanisms responsible for health disparities. Integrating current population databases with information from claims databases, census, and mapping data (i.e., USGS: The National Map) can help gain important insights into potential links between location and drivers of various health risk and adverse events. In addition to NIH datasets with location-based data, other datasets that could be leveraged include the following:

  • Environmental Justice Index (EDI)
  • All of Us Research Program
  • Maternal and Infant Health Mapping Tool (recently launched by HRSA and uses CDC data)
  • Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP)
  • CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index
  • NIEHS Personalized Environment and Genes Study (PEGS)
  • The National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA)
  • CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network
  • HealthLandscape
  • The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
  • Mapping Medicare Disparities (MMD) Tool
  • PLACES: Local Data for Better Health
  • Food Environment Atlas (USDA Economic Research Service)

As we continue to personalize health interventions and move towards precision medicine, location-based metrics have emerged as pivotal tools. These metrics, derived from geospatial data, can provide critical insights into how different aspects of our environments - from air quality to access to healthcare facilities - contribute to our health. Such a geographical lens can highlight the hidden patterns and variations in disease prevalence and health outcomes across different regions or communities. This can enable more targeted and efficient interventions, and allow for the tailoring of prevention and treatment strategies to the unique contexts of specific locations or populations, thereby improving health outcomes and advancing precision medicine.

Some examples of appropriate studies include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Conduct geospatial and multi-level analyses using primary and secondary data sources to gain a better understanding of the associations between built and social environments and their effects on health outcomes (e.g., biological, psychological, and social levels).
  • Use of geospatial or multilevel analyses tools to link health information with existing data on neighborhood features to identify high-risk communities for poor health outcomes and vulnerability to climate change that are relevant to disease management. This could inform potential interventions to mitigate such risks (e.g., heat-related, flooding, chemical spill, etc.)
  • Utilize advanced GIS tools and artificial intelligence to monitor the spatial distribution of different diseases in real time, identify associated risk factors, and inform targeted public health interventions and policies. Use of innovative primary data collection tools such as personal recording devices with GPS capabilities, and novel AI technology to better understand of the influence of location on health.
  • Partner with community members and leaders to identify the communities most pressing concerns and utilize geospatial data to better understand health conditions prevalent in the most vulnerable communities, including Native American communities or reservations (e.g., may utilize NIH-funded NARCH centers or other communities.)
  • Investigate the relationship between urban planning, transportation, and public health by assessing the impact of the built environment on physical activity, obesity, air pollution, and mental health. Informing on evidence-based urban planning and design.
  • Leverage multilevel analyses to address the impact of place on health outcomes that considers historical, individual, and spatiotemporal variables.
  • Conduct natural experiments that examine health outcomes before and after a change in neighborhood characteristics or the built environment and its impact on health outcomes.
  • Research geared to better define and integrate place in human health-related research to improve the utility of metrics in geographic context.
  • Enable automated spatial epidemiology and predictive modeling through real-time location-based metrics, identifying risk factors associated with disease development and progression to inform targeted public health interventions and policies.
  • Explore how geographical variations in environmental factors interact with individuals' genetic profiles to influence health outcomes. These studies could provide critical insights into gene-environment interactions, enhancing our understanding of disease etiology and progression.
  • Utilize GPS data from personal devices to analyze individual and population-level mobility patterns, investigating how these patterns relate to health behaviors and outcomes. Such research could reveal, for example, how walkability or access to public transportation influences physical activity levels or access to healthcare services.
  • Examine how geographical variations in healthcare access (availability of primary care providers, hospitals, or specialized clinics) influence health outcomes. Such studies could inform targeted improvements in healthcare infrastructure.
  • Analyze geotagged social media data to gauge public sentiment on health-related topics, track the spread of health misinformation, or monitor behavioral trends related to health (like physical activity, dietary habits, etc.) in different geographical areas.
  • Improve data collection for clinical studies and clinical trials with the use of geofencing to more reliably collect clinical adverse events.
  • Use of geospatial tools to prioritize recruitment and enrollment to tailor outreach strategies in communities with the aim of advancing equitable participation in clinical studies and trials.

Given the nature of this research, we encourage the formation of interdisciplinary research teams. These teams should ideally encompass expertise across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Essential areas of knowledge include data science and geospatial analysis for managing and interpreting geographical data. Knowledge in environmental health, climate change, nutrition, and the built environment can provide a comprehensive perspective on various health determinants. Skills in community-based participatory research are important for fostering effective community engagement, while understanding health disparities research will aid in identifying and addressing inequalities.

Non-responsive applications will not be reviewed and will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the relevant scientific contacts to discuss whether their applications are responsive.

Specific Areas of Research Interest

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) encourages research that explores the impact of geographical factors on the development and progression of heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related diseases. This includes studying how location and neighborhood- and community-level social determinants of health contribute to health disparities and outcomes. The NHLBI also welcomes studies that utilize geospatial data and location-based metrics to advance health equity. By leveraging secondary data and using advanced tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), researchers can gain insights into the associations between built and social environments and their effects on heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related diseases and health outcomes. These studies have the potential to inform interventions and improve disease management, ultimately working towards achieving health equity in different communities. Given the nature of this research, NHLBI encourages interdisciplinary research teams that include (but not limited to) epidemiologists, geographers, health services researchers, health disparities researchers, data scientists and/or behavioral and social scientists.

NHLBI NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-185Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-195NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-205Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-190Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-203Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)


National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) encourages applications that address the previously mentioned research opportunities with a specific focus on cancer prevention and control. NCI is interested in research that integrates geospatial data and/or spatial methodology with community-based approaches to examine how people and place interact to influence cancer prevention and control and to reduce cancer health disparities. NCI is also interested in the discovery of mechanisms underlying the influence of contextual variables on cancer risk and outcomes. Studies utilizing conceptual or theoretical models of multilevel factors on cancer risk and outcomes are encouraged. NCI is also interested in mixed methods approaches that allow for ground-truthing and collection of social and cultural meaning of space, place and history to compliment objectively- or administratively-defined geospatial data. Applicants are also encouraged to use existing data sources, including data linkages, but are not prohibited from collecting new data. Data sources at different geographic levels are encouraged, and may include data regarding relevant local, state, or organizational policies. NCI encourages collaborative research among transdisciplinary research teams that include (but are not limited to) epidemiologists, geographers, health services researchers, and/or behavioral and social scientists.

NCI NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PAR-21-035Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-20-185NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-21-190Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-21-341Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-058NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-059National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications for the Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-153Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities

NIMHD is interested in projects that examine and test the underlying pathways or mechanisms that explain why health disparities are geographically clustered for NIH-designated US populations that experience health disparities, including earlier onset or more aggressive progression of health outcomes. Of specific interest are applications that focus on place-based disparities of racial and ethnic minority populations (African American/Black, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander persons) and/or low socioeconomic status (SES) persons. Also of interest is the intersectionality of race and ethnicity and/or low SES with rural populations or sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups or persons living with disabilities or persons with other demographic characteristics and or any other condition.

Mechanisms that have been proposed that account for why health disparities are geographically clustered include but are not limited to, structural manifestation of racial discrimination such as segregation, ethnic stratification, and resulting inequality in the social and built environment; differential exposures to environmental toxins; low material and social support (such as limited health-promoting resources, inadequate quality and access to healthcare); higher concentrations of social stressors (e.g., violence, discrimination, neighborhood and economic instability); built- and social environment-induced or constrained lifestyles (e.g., high density of tobacco outlets or food deserts); and/or shared psychosocial mechanisms that influence health behaviors. Also of interest are projects that examine the role of protective and/or resilience factors and mechanisms, such as social cohesion and solidarity, community, neighbor or family support, etc., that may explain why some individuals and communities living at a place with high social vulnerability have better health outcomes than expected.

NIMHD NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-185Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-23-111NIMHD Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional)
PA-20-190Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-203Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

NIDCR is interested in observational studies to better understand the place-based and spatially-patterned root causes of oral health disparities and inequities. Studies should incorporate oral health in relation to general health and/or social determinants of health and engage with multisector stakeholders to generate place-based strategies and infrastructure for advancing population oral health. Examples of studies responding to this NOSI that NIDCR welcomes include but are not limited to:

  • Elucidate place-based mechanisms where the contextual factors influence oral health disparities and inequities at intersections of populations sociodemographic attributes
  • Investigate spatially-patterned social determinants of health and oral health risk factors that could be identified real-time and mapped in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools using neighborhood, population oral health, and/or routinely-collected clinical data
  • Conduct natural experiments that examine the impact of a change in policy and/or built-environment on oral health disparities among populations affected by health disparities
  • Conduct community-based participatory research to identify culturally appropriate and geospatial data-driven strategies to identify and recruit populations affected by oral health disparities and inequities for research and/or public health intervention programs

NIDCR NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-185Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-195NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-205Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-190Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-203Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-21-084NIDCR Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)

The Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), which is part of the Office of the Director of NIH, works in partnership with the 27 NIH Institutes and Centers to ensure that women's health research is part of the scientific framework at the NIH, and throughout the health research community. Critical gaps and opportunities relevant to the health of women remain. The ORWH is particularly interested in studies focused on the influence of sex and gender and other social determinants of health on wellness and disease across women’s lifespan, as well as the health of women that are understudied, underrepresented, and underreported (U3) in biomedical research. Within the focus of this announcement, the Office is open to co-funding research which uses geospatial tools to enhance understanding of and ability to mitigate impacts of place on disease risk, etiology and progression and to advance efforts to identify, recruit and maintain engagement with women of NIH-designated populations in clinical studies and trials (i.e., opportunities to advance research questions prioritized by women in those communities). Research topics incorporating strategies to improve women’s health equity and seeking to enhance the dissemination and implementation of the women’s health evidence base are also encouraged.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will accept applications that reflect the mission and scientific priorities as identified in the strategic plan NIMH The National Institute of Mental Health Strategic Plan (nih.gov). Per NOT-MH-20-067, NIMH expects that grant applications involving human research participants will collect a minimum set of Common Data Elements. For research involving adults, the expected data collection instruments include demographic measures (age, sex at birth), the Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult (DSM-5-TR), a measure of impairment (WHODAS), and measures related to anxiety and depression (PHQ-9, GAD-7).

Translational Research

The NIMH Division of Translational Research supports research that identifies mechanisms that contribute to etiology and progression of mental illness, markers that predict mental illness trajectories, and identification of modifiable targets for novel interventions. Examples of research appropriate for NIMH Division of Translational Research include:

  • Studies to better understand how built environments and environs (e.g., neighborhood temperature hotspots, ambient nighttime light, or noise levels) contribute to risk for mental illness or worsening of mental illness symptoms with sleep quality and duration as potential mediators.
  • Studies that use geospatial data to examine how neighborhood qualities such as blight, availability of green spaces, social cohesion, resident turnover or stability affect chronic and acute stress levels and mediate mental health symptoms and trajectories.
  • Studies that examine how place-based factors influence the neurocircuitry and function of the brain and related psychopathology.
  • Studies that seek to identify characteristics of neighborhoods and built environments that promote mental health resilience independently from social economic status (SES) with a mechanistic emphasis.
  • Studies that examine regional differences in structural and policy-driven factors and their correlation with spatial distribution of mental health disparities for minoritized populations.
  • Studies that utilize geospatial techniques to examine social contagion as a mediator of severity of mental illness symptoms or spatiotemporal clustering of incidence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

COVID19

  • Studies to identify the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, (particularly in places with disproportionately high impacts) that may subsequently be placed at greatest risk for pandemic-related mental health needs.
  • Studies to identify the mental health impact of COVID19 on communities that were disproportionately forced to manage overcrowded living conditions, limited access to personal protective equipment, jobs that cannot be done remotely, food deserts and food insecurity, transportation disparities, and poor air quality.
  • Studies to determine how geography and geography-based policies (e.g., quarantine, isolation, vaccinations), influence community-wide responses to mental health care seeking and service access during the COVID19 pandemic.

Services Research

  • Studies aimed at identifying potentially mutable factors that are associated with service use/delivery/outcomes. Examples include access to broadband and technology, neighborhood safety, noise and over-population stress, place-based social isolation, housing insecurity, and other place-based mechanistic targets to improve mental health outcomes in youth, adults, urban, rural and frontier populations. Of particular interest is research to inform interventions at the system and policy level.

NIMH NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PAR-23-238Social Disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-239Social disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-24-023Schizophrenia and relatetdd disorders during mid- to late-life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-24-026Schizophrenia and related disorders during mid- to late-life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-122Research With Activities Related to Diversity (ReWARD) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-130Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-112Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-102Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-087Novel Assays to Address Translational Gaps in Treatment Development (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-095Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
PAR-23-096Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PAR-23-097Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-23-050Clinical Studies of Mental Illness (Collaborative R01) (Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-22-155Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-22-137Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R01-Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-22-138Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R21-Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-22-072Measures and Methods to Advance Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities-Related Constructs (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-21-349Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
PAR-21-350Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
PAR-21-275The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional)
PA-21-235NIMH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-196NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
PA-20-194NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-20-185NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-184Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
PA-20-183Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PAR-23-095Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
PAR-23-105Innovative Pilot Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) supports research aligned with our mission and strategic priorities, conducted by scientists from any discipline. NINR discovers solutions to health challenges through the lenses of health equity, social determinants of health, population and community health, prevention and health promotion, and systems and models of care. Drawing on the strengths of nursing’s holistic, contextualized perspective, core values, and broad reach, NINR funds multilevel and cross-sectoral research that examines the factors that impact health across the many settings in which nurses practice, including homes, schools, workplaces, clinics, justice settings, and the community.

NINR NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-190Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-22-230NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
PAR-22-231NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

NIDCR is interested in observational studies to better understand the place-based and spatially-patterned root causes of oral health disparities and inequities. Studies should incorporate oral health in relation to general health and/or social determinants of health and engage with multisector stakeholders to generate place-based strategies and infrastructure for advancing population oral health. Examples of studies responding to this NOSI that NIDCR welcomes include but are not limited to:

  • Elucidate place-based mechanisms where the contextual factors influence oral health disparities and inequities at intersections of the sociodemographic attributes of populations
  • Investigate spatially patterned social determinants of health and oral health risk factors that could be identified real-time and mapped in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools using neighborhood, population oral health, and/or routinely-collected clinical data
  • Conduct natural experiments that examine the impact of a change in policy and/or built-environment on oral health disparities among populations affected by health disparities
  • Conduct community-based participatory research to identify culturally-appropriate and geospatial data-driven strategies to identify and recruit populations affected by oral health disparities and inequities for research and/or public health intervention programs

NIDCR NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-185Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-195NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-205Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-190Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-203Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-21-084NIDCR Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)


National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) encourages applications that leverage the previously-mentioned research opportunities to address how place-based environmental factors impact health outcomes, especially in populations disproportionately impacted by environmental exposures, including populations with health disparities. NIEHS is interested in applications that integrate place-based environmental data with other data types and sources (such as human behavior and time-activity patterns, environmental data collected by low-cost sensor networks or wearable technologies, biomonitoring data, and other molecular or clinical outcome data) to improve exposure estimates at both the community and individual level, to advance understanding of the effects of environmental exposures on health outcomes, and to inform prevention and intervention strategies.

NIEHS NOFOs for this NOSI

NOFO NumberNOFO Title
PA-20-185Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PA-20-195NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after February 5, 2024, and subsequent receipt dates through January 7, 2027. This NOSI expires on January 8, 2027; thus no applications will be accepted on or after January 8, 2027.

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following notices of funding opportunity (NOFOs) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this notice.

  • PAR-23-238- Social Disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-239 - Social disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-24-023 - Schizophrenia and related disorders during mid- to late-life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-24-026 - Schizophrenia and related disorders during mid- to late-life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-153 - Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-122 - Research With Activities Related to Diversity (ReWARD) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-130 - Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-111 - NIMHD Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-112 - Addressing the Impact of Structural Racism and Discrimination on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-102 - Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-105 - Innovative Pilot Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-23-087 - Novel Assays to Address Translational Gaps in Treatment Development (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-095 - Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • PAR-23-096 - Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
  • PAR-23-097 - Mood and Psychosis Symptoms during the Menopause Transition (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-059 - National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications for the Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-050 - Clinical Studies of Mental Illness (Collaborative R01) (Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-23-058 - NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-22-231 - NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-22-230 - NINR Areas of Emphasis for Research to Optimize Health and Advance Health Equity (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-22-155 - Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-22-137 - Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R01-Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-22-138 - Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R21-Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-22-072 - Measures and Methods to Advance Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities-Related Constructs (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-21-341- Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
  • PAR-21-349 - Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
  • PAR-21-350 - Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • PAR-21-275 - The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional)
  • PA-21-235 - NIMH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-21-084 - NIDCR Small Grant Program for New Investigators (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PAR-21-035 - Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
  • PA-20-205 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-20-203 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-20-196 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
  • PA-20-194 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
  • PA-20-176 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required)
  • PA-20-190 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-20-184 - Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
  • PA-20-183 - Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the notice of funding opportunity used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-HL-23-110 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to the contacts in Section VII of the listed notice of funding opportunity with the following additions/substitutions:

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Juanita Chinn, PhD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Email: [email protected]

Gabriel Anaya, MD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-825-2778
Email: [email protected]

Alison Brown, PhD, RDN
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0583
Email: [email protected]

Shalanda A. Bynum, PhD, MPH
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Telephone: 301-755-4355
Email: [email protected]

Nancy Jones, Ph.D.
National Institute on Minority health and health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-8945
Email: [email protected]


Melissa C. Green Parker, Ph.D.
Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
Phone: 301-480-1161
E-mail: [email protected]

Laura A. Thomas, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Phone: (301) 480-1624
E-mail: [email protected]

Collene Lawhorn, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-828-7186
Email: [email protected]

Juliette Claudine Mcclendon, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-379-0413
E-mail: [email protected]

Heather D Angelo, PhD, MHS
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6597
Email: [email protected]

Hiroko Iida, DDS, MPH
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Phone: 301-594-7404
E-mail: [email protected]

Damiya E. Whitaker, PsyD, MA
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
Telephone: 301-451-8206
E-mail: [email protected]

Xenia T. Tigno Ph.D., M.S. (Epi)
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
Phone: 301-435-0202
E-mail: [email protected]

Christopher Gentry Duncan, PhD
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Phone: 984-287-3256
E-mail: [email protected]

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Margaret Young
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-642-4552 Email: [email protected]

Francesca Hunter
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-402-3127
Email: [email protected]

Kelli Oster
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Telephone: 301-594-2177
Email: [email protected]

Priscilla Grant, JD
National Institute on Minority health and health Disparities (NIMHD)
Phone: 301-594-8412
E-mail: [email protected]

Tamara Kees
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-8811
Email: [email protected]

Gabriel Hidalgo, MBA
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Phone: 301-827-4630
E-mail: [email protected]

Crystal Wolfrey
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6277
Email: [email protected]

Jenny L Greer
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Phone: 984.287.3332
E-mail: [email protected]