RESCINDED
December 21, 2021
February 04, 2022 - Notice of NIAMS' Participation in NOT-MD-22-006. See Notice NOT-AR-22-017.
PA-20-183 - Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOT-MD-21-008 (to be rescinded) - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research to Address Vaccine Hesitancy, Uptake, and Implementation among Populations that Experience Health Disparities
NOT-DA-22-002 Notice of NIDA's Participation in NOT-MD-22-006
NOT-HL-22-012 Notice of NHLBI Participation in NOT-MD-22-006
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA )
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)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ( NHLBI )
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO)
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) highlights the need for research on strategies, and interventions to address vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among populations who experience health disparities in the US and its territories. Research is needed to understand and address misinformation, distrust, and hesitancy regarding uptake of vaccines (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, pneumococcal, influenza, hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV)) among adults in the United States and territories, especially in populations at increased risk for morbidity and mortality due to long-standing systemic health and social inequities and chronic medical conditions. This NOSI is focused on adults 18 years and older except for SARS-CoV-2 and HPV-related vaccine topics, which may include eligible children and adolescents. The purpose of this NOSI is to solicit research to: 1) evaluate community-engaged interventions (e.g., expand reach, increase access, address psychosocial barriers) to facilitate vaccination uptake in clinical and community contexts; 2) evaluate organizational, local, state, and federal policies and initiatives that mitigate or exacerbate disparities in vaccine access, uptake, and series completion, and 3) understand and address barriers to increasing reach, access, and uptake of vaccinations among populations who experience health disparities.
Background and Goals
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized/approved vaccines and boosters, along with effective mitigation and prevention strategies, are critical for reducing rates of infection and slowing the spread of infectious diseases. Viral outbreaks of preventable diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and substantial levels of vaccine hesitancy among populations with health disparities, highlight the need to develop and evaluate strategies and policies to increase vaccine completion. NIH is committed to advancing scientific knowledge on methods to increase access to and uptake of vaccinations to prevent life-threatening illnesses.
There is evidence of disparities in the acceptance and uptake of other vaccinations among adults from racial and ethnic minority populations, including vaccines for influenza, pneumococcal, and HPV. For instance, research on influenza vaccination uptake shows a pattern of racial and ethnic minority persons being less likely to receive the vaccine, with socioeconomic and clinician/health care system factors as possible contributors. Research on HPV vaccination uptake shows a similar pattern of racial/ethnic minority persons being less likely to initiate or complete the series. Vaccine hesitancy is comprised of one’s confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, complacency towards vaccine uptake/completion, and convenience in accessing the vaccine. For some vaccines, hesitancy is higher for populations experiencing health disparities. The reasons for hesitancy are varied, but may include concerns about perceived safety, skepticism about the trustworthiness of the source(s) of vaccination recommendations, exposure to misinformation and disinformation, considering immunization a low priority, perceived low risk of illness, limited knowledge and health literacy about the disease, difficulty accessing services, clinician bias, cost, or personal, and cultural or religious beliefs discouraging vaccination.
The overall goal of this NOSI is to apply scientific methods to promote the uptake of vaccination among populations who experience health disparities. This NOSI is focused on adults 18 years and older for all vaccines including eligible children and adolescents for SARS-CoV-2 and HPV-related topics (9 years and older). Effective measures and trusted sources are essential to address and reduce misinformation, build community trust, and to promote widespread vaccine dissemination, population level uptake, and adherence to vaccination protocols. Applications are encouraged to consider upstream factors (e.g., interpersonal, community, health system, policy), as well as relevant cultural and historical factors associated with individual beliefs, risk perceptions, and behavior across multiple levels (e.g., individual, community, etc.). Projects focusing on rural populations are encouraged. Applications should make explicit their rationale for the specific populations of focus and describe the disparities to be addressed. Additionally, applications on urgent topics such as the uptake and/or series completion of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, annual influenza vaccination, and recommended pneumococcal vaccines are encouraged.
Key questions to be addressed include but are not limited to:
Primary Data Collection Studies
Responsive grant applications must involve a formal collaboration with one or more of the following:
Studies are encouraged to collaborate and partner with key community stakeholders and leverage community resources and local service delivery settings to enhance vaccine access, delivery, and uptake. Applicants should have: 1) a history of successful recruitment and retention of participants within the populations of focus, 2) create sustainable collaborations and implementation in communities disproportionately affected by illnesses for which vaccination is an option; and 3) conduct effective communication, co-creation, and dissemination activities to inform communities about the project and its findings. Projects must have clearly defined roles for all partners. As appropriate, study budgets should include funds for community collaborations and partnerships to be fully engaged in research design and implementation. Approaches to engage community stakeholders through the research process, such as team science, community-engaged research, participatory action research, empowerment evaluation approaches, community asset mapping, citizen science, and community health workers are strongly encouraged.
Design, Analysis, and Sample Size for Studies to Evaluate Group-Based Interventions: Investigators who wish to evaluate the effect of an intervention on a health-related biomedical or behavioral outcome may propose a study in which (1) groups or clusters are assigned to study arms and individual observations are analyzed to evaluate the effect of the intervention, or (2) participants are assigned individually to study arms but receive at least some of their intervention in a real or virtual group or through a shared facilitator. Such studies may propose a parallel group- or cluster-randomized trial, an individually randomized group-treatment trial, a stepped-wedge design, or a quasi-experimental version of one of these designs. In these studies, special methods may be warranted for analysis and sample size estimation. Group randomization may not be feasible in some circumstances for community-based interventions among populations who experience health disparities. Applicants should use methods that are appropriate given their plans for assignment of participants and delivery of interventions. Additional information is available at https://researchmethodsresources.nih.gov/.
Applications should also delineate outcomes (such as receipt of target vaccine) and how the intervention or strategies can be sustained and scaled-up to improve population health.
Secondary Data Analysis Studies
Projects of interest may include studies evaluating the effects of vaccine mandates or other policies, e.g., analyses drawing on natural experiments to understand how organizational, local, state, and federal policies and initiatives mitigate or exacerbate disparities in vaccine access, uptake, and series completion.
Study Outcomes
Primary outcomes: Vaccine uptake and/or vaccine series completion, including boosters per recommendations by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html) as applicable.
Secondary outcomes (include, but are not limited to): Vaccine hesitancy including vaccine confidence, vaccine convenience, vaccine complacency; community/social vaccine beliefs, norms, and risk perceptions; vaccine distribution and implementation across various sectors/settings; implementation of policies to increase individual access and uptake; access to immunization services; service delivery improvements; trust in science supporting vaccine research; and distrust in government and health organizations providing vaccine recommendations.
Projects must include a focus on one or more populations whom NIH designates as experiencing health disparities in the United States, which include racial and ethnic minority groups (Blacks or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations), people with less privileged socioeconomic status, sexual and gender minority persons, and underserved rural populations. Please see https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/ for more information.
Projects that examine or address factors at multiple levels are strongly encouraged (see the NIMHD Research Framework for examples of determinants of health at different levels: https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/research-framework/nimhd-framework.html). Research is encouraged among distinct sub-populations based on the country of origin (e.g., Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc., rather than Asian Americans). Projects are expected to incorporate research strategies to address individual and structural social determinants of health (SDOH) (https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health) that present barriers to vaccine access and uptake.
Applications are also strongly encouraged to support early-stage investigators from diverse backgrounds, including from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce.
Projects targeting access, acceptance and uptake of routine vaccines among children and adolescents, with the exception of HPV and SARS-CoV-2, are not considered within scope of this NOSI, however they may be within the scope of NICHD as described in: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HD-21-038.html.
Research Topics:
Research topics of interest on vaccination include, but are not limited to, the following:
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
NCI is interested in research strategies, policy evaluations, and interventions that focus on vaccines that prevent cancer, including the human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B (HBV) vaccines. In addition, NCI is interested in research that addresses SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among those directly affected by cancer, including cancer survivors (those living with cancer and those free of cancer) across the lifespan and their caregivers.
NCI FOAs for this NOSI include the following or their subsequent reissued equivalents:
Activity Code |
FOA |
First Available Due Date |
R01 |
PA-20-185- NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
February 5, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-21-190 Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
March 7, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-21-035 Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required) |
February 5, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-19-274 Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
February 5, 2022 |
R01 |
PA-19-348 Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Information Ecosystem (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
June 8, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-19-360 Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
February 5, 2022 |
NCI does not participate in PA-20-183- Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required).
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
NIDCR supports research on vaccination programs to prevent oral diseases and conditions (e.g., HPV vaccination) as well as opportunities for dental care providers to contribute to broader public health efforts (e.g., influenza or COVID-19 vaccination), as allowable by state practice acts. For this NOSI, NIDCR is interested in research to develop improved methods of promoting vaccine uptake among groups that experience health disparities.
Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
Investigators proposing research that meets the NIH definition of clinical trials are strongly advised to use NIDCR’s UG3/UH3 mechanism and are encouraged to contact program staff.
Please see NOT-DE-21-014 for information about NIDCR’s clinical trials program.
National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)
Services and Intervention Research
The NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research is interested in research that aligns to both priorities in this NOSI and Goal #4 of the NIMH Strategic Plan for Research. All applications that propose clinical trials are required to follow the NIMH’s experimental therapeutics approach to intervention development and testing (see Support for Clinical Trials at NIMH). For further information on NIMH clinical trial policies, see NOT-MH-20-105 and NOT-MH-19-006.
Applications for these research priorities should apply to PAR-21-316, PAR-19-189, PAR-21-131, or PAR-21-130.
HIV Research
The NIMH Division of AIDS Research encourages research that will support the conduct of HIV vaccine clinical trials or inform future acceptance and uptake of HIV vaccines among populations who would benefit. This includes vaccines developed for HIV prevention as well as HIV therapeutic vaccines that seek to improve HIV treatment outcomes. Applications may focus on areas that include but are not limited to: basic behavioral and social science to understand the contemporary HIV vaccine communications landscape and associated influences; novel strategies for engaging communities who may benefit from a future HIV vaccine; and understanding as well as addressing HIV vaccine misinformation and hesitancy. NIMH will only prioritize applications involving current vaccines (e.g., COVID-19, HPV, HBV vaccines) to the extent that they make HIV vaccine-relevant populations, providers, and settings the primary focus of the research and can clearly inform and support HIV vaccine research. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the NIMH staff contacts listed on this NOSI early in the application development process to best match current institute priorities.
For further information on the NIMH Division of AIDS Research priorities, see the NIMH Division of AIDS Research webpage.
Examples of research topics include, but are not limited to:
Applications for these research priorities should apply to PA-20-145, PA-20-141, or PA-20-144.
NIMH will only accept applications submitted through these FOAs or their subsequent reissued equivalents:
Activity Code |
FOA Title |
First Available Due Date |
R01 |
PAR-21-316- Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) |
May 25, 2022 |
R34 |
PAR-19-189 - Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Clinical Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
May 25, 2022 |
R34 |
PAR-21-131 - Pilot Effectiveness Trials for Treatment, Preventive and Services Interventions (R34 Clinical Trial Required) |
May 25, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-21-129- Clinical Trials to Test the Effectiveness of Treatment, Preventive, and Services Interventions (Collaborative R01 Clinical Trial Required) |
May 25, 2022 |
R01 |
PAR-21-130 - Clinical Trials to Test the Effectiveness of Treatment, Preventive, and Services Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Required) |
May 25, 2022 |
R21 |
PA-20-145 - Innovations in HIV Prevention, Testing, Adherence, and Retention to Optimize HIV Prevention and Care Continuum Outcomes (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) |
May 7, 2022 |
R34 |
PA-20-141- Formative and Pilot Intervention Research for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) |
May 7, 2022 |
R01 |
PA-20-144 - Innovations in HIV Prevention, Testing, Adherence, and Retention to Optimize HIV Prevention and Care Continuum Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
May 7, 2022 |
Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
The ODP is the lead office at the NIH responsible for assessing, facilitating, and stimulating research in disease prevention. In partnership with the 27 NIH Institutes and Centers, the ODP strives to increase the scope, quality, dissemination, and impact of NIH-supported prevention research. The ODP is interested in providing co-funding support for research that has strong implications for disease and injury prevention and health equity and that include innovative and appropriate research design, measurement, and analysis methods. Furthermore, the ODP has a specific interest in projects that develop and/or test preventive interventions. For this NOSI, ODP is interested in research that addresses vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation strategies of vaccines among populations that experience health disparities and that address topics relevant to the mission and research priorities outlined in the ODP strategic plan. For additional information about ODP’s research priorities and interests, please refer to the ODP Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2019 2023.
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
ORWH is part of the Office of the Director of NIH and 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 is supported in the larger scientific community. Researchers studying trends in vaccination coverage over time reveals substantial differences in uptake, with low income, racial and ethnic minority-, and geographically isolated and resource-poor communities having lower vaccination rates. Historically having had limited opportunities for economic, physical, and emotional health, these are the communities most affected by and vulnerable to viral pathogens including but not limited to SARS-CoV-2 and HPV. To prevent the spread of disease, safe and effective vaccines must be both acceptable and accessible to all. To further acceptability, both research and outreach communications seeking to enhance vaccine confidence and promote vaccination coverage should be designed in a sex and gender-sensitive way.
Clinical research studies have shown sex differences in some vaccine responses, including vaccine efficacy and adverse events. Also, there is an ongoing need to work towards equity in the distribution and uptake of immunization for vaccine-preventable diseases. ORWH is interested in providing support for interdisciplinary, behavioral, clinical, and/or translational studies incorporating intersectional analyses of sex and gender differences in vaccine hesitancy and immunization uptake among populations experiencing health disparities, including groups of women who are understudied, underrepresented, and underreported in research. Proposals seeking to shed light on an array of dimensions where the inequities exist (i.e., household/caregiving responsibility inequities; disparities related to healthcare, housing inequities, and sexual and reproductive health) and their impact on preventive measure adoption are of particular interest. For additional guidance, please refer to the 2019-2023 Trans-NIH Strategic Plan for the Health of Women on the ORWH website (https://www.nih.gov/women/strategicplan).
Maximizing comparisons across datasets or studies and data integration are essential for collaboration. Projects funded through this NOSI are strongly encouraged to use the following resources:
Additionally, researchers with funding through this NOSI will be strongly encouraged to share their survey items to make them public for other researchers to consider by submitting their surveys to [email protected].
Applications not responsive to the NOSI:
Applications nonresponsive to these terms will be withdrawn for this NOSI initiative.
Application and Submission Information
Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:
Investigators planning to submit an application in response to this NOSI are strongly encouraged to contact and discuss their proposed research/aims with Scientific Research Contacts listed on this NOSI well in advance of the anticipated submission date to better determine appropriateness and interest of the IC.
Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.
Scientific/Research Contact(s)
Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences
Deborah E. Linares, Ph.D., M.A.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (http://www.nimhd.nih.gov)
Telephone: 301-402-2516
Email: [email protected]
Clinical and Health Services Research
Rada K Dagher, Ph.D., M.P.H.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (http://www.nimhd.nih.gov)
Telephone: 301-451-2187
Email: [email protected]
Community Health and Population Sciences
Nancy L. Jones, Ph.D., M.A.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (http://www.nimhd.nih.gov)
Telephone: 301-594-8945
Email: [email protected]v
Robin Vanderpool, Dr.P.H.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6558
Email: [email protected]
Barbara L. Mulach, Ph.D.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Phone: 240-627-3322
E-mail: [email protected]
Julia Beth Zur
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: 301-443-2261
E-mail: [email protected]
Margaret Grisius, DDS
National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
E-mail: [email protected]
Collene Lawhorn, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-828-7186
Email: [email protected]
Michael J. Stirratt, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 240-627-3875
Email: [email protected]
Dionne Godette-Greer, Ph.D.
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Email: [email protected]
Jacqueline Lloyd, PhD, MSW
Senior Advisor for Disease Prevention
Office of Disease Prevention
Telephone: 301-827-5559
Email: [email protected]
Damiya Eve Whitaker
Office of Research On Women's Health (ORWH)
Phone: 240-276-6170
E-mail: [email protected]
Christopher Barnhart, PhD
Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO)
Telephone: 301-594-8983
Email: [email protected]
Julia Zur, Ph.D.
Division of Epidemiology, Prevention, and Services Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Telephone: 301-443-2261
Email: [email protected]
Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)
Priscilla Grant, J.D.
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Telephone: 301-594-8412
Email: [email protected]
Crystal Wolfrey
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: (240) 276-6277
E-mail: [email protected]
Vandhana Khurana, MBA
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Phone: 240-669-2966
Email:[email protected]v
Pamela G Fleming
National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Phone: 301-480-1159
E-mail: [email protected]
Diana Rutberg, MBA
National Institute Of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Phone: (301) 594-4798
E-mail: [email protected]
Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email: [email protected]
Ron Wertz
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Telephone: 301-594-2807
Email: [email protected]
Pam Fleming
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Telephone: 301-480-1159
Email: [email protected]