Notice Number: NOT-OD-15-089
Key Dates
Release Date: April 8, 2015
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Purpose
On January 12, 2015, an updated diversity statement was published describing NIH's interest in the diversity of the NIH-funded workforce. See NOT-OD-15-053. After publication, we received several inquiries about the definitions applicable to each of the racial and ethnic categories. The purpose of this Notice is to identify the OMB Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, which provides guidance on such questions. See https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards. It is expected that this Notice will provide useful definitions for individuals engaged in self-identification, for investigators and administrators collecting and reporting racial and ethnic data for program participation purposes (i.e., Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity).
This Notice is effective upon its release date.
NIH encourages institutions to diversify their student and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups identified as nationally underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences. These groups include: individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and women at senior faculty levels in biomedical-relevant disciplines. See more at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-053.html. This Notice clarifies the definitions for each racial and ethnic group as reflected in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.
In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued the Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. See, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards. These standards are commonly used for federal data collection purposes, not only in the decennial census, but also in household surveys, on administrative forms (e.g., school registration and mortgage lending applications), and in medical and clinical research. The revised standards contain five minimum categories for race: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. There are two categories for ethnicity: "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino."
The Revisions to OMB Directive 15 defines each racial and ethnic category as follows:
The categories and definitions provide a common language to promote uniformity and comparability of data on race and ethnicity. Moreover, federal agencies have a continuing commitment to monitor the operation of its review and award processes to detect, and deal appropriately with, any instances of real or apparent inequities. All analyses conducted on race and ethnicity report aggregate statistical findings and do not identify individuals.
NIH collects racial and ethnic data on appointment forms, and using other formats (certification letters, training tables, etc.). See, e.g., Section G. 110, Application Process, Related Resources, Information Collection, https://grants.nih.gov/grants/collection-of-personal-demographic-data.htm. Declining to provide racial and ethnic information does not affect consideration of an application; however, NIH programs designed to enhance the participation of individuals who have been determined to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis (see data at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/showpub.cfm?TopID=2&SubID=27, and the report Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering) require such information.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Lisa Evans, JD
Scientific Workforce Diversity Officer
Office of Extramural Programs
Email: evansl@od.nih.gov