Announcements | Director's Message from Helene M. Langevin, M.D.Â
July 23, 2024 I recently had the pleasure of joining a lively discussion on the StarTalk podcast, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson alongside Chuck Nice and Gary OâReilly. We covered so much groundâfrom complementary medicine and health trends to discussing inflammation, acupuncture, vitamins, and whether there is a right âdoseâ of stretching. It was not only informative but also a lot of funâwe laughed our way through some serious science.  |
| Jennifer Baumgartner, Ph.D.
July 22, 2024 Student loan debt is a common barrier for health professionals starting and sustaining a biomedical or biobehavioral research career. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress that aim to address this known barrier. Did you know that NIH may repay up to $100,000 of your qualified student loan debt over 2 years, including most undergraduate, graduate, and medical school loans? The goal of these potentially life-changing programs is to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals in biomedical or biobehavioral research careers by lessening the burden of student loans. This NIH program will benefit those committed to a career in biomedical research.  |
Request for Information: NIH Common Fund is Soliciting Ideas for NIH-wide Challenges and Opportunities The NIH requests ideas for biomedical and behavioral research challenges and opportunities that may be of interest to the Common Fund. These ideas may inform activities to advance areas of science relevant to these challenges/opportunities, including, but not limited to, scientific workshops, Venture initiatives, and/or future Common Fund programs. NIH encourages concise ideas to facilitate the review process. Submissions should focus on broad concepts rather than detailed descriptions. All responses must be submitted electronically on the submission website. Responses must be received by 11:59:59 pm ET on August 10, 2024.  | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating an outbreak of illnesses linked to Diamond Shruumz-brand chocolate bars, cones, and gummies marketed as containing a proprietary blend of mushroom. As of July 15, 2024, there have been 69 reported cases across 28 states, resulting in 36 hospitalizations and one potential death since June 2024. Symptoms include seizures, confusion, abnormal heart rates, and nausea. The exact cause of these illnesses is still under investigation.  |
Resources for Researchers HEAL Initiative: INTERACT INTEgRAtive Back Pain Longitudinal Cohort Teams (UC2 Clinical Trial Optional) Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for HEAL Initiative: NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory â Pragmatic and/or Implementation Science Demonstration Projects ((UG3/UH3) Clinical Trial Required) Notice of Need to Expire and Reissue PAR-24-125 "Natural Product Multi-Site Clinical Trial Data Coordinating Center (Collaborative U24 Clinical Trial Required)" NIH Research Software Engineer (RSE) Award (R50 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Building Sustainable Software Tools for Open Science (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Notice of Need to Expire and Reissue PAR-24-123 "Clinical Coordinating Center for NCCIH Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials of Natural Products (Collaborative UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)" Notice of Need to Expire and Reissue PAR-24-090 "Clinical Coordinating Center for NCCIH Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions (Collaborative UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)" Notice of Need to Expire and Reissue PAR-24-087 "Data Coordinating Center for NCCIH Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions (Collaborative U24 Clinical Trial Required)" HEAL Initiative: HEAL KIDS (Knowledge, Innovation and Discovery Studies): Chronic Pain Program (UC2 Clinical Trial Optional) Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) Successor-in-Interest (Type 6 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) Highlighted Funding Opportunities The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) recently reissued a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) titled Feasibility Trials of the NIH Music-based Interventions Toolkit for Brain Disorders of Aging (R34 Clinical Trial Required). This reissued notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) supports proof-of-concept feasibility trials guided by the NIH Music-based Interventions (MBI) Toolkit for research on brain disorders of aging. PAR-24-168 was published on April 10, 2024. This NOFO has clarified important non-responsiveness criteria; power and sample size considerations; and the acceptability of fully remote feasibility and acceptability trials. The next receipt date is October 21, 2024. Diversity Resources Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 - Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required (BESH)) Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Organizational Research Education Award to Promote Diversity (UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Upcoming Events Preapplication Webinars for the Whole Person Research and Coordination Center | NCCIH, along with 14 other Institutes, Centers, and Offices at NIH, is seeking applications to establish a Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC) that will provide the necessary infrastructure to help researchers explore how our bodiesâ different systems interact with one another. We will host two webinars for interested applicants. Technical Assistance Webinar July 30, 2024 11:30 a.m.â12:45 p.m. ET Overview of the funding opportunity, presentation of review considerations, and question-and-answer session. Networking Webinar August 14, 2024 11 a.m.ânoon ET Meet and greet with potential partners or collaborators needed to form strong multidisciplinary applicant teams. |
| July 29, 2024, 1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. ET; NIH Videocast A promising area of medical research is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to analyze large sets of data in order to gain better understanding of the development of disease (pathogenesis) and the restoration of health (salutogenesis). Dr. Aaron Lee is co-principal investigator on the AI-READI project, funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fundâs âBridge to Artificial Intelligenceâ (Bridge2AI) program. AI-READI is generating high-quality, multimodal, and ethically sourced data that will be ready for AI/ML methods to study salutogenesis in the context of type 2 diabetes. In addition to describing AI-READI, Dr. Lee will also discuss researching the health of the whole person, not just separate organs or body systems, and AI/ML advances from ophthalmology. Registration is not required. Watch the livestream. The lecture is part of NCCIHâs Integrative Medicine Research Lecture Series, which provides overviews of the current state of research and practice involving complementary health approaches and explores perspectives on integrative health. Â |
September 13, 2024 Save the date for the next meeting of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health (NACCIH). An agenda will be posted soon.  In case you missed it... The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health has initiated a strategic planning process that will culminate in the publication of the ODS Strategic Plan for 2025â2029. To assist with this process, ODS requests input from research communitiesâacademic, government, and industryâand from other interested parties. The overall purpose of the strategic planning effort is to communicate how ODS will advance its mission to coordinate cutting-edge dietary supplement research across NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices and other federal agencies to foster knowledge and optimize health across the lifespan. Interested individuals and organizations should submit their responses to [email protected]. All responses must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET, August 30, 2024. |
