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Good health is important for everyone.
With this in mind, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking public comments on its 2026-2030 NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan “to identify the most pressing concerns” for health in the next five years.
You can endorse a model comment by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, to emphasize priorities in the plan.
Endorse the comment by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.
Endorse a Comment on the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan
Go here to endorse this comment:
As the leader of Salud America!, an organization that promotes health improvement for all people, including Latinos, I believe we need to address the non-medical drivers of health that impact health outcomes. Research shows that many people face issues with non-medical drivers of health, such as language, transportation, and access to healthy food and safe places to play.
Screening patients for the non-medical drivers of health can play a key role in improving patient and community health.
With the growth of the US Latino population, more scientific research is needed to ensure that medical advances work for this population in addition to the general population. Research participation should mirror the demographics of the United States. Building patient trust in the healthcare system is a key activity in this area to help cultivate activities that sustain research efforts into new technologies and practices.
I support the goal of bringing the latest research advances into practice in our clinics, hospitals, and communities, so that efforts to improve health can be enjoyed by all people. Part of this effort could include surveys of local or regional residents to gauge their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding cancer incidence, mortality, and preventable risks; listening sessions with community members to gain understanding of community needs, cancer burden, and people’s experiences with access to healthcare; and design studios where community members and researchers meet and discuss feedback they have on their current research projects.
I appreciate the planning that went into the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
Recognizing and understanding the health issues that face our populations is a critically important step toward advancing health for all people. Developing tools and strategies to address the non-medical drivers of health can help us make great strides in improving health outcomes for all people, including the Latino population.
What is the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan?
The NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan aims to reduce health issues by addressing factors that contribute to the non-medical drivers of health.
NIMHD creates the plan every five years in collaboration with all NIH Institutes, Offices and Centers, and externally with experts and communities impacted by health issues.
“We are committed to ensuring that NIH’s research is reflective of the needs and aspirations of those most affected by health inequities and contributes to a more equitable health care landscape for all,” according to the NIMHD. “Diverse participation in this strategic planning process will help guide NIH’s efforts to conduct game-changing research, promote health equity and create a more inclusive, healthier future for all communities.”
What are the Goals of the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan?
The 2026-2030 NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan has nine goals for expanding scientific research, research-sustaining activities, and outreach and collaboration.
Goal 1 is promoting research to understand and improve the health of racial/ethnic minority populations.
“This goal advances the understanding of health determinants that contribute to the health status of minority populations, including subpopulations,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 2 is advancing scientific understanding of the causes of health disparities.
“This goal seeks to examine the etiology of health disparities and the influence of health determinants on various stages of the life course trajectories and across generations,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 3 is developing and testing interventions to reduce health disparities, which consists of advancing the development and testing of population-specific interventions that reduce adverse health differences and poor health outcomes.
“This research should capitalize on existing evidence on health determinants to develop interventions that are culturally appropriate, as well as develop new evidence, drawing on research from many different scientific disciplines,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 4 is creating and improve scientific methods, metrics, measures, and tools that support health disparities research.
“Development and adaptation of common indicators, measures, and methods is needed to enable comparisons among populations, to quantify the roles of various health determinants in influencing and impacting a health disparity, and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 5 supports training to enhance how the biomedical workforce can better match the demographic makeup of the US population.
“Diversity of the biomedical workforce can be improved through both individual-level programs and institutional infrastructure aimed at increasing domestic and international opportunities for individuals from populations experiencing health disparities, including underrepresented groups, to pursue scientific careers,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 6 aims to strengthen national capacity to conduct minority health research.
“Creating and/or enhancing infrastructure to support novel and existing research approaches will facilitate further advancements in the fields of minority health and health disparities,” the NIMHD states.
Goal 7 aims to ensure appropriate representation of minority and other populations experiencing health issues in NIH-funded research.
“Appropriate inclusion of minorities may also support more meaningful insight into the etiology of minority health concerns and could inform more effective, culturally competent interventions in minority populations,” according to the NIMHD.
Goal 8 is to promote evidence-based community engagement, dissemination, and implementation of minority health research best practices.
“Dissemination and implementation strategies should be embedded as core components of the research process from the initial stages,” according to the NIMHD.
The final and ninth goal is to cultivate and expand a community of minority health researchers and advocates.
“Through collaboration and partnerships, the community should advance the sciences of minority health and health disparities as well as integrate supporting structures and activities, such as quarterly or biannual science highlights and discussions at major NIH meetings,” the NIMHD states.
How Can You Speak Up about the NIH Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan?
According to NIMDH, the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan will maintain and expand current goals to continue advancing minority health and reducing health disparities.
You can submit a comment on the plan here or via email to NIMHDPlanningandReporting@nih.gov.
You can also endorse the comment by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez.
By The Numbers
50
percent
of big U.S cities have a local board of health
