APA recently submitted comments on the draft framework (PDF, 388KB)opens in new window for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Minority Health and Health Disparities Strategic Plan, 2026-2030 (NOT-ND-25-002)opens in new window. The association emphasized the need for research informed by a population health perspective and community engagement. The population health perspective is an approach that focuses on solutions to promote wellness and improve systems, including and extending beyond health care to produce change at both the individual and societal levels.
APA stressed the need for NIH to:
- Continue to support behavioral and social science research, particularly research that addresses the social determinants of health (SDOH). This includes population and societal-level factors and interventions.
- Prioritize the recommendations regarding research on SDOH outlined in the recently released NIH-supported Ending Unequal Treatment: Strategies to Achieve Equitable Health Care and Optimal Health for All (2024)opens in new window.
- Provide a greater focus on developing and applying implementation science and its associated research methods to achieve health equity goals.
- Increase attention to scientific methods needed to do research that fills gaps in health equity research related to the peer review process and panels.
- Continue to address systemic issues related to faculty hiring and retention, including supporting innovative strategies that focus on enhancing the diversity of applicant pools.
- Increase NIH-supported collaborative health equity research across disciplines, including psychology, and with individuals from diverse scientific backgrounds. There is a substantial need for additional research to address the challenge of implementing culturally adaptive interventions into traditional forms of care, as cultural differences can alter the effectiveness of interventions and care.
NIH-supported research has consistently shown that behavioral factors and the conditions under which people live are the primary drivers of chronic disease incidence, morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with this individual, population, and societal burden. APA will continue to encourage NIH to support further integration of behavioral and social science research to address health disparities and health inequities. Accomplishing the agency’s mission, including eliminating health disparities, will require increased recognition of the role and benefit of behavioral sciences by NIH institutes, centers, and offices. Without greater attention to behavioral and social science research, the promises of even the most significant breakthroughs can fall short. Accordingly, APA encouraged the inclusion of a goal to increase NIH-wide collaboration with the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (PDF, 1.96MB)opens in new window to integrate behavioral and social science considerations into all the priorities outlined in the agency’s proposed strategic plan.
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.