NICHD Strategic Plan 2000: From Cells to Selves

The NICHD supports strategic planning to ensure that issues which are critical to our mission are adequately addressed in the research that we support. The strategic areas that provide the framework for our plan represent:

• Topics in which there are significant knowledge gaps
• Emerging scientific and technological opportunities that can benefit from concentrated resources
• Public health concerns that require new strategic, coordinated, and multidisciplinary efforts and
• Populations who were underrepresented in past research projects.

The NICHD strategic plan is divided into several documents. From Cells to Selves (230 KB in PDF format) - provides the overall framework and goals to guide the Institute’s long-term planning process. Published in 1999, this document is supported by separate research agendas which are in various stages of production. Completed documents may be accessed either on-line or printed copies may be ordered from our Clearinghouse. New plans will be posted for public comment as they become available:

• Health Disparities: Bridging the Gap (850KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to help reduce or eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations.
• Genetics and Fetal Antecedents of Disease Susceptibility (173KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to ensure that new technologies are used to understand the biological, environmental and other factors contributing to disease susceptibility.
• Reproductive Health for the 21st Century (181KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to increase our knowledge about reproductive processes to overcome infertility and ensure successful pregnancies and healthy birth outcomes.
• Biobehavioral Development (199KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to increase our understanding of the processes involved in forming cognitive, learning, emotional, social, and physical behaviors and in the rehabilitation of persons with physical and developmental disabilities.
• Developmental Biology Understanding Normal and Abnormal Development (139KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to study early development in utero and to prevent birth defects.
• Targeting Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) : A Strategic Plan (968KB in PDF format) - provides a research agenda to increase our knowledge of SIDS, its origins, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics, and prognostics, as well as preventive strategies and interventions.

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