Director's Corner

Elucidating the Effects of Digital Media on Children

A young child with a remote control in his hand looking at a television screen.Posted on 03/11/2024

NICHD has a longstanding commitment to research on the effects of exposure to and use of technology and digital media from infancy through adolescence. Since 2020, the Institute has expanded its research in this area to advance toward the goal of discovering how such exposure and use affect developmental trajectories, health outcomes, and parent-child interactions in early childhood.

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Preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections

Spiral-shaped bacteria highlighted in teal against a purple background.Posted on 02/14/2024

There were more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia in the United States in 2022. NICHD research aims to prevent these and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among women, infants, children, and adolescents. Focus areas include addressing the need for additional STI prevention methods for women and curbing the rise in congenital syphilis cases.

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Reflecting on a Productive 2023

2023. A newborn’s foot is held by an adult hand. A woman in a doctor’s office is sitting down while speaking to a health care provider. A football team in blue uniforms is prepared for play.Posted on 01/02/2024

In 2023, NICHD continued its commitment to research to understand human development, improve reproductive health, promote women’s health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. Highlights include steps toward reducing the global burden of maternal sepsis and establishing a standard treatment for opioid-exposed newborns.

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Advancing Endometriosis Research

A woman speaks with her healthcare provider during a checkup.Posted on 12/04/2023

Endometriosis affects an estimated 10% of women, can cause severe pain and infertility, and typically has long delays in diagnosis. NICHD is accelerating efforts to definitively diagnose, prevent, and treat this chronic disease.

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Reducing Ableism in Medicine and Research

Collage of colored blocks interspersed with photographs showing a
health care provider with a young man in a wheelchair, a woman with
a mobility cane holding a monocular to her eye, an athletic man with
one arm amputated below the elbow, and a young girl with glasses
playing with tactile toys.Posted on 11/01/2023

Ableism—discrimination and social prejudice against those who are disabled—is a major contributor to the health disparities experienced by people with disabilities. Within NIH, NICHD has been at the forefront of efforts to address ableism in medicine and scientific research.

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