NICHD News Releases

'Preventing shaken baby syndrome' topic of NICHD April podcast
In the April NICHD Research Perspectives, NICHD director Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher talks with researchers about recognizing the forerunners of shaken baby syndrome and other forms of infant abuse, and how episodes of such abuse can be prevented.

Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research 2012 Annual Report
This NICHD Division recently released its annual report highlighting research that covers a range of topics, from understanding fertility and preventing birth defects to promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviors and developing new ways to analyze data.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
This April, the NICHD joins in efforts to raise awareness about preventing child abuse and neglect during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Celebrating 20 Years of Medical Rehabilitation Research
A new publication highlights the NICHD’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) 20th anniversary symposium, which commemorated the establishment of the NCMRR, described its activities, and featured the scientific advances in rehabilitation research that came from its support.

Scientific Vision: The Next Decade
The NICHD embarked upon a collaborative process in 2011 to create a scientific Vision, identifying the most promising scientific opportunities for the Institute and its partners to pursue over the next decade. The newly published Scientific Vision statement presents the results of that process and outlines scientific goals for the coming decade.

NICHD reorganizes extramural program
​Alan Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) announced a number of changes to streamline the institute’s organizational structure and accelerate the exchange of scientific ideas.

NICHD vision statement now available online
A document charting a research course for the many collaborators who share an interest in promoting the science concerning human development through the life span, child health, women's health, and rehabilitation research is now available online.

Research for a Lifetime: Commemorating the NICHD’s 50th Anniversary
On October 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the legislation establishing the NICHD to examine “the complex process of human development from conception to old age.” The Institute marks its golden anniversary with Research for a Lifetime, an all-day scientific colloquium to highlight the Institute’s mission, accomplishments, and future research directions.

Health Benefits all Nations, HHS Secretary Tells NICHD Global Network
Secretary Sebelius addressed the researchers at the Network's Annual Steering Committee meeting this month. The Network, established by the NICHD and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to prevent maternal and infant deaths and illnesses worldwide. Scientists from developing countries, together with those in the United States, lead teams that identify the health needs of an area and address those needs through randomized clinical trials to test treatments and interventions.

Focus on Children's Mental Health Research at the NICHD
At the NICHD, researchers provide insight into many aspects of children's development, including their mental and emotional health. This research ranges from traumatic brain injury's effect on children's behavior to depression among young victims of cyber bullying. The Institute also works within children's many environments—schools, communities, homes—to understand ways of encouraging and promoting children's mental health.

NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Biomechanical Basis of Concussion: Monitoring Head Impacts in Sports"
The 2012 NICHD Director's Lecture Series continues with a focus on traumatic brain injury resulting from head impacts during sports and other activities. Dr. Richard M. Greenwald, founder and president of Simbex, LLC, and adjunct associate professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, shares his expertise on this topic with NICHD staff and others.

Research on Concussions: Keeping Your Head in the Game
​Concussions were once thought of as just a bump on the head, especially for those who played sports. But research shows that concussions are actually a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with both short- and long-term effects, some of them serious. The NICHD supports a broad range of research programs and projects to understand, identify, and treat concussions and other forms of TBI.

20 Years of Discovery and Innovation at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
​Since it was established 20 years ago, NCMRR-supported research has led to discoveries and advances that have improved health outcomes for those with disabilities and chronic conditions.

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research Celebrates its 20th Anniversary
​The Center marks 20 years of providing a focal point for federal research and discovery efforts to improve the lives of all people through medical rehabilitation.

NICHD Research and National Child Abuse Prevention Month
​In April, multiple government agencies and organizations highlights community efforts and resources available to help prevent child abuse. For its part, the NICHD supports research to inform outreach and training programs for parents and people who care for abused and neglected children.

Taking a Stand Against Bullying
​The NICHD joins other agencies and organizations in examining existing research, supporting new research, and helping put an end to bullying.

The War at Home
​Research supported by the NICHD examines the effects on children and families of having a combat-deployed parent.

Strengthening Families & Communities: National Child Abuse Prevention Month
​NICHD joins other agencies and organizations in observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect by supporting research to understand the impacts of these experiences.

Survival of Children with HIV in the United States Has Improved Dramatically Since 1990s, New Analysis Shows
The death rates of children with HIV have decreased ninefold since doctors started prescribing cocktails of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-1990s, concludes a large-scale study of the long-term outcomes of children and adolescents with HIV in the United States. In spite of this improvement, however, young people with HIV continue to die at 30 times the rate of youth of similar age who do not have HIV, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions found.

NIH Awards $8.5 Million for Research on Pharmaceuticals for Children
Studying drugs in pediatric populations is challenging because drugs often affect children differently than they do adults. The scarcity of pediatric studies limits the ability of doctors and scientists to predict drug dosing, safety and efficacy in children. To address this gap, the National Institutes of Health announced today 18 grants to help determine outcome measures and increase the likelihood of success of future trials of treatments for children.