For 60 years, NICHD has been leading research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all.
When it was founded in 1962, NICHD was the first NIH institute to focus on the entire life process rather than on a specific disease or body system. Learn more about NICHD’s establishment and early years.
To mark our 60th anniversary, we looked back at key advances and milestones in NICHD’s history, and we looked ahead toward future research directions. At our scientific symposium, held October 17, 2022, we also featured some of the people who make NICHD's success possible. View a recording of the symposium as well as the agenda and program information (PDF 2.8 MB) to learn more.
60 Years of NICHD Advances and Milestones
We commemorated six decades of NICHD research that has helped save lives, improve health and well-being, and reduce societal costs associated with illness and disability. Learn more about NICHD’s past and present contributions to science and public health.
Audio Descriptions 
Learn more about important moments from the 60 years of NICHD
NICHD into the Future
NICHD will continue its contributions to advancing science and improving health well into the future. The institute’s work not only pursues scientific priorities but also focuses on improving public health, fostering diversity and inclusion, and ensuring proper stewardship of the nation’s health research investment.
An NICHD-wide effort to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in its research and workforce
Marking 30 years of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research
The Many Faces of NICHD
NICHD is and has always been a family—a whole that is more than the sum of its unique and extraordinary parts. This year and every year, we celebrate all members of the NICHD family, who help the institute achieve its mission.
Staff across NICHD bring with them a wealth of knowledge and skills that help the institute break new ground and expand existing knowledge.
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