News

Vaccination against COVID-19 appears to be safe for children who have had multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and does not appear to increase the risk for inflammation of the heart or other organs, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health. MIS-C, a serious inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, gastrointestinal organs or other body parts, occurs in children about 4 to 6 weeks after COVID-19.

Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.

NIH commentary highlights community engagement in research design and implementation.

Findings from NICHD-supported study may aid special education classes across the country.

NICHD Director Dr. Diana W. Bianchi discusses NIH efforts to generate robust scientific data to inform policies to return children to the classroom safely and equitably during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Institutes of Health is funding five additional projects to identify ways of safely returning students and staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations. The awards are the second installment of the Safe Return to School Diagnostic Testing Initiative, launched earlier this year as part of the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program. The new awards will provide up to $15 million over two years for five projects in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska and Florida. The 8 initial awards, totaling $33 million over two years, were made in April 2021.

The National Institutes of Health is awarding up to $33 million over two years to fund projects at 10 institutions across eight states to build evidence on safely returning students, teachers and support staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations.

Looking back and looking ahead. NICHD Director Dr. Diana W. Bianchi joins other leaders across NIH in reflecting on the work of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program and discussing plans for the future.

For many COVID-19 patients, full recovery remains elusive even long after they should feel “better.” NIH recently announced research opportunities to understand COVID-19 long haulers, who have what researchers now refer to as Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). NICHD joins these opportunities while remaining focused on PASC patients within our audiences of interest—pregnant and lactating people, children, and those with disabilities.

2020 was a year filled with many challenges. NICHD remained focused on our core mission, advancing key research in women’s health, reproductive science, rare childhood diseases and many more. Watch the video below and review our research highlights of 2020.

Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2020.

We can all help control the COVID-19 pandemic by taking personal precautions, wearing masks and keeping a safe distance. Another way is to test as many people as possible. NIH is rising to the challenge.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), write the directors of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC) Network, a nationwide group funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. A large number of people with IDD who require in-person care have lost the support of trained caregivers and community service providers due to the pandemic.

As the nation begins to return to work and businesses re-open, reliable COVID-19 testing is needed. NIH is rising to the challenge.

Crisis often brings out the best in us. Recognizing one of NICHD’s essential workers on the front lines of the response to COVID-19 in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation.