The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is now accepting applications for its 2021 Graduate Partnerships Program. The NINR GPP is an Institutional Partnership that combines the academic environment of a university with the comprehensive research resources available at the NIH. 

To be eligible for the GPP, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have completed all doctoral coursework before joining the NINR GPP. Applicants must also submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

On August 18, fifty-eight members of the Nursing Community Coalition reiterated in a letter to House and Senate Leadership and key Congressional Committees outlining their shared priorities for any COVID-19 legislative package working its way through Congress. These requests include bolstering efforts to protect all nurses on the front lines, increasing funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs, supporting nursing education infrastructure and research, strengthening investments in public health, and promoting access to telehealth. 

Read the full letter here

Dr. Shannon Zenk posted a new Director’s Message on beginning her tenure as director of the National Institute of Nursing Research. She highlights the role of nursing science in promoting and improving the health of the Nation as well as her thoughts on the future of nursing research.

Read the Full Director's Message Here

On September 14, 2020, Shannon N. Zenk, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, joined NIH as the director of the National Institute of Nursing Research. Dr. Zenk will oversee the institute’s research and training programs. She is a registered nurse and leading nurse researcher, whose research focuses on social inequities and health with a goal of identifying effective, multilevel approaches to improve health and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities. 

You can read the full announcement here.

NINR’s 2020 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Boot Camp was held virtually on August 3-6, 2020. Recordings of the event are now available. The Boot Camp consisted of four sessions:

• Session I: Innovations and Improvements in Health Outcomes
• Session II: Clinical Applications
• Session III: Ethical, Legal, And Social Implications
• Session IV: Collaborative Science

View Recordings Here

On August 31, members of the Nursing Community Coalition sent a letter welcoming the new National Institute of Nursing Research’s (NINR) Director, Dr. Shannon Zenk. The NCC works with NINR by promoting the work of nurse scientists, advocating for investments in research and future researchers, and sharing the Institute’s foundational work to improve healthcare delivery across the care continuum. 

Read the full letter here

Register here

Innovative Models of Care for Reducing Inequities in Maternal Health
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
9:00 am  - 3:45 pm ET 

The workshop will explore how nurses, midwives, and birth companions can improve maternal and infant health, specifically for women in U.S. communities affected by structural and health inequalities. Registration not required. Learn more about this workshop here.

Source: https://www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandinformation/events/maternalhealth2020?utm_campaign=maternalhealth2020&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

NINR Director's Lecture Presented by Dr. Elizabeth Corwin
Symptom Science Across the Lifespan: Metabolites, Microbes, and Maternal Health
September 15 10:00 am - 11:00 am ET

Dr. Corwin will discuss symptom science and the biological mechanisms contributing to symptom development and health outcomes among pregnant and postpartum women. Read more about this lecture and register here. 

Source: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/symptom-science-across-the-lifespan-metabolites-microbes-maternal-health-tickets-112855397532?aff=NINRstaff&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

On July 27, Dr. Kay L. Wanke joined NINR as Acting DESP Director, along side recently appointed Deputy Director, Dr. Martha Matocha. The position was previously held by Dr. Kathleen Anderson, who will be leaving in August to assume a leadership position at another NIH Institute. Dr. Wanke is responsible for scientific leadership and overseeing policy and management for grants and contracts to support NINR research and training.

Other staff updates include current NINR Acting Deputy Director, Dr. Jessica Gill, who will return to the role of Acting Scientific Director. Check out other NINR staff updates here.

The World Health Organization has designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. 

In honor of the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, NINR would like your help in capturing what nursing research means to those who live it. This information will help NINR learn more from the community and collectively begin describing the next frontiers in nursing science. 

NINR Acting Deputy Director, Dr. Jessica Gill and Dr. Kimbra Kenney of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, joined the American Academy of Neurology's podcast to discuss their research on neurofilament light chain as a biomarker following traumatic brain injury

Click here to listen.

NINR's Artifical Intelligence Bootcamp
August 3 -6, 2020
Register here

Registration is now open for NINR's Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this event will be held virtually. 

Course Objectives

Careers in Nursing Research Panel
Date: July 10, 2020
Time: 2:00 pm ET

The NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) will hold a panel on careers in nursing research featuring NINR speakers:

On July 1, NIH announced that Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, has selected Shannon N. Zenk, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN as Director of NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research. Dr. Zenk is expected to join NIH in early fall.

Read the full press release here.

Source: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-taps-dr-shannon-zenk-director-national-institute-nursing-research

RADx-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) has improved access to and acceptance of COVID-19 testing for underserved populations. The goal is to make millions of tests available to Americans each week, especially those most vulnerable to and disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 

NIH has partnered with other government organizations including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help achieve this goal.  

On June 12, 2020, the NIH published three Notices of Special Interest to solicit emergency competitive revision applications to existing awards and a fourth funding opportunity announcement for a Coordination and Data Collection Center to support the goals of the NIH RADx-UP program.

NIH is providing two pre-application webinars.

Genomic Response to the Social Environment: Implications for Health Outcomes
June 24, 2020 at 10:00 AM ET 

NINR will host the workshop “Genomic Response to the Social Environment: Implications for Health Outcomes” on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The event is open to the public and registration is not required.

The full agenda is available on the workshop’s event page.The workshop will be streamed live via NIH VideoCast.

NINR Acting Director Dr. Tara Schwetz joined the Oncology Nursing Society’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Lisa Kennedy Sheldon to discuss nurses on the frontline of care, the landscape of nursing research, and NINR’s key initiatives in 2020.

Click here to listen.