To tackle the human health challenges that face the world today, the FNIH develops collaborations with top experts from government, industry, academia and the not-for-profit sector and provides a neutral environment where we can work productively toward a common goal.
The Deeda Blair Research Initiative for Disorders of the Brain was established by FNIH Board member, Deeda Blair to create hope for millions of people who struggle with mental illness by transforming our existing knowledge of the brain and fostering the development of novel ways of thinking about the brain and its disorders. This initiative will allow forward-thinking scientists to accelerate advances in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health illness including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and other serious mood disorders.
The Neuroscience Steering Committee, led by the FNIH and its co-chairs Dr. Linda Brady, Dr. Hartmuth Kolb, and the emeritus co-chair Dr. Bill Potter, is bringing together experts in the field of neuroscience from industry, NIH, FDA, and academia to present progress to date, next steps, and key obstacles that need to be addressed in order to drive biomarker development in a multitude of neuroscience focus areas.
The Robert Whitney Newcomb Memorial Fund endows an annual lecture in neuroscience and one or more internships for high-school students at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
The Sayer Vision Research Lecture and Award funds an annual presentation delivered by an investigator conducting outstanding research in the area of vision research or related fields. It also provides a grant to support the research of a promising independent investigator in the early stage of his or her career in the Division of Intramural Research whose work is closely related to aspects of vision research.
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) examined the effects of vitamin and mineral supplementation on the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Funds raised by the FNIH support the development of a genetic repository for the study, facilitating deeper analyses of the results.
The Sports and Health Research Program (SHRP) sought to help accelerate research that enhances the health of athletes at all ages and levels, and to extend the research’s impact beyond the playing field to benefit others in the general population, including members of the military.
Pilot Projects on Sports-Related Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research was a component of the Sports and Health Research Program (SHRP) that funds pilot projects for research on sports-related traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury research.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Delayed Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury was a component of the Sports and Health Research Program. It sought to more fully characterize the neuropathology associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and delayed effects of traumatic brain injury through systematic, rigorous and collaborative studies of post-mortem biospecimens.