NCCIH Research Blog

I invite you to hear about the NCCIH strategic planning process for Fiscal Years 2021 to 2026, and our other activities and funding priorities, at the June 5, 2020 meeting of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health (NACCIH). We welcome the public at large, as well as NCCIH grantees, potential applicants, and our other stakeholders, to attend the Open Session (to be held virtually). That session will be livestreamed on NIH Videocast from 10:15 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. ET, where it will also be archived. The agenda is posted, and no registration is necessary. 

Information about our strategic planning is also available in a recent Director’s Message by NCCIH Director Helene Langevin, M.D., and at the plan’s portal. We are offering specific opportunities for the public to provide input, including via a recent Request for Information (RFI), Soliciting Input for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s New Strategic Plan (NOT-AT-20-013). Comments and suggestions in response to this RFI may be submitted using this webform or by email to nccihstrategicplan@mail.nih.gov through June 30, 2020.   

The strategic plan presentations at the June 5 meeting will consist of timeline, outreach, and feedback, by Mary Beth Kester, M.S., Director, NCCIH Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, and draft objectives, by Dr. Langevin. Discussion and input from Council will follow. Other agenda items include:

• The NCCIH Director’s report and a summary of the Center’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (e.g., in approaches to stress management)
• Presentation of a research concept for clearance, “Administrative Supplements for Validation Studies of Analytical Methods for Dietary Supplement Constituents,” by Adam Kuszak, Ph.D., NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.

Three Council members—Lynn DeBar, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; Joel Greenspan, Ph.D., University of Maryland; and Jean King, Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute—will reach the end of their terms shortly after this meeting. All of us thank them for their many contributions. 

The Open Session usually closes with a public comment period. Because this meeting is virtual, however, that process will be somewhat different (based on NIH policy). Public comments will be accepted in writing only and may be submitted up to 15 days after June 5 to me at khalsap@mail.nih.gov. Comments should be under 750 words and will be added to the official minutes of the meeting to be posted at the NACCIH portal within 90 days of the meeting. 

The NACCIH, which meets three times per year, is charged with advising, consulting with, and making recommendations to the Center director. In closed sessions, it provides secondary review of grant applications with respect to NCCIH research priorities and program balance. The public is invited to Open Sessions. 

View the June 5, 2020 Council agenda.

Join us at the Open Session via NIH Videocast.