Videos

On February 16, 2022 the NIH staff held a pre-application webinar for the NIH Common Fund’s Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity initiative funding opportunity announcement RFA-RM-22-001. NIH program, grants management, and review staff discussed the overall scope and intent of this funding opportunity, the review process, and the use of the cooperative agreement (U01) mechanism. NIH staff also discussed approaches to how to advance health equity through implementation science. Through transformative health disparities research and the commitment to Minority Serving institutions, this initiative supports NIH’s broader commitment to end structural racism and racial inequities throughout the biomedical research enterprise and the goals of the NIH UNITE effort.

For more information about the NIH Common Fund’s Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity initiative visit: https://commonfund.nih.gov/healthdisparitiestransformation

The Office of Strategic Coordination (NIH Common Fund) has published a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for a new initiative of the Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program. This initiative called the Human Open Research Neural Engineering Technology (HORNET) Initiative (U41 Clinical Trial Optional) is intended to support HORNET Centers to develop and disseminate open-source implantable neuromodulation modules and systems to help facilitate translation of new peripheral neuromodulation therapies to humans. The FOA utilizes the cooperative agreement U41 activity code and applications are due January 12, 2022 by 5:00PM local time of applicant organization.

This video provides an overview of the HORNET initiative and application information. Please visit our website to find out more information on SPARC: https://commonfund.nih.gov/sparc

You can find a list of HORNET FAQs at the following link: https://commonfund.nih.gov/sparc/faqs2

The SPARC HORNET initiative funding opportunity announcement (RFA-RM-21-024) is available here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-21-024.html
An audio described version of the video is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/SZ6mGuYlkTY

The SPARC Plug vlog’s SPARC Portal Tutorials video series introduces you to the exciting resources available for advancing bioelectronic medicine through open science. In this video, learn how to use the SPARC Portal’s cloud-based open online portal and follow along with the video to learn about all of the features the portal offers.

The resources available via the SPARC Portal could potentially be used to help improve treatment of diseases and conditions such as hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, type II diabetes, and more.

The SPARC program is a trans-NIH effort managed by the NIH Common Fund in the Office of the Director and supported by NIBIB, NINDS, NIDDK, and NCATS. Learn more about the NIH SPARC program at https://go.usa.gov/xyFmQ and access SPARC datasets, maps, and more at sparc.science. Keep up with the latest news by following our Twitter (@NIH_CommonFund and @sparc_science), Facebook (@NIHCommonFund), and YouTube (@sparc.science) accounts.

The SPARC Plug vlog’s SPARC Portal Tutorials video series introduces you to the exciting resources available for advancing bioelectronic medicine through open science. In this video, learn how to use the SPARC Portal’s cloud-based open online simulations platform called ‘oSPARC’ and follow along with the video to run your own simulations to predict compound action potentials using the SPARC Nerve Activity Predictor data set.

The resources available via the SPARC Portal could potentially be used to help improve treatment of diseases and conditions such as hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, type II diabetes, and more.

The SPARC program is a trans-NIH effort managed by the NIH Common Fund in the Office of the Director and supported by NIBIB, NINDS, NIDDK, and NCATS. Learn more about the NIH SPARC program at https://go.usa.gov/xyFmQ and access SPARC datasets, maps, and more at sparc.science. Keep up with the latest news by following our Twitter (@NIH_CommonFund and @sparc_science), Facebook (@NIHCommonFund), and YouTube (@sparc.science) accounts.

In this webinar, NIH staff explain the application process for the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award and answer attendee questions.

The Transformative Research Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, and supports individuals or teams proposing transformative projects that are inherently risky and untested but have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms and may require very large budgets.

Learn more about the program and any current funding opportunities: https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra

An audio-described version of this video is available here: https://youtu.be/7XRsFma5wqo

In this webinar, NIH staff explain the application process for the NIH Director's New Innovator Award and answer attendee questions.

The New Innovator Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, and supports exceptionally creative early career investigators who propose innovative, high-impact projects in the biomedical, behavioral or social sciences within the NIH mission.

Learn more about the program and any current funding opportunities: https://commonfund.nih.gov/newinnovator

An audio-described version of this video is available here: https://youtu.be/gj7Algo6qSg

The Transformative Research Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program and supports groundbreaking, unconventional research with the potential to overturn or create new scientific paradigms.

On April 27, 2021, the NIH Common Fund hosted a pre-application webinar for the Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity initiative’s funding opportunities (RFA-RM-21-021 and RFA-RM-21-022). NIH program, grants management, and review staff discussed the overall scope and intent of these funding opportunities, the review process, and the use of the cooperative agreement (U01) mechanism. NIH staff also answered questions submitted by participants. The Common Fund’s Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity initiative is part of NIH’s UNITE, an effort aimed to address structural racism and promote racial equity and inclusion at NIH and within the larger biomedical research enterprise.

Please find more information on our website: https://commonfund.nih.gov/healthdisparitiestransformation/grants

Please find the audio described version of this video here: https://youtu.be/LHyMiRIlIRQ

The Early Independence Award is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program and enables outstanding junior scientists to skip the traditional postdoctoral training period to launch independent research careers.

Dr. Gene Civillico, program manager for the NIH Common Fund’s Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program, presents the concept clearance for stage two of the SPARC program at the January 29, 2021 virtual Council of Councils meeting.

Maternal and child health outcomes in Africa still lag behind the rest of the world despite prioritization as a topic of focus within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Partners from country-level governments, research institutions, private sector program funding agencies and non-governmental organizations are involved in various capacities and across disciplines, implementing activities to reduce the enormous burden of high mortality and morbidity of women and children on the African continent. Nonetheless, millions of women and children experience death and severe morbidity each year despite these efforts. In this session we will 1) address the gap in availability of existing databases and collective data focused on pregnancy and the peripartum period; 2) explore emerging use of linked data such as electronic medical records as a tool for conducting research, analyzing data and creating tools for interventions; and 3) develop concrete recommendations for a strategy to utilize data science to improve maternal and child health outcomes from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy and delivery and throughout the mother and child’s life course.

Introductions:
- Vesna Kutlesic, Ph.D., Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Naveen Rao, M.D., Senior Vice President & Senior Advisor to the President, Health Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
- Diana Bianchi, M.D., Director, NICHD, NIH

Moderators:
- Denise Russo, Ph.D., NICHD, NIH
- Marion koso-Thomas, M.D., MPH, NICHD, NIH

Panelists:
- Andre van der Kouwe, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Physics, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Lilla Zöllei, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
- Moses Alobo, M.D., Program Manager, Grand Challenges Africa Programme at African Academy of Sciences
- Alash’le Abimiku, Ph.D., Professor in Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Executive Director, International Research Center of Excellence at the Institute of Human Virology-Nigeria
- Amel Ghouila, Ph.D., Vice President, African Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB); Founder, Technovation Tunisia

Learn more about the program and any current funding opportunities: https://commonfund.nih.gov/AfricaData

Learn more about the DS-I Africa Virtual Symposium Platform: https://commonfund.nih.gov/africadata...

This session highlights the emerging field of health metrics sciences and its role in measuring and monitoring summary measures of health in Africa to better develop and implement measures to reduce the burden of disease. Identify challenges and opportunities relevant to the DS-I Africa initiatives. Address the increasing role that health metrics is playing in informing and prioritizing systems-level health interventions and broad public health-related decision making. Discuss how health metrics and data science can inform and evaluate more effective integrated care efforts at the intersection of infectious diseases and the rapidly growing burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases.

Moderator:
- George A. Mensah, MD, FACC, Director, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, NHLBI, NIH
- Makeda Williams, PhD, MPH, Global Health Program Director, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, NHLBI, NIH

Panelists:
- Mayowa Owolabi, MBBS, MSc, DrM, Professor of Neurology and Director, Center for Genomic and Precision Medicine; Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Ibadan
- Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, and Institute for Health Metrics, University of Washington
- Ana H Mocumbi, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Researcher and Head, Chronic & Non-Communicable Diseases Division, Ministry of Health, National Health Institute & Eduardo Mondlane University
- Ali H. Mokdad, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Chief Strategy Officer, Population Health, University of Washington

The SPARC Plug vlog’s SPARC Portal Tutorials video series introduces you to the SPARC Portal resources available for advancing bioelectronic medicine through open science. In our first video, take a tour of the SPARC Portal website and learn about the information and tools available to help accelerate development of therapeutic devices that modulate electrical activity in nerves to improve organ function. These resources could potentially be used to help improve treatment of diseases and conditions such as hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, type II diabetes, and more.

The SPARC program is a trans-NIH effort managed by the NIH Common Fund in the Office of the Director and supported by NIBIB, NINDS, NIDDK, and NCATS. Learn more about the NIH SPARC program at https://go.usa.gov/xyFmQ and by following SPARC on Twitter @sparc_science, #NIH_SPARC, and #SPARCportal.

This webinar discusses the COVID-19 situation in Africa and presents application examples of Data Science for disease management. A panel of experts touches on topics such as disease surveillance, generating dashboards with the latest statistics, and mining of text or social media to discover trends. Other topics include data-interoperability, publication tracking, disease burden and mortality, and the effect of COVID-19 on diseases like HIV and malaria.

Moderators:
- Stefan Jaeger, Ph.D., National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
- Cecile Viboud, Ph.D., Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health

Panelists:
- Agnes Kiragga, Ph.D., Head of Statistics and Data Management Unit and Senior Research Scientist, Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences
- Nirmal Ravi, MD, Ph.D., Director for Medical and Scientific Affairs, E-Health Africa, and Chief Innovation Officer, EHA Clinics
- Ali H. Mokdad, Ph.D., Professor of Health Metrics Sciences, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; Chief Strategy Officer, Population Health at the University of Washington
- Elaine Nsoesie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health
- Frank Kagoro, M.D., MSc, Research Physician, MORU Tropical Health Network and WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network; PhD Candidate, University of Cape Town

As part of the DS-I Africa Symposium, this session addressed emerging opportunities and challenges in the application of Data Science and Informatics technologies in various biomedical domains. It also highlighted some key challenges in the areas of data mining, data quality, standards for various types of data, in addition to addressing how cutting-edge data analytics, predictive modeling and Machine Learning, and methods for simulations can advance human health in Africa.

Moderator:

Darrell Hurt, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Geetha Senthil, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH 
Panelists:

Abdoulaye Banire Diallo, University of Quebec-Montreal (UQAM) 
Elaine Nsoesie, Boston University 
Geoffrey Siwo, University of Notre Dame 
Dina Machuve, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology 
Moustapha Cisse, Google AI