[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39630-39631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10096]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Request for Information (RFI): Inviting Input Regarding NIDCD's 
Research Directions in Global Health

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Request for Information.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication 
Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH) invites input 
from all interested parties (individuals or groups) on NIDCD's future 
research directions in Global Health defined for this RFI as 
international collaboration among researchers in all countries to 
improve health. NIDCD requests input specifically focused on the NIDCD 
mission of advancing the science of communication to improve lives.

DATES: Comments will be accepted through July 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: All responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically 
via the web-based form at: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/nidcd-global-health-rfi-form. Please include the Notice number in the subject line 
of your response. Responses to this RFI are voluntary and may be 
submitted anonymously. You may voluntarily include your name and 
contact information with your response. If you choose to provide NIH 
with this information, NIH will not share your name and contact 
information outside NIH unless required by law.
    Other than your name and contact information, please do not include 
any personally identifiable information or any information that you do 
not wish to make public. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or 
sensitive information should not be included in your response. The US 
Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI 
at its discretion. Other than your name and contact information, the 
Government reserves the right to use any submitted information on 
public websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, 
in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative 
agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunities. 
This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only and is not a 
solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the 
Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to 
it. Please note that the Government will not pay for the preparation of 
any

[[Page 39631]]

information submitted or for use of that information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Specific questions regarding the NIDCD 
RFI should be directed to: Lana Shekim, Ph.D., Global Health 
Coordinator National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication 
Disorders (NIDCD), Phone: 240-723-0306, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 
285m, of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The NIDCD's mission 
is to support research and training on the normal and disordered 
processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and 
language. Our vision is to advance the science of communication to 
improve lives. In pursuit of its mission and as outlined in the 2023-
2027 Strategic Plan https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/about/strategic-plans, 
NIDCD supports basic, translational, and clinical research on hearing, 
balance, taste, smell, voice, speech and language. One of the cross-
cutting priorities listed in the strategic plan is to participate in 
international research to improve global health through reducing the 
burden of hearing loss and communication disorders in the US and around 
the globe. For more information about current international initiatives 
related to the NIDCD mission visit https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/research/global-health.
    International collaboration has a long history at NIDCD in both its 
intramural laboratories and its support of extramural research, with 
such research leading to discoveries and advances in knowledge, for 
example the identification of deafness and stuttering gene variations, 
and improvements in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) for Communication. 
A notable example of successful translational research from the hearing 
program is the development of cochlear implant which resulted from 
collaboration among multiple scientific disciplines working in the US 
and collaborating across borders.
    NIDCD, like other NIH Institutes, funds highly meritorious research 
throughout the world, both through direct awards to non-U.S. 
institutions and indirectly through awards to U.S. institutions. NIDCD 
is interested in advancing knowledge by strengthening our engagement 
across the globe in all settings, whether highly resourced or under 
resourced. By resources, we do not mean just financial resources and 
include availability of human capital and infrastructure. Reducing the 
burden of deafness and communication disorders requires a diverse work 
force that includes physicians, namely otolaryngologists, audiologists, 
speech-language pathologists, nurses, neuroscientists, psychologists, 
epidemiologists and many other health and educational professionals. 
Clinical care may be medical, surgical, pharmacologic or behavioral. 
Availability of professionals and especially research scientists is 
uneven within countries and across regions of the world. In the case of 
communication disorders, knowledge of the language in the area and the 
culture are essential for effective evaluation and treatment, 
especially for speech, language and hearing assessment and behavioral 
intervention.
    Recognizing that health is a fundamental human right, so is the 
right to communicate. NIDCD seeks mutuality of purpose in establishing 
partnerships across the world to re-imagine a more equitable world.

Information Requested

    NIDCD seeks input from a broad array of interested parties, 
including (but not limited to) people with lived experience or family 
members, research organizations, academic institutions, multilateral 
organizations, community organizations, professional societies, 
businesses, health services organizations, other government agencies 
and those receiving funding or employed by NIH. NIDCD welcomes thoughts 
about the appropriateness of the topics below, potential benefits or 
challenges, suggestions and examples of existing or potential 
partnerships and any other topic respondents believe is relevant for 
NIDCD to consider.
    Capacity Building: Develop, maintain and renew scientific research 
capacity of individuals to build future leaders of research in under-
resourced and underserved areas in the US and abroad. Addressing 
current challenges requires a critical mass of capable clinician-
scientists and basic scientists that know the language in any given 
country and understand the cultural and social context.
    Strategic partnerships: Build and strengthen strategic partnerships 
with other NIH Institutes and Centers, other US Government agencies, 
research funding agencies of other countries, foundations and industry. 
Doing so would increase strength and sustainability and create synergy 
for greater public good.
    Dissemination and Implementation Research (DIR): Support research 
and research training in dissemination and implementation research and 
improve its impact on the health and health care of populations, by 
fostering rapid integration of research, practice and policy.
    WHO Rehabilitation 2030: Advance research on rehabilitation of 
disorders of voice, speech, language, hearing, balance, taste and smell 
by promoting transdisciplinary collaboration among researchers funded 
by NIH Institutes and other US federal agencies working to promote the 
World Health Organization (WHO) initiative ``Rehabilitation 2030'' 
https://www.who.int/initiatives/rehabilitation-2030.
    World Regions: Select regions in the world, continents, or 
countries, based on opportunities they provide for largest impact, 
i.e., shared regional language, population size, unique health system, 
social practice that influences genetic X environmental interaction, 
availability of research infrastructure or existing partnerships to 
build on or link to others.
    Solutions to Global Workforce Challenges: Work to reduce the brain 
drain of researchers and health professionals from under resourced 
areas to highly resourced areas by creating innovative programs that 
harness the experience and skills of research clinicians across 
diasporas and engage them in their regions of origin.
    We look forward to your input and hope that you will share this RFI 
opportunity with your colleagues.

    Dated: May 3, 2024.
Lisa J. Portnoy,
Acting Executive Officer, National Institute on Deafness and Other 
Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-10096 Filed 5-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P