2016.05.01 - NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation: Moving the Field Forward
The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR), part of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the NIH, led the development of this ambitious plan, aimed at energizing and advancing the research field. The plan benefited from the support and partnership of 17 institutes and centers within the NIH, and extensive input from rehabilitation experts across the country. It carries out many of the recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Panel convened by NICHD in 2011.
The comprehensive plan outlines six priority areas. It includes investigating new approaches to assistive technology in the home, expanding resources to recruit scientists and innovators to the field and analyzing the biology, chemistry and genetic components of recovery to better understand why some people are better able to recover after injury, while others require more rigorous rehabilitation.