Report

The health of racial and ethnic minorities, poor people, and other disadvantaged groups in the United States is worse than the health of the overall population. National concerns for these differences, termed health disparities, and the associated excess mortality and morbidity have been expressed as a high priority in national health status reviews, including Healthy People 2000 and 2010. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranks this issue third among its top five priorities.

The NIH Strategic Research Plan and Budget to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities is intended to provide an overarching structure and coordination for such reseach being conducted by various NIH institutes and centers. Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health: Unfinished Business assesses how well the plan provides needed guidance and recommends ways to improve oversight and coordination of these research efforts.