National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is an American government health institute. It is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The stated mission of the NIMHD is to “lead scientific research to improve minority health and eliminate health disparities.”[1] The mission of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities is aimed at a wide variety of people whether the disparity is caused by gender, age, economic status, ethnicity, or residential location. In any case, if a person is assumed to be part of a minority group, then there is a risk for health disparities to form. Minority Health relates to people that are socially categorized into minority groups because they do not hold positions of power in our society. Health disparities refer to rates of illness and disease that are disproportionate within a society. Health disparities have been a subject of interest great enough to inspire the creating and implementation of programs like NIMHD and Health Disparities Centers. Similar to the mission of NIMDHD, Health Disparities Centers focus on addressing needs that are in high demand for minority groups, and encouraging the delivery of adequate health care to groups that are not represented well. By the passage of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act, NIMHD was established in 2000 as an NIH center with the initial title of National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD).[2] It became a full institute, with its present name, on September 13, 2010, under the Affordable Care Act.[3] John Ruffin, PhD, was appointed director from 2001 to March 2014.[4] Yvonne T. Maddox, PhD, became acting director in April 2014.[5] Eliseo J. Perez-Stable, MD was appointed director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research on September 1, 2015.[6]

Logo of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities