IC Directors’ Meeting Highlights — Thursday, July 13, 2017

Announcements – Francis Collins

Dr. Collins (DIR) opened the meeting by updating the Directors on the status of the fiscal year 2018 House Appropriations bill. He also reported on the Senate Science Forum, recent visits from HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration John Bardis and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan), and upcoming NIH meetings, including a Clinical Center Research Hospital Board meeting and an upcoming workshop on the NIH Guidelines.

Healthy People 2020/2030 – David Murray, Don Wright, Carter Blakey

Dr. Murray (OD/ODP) began the presentation by outlining NIH’s role in the Healthy People 2020/2030 Initiative. Don Wright (HHS) and Carter Blakey (HHS) then provided a more detailed description of the Initiative, progress for the 2020 portion of the Initiative, and goals for the 2030 portion. The IC Director discussion focused on the length and organization of the current set of objectives, how research findings are leveraged to affect health policy, and the inclusion of health and social disparities in the Initiative. 

Opioid Conferences – Nora Volkow, Walter Koroshetz

Drs. Volkow (NIDA) and Koroshetz (NINDS) presented an update on NIH efforts to address the opioid epidemic. Three workshops were held to discuss agency efforts in this area, focusing on: medications development for opioid use disorders and overdose prevention reversal; development of safe, effective, non-addictive pain treatments; and neurobiological mechanisms of pain. IC Director discussion focused on the role of the clinician in this effort, additional areas for research (e.g., models of harm reduction), and data considerations moving forward.