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Division of Research - Wayne State University

NIH Notice of Special Interest (NOSI):

Competitive and Administrative Supplements for the Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Minority Health and Health Disparities

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has issued a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight the urgent need for research on the impact of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic causing COVID-19 disease outbreaks and the resulting disruptions on individual and social wellbeing, health services use, and health outcomes for NIH-designated health disparity populations.(Notice Number NOT-MD-20-019) 

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will accept and consider support for applications for supplements and revisions to NIMH projects that fall within the scope of this announcement and are relevant to the mission and strategic priorities of the NIMH. Applications to describe the epidemiology of mental disorders and symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic are not a high priority; applications to examine how a disrupted workforce may adequately respond/adapt to and maintain services or provide additional care for new or worsening mental health needs where we anticipate health disparities will be most prominent will be seen as a high priority.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) will accept applications for supplements and revisions to NIA-supported projects that fall within the scope of this announcement and are relevant to the mission and strategic priorities of the NIA. Applications are encouraged that address the specific needs and circumstances of midlife and older adults, including, but not limited to, individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) and their healthcare providers and caregivers.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from May 1, 2020 to May 1, 2021. The project period will generally be limited to 1 year. Project periods up to 2 years will be considered only with strong justification. Individual requests can be no more than $125,000 in direct costs. The project period will generally be limited to 1 year. Project periods up to 2 years will be considered only with strong justification. For full details, please visit the NOSI website.

Research Objectives

This NOSI is soliciting research in health disparity populations that -seeks to understand: 1) how state and local policies and initiatives mitigate or exacerbate disparities in health services use and health outcomes; 2) the role that community-level protective and resilience factors and interventions have in mitigating the effects of the sector disruptions that the COVID-19 outbreak causes; and 3) how behavioral and/or biological mechanisms may contribute to COVID-19 manifestations.

Outcomes of interest include, but are not limited to, the COVID-19 incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates in defined populations; substance abuse and mental health effects; impact on chronic conditions; effects on severe maternal morbidity and mortality; and influence on access, utilization, and quality of health care (including needed medical care, medical treatments, and access to prescription drugs).

Projects must include a focus on one or more NIH-designated populations that experience health disparities in the United States, which include racial and ethnic minority groups (Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders), less privileged socioeconomic status, sexual and gender minorities and underserved rural populations.

Possible research interests related to the COVID-19 outbreak include but are not limited to the following:

  • Examine the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on disparities in healthcare utilization and health outcomes among medically vulnerable populations such as institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly; persons with chronic conditions, mental health and/or substance abuse disorders, complex medical needs, and/or with compromised immune system function; and pregnant women.
  • Examine the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on disparities in healthcare utilization and health outcomes among socially vulnerable populations such as the homeless, the recently incarcerated, immigrants, persons with disabilities, and children.
  • Examine the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on disparities in access to care and quality of care for health disparity populations, taking into account how it impacts the structure and organization of different health care systems that serve disparity populations, including those living in rural areas.
  • Examine how clinician and health care system biases affect health and health care disparities in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Examine the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the health outcomes of the health care workforce serving health disparity populations and factors alleviating or exacerbating these outcomes.
  • Examine the geographic and place-based variations in social contexts and their influence on minority health and/or health disparities in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Examine how racism and other types of discrimination at multiple levels (structural, institutional, and personally mediated) influence minority health and/or health disparities in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Examine the role of state and local policies in different sectors (e.g., healthcare, labor, transportation, housing) in exacerbating or reducing the impact of COVID-19 on minority health and health disparities.
  • Examine the effectiveness of existing health and social justice practices (policies geared towards low income and marginalized communities) such as paid sick leave for low-income jobs, ensuring access to food and other necessities, placing moratoriums on evictions, and increasing affordable housing, to minimize the health, financial and social impacts of the outbreak for health disparity population(s).
  • Examine the effectiveness of best practices in health communication and social marketing, including the role of social media, on health promotion and prevention in relation to COVID-19 in health disparity populations.
  • Community engaged research studies examining community and culturally appropriate COVID-19 prevention methods.
  • Modeling studies of the effects of the epidemic and the mitigation interventions on the health outcomes of health disparity populations including mental illness, substance use, exacerbation of chronic diseases and mortality.
  • Examine how protective factors and factors that promote resilience at the individual, interpersonal, and contextual levels (e.g., social networks, and structural, neighborhood, and community resources) influence COVID-19 impact on minority health and/or health disparities.
  • Documentation of COVID-19 natural history in an established health disparity study population.
  • Examine the role of genetic susceptibility and differential biological pathways with COVID-19 disease severity in health disparity populations, including epigenetic effects associated with social and environmental exposures.
  • Examine the influence of self-reported chronic stress and/or biological markers of chronic stress on minority health and/or health disparities in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Examine the role of social determinants of health and cognitive and behavioral factors in influencing preventive health behaviors and practices related to the COVID-19 outbreak that may influence minority health and health disparities.
  • Examine novel behavioral interventions leveraging digital technology to promote adherence with hand washing, social distancing, and self-quarantine recommendations.

For complete details and instructions, please visit here.