National Institutes of Health
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Mission
The mission of the NICHD is to ensure that every person is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from the reproductive process, that all children have the chance to fulfill their potential to live healthy and productive lives free from disease or disability, and to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation.

In pursuit of this mission, the NICHD conducts and supports laboratory research, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies that explore health processes; examines the impact of disabilities, diseases, and defects on the lives of individuals; and sponsors training programs for scientists, doctors, and researchers to ensure that NICHD research can continue.

The Institute is composed of 10 Divisions or Centers   |   Institute Org Chart

• Center for Developmental Biology & Perinatal Medicine (CDBPM) -
    James W Hanson M.D. - Director
• Developmental Biology, Genetics & Teratology (DBGT) Branch - Dr. Arthur Ty Hewitt, Ph.D., Branch Chief
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Branch -
      Dr. Melissa Parisi, MD, Dr. Alice Kau, Ph.D.
  • Behavioral, biobehavioral, and social science research
  • Biochemical and metabolic research
  • Biomedical and genetic/genomic research
  • Prenatal diagnosis, newborn screening, and population screening and diagnosis
  • Supported Networks, Programs, and Initiatives

    • - The Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEAs)/
      Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) Centers
      with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)  
         Autism Research
         Autism Awareness

    • - Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (EKSIDDRCs)
    • - Fragile X Syndrome Research Centers (FXRSC)
    • - Rare Disease Collaborative Research Centers
• Pregnancy & Perinatology (PP) Branch
   
• Other Centers/Divisions:
• Center for Population Research (CPR)
• Contraception & Reproductive Health (CRH) Branch
• Demographic & Behavioral Sciences (DBS) Branch
• Reproductive Sciences (RS) Branch
• Center for Research for Mothers & Children (CRMC)
• Child Development & Behavior (CDB) Branch
• Endocrinology, Nutrition & Growth (ENG) Branch
• Obstetric & Pediatric Pharmacology (OPP) Branch
• Pediatric, Adolescent & Maternal AIDS (PAMA) Branch
• Division of Epidemiology, Statistics & Prevention Research (DESPR)
• Biostatistics & Bioinformatics Branch
• DESPR Office of the Director
• Epidemiology Branch
• Prevention Research Branch
• Supported Networks, Programs, and Initiatives
• Division of Intramural Research (DIR)

  ○ Cell Biology & Metabolism Program	○ Program on Pediatric Imaging & Tissue Sciences
  ○ Molecular Medicine Program	○ Program in Perinatal Research & Obstetrics
  ○ Program in Cellular Regulation & Metabolism	○ Program in Physical Biology
  ○ Program in Developmental & Molecular Immunology	○ Program in Reproductive & Adult Endocrinology
  ○ Program in Developmental Endocrinology & Genetics	○ Fellowship Training Programs
  ○ Program in Developmental Neuroscience	○ Research Animal Management Branch
  ○ Program in Genomics of Differentiation	○ Office of the Scientific Director

• Division of Special Populations (DSP)
• Academic/Community Partnership Conference Series
• Extramural Associates (EA) Program
• Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research Program
• National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
  • Behavioral Sciences and Rehabilitative Technologies Program
  • Biological Sciences and Career Development Program
  • Pediatric Critical Care and Rehabilitation Program
  • Spinal Cord and Musculoskeletal Disorders and Assistive Technology Program
  • Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke Rehabilitation Program
• Obesity Research Strategic Core (ORSC)
• Division of Scientific Review (DSR)