April 3, 2017: Study volunteer receives inoculation at Redemption Hospital in Monrovia on the opening day in Liberia of PREVAC, a Phase 2 Ebola vaccine trial in West Africa.
NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to understand, diagnose, prevent, treat, and ultimately cure infectious and immune-mediated diseases, including diseases that affect the health of women and girls. NIAID involves women in clinical studies on treatment and prevention of HIV infection and AIDS, autoimmune diseases, and other infectious diseases. NIAID conducts research and collaborates with other organizations on research initiatives within NIAID's mission areas that aim to improve women's health.
NIH created the women’s health research category in 1994 for annual budgeting purposes and in 2019 it was updated to include the following categories:
- Studies with only female participants
- Diseases or health conditions unique to women
- Disease or conditions that predominantly affect women or girls
- Research with an overall goal of examining women’s health outcomes, trajectories, risk factors, diagnosis or treatment strategies, or health differences between women and men
- Career development, training, and meeting grants related to fostering the women’s health research workforce
Research Funding
Researchers are always welcome to submit investigator-initiated R01 grant applications on topics relevant to women’s health that fall within the NIAID mission. Additionally, researchers can respond to specific requests for applications issued or supported by NIAID, which are available on the NIAID Funding Opportunities List.
Resources for Researchers
Many of the resources for researchers offered by NIAID apply to women’s health research. View the full list of resources for researchers.
Additional resources on preparing grant applications can be found through the NIAID Grants & Contracts pages.
Information about Inclusion of Special Populations, including Women, Minorities, and inclusion across the life span, can be found on the NIAID Grants & Contacts Human Subjects pages. The NIH has additional resources regarding policies on Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Participants in Research involving Human Subjects.