Is It Time to Restructure the National Institutes of Health?

ABSTRACT

[...]NIH practices that propagate epistemic exclusion will likely permeate elsewhere. [...]NIH needs to lead on reducing epistemic exclusion related to race, discipline, and beyond. [...]implement and test new options to determine the impact on epistemic exclusion, improved health outcomes, and unintended consequences. [...]the NIH receives bipartisan support, which could be jeopardized if restructured. [...]the NIH already includes mechanisms of restructuring, as evidenced by (1) the formation of the NIMHD,14'15 which provides pathways for historically marginalized groups and methods to be incorporated within the NIH;(2) the UNITE initiative to end structural racism13;(3) study section composition changes that sought to expand disciplinary representation and ( 4) 1!IH embracing open science pm/Tices, including citizen science.