NAMHC Minutes of the 277th Meeting

September 11, 2026

Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
National Advisory Mental Health Council

Introduction

The 277th National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) was convened on September 11, 2025, via Microsoft Teams and National Institutes of Health (NIH) videocast. In accordance with Public Law 92- 463, the session was open to the public from 1:00 pm until approximately 4:00 pm and was preceded by the closed session on the same day. Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), presided as Chair. Elizabeth Church, Ph.D., Acting Director of the Division of Extramural Activities NIMH, presided as Executive Secretary.

Council Members Present

• Olusola Ajilore, M.D., Ph.D.
• Rinad Beidas, Ph.D.
• Daniel Gillison, Jr.
• Angus MacDonald, III, Ph.D.
• Velma McBride Murry, Ph.D.
• Jyotishman Pathak, Ph.D.
• Laura Scott, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Liaison Representative (Ex Officio Member)

Anita Everett, M.D., DFAPA (absent)

Others present at Open Policy Session (Appendix A)

Others present at Closed Grant Review Session (Appendix A)

OPEN PORTION OF THE MEETING

1. Open Policy Session Call to Order & Opening Remarks, Elizabeth Church, Ph.D. and Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Ph.D.(NIH Videocast  @01:22)

   The Acting Director of the NIMH Division of Extramural Activities and Executive Secretary of NAMHC, Dr. Elizabeth Church, opened the virtual NAMHC meeting. Acting NIMH Director and Chair of NAMHC, Dr. Andrea Beckel-Mitchener welcomed Council members, NIMH staff, and members from various constituent communities.

   The Council unanimously passed two motions approving the final Summary Minutes of January and May 2025 Council meetings that occurred in June 2025.

2. NIMH Director’s Report, Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Ph.D. (NIH Videocast  @07:19)

   1. Appropriations and Budget Updates

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener discussed several budgetary updates. On September 4, 2025, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., J.D., testified before the Senate Finance Committee on The President’s 2026 Health Care Agenda. On August 1, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill, which included $48.7 billion for NIH and $2.3 billion for NIMH. On September 9, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee approved a different version of the FY26 LHHS bill which included the same budget but without $6 million for the NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener noted that Congress would need consider a continuing resolution if the FY26 budget does not pass before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. NIMH is in the process of closing out the FY 2025 budget, which will be reviewed at an upcoming Council meeting in 2026.

   2. HHS Updates

      On September 9, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy , which calls for NIH action across several of its focus areas. On May 23, 2025, President Donald Trump released an Executive Order on Restoring Gold Standard Science . In response, HHS released the report, Implementing Gold Standard Science , and, on August 22, 2025, NIH released its implementation plan for Leading In Gold Standard Science .

   3. NIH Updates

      In May 2025, NIH launched the Autism Data Science Initiative , which included a funding announcement; applications are due on June 27, 2025. On June 17, 2025, NIH updated  its categorical spending data for FY24 on the Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) webpage . On July 1, 2025, NIH published the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan for Data Science , which encourages greater integration of data science to improve access to and use of biomedical and behavioral data. On July 18, 2025, NIH released guidance on the Initiative to Prioritize Human-Based Research , including the clarification that new funding opportunities will no longer focus exclusively on animal models of human disease but instead will be designed more broadly with language that encourages various approaches, including non-animal approaches. On August 15, 2025, NIH Director Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., published NIH’s unified strategy  that aligns NIH’s priorities and funding approaches. Additionally, Bruce Reed, Ph.D., was named Acting Director of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener talked about new NIH policies. She reviewed the new Highlighted Topics  platform, a centralized resource that informs the research community on areas of scientific interest. She noted that the notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs) will be centralized on Grants.gov, while the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts  will continue to be used for policy and informational notices.

      NIH recently began implementing its new 2024 Public Access Policy , requiring that publications supported by NIH funding be publicly available without an embargo period. Relatedly, NIH recently announced an intent to establish new policies to maximize research funds by limiting allowable publication costs. On July 30, 2025, NIH published a request for information  on this topic. NIH anticipates that a new policy based on feedback will be released by 2026. NIH also announced  that as of September 2025, it will not consider applications substantially developed using artificial intelligence (AI) and will limit new, renewed, resubmitted, or revised applications to six per calendar year.

      In addition, Dr. Beckel-Mitchener noted that this meeting was the first in which Council reviewed applications submitted under the new Simplified Peer Review Framework .

   4. NIMH News to Know

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener said that September marked Suicide Prevention Month and that NIMH published shareable resources to raise awareness about suicide, its warning signs, and resources for help. She highlighted the impact of NIMH-funded suicide prevention research, including effective practices that have reduced suicide attempts and deaths.

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener announced NIH had resumed its search for a new NIMH Director. She also announced the retirement of Barry Richmond, M.D., as Chief of the Section on Neural Coding and Computation in the Laboratory of Neuropsychology.

   5. Science Highlights

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener presented two science highlights. The first¹ study sought to determine how psilocybin, a psychedelic compound with promise for treatment-resistant depression, rewires neuronal connections to optimize its use as a therapeutic. Investigators found that both pyramidal tract and intratelencephalic cell types induced structural plasticity in the frontal cortex. However, only pyramidal tract cell types were necessary for the beneficial effect of psilocybin on stress sensitive behaviors. This effect seemed to be related to serotonin 2A receptors, which are known to be responsible for psilocybin’s hallucinogenic effects.

      The second study² focused on how to better identify women who may be at-risk of HIV. Investigators used electronic health record data to develop machine learning models stratified by race, ethnicity, age, and social and community factors. They found that while including clinical and societal factors boosted the overall accuracy of the models, accuracy differed across groups. These findings highlight the importance of considering demographics, social and community factors, and other clinical data in predictive models, as well as the potential for those factors to help doctors better identify women at risk of HIV.

      Discussion
      Following Dr. Beckel-Mitchener’s update, a Council member noted the juxtaposition between the policy requiring public access to journal publications, which can be expensive, and the proposed limits on reimbursable publication costs. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener responded that the proposed limits on reimbursable publication costs were not yet policy and encouraged Council members to submit feedback during the public comment period. Another Council member asked whether the Individually Measured Phenotypes to Advance Computational Translation in Mental Health (IMPACT-MH)  initiative would continue to receive support, given the administration’s emphasis on AI and real-world data platforms. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener said that IMPACT-MH aligned well with the administration’s priorities and will continue to be supported by NIMH. A Council member expressed concern over how NIH would detect AI use in applications given the potential strain on CSR and the number of false positives and negatives from AI detectors. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener acknowledged that AI use was rapidly evolving and that limiting the number of applications per year was an initial tool to help stay ahead of the issue. The member also expressed concern that the NIH’s definition of a clinical trial might not have been written to align with behavioral health research, which might limit the types of studies that NIMH conducts. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener said that NIMH was in continuous communication with NIH about this issue. Another Council member suggested that the Grants.gov website might benefit from human-centered design.

      References
      ¹ Shao, L. X., Liao, C., Davoudian, P. A., Savalia, N. K., Jiang, Q., Wojtasiewicz, C., Tan, D., Nothnagel, J. D., Liu, R. J., Woodburn, S. C., Bilash, O. M., Kim, H., Che, A., & Kwan, A. C. (2025). Psilocybin's lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors. Nature, 642(8067), 411–420. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08813-6
      ² Liu, Y., Chen, A., Cho, H., Siddiqi, K. A., Cook, R. L., & Prosperi, M. (2025). Development of an electronic health record-based Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) risk prediction model for women, incorporating social determinants of health. BMC public health, 25(1), 2257. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23460-2

3. Concept Clearances (NIH Videocast  @49:47)

   1. Development of Objective Measures for Use in Pediatric Drug Trials for Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Margaret Grabb, Ph.D., DTR

      Dr. Grabb talked about the lack of validated central nervous system (CNS) pediatric biomarkers for use in clinical trials, which limits the understanding of how treatments work and for whom. The objectives of this concept clearance were to assess the value of existing adult biomarker measures in pediatric populations, investigate exploratory pediatric biomarkers in proof-of-concept clinical trials, and perform dose response trials with established CNS drugs across pediatric age ranges.

      Discussion
      Discussant: Dr. Jyotishman Pathak
      Dr. Pathak expressed support for this concept, suggested partnering with the All of Us Research Program  for access to its pediatric data, and asked whether there were lessons learned from developing similar measures for adults. He also emphasized the need to collect data from populations with different social, demographic, and genetic backgrounds. Dr. Grabb said that NIH’s Fast-Fail Trials was one example of adapting adult measures. A Council member suggested integrating patient-reported outcomes into the concept. Another Council member spoke about early NIH efforts in adult biomarker research and suggested consulting with the investigators who helped move that field forward.

      The next three concept clearance renewals were focused on enhancing R25 education programs for the NIMH workforce across all career stages.

   2. Short Courses for Mental Health Research Education, Ashlee Van’t Veer, Ph.D., NIMH Training Team

      Dr. Van’t Veer said the first concept would continue mental health research education focused on hands-on research experience, state-of-the-art technical skills, and the principles of rigor and reproducibility.

   3. Research Education Programs for Psychiatry Residents, Ashlee Van’t Veer, Ph.D., NIMH Training Team

      Dr. Van’t Veer said this concept encourages psychiatry residents to advance their research skills and pursue research careers, which would help bridge the gap between science and patient care.

   4. Mentoring Networks for Mental Health Research Education, Ashlee Van’t Veer, Ph.D., NIMH Training Team

      Dr. Van’t Veer said this concept supported formalized mentoring networks and expanding mentoring opportunities by recruiting individuals with specific expertise to provide professional development to a broad range of graduate and medical trainees.

      Discussion
      Discussant: Dr. Velma McBride Murry
      Dr. Murry expressed support for these concept clearances and asked whether the R25 programs leveraged existing T32 training programs. Dr. Van’t Veer answered that recipients with existing T32s were eligible to participate in the R25 program. Other Council members suggested training topics, including patient and community engagement as well as AI and data science. Dr. Van’t Veer said that NIMH welcomes the submission of any topic area. A Council member suggested including policymakers, payers, and patients and their families in the mentor networks. Another Council member suggested collecting more data on T32 program outcomes. A Council member asked about NIMH’s support for undergraduates. Dr. Van’t Veer said that NIMH focused more on graduate students based on a Council workgroup recommendation but did contribute to extramural undergraduate training activities at the NIH-level.

      Dr. Beckel-Mitchener added that NIMH supports undergraduates through the Intramural Research Program.

   5. Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health, Suzanne T. Garcia, Ph.D., DNBBS

      Dr. Garcia highlighted the continued success of the Silvio O. Conte Centers program, which was a mechanism for supporting research collaborations in basic and translational neuroscience to address high-risk, high-impact scientific questions across a broad range of topics. Continued support for the program would not only continue to advance interdisciplinary research but also offer opportunities to share data with the research community and educate the public about research outcomes.

      Discussion
      Discussant: Dr. Olu Ajilore
      Dr. Ajilore expressed support for this concept and observed that translational research supported NIH’s emphasis on human-based research approaches. Other Council members offered suggestions to increase the program’s reach to other research programs such as the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Program for Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ), highlight underrepresented populations such as pediatrics, and incorporate concepts developed in other large mechanisms, such as the Practice-Based Suicide Prevention Research Centers. Dr. Garcia said that the Suicide Prevention Research Center focused on mental health services research, which was somewhat outside the scope of this concept. Dr. Beckel-Mitchener added that although this concept was focused on basic and translational science, NIMH supported research across the spectrum and may revisit the suggestion in the future.

4. NIH Director Presentation (NIH Videocast  @01:34:00)

   Dr. Bhattacharya spoke about the importance of NIMH research, particularly in suicide prevention and across influential programs such as the Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET) , AMP® SCZ , and the Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY). He highlighted three objectives from his vision for NIH: improving population health, ensuring reliable results and reproducible science, and making big advances. He also outlined four policy directions that he envisioned for NIH’s future.

   The first policy direction was Novel Alternative Methods (NAMs), which are research approaches focused on human health outcomes. He noted that NIH has traditionally used animal models to address basic science questions, but that these outcomes did not always advance knowledge in human health. Going forward, applicants would need to use models and methods appropriate for addressing human health and only utilize animal models when justified. The second policy direction he reviewed was the Executive Order on Restoring Gold Standard Science  and NIH’s Leading in Gold Standard Science implementation plan  to drive gold standard science. He defined the principles of gold standard science as being 1) reproducible, 2) transparent, 3) communicative of error and uncertainty, 4) collaborative, 5) skeptical of findings and assumptions, 6) structured for falsifiability of hypotheses, 7) subject to unbiased peer review, 8) accepting of negative results as positive outcomes, and 9) without conflicts of interest. He expanded on the principle of replicability and shared multiple published studies that found a lack of reproducibility in research. He also outlined ways that NIH could promote scientific replication. For example, NIH could establish a journal or repository where replication efforts would be published, as well as a metric to collect data on and reward prosocial behaviors such as data and methods sharing.

   Dr. Bhattacharya reviewed a third policy direction focused on better supporting early-career investigators. He shared data demonstrating that early-career investigators are more likely to advance new ideas, whether working independently or in collaboration with mid- and late-career investigators. Additionally, data show that the number of scientists who leave science after receiving F32 postdoctoral awards has been increasing since the 1980s. He suggested that the amount of training time required by postdoctoral investigators may be a factor in this decline and asked Council members for additional ideas. Finally, he spoke about a policy that promoted a unified strategy  for funding projects. To ensure that new and bold ideas have a better chance of being awarded, NIH would no longer consider fixed paylines as the primary driver of funding decisions. Instead, Institutes and Centers will consider other factors, such as alignment with their specific mission and strategic priorities or the balance of priorities and career stages across their overall research portfolio.

   Discussion
   Dr. Beckel-Mitchener emphasized NIMH’s alignment with Dr. Bhattacharya’s vision, as one of the Institutes that has not used a strict payline but instead focused on the merit of a project and alignment with its portfolio. A Council member asked about Dr. Bhattacharya’s vision for rural health. Dr. Bhattacharya talked about how many chronic diseases disproportionately impact rural communities and expressed his commitment to advancing this area. He suggested that NIH could prioritize funding to rural universities, where researchers better understand their communities. Another Council member asked how NIH could engage with the public to better demonstrate its value. Dr. Bhattacharya said that the decreased support for new ideas started when NIH’s funding doubled. He reiterated the importance of allowing more failures in pursuit of an idea with greater impact on health outcomes. He said that success should not be measured as a published paper, but rather an outcome that makes a real difference to Americans.

   A Council member talked about the nuances involved in replication studies, pointing out that replication could focus on a particular factor, such as concept or effect size. Dr. Bhattacharya said that a new NIH office would be established expressly to address those nuances. The Council member also expressed concern that the NIH definition of a clinical trial does not apply well to Institutes that focus on behavioral science. Another Council member promoted implementation science principles as a mechanism for moving science into action, such as engaging community voices earlier in the research process. Dr. Bhattacharya agreed that implementation science was important and influences whether scientific findings impact human health.

   A Council member asked how Dr. Bhattacharya would ensure the continuity of research funding. He answered that there was bipartisan support for the NIH and that the United States was still the best place in the world to conduct biomedical research. He reiterated that two of his key priorities were to ensure that NIH-funded research focused on the needs of Americans and to support new ideas from early-career researchers. Another Council member reflected on the data Dr. Bhattacharya presented on how the lifespan of Americans had not increased in recent years and asked about European models used to measure longevity. Dr. Bhattacharya said that the use of specific models to measure longevity was very complicated, but that a wealthy country such as the United States should have among the best health outcomes in the world. He underscored his commitment to ensuring that NIH-supported science addresses the structures underlying this disparity. A Council member asked about the future of systems level research at NIH. Dr. Bhattacharya answered that he was in full support of systems-level thinking.

5. Public Comment (NIH Videocast  @02:27:04)

   Dr. Beckel-Mitchener said that virtual meetings did not include verbal public comment, but that one written public comment was shared with Council members. Refer to Appendix B.

6. Adjournment

   Dr. Church adjourned the Open Session of the meeting at 4:05 pm ET.

CLOSED PORTION OF THE MEETING

This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with the determination that it was concerned with matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., and section 1009(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. §§ 1001- 1014).

Elizabeth Church, Ph.D., Executive Secretary of the NAMHC, explained policies and procedures regarding confidentiality and conflict of interest to the members of the Council.

Members were absent from the meeting during the discussion of and voting on applications from their own institutions, or other applications in which there was a real or apparent conflict of interest. Members were asked to sign a statement to this effect.

1. Review of Applications

   Refer to Appendix C

2. Adjournment

   Dr. Church adjourned the closed grant review session of the meeting at 12:00pm ET.

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Office of the Secretary, DHHS
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., J.D.
Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

National Institutes of Health
Jayanta Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Liaison Representative
Anita Everett, M.D., DFAPA
Director
Center for Mental Health Services
US, HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Rockville, MD

APPENDIX A

NIMH Presenters and Presentation Support Staff:
Andrea Beckel-Mitchener
Zieta Charles
Elizabeth Church
Jeffrey Cozart
Suzanne Garcia
Karen Gavin-Evans
Margaret Grabb
Susan Koester
Christina Page
Dawn Smith
Julie Thai
Ashlee Van’t Veer

Other Federal Employees:
Jay Bhattacharya
Jonathan Bernstein, NIH Videocast Producer
Jeffrey Cozart, NIH Videocast Producer

Others Present Virtually for Open Session:
Aimee Oczkowski, 1Source Events
Susan Funk, Miami Environmental & Energy Solutions

Attendees Present for Open Session via Videocast:
203 NIH Videocast attendees

Other Members Present Virtually for Closed Session:

Aimee Oczkowski, 1Source Events

Appendix B 
Written Public Comment

September 5, 2025

Re: The Need to Prohibit the Forced Swim and Tail Suspension Tests; September 11, 2025 National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC) Open Policy Session Written Comment

Sent via email to NAMHCPublicComment@mail.nih.gov

Dear Acting Director, Beckel-Mitchener and members of the NAMHC:

On behalf of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health advocacy organization supported by nearly one million members and supporters worldwide, thank you for the opportunity to comment on this meeting and for your ongoing work to improve the well-being of individuals with mental illness.

We repeat our request that the NAMHC advise the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to stop funding projects incorporating the forced swim test (FST) or tail suspension test (TST). In April, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative to prioritize human-based research1 and Director Bhattacharya laid out a strategy reinforcing this priority.² Prohibiting the FST and TST in future projects would uphold this agency-wide priority and begin to shift NIMH-funded research toward more translatable outcomes.
Since we last wrote to the council, the Australian Veterinary Association issued a policy advocating for a cessation of the FST in medical research.³ This follows Australia’s largest medical research funding agency’s decision to terminate its support for the FST, as well as the United Kingdom’s ban on using the test as a model of depression or anxiety.⁴

We recently conducted a survey of scientists who have published research using the FST.⁵ When asked why they had selected the test as opposed to other methods, the two most common responses were that it is standard practice (31%) and convenient (25%). Only 31% of the survey’s 124 respondents mentioned the test’s validity or reliability. Meanwhile, half of respondents listed construct validity as a limitation of the test.³

It is crucial that our scientific leadership prohibits the funding of endpoints chosen for convenience, especially those involving animals. Ongoing NIMH support for experiments that lack scientific value and unjustifiably harm animals contradicts federal policy regarding animal use, agency-wide efforts to transition toward human-based research technologies, and the Institute’s own position that these tests are not fit for purpose.6 It also signals to scientists that certain elements of their research design do not need to meet basic standards of rigor.

NIMH should stop its legitimization of these tests and redirect resources toward methods that are moving depression research forward, including positron emission tomography, functional magnetic brain imaging, computational modeling, brain organoids, and other human-specific approaches. While each of these bears limitations, such obstacles cannot be overcome by crude behavioral tests that reduce human depressive disorders to the experience of an acute stressor, such as hanging a mouse upside down by its tail. Multimodal approaches and continued investments in novel technologies must be prioritized, and researchers who are unwilling or incapable of adopting modern methods should not qualify for NIMH funding.

The Physicians Committee urges the NAMHC to recommend that NIMH immediately implement a policy prohibiting the use of funds for the FST and TST. We commend recent NIH efforts to modernize its research portfolio and ask that NIMH and other institutes, centers, and offices bring policies and programs in concordance this initiative. The elimination of funding for these widely discredited tests is a first step toward doing so. Thank you for considering our comments and for your ongoing commitment to advancing mental health research.

Sincerely,

Stephen Farghali, MSc
Research Advocacy Coordinator
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20016
202-527-7327

References
¹National Institutes of Health. (2025). NIH to Prioritize Human Based Research Technologies. NIH to prioritize human-based research technologies | National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
² National Institutes of Health. (2025). Advancing NIH’s Mission Through a Unified Strategy. Advancing NIH’s Mission Through a Unified Strategy | National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
³ Australian Veterinary Association. (2025). Forced Swim Test and Forced Smoke Inhalation Experiments. https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/policies/forced-swim-test-and-forced-smoke-inhalation-experiments/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email 
⁴ Hurst E. Animal Research Amendment (Prohibition of Forced Swim Tests and Forced Smoke Inhalation Experiments) Bill 2023. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bills/Pages/bill-details.aspx?pk=18431  ; Animals in Science Committee. ASC response to commission on forced swim test. Gov.uk. Published June 2023. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asc-response-to-commission-on-forced-swim-test .
⁵ Unpublished, data available upon request