Mental Health Disparities Research

In the United States, there are striking differences in the prevalence, course, and severity of mental illnesses, access to quality health care, and health outcomes based on sex, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and geography.

The Disparities Team was formed in December 2018 to focus on research aimed at reducing and eliminating mental health disparities in U.S. communities. The team supports innovative and high-impact research aimed at:

1. Enhancing our understanding of minority mental health and health disparities
2. Reducing mental health disparities and its impact on individuals and communities
3. Moving us toward achieving mental health equity.

In addition to research-related activities, the team launched the James Jackson Memorial Award in 2021 to recognize outstanding researchers who have demonstrated exceptional individual achievement and leadership in mental health disparities research, excellence in mentorship, influence in the field of mental health research, and support of students, particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC).

Recent meetings and events

Featured funding opportunities

• RFA-MH-20-307: Addressing Mental Health Disparities Research Gaps: Aggregating and Mining Existing Data Sets for Secondary Analyses (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) 
• RFA-MH-21-186: Systems-Level Risk Detection and Interventions to Reduce Suicide, Ideation, and Behaviors in Black Children and Adolescents (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) 
• RFA-MH-21-185: Systems-Level Risk Detection and Interventions to Reduce Suicide, Ideation, and Behaviors in Youth from Underserved Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) 
• NOT-MH-20-055: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) in Research on Risk and Prevention of Black Youth Suicide 
• Transformative Health Disparities Research Funding Opportunities 

Mental health disparities news and events

Team leads

Lauren D. Hill, Ph.D. 
Acting Director, Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Development 
Email: lauren.hill@nih.gov

Stacia Friedman-Hill, Ph.D. 
Program Chief for Mood Lability and Affective Dysregulation Program, and Program Director for Risk and Early Onset of Psychosis Spectrum Disorders, Division of Translational Research 
Email: stacia.friedman-hill@nih.gov