View source for National Institute of Nursing Research

{{Organization
|OrganizationName=National Institute of Nursing Research
|OrganizationType=Research and Development Agencies (Sub-organization)
|Mission=NINR funds nursing research to improve health outcomes and manage chronic conditions across lifespans.
|ParentOrganization=National Institutes of Health
|TopOrganization=Department of Health and Human Services
|CreationLegislation=Public Law 99-158, Health Research Extension Act of 1985
|Employees=100
|Budget=$171 million (Fiscal Year 2023)
|OrganizationExecutive=Director
|Services=Research Funding; Clinical Research; Training Programs; Health Promotion; Symptom Management
|HeadquartersLocation=39.00079, -77.10204
|HeadquartersAddress=9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (NIH Campus)
|Website=https://www.ninr.nih.gov
}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name            = National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
| seal            = 
| logo            = US-NIH-NINR-Logo.svg
| formed          = 
| jurisdiction    = [[Federal Government of the United States]]
| employees       = 
| budget          = 
| chief1_name     = Dr. [[Shannon Zenk]]
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name     = 
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| parent_department = [[Department of Health and Human Services]]
| parent_agency   = [[National Institutes of Health]]
| website         = {{URL|https://www.ninr.nih.gov/}}
}}

The '''National Institute of Nursing Research''' ('''NINR'''), as part of the [[U.S. National Institutes of Health]], supports clinical and basic research to establish a [[Evidence-based medicine|scientific basis]] for the [[Nurse|nursing]] care of individuals across the life span—from management of [[patient]]s during illness and recovery, to the reduction of risks for disease and disability, and the promotion of [[Self care|healthy lifestyles]].

== History ==
Federal involvement in [[nursing research]] can be traced back to 1946, with the establishment of the Division of Nursing within the Office of the [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]], Public Health Service.

In 1955, the first extramural nursing research program was established in the Research Grants and Fellowship Branch of the Division of Nursing Resources, [[Bureau of Medical Services]]. At this same time, the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) established the Nursing Research Study Section within the Division of Research Grants to conduct scientific review of the growing volume of applications in this area.

In 1960, [[public health nursing]] services were consolidated to form a new Division of Nursing in the [[Bureau of State Services]], whose successor is now within the [[Health Resources and Services Administration]] (HRSA) – the agency responsible for clinical training in the health care professions. The initial and continuing goal of federal support was to build a foundation for nursing research. During this time, many academic institutions established [[Predoctoral fellow|predoctoral]] and [[Postdoctoral research|postdoctoral]] [[fellow]]ship programs to train independent nurse investigators. Nursing research programs were also funded and research information was exchanged across the country.

The impetus for establishing the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) came from the findings of two federal studies. A 1983 report by the [[Institute of Medicine]] recommended that nursing research be included in the mainstream of [[Medical research|biomedical]] and [[Behavioural sciences|behavioral]] science, and a 1984 NIH Task Force study found nursing research activities to be relevant to the NIH mission. These findings resulted in legislative action that established the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) at NIH in April 1986. The Center later became an NIH Institute with the NIH [[Revitalization Act of 1993]] and a Federal Register notice on June 14 of that year – both actions formally changing the NCNR to the NINR.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ninr.nih.gov/aboutninr/history|title=History &#124; National Institute of Nursing Research|website=www.ninr.nih.gov}}</ref>

Dr. Patricia A. Grady served as director of NINR from 1995 to 2018. Dr. [[Shannon Zenk]] became Director of NINR in September 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=NINR Welcomes Director Dr. Shannon Zenk|publisher=National Institute of Nursing Research|url=https://www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandinformation/newsandnotes/director-zenk|access-date=14 October 2020}}</ref>

== Directors ==
Past directors from 1986 - present<ref>{{cite web|title=NINR Directors|url=https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/nih-almanac/national-institute-nursing-research-ninr|website=www.nih.gov|date=9 July 2015 }}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
!Director
!Took office
!Left office
|-
|[[Doris Honig Merritt]] (acting)
|April 18, 1986
|June 1987
|-
|[[Ada Sue Hinshaw]]
|June 6, 1987
|June 30, 1994
|-
|Suzanne S. Hurd (acting)
|July 1, 1994
|April 2, 1995
|-
|[[Patricia A. Grady]]
|April 3, 1995
|August 31, 2018
|-
|[[Ann K. Cashion]] (acting)
|September 1, 2018
|September 30, 2019
|-
|[[Lawrence A. Tabak]] (acting)
|October 1, 2019
|December 31, 2019
|-
|[[Tara A. Schwetz]] (acting)
|January 1, 2020
|September 13, 2020
|-
|[[Shannon N. Zenk]]
|September 14, 2020
|Present
|-
|}

== Notable people ==

* [[Ann K. Cashion]], acting director, NINR, 2018–2019
* [[Jessica Gill (nurse)|Jessica Gill]], acting deputy director, NINR, 2019–2020
* [[Patricia A. Grady]], director, NINR, 1995–2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandinformation/newsandnotes/dr-grady-to-retire|title=Patricia A. Grady to Retire as NINR Director {{!}} National Institute of Nursing Research|website=www.ninr.nih.gov|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>
* [[Marguerite Littleton Kearney]], director, NINR Division of Extramural Science Programs, 2015–present<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandinformation/newsandnotes/Littleton-Kearney-DESP-Director|title=Meet Dr. Marguerite Littleton Kearney, Director of the Division of Extramural Science Programs {{!}} National Institute of Nursing Research|date=2015-01-29|website=National Institute of Nursing Research|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>
* [[Ada Sue Hinshaw]], director, NINR, 1987–1994<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nursing.yale.edu/news/trailblazer-ada-sue-hinshaw-63-msn|title=Trailblazer: Ada Sue Hinshaw '63 MSN {{!}} Yale School of Nursing|date=2019-07-10|website=Yale School of Nursing|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>
* [[Tara A. Schwetz]], acting director, NINR, 2020
* [[Shannon N. Zenk]], director, NINR, 2020-present
* [[Ora L. Strickland]], Founding member, NINR <ref name="v469">{{cite book |last=Cantelon |first=Philip Louis |title=NINR |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-9728874-8-9 |url=https://www.ninr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/NINR_History_Book_508.pdf}}</ref>

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.ninr.nih.gov}}

{{National Institutes of Health}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National Institutes of Health|Nursing Research]]
[[Category:Nursing organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Medical research institutes in Maryland]]