U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
What is the NIH HEAL Initiative?
The Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM Initiative, or NIH HEAL InitiativeSM, is an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Almost every NIH Institute and Center is accelerating research to address this public health emergency from all angles.
The initiative is funding hundreds of projects nationwide. Researchers are taking a variety of approaches to tackle the opioid epidemic through:
- Understanding, managing, and treating pain
- Improving treatment for opioid misuse and addiction
Featured News
Disparities in Opioid Overdose Deaths Continue to Worsen for Black People, Study Suggests
September 9, 2021
Non-Hispanic Black individuals in four U.S. states experienced a 38% increase in the rate of opioid overdose deaths from 2018 to 2019, while the rates for other race and ethnicity groups held steady or decreased, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. This NIH-supported study, part of the HEALing Communities Study, underscores the need for a racially inclusive approach to address the opioid crisis in hard-hit areas.
Read the full press releaseLatest Research Spotlight
Latest Research Spotlight
Why They HEAL
Introducing Early Career Investigators Involved in the NIH HEAL Initiative
Read the SpotlightResearch Priorities
In 2018, NIH, in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, identified a set of research priorities reflecting urgent unmet needs across the lifespan, areas of promising scientific opportunity, and concrete strategies capable of providing rapid and durable solutions to the opioid crisis.
Through evidence-based scientific research, the NIH HEAL Initiative will provide lasting, scientific solutions to the opioid crisis.
Funded Research Focus Areas
Funded Research Focus Areas
Through the initiative, NIH supports research to enhance pain management and improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction. The initiative includes research focus areas led by 12 NIH ICs supporting hundreds of projects that reflect the full spectrum of research from basic science to implementation research.
Find information on funding for the initiative