Skip to main content

About Us

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is one of 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency. 

Background

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, Public Health Service. However, the impetus for establishing NINR came years later, 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 biomedical and behavioral science, and a 1984 NIH Task Force study found nursing research activities to be relevant to the NIH mission. In 1986, Public Law 99-158, the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, created the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) at NIH. In 1993, NCNR was elevated to an NIH institute (NINR) with the signing of the NIH Revitalization Act. Read the NIH Almanac for more information about NINR's history.

NINR 2022-2026 Strategic Plan; NINR Research Lenses
Strategic Plan

The National Institute of Nursing Research 2022-2026 Strategic Plan outlines the Institute's vision for supporting science that advances our mission: to lead nursing research to solve pressing health challenges and inform practice and policy-optimizing health and advancing health equity into the future.

CTA Small Image Right Title
Who We Are

CTA Right Small Image Body

Learn about NINR's leadership team, organizational structure, and the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research (NACNR).

CTA Small Right Image
community health nurse talking to patient in park
people walking and biking through green space of community
What We Do

Read about NINR's mission, research priorities, and view current NINR job openings.