Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Scientific Director: Christopher James McBain, Ph.D.

To ensure the birth of healthy babies and the health of infants and children into adulthood, and to optimize the health of women, the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) of the NICHD focuses its research on the acquisition of new knowledge that will enhance our understanding of the biology of human development and reproduction. The research program emphasizes fundamental investigations in cell biology, reproduction, genomics and genetics, cellular regulation, metabolism, developmental neurosciences, molecular medicine, physical biology, immunology, perinatal and obstetrics research, imaging and tissue sciences.

The DIR’s investigators work to understand and harness the science and technologies that will enable us to predict diseases and to identify genetic, prenatal, and environmental factors that influence their expression so that interventions can be developed. Our diverse range of physicians and scientists study the biology of development and examine events from conception through senescence at the molecular, physical/chemical, genetic, and behavioral level in cells, tissues/organs, and organisms in order to understand the biological processes of normal and pathological development in human beings.

Learn more about the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Division of Intramural Research.