Throughout its history, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) has been a leader in conducting and supporting research to
alleviate the health disparities that exist between various segments of
the U.S. population, and its outstanding efforts in this area have been
publically recognized in Congressional hearings. Projects with a strong
minority component have been initiated so that comparisons may be
made between various populations. These projects have produced a
wealth of information that enable identification of health disparities and
provide clues about their causes.

In addition, research programs that focus exclusively on minority health
issues have been given high priority. They address diagnosis, treatment,
and prevention of diseases, conditions, and risk factors that
disproportionately affect minorities, including high blood pressure,
coronary heart disease, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, asthma,
sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, sickle cell disease, and Cooley's anemia.

Through its education programs, the NHLBI disseminates health-related
information to physicians, health care professionals, patients, and the
general public. Strong emphasis is placed on outreach to minority
populations using culturally sensitive, innovative approaches, such as
church-based interventions to reach a large segment of the black
community.

The NHLBI actively recruits minority individuals into its training and
career development programs with particular emphasis on members of
racial/ethnic groups that are currently underrepresented in the research
enterprise.

Since FY 1991, the Institute has had procedures in place to ensure full
compliance with the NIH Policy on Inclusion of Minorities and Women in
Research. As a result, all NHLBI-supported research that involves human
subjects includes minorities, with the exception of a very few projects
for which a strong justification for limiting the diversity of the study
population exists.

I. Research

A. Development and Progression of Disease

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http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/plandisp.htm