Research

Although there are many racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in incidence, prevalence, and mortality from neurological diseases in the United States (US), in more recent years, the federal government has played a major role in understanding the etiology of, and in striving to eliminate, these disparities. Through allocating funding to support health disparities research, training a diversified research workforce, and translating and disseminating uniquely tailored interventions to address disparities, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has made achieving health equity an aspirational goal. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers populations known to experience health disparities in accomplishing its mission to promote and protect the public health through regulating drugs, biological products, and devices. By highlighting the work of these two federal agencies, this chapter establishes the very important role the federal government plays in the elimination of health disparities and achieving health equity. More innovative public and private collaborations between federal agencies and groups underrepresented in research must be encouraged to eliminate existing health disparities, achieving health equity.