Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC), RFA-AT-24-010

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), under the NIH Whole Person Initiative, that will transform our ability to conduct whole person research:

• Whole Person Research and Coordination Center (Whole Person RCC), RFA-AT-24-010

The application due date is November 1, 2024, by 5 p.m. local time of the applicant organization. 

Purpose of the Whole Person RCC

The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit applications for the establishment of the Whole Person RCC under the NIH Whole Person Initiative. This center will be integral in coordinating the initial and future research programs and networks in whole person health research. 

Creation of the Whole Person RCC is driven by the goal to seamlessly integrate current and emerging biomedical knowledge about human health, thereby forming a comprehensive, multiscale human knowledge network. 

Objectives/Phases of the Whole Person RCC

The first high-priority objective is to build a healthy human whole person physiome conceptual map to represent all physiological organ system functions and identify Common Data Elements (CDEs) appropriate for each major physiological function. It is expected that the conceptual map will not be built from data using computational methods (e.g., artificial intelligence/machine learning [AI/ML]) but will be mapped by a team of content experts using existing established knowledge of healthy human physiology, linking all physiological systems into a whole.  

The second objective is to select and test existing datasets for the conceptual map and CDEs and build at least one prototype in silico model of the whole person. In addition, the Whole Person RCC will foster multidisciplinary collaboration and provide the logistical support infrastructure for the entire NIH Whole Person Initiative.  

Participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices in the Whole Person RCC

The following NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices are partnering to support the Whole Person RCC: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), and the Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS).

Preapplication Webinars for the Whole Person RCC

NIH will host two webinars for interested applicants. Please register in advance.

• Technical Assistance Webinar
  July 30, 2024 
  11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. ET 
  Overview of the funding opportunity, presentation of review considerations, and question-and-answer session.
• Networking Webinar 
  August 14, 2024 
  11 a.m.–noon ET 
  Meet and greet with potential partners or collaborators needed to form strong multidisciplinary applicant teams.

Scientific Program Contacts for the Whole Person RCC

Elizabeth Ginexi, Ph.D. 
Program Director 
Clinical Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch 
Division of Extramural Research 
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 
National Institutes of Health 
LGinexi@mail.nih.gov 

Emrin Horgusluoglu, Ph.D. 
Program Director 
Basic and Mechanistic Research in Complementary and Integrative Health Branch 
Division of Extramural Research 
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) 
emrin.horgusluoglu@nih.gov