Working Groups of Council

NIDDK establishes ad hoc working groups of its Advisory Council to develop reports on specific topics. Reports may include recommendations for consideration by the full NIDDK Advisory Council. Recommendations that focus on a specific scientific area may be considered by one of the NIDDK Advisory Council’s subcommittees before presentation to the full Council.

Working groups are disbanded upon task completion. Membership typically consists of one or more Council members, but may be composed wholly or in part by outside experts with scientific, medical, health, legal, and policy expertise; patient advocates; or community representatives.

NIDDK-wide Working Groups

Health Disparities and Health Equity Research Working Group – In January 2021, the NIDDK Advisory Council established a Health Disparities and Health Equity Research Working Group in response to NIDDK’s three-part NIDDK Advisory Council Forum: Underrepresented Investigators and Science. The goal of the Working Group is to identify research opportunities across the spectrum of NIDDK science to advance health equity and health disparities research. The recommendations were published in the Pathways to Health for All: Health Disparities & Health Equity Research Recommendations & Opportunities report, which compliments the NIDDK Strategic Plan for Research.

Heterogeneity of Diabetes Working Group – In January 2023, the NIDDK Advisory Council established a Heterogeneity of Diabetes Working Group. The charge of the working group is t0 provide a detailed overview of the current state of knowledge on the heterogeneity of diabetes and inform NIDDK scientific staff of evolving concepts in this field from a global perspective. 

The working group will meet over an 18-month timeline and a summary report will be generated. NIDDK scientific staff will be equipped with a clear understanding of the needs of the field as well as the opportunities available that can be used to stimulate research efforts to develop more discrete definitions of subtypes of Type 2 diabetes.

NIDDK Advisory Council Forum: Underrepresented Investigators and Science

The COVID-19 pandemic shined a bright light on the issue of health disparities in minority populations. Becoming very sick from COVID-19 is associated with several underlying chronic diseases that fall within NIDDK’s research mission—and many of these diseases disproportionately impact people who are racial and ethnic minorities.

NIDDK strives to increase diversity in both our workforce and the research we fund in hopes of delivering better outcomes for those most effected by health disparities. A series of forums are being held to kick off the discussion and to brainstorm implementable ways that we can do better together.

NIDDK Advisory Council Forum: Underrepresented Investigators and Science (Part 1) 

NIDDK Advisory Council Forum: Underrepresented Investigators and Science (Part 3)