National Institute of Nursing Research

History

Federal involvement in nursing research can be traced back to 1946, with the establishment of the Division of Nursing within the Office of the Surgeon General, Public Health Service.

In 1955, the first extramural nursing research program was established in the Research Grants and Fellowship Branch of the Division of Nursing Resources, Bureau of Medical Services. At this same time, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Nursing Research Study Section within the Division of Research Grants to conduct scientific review of the growing volume of applications in this area.

In 1960, public health nursing services were consolidated to form a new Division of Nursing in the Bureau of State Services, whose successor is now within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – the agency responsible for clinical training in the health care professions. The initial and continuing goal of federal support was to build a foundation for nursing research. During this time, many academic institutions established predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship programs to train independent nurse investigators. Nursing research programs were also funded and research information was exchanged across the country.

The impetus for establishing the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) came from the findings of two federal studies. A 1983 report by the Institute of Medicine recommended that nursing research be included in the mainstream of biomedical and behavioral science, and a 1984 NIH Task Force study found nursing research activities to be relevant to the NIH mission. These findings resulted in legislative action that established the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) at NIH in April 1986. The Center later became an NIH Institute with the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 and a Federal Register notice on June 14 of that year – both actions formally changing the NCNR to the NINR.

Dr. Patricia A. Grady served as director of NINR from 1995 to 2018. Dr. Shannon Zenk became Director of NINR in September 2020. Shannon Zenk was placed on administrative leave as part of the Health and Human Services Department’s massive layoffs in April, 2025

Directors

Past directors from 1986 - present

Notable people

• Ann K. Cashion, acting director, NINR, 2018–2019
• Jessica Gill, acting deputy director, NINR, 2019–2020
• Patricia A. Grady, director, NINR, 1995–2018
• Marguerite Littleton Kearney, director, NINR Division of Extramural Science Programs, 2015–present
• Ada Sue Hinshaw, director, NINR, 1987–1994
• Tara A. Schwetz, acting director, NINR, 2020
• Shannon N. Zenk, director, NINR, 2020-present
• Ora L. Strickland, Founding member, NINR

References

1. "History | National Institute of Nursing Research".
2. "NINR Welcomes Director Dr. Shannon Zenk". National Institute of Nursing Research.
3. (9 July 2015). "NINR Directors".
4. Gately, Blair. (July 14, 1987). "National Nursing Center Celebrates Anniversary". The NIH Record.
5. Cook, Linda. (July 5, 1994). "NINR Director Hinshaw Leaves for Academia". The NIH Record.
6. (July 19, 1994). "Suzanne Hurd Appointed NINR Acting Director". The NIH Record.
7. Cook, Linda. (March 28, 1995). "NINDS' Patricia Grady To Lead Nursing Institute". The NIH Record.
8. (October 19, 2018). "NINR Director Grady Retires After 30-Year NIH Career". The NIH Record.
9. Kriebel, Jo-Ann. (October 18, 2019). "Cashion Retires as NINR Acting Director". The NIH Record.
10. (July 24, 2020). "Zenk Selected as Next NINR Director". The NIH Record.
11. Wosen, Jonathan. (April 25, 2025). "NIH announces six new acting institute directors, many of them filling posts of ousted predecessors". Stat News.
12. "Patricia A. Grady to Retire as NINR Director {{!}} National Institute of Nursing Research".
13. (2015-01-29). "Meet Dr. Marguerite Littleton Kearney, Director of the Division of Extramural Science Programs {{!}} National Institute of Nursing Research".
14. (2019-07-10). "Trailblazer: Ada Sue Hinshaw '63 MSN {{!}} Yale School of Nursing".
15. Cantelon, Philip Louis. (2010). "NINR".