Intersectionality in Public Health Research: A View From the National Institutes of Health

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 111; no. 1; pp. 95 - 97
• Main Authors: Alvidrez, Jennifer, Greenwood, Gregory L., Johnson, Tamara Lewis, Parker, Karen L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Public Health Association 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Big Data; Biology; Biomedicine; Classism; Colonialism; Comparative studies; Documentation; Ethnicity; Gender identity; Health behavior; Health disparities; Health research; Health Status Disparities; Heterosexism; Homeless people; Homophobia; Humans; Institutes; Intersectionality; Intersectoral Collaboration; Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons; Marginality; Medical model; Medical research; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) - organization & administration; Oppression; Other Race/Ethnicity; Other Statistics/Evaluation/Research; Population studies; Power structure; Public Health; Qualitative research; Quantitative analysis; Racism; Research - organization & administration; Research Design; Research methodology; Sexism; Social inequality; Social Science; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic status; Special Sections; Stigma; United States; United States
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305986

The mission ofthe National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and to apply that knowledge to enhance health and reduce illness and disability. As new tools such as big data analytics, computational biology, and high throughput processes have emerged, the NIH has integrated these tools to fuel scientific advances. One tool that has become more commonly used is the theoretical framework of intersectionality, defined as how multiple marginalized or disadvantaged social statuses interact at the micro level of individuals' lived experience to reflect interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro social structural level (e.g., racism, classism, colonialism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism).1,2 Intersectionality theory, long used in other disciplines, is a relative newcomer to health research. This theory can foster a greater understanding of human health by moving beyond the biomedical model and individual-level determinants to examine the health effects resulting from the intersection of structural power dynamics, such as systemic sexism and racism. In our roles in extramural research administration at NIH, we have seen a growth in research addressing intersectionality, as well as a lack of consensus about best practices for studying this complex construct. In this editorial, we share our views on important areas for research development that we believe will help to advance the science of intersectionality. These views were shaped in part by the numerous grant applications we have seen submitted to the NIH, where we have a first-hand opportunity to view the latest innovations and cutting-edge science, as well as gaps and limitations.