Shaping the Future of Research: HRA Prepares Comments to NIH Strategic Plan
March 30, 2026 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking input as it develops its next NIH-wide Strategic Plan for FY2027–FY2031, a roadmap that will help determine federal biomedical research priorities, funding direction, and infrastructure investments over the coming years. For the electrophysiology (EP) community, this process represents an important opportunity to ensure that high-impact areas, particularly those affecting heart rhythm disorders and sudden cardiac arrest, are appropriately reflected in the national research agenda.
The request for information spans a broad set of questions related to research priorities, workforce and capacity, and research infrastructure. While cardiovascular disease remains a core focus within NIH, particularly through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), conditions such as cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) are not always explicitly highlighted despite their significant burden. HRA views this as a critical moment to ensure these conditions are not simply embedded within broader categories, but are recognized as areas requiring focused attention.
On behalf of its members, Heart Rhythm Advocates (HRA) is preparing a formal response that emphasizes the importance of aligning research priorities with the real-world burden of disease, particularly in areas where outcomes remain poor despite available tools and scientific advances. Central to HRA’s comments is the need to elevate research on sudden cardiac arrest and arrhythmias. SCA remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, yet survival rates have remained stubbornly low for decades. HRA will underscore the need for greater investment in understanding arrhythmia mechanisms, improving risk prediction, expanding early detection and monitoring technologies, and advancing implementation strategies that strengthen community response systems, including CPR and AED access.
HRA’s response will also highlight the role of cardiomyopathies (particularly inherited forms) as key upstream drivers of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, including among younger populations. Advancing genetic and precision medicine approaches, improving early identification through screening, and addressing disparities in diagnosis will be critical to reducing downstream risk.
At the same time, the EP field is being transformed by rapid advances in implantable devices, wearable technologies, and remote monitoring platforms. HRA will emphasize the importance of recognizing digital and device-enabled care as a core research priority, alongside the need for investment in real-world data infrastructure and systems that can support longitudinal research and accelerate translation into clinical practice.
Beyond specific disease areas, HRA’s comments will address broader challenges facing the research ecosystem. As demand for EP care continues to grow, strengthening the pipeline of clinician-scientists will be essential, including through support for early-career investigators and interdisciplinary training. Similarly, the growing volume and complexity of cardiovascular data underscores the need for more integrated and interoperable research infrastructure, including registries and platforms capable of supporting large-scale, pragmatic studies.
HRA will also encourage continued emphasis on bridging the gap between discovery and real-world impact. In conditions such as sudden cardiac arrest, outcomes depend not only on scientific advances but on how effectively those advances are implemented across communities and care systems. Expanding implementation science, integrating public health strategies, and ensuring patient-centered research design will all be critical to improving outcomes.
The NIH RFI specifically encourages organizations to submit input on behalf of their members. In keeping with this approach, HRA will provide a consolidated response reflecting the perspectives of the EP community, rather than pursuing a broader grassroots comment campaign at this time.
As NIH looks ahead to the next phase of its strategic planning, this process offers an important opportunity to ensure that research priorities reflect both scientific opportunity and patient need. HRA looks forward to contributing to that conversation and to continuing its work to advance policies that improve care for patients with heart rhythm disorders.