The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), established by congress in 1962, conducts and supports research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations. 

NICHD is part of the National Institutes of Health, the biomedical research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The mission of the NICHD is to ensure that every person is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from reproductive processes, and that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability, and to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation.