A Call to Protect the Nation’s Investment in Integrative, Complementary, and Traditional Health Practice Research

The authors of this Viewpoint article—researchers, clinicians, and public health leaders—write to express our deep concern over the proposed elimination of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) in the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request. NCCIH was among 3 National Institutes of Health (NIH) centers or institutes slated for elimination in the White House budget, part of a major proposed restructuring of the primary federal organization that champions and supports biomedical research in the U.S. Though the Senate Committee on Appropriations has recently rejected the proposal, the fate of NCCIH remains uncertain. Here, we discuss the importance of the NCCIH and the potential consequences of its elimination or diminution.