[7] Past directors from 1990 - present[8] NIMHD addresses disparities in minority health in the United States.

It defines minority health as "all aspects of health and disease in one or more racial/ethnic minority populations as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, including Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders."

"[9] In 2023, NIMHD added people with disabilities to the definition of the population with health disparities, including a new program that funds new research.

[11] Goals in the strategic plan include understanding the causes of minority health disparities, developing interventions to reduce disparities and tools to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, increasing minority participation in National Institutes of Health research, and increasing community engagement in the process.

"[12] Director Pérez-Stable attributes health disparities in African-American communities to "structural racism", which results in segregated neighborhoods, limited access to nutrition, higher levels of environmental pollution, low-quality housing, and inadequate education and employment opportunities, which increase poverty and chronic stress.