Invited Commentary Is Phenomenology the Best Approach to Health Research?

has focused on aspects of systems biology and the application of new technologies, which might best be consid-ered descriptive or phenomenological. Unfortunately, etiologic research and social, behavioral, and environmental population studies are at risk of becoming second-class research. In particular, the Roadmap does not address the need for studies of unique populations, determinants of the large variations in disease among populations and over time, and the long incubation period for many diseases. Success in reducing disease in the population will depend on linking the enormous potential of phenomenological methods to excellent etiologic and social/behavioral stud-ies. The phenomenological approach alone will improve our descriptions of disease but may not result in reducing disease burden in human populations. behavioral research; biological phenomena; delivery of health care; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); research; systems biology; technology Abbreviations: CHD, coronary heart disease; NIH, National Institutes of Health. There has been very little commentary about recent changes in research emphasis at the National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, Maryland) (1, 2). The NIH has fo-cused more on approaches that might best be classified a