Executive Branch News
Federal Interagency Policy Group Targets Bias to Increase Diversity in STEM
On November 30, the Interagency Policy Group (IPG) established by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a report, Reducing the Impact of Bias in the STEM Workforce: Strengthening Excellence and Innovation and a companion digest. The report includes recommendations of actions and strategies the federal government can take to increase diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce âby mitigating the impact of implicit, institutional, or explicit bias that may exist in both the Federal Government and in federally funded institutions of higher education.â Created in…
NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Holds Inaugural Research Festival
On December 2, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) held its inaugural NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival. The new annual event is designed to highlight the contributions of recently funded behavioral and social science projects to health research via presentations by extramural and NIH scientists from across the spectrum of disciplines. Panel discussions highlighted new directions for health-related behavioral and social science âaddressing the synergy of basic and applied research, innovations in methodology and measurement, and the adoption of research findings into practice.â Welcoming festival participants, OBSSR Director William Riley…
HHS Office of Minority Health Releases Compendium of Publicly Available Datasets
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) recently announced the release of a new resource, the Compendium of Publicly Available Datasets and Other Data-Related Resources, to aid researchers, public health practitioners, and policymakers with data on health and health care disparities and social determinants of health. A free resource, the Compendium provides âdescriptions of and links to 132 public datasets and resources that include information about health conditions and other factors that impact the health of minority populations.â The new resource was created by the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team of the National…
President-Elect Trump Begins Transition; Many Questions Remain for Science
Following a surprising victory on Nov. 8, businessman Donald Trumpâs campaign will now focus on transitioning to the White House. More details have emerged about Trumpâs goals for his presidency through a transition website, goals for his first 100 days in office, and a job posting for administration appointees. Notably, President-elect Trumpâs plan for his first 100 days includes a hiring freeze on federal employees and âa requirement that for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated.â Many uncertainties remain, including key administration appointments and more detailed policy proposals for the administration. Before the election, President-elect Trump…
Cancer Moonshot Task Force Report Released
On October 17, the Cancer Moonshot Task Force released a report laying out its implementation plans for accelerating progress in cancer research and care. The plan includes actions launched under the Cancer Moonshot this year as well as longer-term strategies for the initiative. Established by President Barack Obama, the Task Force consists of 20 federal departments, agencies, and White House offices, with leadership provided by Vice President Joe Biden. The Task Forceâs efforts are not intended to supplant existing cancer programs, initiatives, and polices, but to coordinate these efforts in an attempt to quicken the progress associated with them. The…
EPA Seeks Research on âBehavioral Driversâ of Significant Carbon Reduction
The Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program is soliciting applications for research projects on âAnticipating the Environmental Impacts and Behavioral Drivers of Deep Decarbonization.â The term âDeep Decarbonizationâ refers to the changes necessary to significantly reduce carbon emissions and meet climate policy goals. EPA is interested in proposals that address at least one of the following questions: âHow might the deep decarbonization of the U.S. economy by 2050 change the geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic distribution of public health and ecosystem risks associated with energy production and consumption?â âWhat factors drive decisions at the individual, firm, and…
IRS Statistical Agency Accepting Research Proposals
The Statistics of Income program (SOI) within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is accepting proposals for its Joint Statistical Research Program. The program, which is generally offered every two years, matches researchers outside the federal government with IRS researchers to work on projects that will deepen our understanding of taxpayer behavior and of how tax policies affect individuals, businesses, and the economy. The IRS hopes that such projects will also lead to the development of new datasets to enhance future tax research. SOI is particularly interested in proposals addressing the following topics: âTax administration in a global economy; taxpayer needs…
National Library of Medicine Seeks Input into Strategic Plan
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking the scientific and stakeholder communityâs input into the goals and priorities for NLMâs next ten-year strategic plan. Specifically, NLM is seeking comments around four themes: (1) data science, open science, and biomedical informatics; (2) biomedical discovery and translational science; (3) public health (clinical systems, public health systems and services, and personal health); and (4) collections to support discovery and health in the 21st century. For more information and/or to comment, see the Request for Information (NOT-LM-17-002). Comments are due January 9, 2017. Back to this…
NIGMS Analyzes RFI Response on Modernizing Biomedical Graduate Education
On November 2, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shared its analysis of the input it received from the scientific community in response to a June 2016 request for information (RFI) (NOT-GM-16-109) on how to âcatalyze the modernization of biomedical graduate education through NIGMSâs institutional predoctoral training program.â According to NIGMS, the comments received addressed 28 themes and fell into five categories: institutional and training-related issues, skills development, systemic issues within the research enterprise, careers, and administrative and review issues. The feedback around the issue of diversity and the role of…
2016 Presidential Candidatesâ Science Policy Platforms
Over the last year and a half, presidential candidates have provided hints as to what their science policy priorities would be if they were to win. Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released details of her âInitiative on Technology and Innovationâ, which includes commitments to grow the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the research budgets at the Department of Energy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While Secretary Clintonâs published positions related to science primarily focus on computer science and technology, in response to a questionnaire from the Scientific American, Secretary Clinton…
Inaugural NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival â December 2, 2016
On December 2, 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) will hold an inaugural NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival. Intended to become an annual event, the festival âwill highlight recently funded contributions of behavioral and social science to health research.â It will also âexplore new directions for health-related behavioral and social science research.â The event is tailored to build the âunderstanding and capacity to implement transformative behavioral and system interventions that lead to sustainable improvements in health and well-being.â The festival agenda and additional information is available on OBSSRâs website….
IES Seeks Comments on NCER-NPSAS Grants
The National Center for Education Research (NCER) within the Department of Educationâs Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is proposing a new information collection as part of an ongoing collaboration between NCER and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)âalso located within IESâand is seeking comments. The NCER supports research projects using subsamples of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), a nationally-representative sample of postsecondary institutions and students fielded every three to four years. The goal for the proposed new collection is to facilitate âone-offâ research projects. The Department is specifically interested in comments addressing the following questions: â(1) Is…
NASS Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations
The Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics, which is the advisory body to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), is accepting nominations. The Committee advises the Secretary of Agriculture and NASS leadership on issues that may affect NASSâ agriculture surveys and products. Members represent a broad range of disciplines and stakeholder communities including âproducers, representatives of national farm organizations, agricultural economists, rural sociologists, farm policy analysts, educators, State agriculture representatives, and agriculture-related business and marketing experts.â Nominations are due by November 30. More information is available in the Federal Register notice. Back to this issueâs table of contents.
Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program Renamed âAll of Usâ Research Program
On October 12, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program has been renamed the All of Us Research Program. The name change, according to the announcement, reflects the studyâs core values, which include âparticipation is open to all; participants reflect the rich diversity of the U.S.; participants are partners; participants have access to their information; data will be accessed broadly for research purposes; security and privacy will be of highest priority; and the program will be a catalyst for positive change in research.â The programâs name change also incorporates the feedback NIH…
NIH Releases Five-Year Rehabilitation Research Plan
After two years of planning and soliciting public input, the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation. The government-wide plan, coordinated by NCMRR, addresses the need for rehabilitation research; NIHâs investment in rehabilitation research; current medical rehabilitation research activities at NIH; opportunities, needs, and priorities; and NIHâs coordination with other federal agencies. Seventeen NIH institutes and centers support rehabilitation research, and the plan âcalls for the continuation of programs to understand the…
NIH Seeks Information on Research Supplement to Promote Workforce Diversity in Small Business
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting input on a âproposed new supplement to facilitate participation of women and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in small businessesâ through the congressionally-mandated Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The request for information (RFI), Research Supplement to Promote Workforce Diversity in Small Businesses (NOT-OD-17-008), notes that although SBIR/STTR awardees are eligible to apply for diversity supplements, the participation rates in the program are very low. Accordingly, the agency is seeking input to understand the barriers preventing these populations from participating in the âexisting diversity supplement program…
NINDS to Hold Informational Webinars on Diversity Career Development Awards
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting a series of webinars for potential applicants and mentors to its Mentored Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience (PAR-16-220 and PAR-16-219). The Instituteâs Faculty Development Award to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience Research is designed to provide âan intensive, supervised career development and scientific mentoring experience for promising junior investigators⊠from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research.â The award also provides protected time from teaching and other duties in addition to providing resources intended to hone awardeesâ skills in grant writing and…
Friends of NCHS-Sponsored Blog Post Explains Proposed NHIS Changes
In a blog post sponsored by the Friends of NCHS (of which COSSA is a member), Renee Gindi, health survey statistician with the Division of Health Interview Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), provides a detailed, plain-language summary of the proposed changes to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). One of NCHSâ hallmark surveys, the NHIS produces critical data on the health of the American public through detailed in-home interviews with respondents. The survey is scheduled to be redesigned for 2018. In her post, âTaking a Closer Look: The 2018 National Health Interview Survey Redesign,â Gindi explains…
NSF SBE Directorate Releases Dear Colleague Letter on Robust and Reliable Research, Invites Proposal Submissions
On September 20, Dr. Fay Lomax Cook, Assistant Director for the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF), released a Dear Colleague Letter on “Robust and Reliable Research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences”. The letter announces the SBE Directorate’s interest in stimulating research to enhance the reliability and robustness of research in these areas of science. To accomplish this goal, the SBE Directorate has invited proposals on a variety of topics to its standing programs including: “Research to determine the extent of, causes of, or remedies for research in the social,…
NSF Seeks Deputy Division Director for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking a Deputy Division Director for the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS). The Deputy Division Director will serve as a member of the BCS leadership team and as the “principal spokesperson in the area of behavioral and cognitive sciences.” More information can be found at USAJOBS. The deadline for applications is November 28, 2016. Back to this issueâs table of contents.